Systematic Analysis of Changing-look AGN Variability Using ZTF Light Curves
Authors
Huimei Wang
Xue-Bing Wu
Nanyu Yao
Bing Lyu
Yuxuan Pang
Yuming Fu
Rui Zhu
Qian Yang
Abstract
Changing-look active galactic nuclei (CLAGNs) are a unique population of AGNs that exhibit the appearance (turn-on) or disappearance (turn-off) of broad emission lines. This study aims to explore the intrinsic mechanisms of CLAGNs by investigating their photometric variability using data from the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF), which has provided high-cadence observations over the past five years. By visual inspections, we construct a sample of 152 CLAGNs from the literature, all of which show spectral transitions and large optical variability in their ZTF light curves. By analyzing 90 of these CLAGNs and the control samples of Type 1 AGNs, Type 2 AGNs, and extremely variable quasars (EVQs), matched in redshift ($0.2
