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arXiv · 2410.19630

Amoeba: An AGN Model of Optical Emissions Beyond steady-state Accretion discs

Henry Best·Matthew O'Dowd·Joshua Fagin·James H. H. Chan·Bridget Ierace
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Abstract

Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) are objects located in the heart of galaxies which emit powerful and complex radiation across the electromagnetic spectrum. Understanding AGN has become a topic of interest due to their importance in galactic evolution and their ability to act as a probe to the distant Universe. Within the next few years, wide-field surveys such as the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) at the Rubin Vera Observatory are expected to increase the number of known AGN to $\mathcal{O} (10^{7})$ and the number of strongly lensed AGN to $\mathcal{O} (10^{4})$. In this paper we introduce \texttt{Amoeba}: an AGN Model of Optical Emission Beyond steady-state Accretion discs. The goal of \texttt{Amoeba} is to provide a modular and flexible modelling environment for AGN, in which all components can interact with each other. Through this work we describe the framework for major AGN components to vary self-consistently and keep flux distributions to connect these components to spatial dependent processes. We model properties beyond traditional single-component models, such as the reverberation of the corona's bending power law power spectrum through the accretion disc and broad line region (BLR). We simulate obscuration by the dusty torus and differential magnification of the disc and BLR due to microlensing. These features are joined together to create some of the most realistic light curve simulations to date. \texttt{Amoeba} takes a step forward in AGN modelling by joining the accretion disc, BLR, torus, intrinsic signal, and microlensing into a coherent model.

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Henry Best, Matthew O'Dowd, Joshua Fagin, James H. H. Chan, Bridget Ierace. 2024-10-25. Amoeba: An AGN Model of Optical Emissions Beyond steady-state Accretion discs. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/staf499

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