Cadence Requirements for AGN Accretion Studies with LSST
Abstract
We test various samplings of mock AGN lightcurves to determine minimum cadence requirements for future technologies like the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST). AGN lightcurves exhibit stochastic behavior, with variability seen in ground-based optical surveys on timescales from days to years. Significant variability structure on timescales up to a few days was revealed by the high time resolution (~30 minutes) of Kepler Satellite. Now it is apparent that under-sampling by ground based instruments may be leaving out a big chunk of the AGN accretion picture. To probe Kepler AGN, recent studies have investigated the suitability of sophisticated models like CARMA processes to better understand dominant mechanisms driving observed variability across these timescales. By testing models against AGN photometry, we gain insights about accretion physics, intrinsic differences between AGN sub-types, and physical scales pertaining to orbits or casually connected matter flows. We investigate cadence, time window, and regularity requirements that accurately recover parameters of our model lightcurves constructed with a CARMA process and observations such that ground based telescopes can optimally collect data for AGN science.
- Publication:
-
American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #227
- Pub Date:
- January 2016
- Bibcode:
- 2016AAS...22724316M