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Changing-Look AGN (CLAGN) Mkn 590 recently underwent a sudden \lq re-ignition\rq, marked by substantial increases in optical/UV and X-ray continuum flux since last year. \textit{Swift}-XRT observations revealed the re-emergence of a soft X-ray excess (SXE) as the source transitioned from a low-flux state in July 2023 to a significantly higher flux state in October 2024. This evolution was in response to an order-of-magnitude increase in extreme-UV (EUV) continuum emission, detected by \textit{Swift}-UVOT. Follow-up optical spectra from the Las Cumbres Observatory confirmed the presence of dynamically broadened Balmer lines, He II emission, and the emergence of the Fe II complex. As the Eddington fraction increased by 10\% over the last 15 months, we found clear evidence of formation of a warm corona, strongly linked to the cold accretion disc underneath. A global amplification of ionizing radiation after approximately 11 years is consistent with propagating heating fronts in inflated accretion discs. Based on our multi-wavelength study on recent data, we propose that Mkn 590 is currently becoming a Seyfert-1, similar to 1990s., Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures; Submitted to MNRAS Letters

Quasi-periodic Eruptions (QPEs) represent a novel class of extragalactic X-ray transients that are known to repeat at roughly regular intervals of a few hours to days. Their underlying physical mechanism is a topic of heated debate, with most models proposing that they originate either from instabilities within the inner accretion flow or from orbiting objects. At present, our knowledge of how QPEs evolve over an extended timescale of multiple years is limited, except for the unique QPE source GSN 069. In this study, we present results from strategically designed Swift observing programs spanning the past three years, aimed at tracking eruptions from eRO-QPE1. Our main results are: 1) the recurrence time of eruptions can vary between 0.6 and 1.2 days, 2) there is no detectable secular trend in evolution of the recurrence times, 3) consistent with prior studies, their eruption profiles can have complex shapes, and 4) the peak flux of the eruptions has been declining over the past 3 years with the eruptions barely detected in the most recent Swift dataset taken in June of 2023. This trend of weakening eruptions has been reported recently in GSN 069. However, because the background luminosity of eRO-QPE1 is below our detection limit, we cannot verify if the weakening is correlated with the background luminosity (as is claimed to be the case for GSN 069). We discuss these findings within the context of various proposed QPE models., Comment: Resubmitted to ApJ Letters after implementing referee comments

An accretion disk formed around a supermassive black hole (SMBH) after it disrupts a star is expected to be initially misaligned with respect to the black hole's equatorial plane. This misalignment induces relativistic torques (the Lense-Thirring effect) on the disk, causing the disk to precess at early times, while at late times the disk aligns with the black hole and precession terminates. Here, using high-cadence X-ray monitoring observations of a TDE, we report the discovery of strong, quasi-periodic X-ray flux and temperature modulations from a TDE. These X-ray modulations are separated by 17.0$^{+1.2}_{-2.4}$ days and persist for roughly 130 days during the early phase of the TDE. Lense-Thirring precession of the accretion flow can produce this X-ray variability, but other physical mechanisms, such as the radiation-pressure instability, cannot be ruled out. Assuming typical TDE parameters, i.e., a solar-like star with the resulting disk extending at-most to so-called circularization radius, and that the disk precesses as a rigid body, we constrain the disrupting black hole's dimensionless spin parameter to be 0.05<|a|<0.5., Comment: Accepted for publication in Nature

The 4D Eigenvector 1 sequence has proven to be a highly effective tool for organizing observational and physical properties of type 1 active galactic nuclei (AGN). In this paper, we present multiple measurements of metallicity for the broad line region gas, from new or previously published data. We demonstrate a consistent trend along the optical plane of the E1 (also known as the quasar main sequence), defined by the line width of H$\beta$ and by a parameter measuring the prominence of singly-ionized iron emission. The trend involves an increase from sub-solar metallicity in correspondence with extreme Population B (weak FeII emission, large H$\beta$ FWHM) to metallicity several tens the solar value in correspondence with extreme Population A (very strong FeII optical emission, narrower H$\beta$ profiles). The data establish the metallicity as a correlate of the 4D E1/main sequence. If the very high metallicity gas ($Z \gtrsim 10 Z_\odot$) is expelled from the sphere of influence of the central black hole, as indicated by the widespread evidence of nuclear outflows and disk wind in the case of sources radiating at high Eddington ratio, then it is possible that the outflows from quasars played a role in chemically enriching the host galaxy., Comment: Submitted to Physics

"Changing-look" active galactic nuclei (CL-AGNs) challenge our basic ideas about the physics of accretion flows and circumnuclear gas around supermassive black holes. Using first-year Sloan Digital Sky Survey V (SDSS-V) repeated spectroscopy of nearly 29,000 previously known AGNs, combined with dedicated follow-up spectroscopy, and publicly available optical light curves, we have identified 116 CL-AGNs where (at least) one broad emission line has essentially (dis-)appeared, as well as 88 other extremely variable systems. Our CL-AGN sample, with 107 newly identified cases, is the largest reported to date, and includes $\sim0.4\%$ of the AGNs reobserved in first-year SDSS-V operations. Among our CL-AGNs, 67% exhibit dimming while 33% exhibit brightening. Our sample probes extreme AGN spectral variability on months to decades timescales, including some cases of recurring transitions on surprisingly short timescales ($\lesssim 2$ months in the rest frame). We find that CL events are preferentially found in lower-Eddington-ratio ($f_{Edd}$) systems: Our CL-AGNs have a $f_{Edd}$ distribution that significantly differs from that of a carefully constructed, redshift- and luminosity-matched control sample (Anderson-Darling test yielding $p_{\rm AD}\approx 6\times10^{-5}$; median $f_{Edd}\approx0.025$ vs. $0.043$). This preference for low $f_{Edd}$ strengthens previous findings of higher CL-AGN incidence at lower $f_{Edd}$, found in smaller samples. Finally, we show that the broad MgII emission line in our CL-AGN sample tends to vary significantly less than the broad H$\beta$ emission line. Our large CL-AGN sample demonstrates the advantages and challenges in using multi-epoch spectroscopy from large surveys to study extreme AGN variability and physics., Comment: Submitted to ApJ. Full tables and figure-sets will be published upon acceptance, and can be made available upon request$.$

We shortly summarize the standard current knowledge on the structure of the accretion flow onto black holes in galactic binary systems and in active galactic nuclei. We stress the similarities and differences between the two types of systems, and we highlight the complementarity of the data caused by these differences. We highlight some new developments and list the unsolved problems., Comment: submitted to the Proceedings of the Polish Astronomical Society, comments welcome within the allowed 6 page limit

Context. Dust in active galactic nuclei is clearly present right outside the broad-line region (BLR) in the form of a dusty molecular torus. However, some models of the BLR predict that dust may also exist within the BLR. Aims. We study the reprocessing of radiation by the BLR with the aim of observing how the presence of dust affects the reprocessed continuum and the line properties. Methods. We calculated a range of models using the CLOUDY photoionisation code for dusty and dustless plasma. We paid particular attention to the well-studied object NGC 5548, and we compared the line equivalent width predictions with the data from observations for this object. Results. We obtained a rough agreement between the expected equivalent widths of the H$\beta$ and Mg II lines and the observed values for NGC 5548 for the line distances implied by the time-delay measurement (for H$\beta)$ and the radius-luminosity relation (for Mg II) when the medium is dusty. We found the incident radiation to be consistent with the radiation seen by the observer, so no shielding between the inner disc and the BLR is required. High ionisation lines such as He II, however, clearly form in the inner dustless region. When the additional absorber is present, the H$\beta$ emitting region moves closer to the dustless part of the accretion disc surface., Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in the Astronomy and Astrophysics journal

Fe II emission is a well-known contributor to the UV spectra of active galactic nuclei and the modeling of this part may affect the results obtained for the MgII$\lambda2800$ emission, which is one of the lines used for black hole mass measurements and cosmological applications. We use the 11-year monitoring of the selected quasar HE 0413-4031 with the South African Large Telescope (SALT) and we supplement this monitoring with the near-IR spectrum taken with the SOAR telescope. A new redshift determination ($z=1.39117 \pm 0.00017$) using [OIII]$\lambda \lambda 4959,5007$ gave a very different value than the previous determination based only on the UV FeII pseudocontinuum ($z=1.3764$). It favors a different decomposition of the spectrum into Mg II and UV Fe II emissions. The line characteristics and the time delay of the Mg II emission ($224^{+21}_{-23}$ days) are not significantly affected. However, in comparison with the previous analysis, the rest-frame UV FeII time delay ($251^{+9}_{-7}$ days) is consistent with the inferred UV FeII line FWHM of $4200\,{\rm km/s}$ that is only slightly smaller than the MgII line FWHM. Hence the FeII-emitting material is more distant than the MgII-emitting gas in HE 0413-4031 by $\sim 0.023$ pc (4700 AU). The inferred velocity shift of both Mg II and UV Fe II lines with respect to the systemic redshift is now rather low, below 300 km s$^{-1}$. In addition, we construct an updated MgII radius-luminosity ($R-L$) relation from 194 sources, which is more than double the previous sample. The MgII $R-L$ relation is flatter than the UV FeII, optical FeII, and H$\beta$ $R-L$ relations. While the new decomposition of the spectrum is satisfactory, we see a need to create better Fe II templates using the newest version of the code CLOUDY., Comment: 19 pages, 12+8 Figures, 5+1 Tables (Main Text+Appendix); accepted by A&A; minor corrections applied

We test a scenario claiming that the broad absorption line (BAL) phenomenon in quasars (QSOs) is not a temporary stage of their life. In this scenario, we see the BAL effect only if the line of sight is within a spatially limited and collimated massive outflow cone covering only a fraction of sky from the point of view of the nucleus. The aim is to understand the theoretical mechanism behind the massive outflow in BAL QSOs which is important for modelling the impact of quasars onto the star formation rate in the host galaxy, and, subsequently, onto the galaxy evolution. We apply the specific theoretical model of dust-driven wind. The model has considerable predictive power. The 2.5D version of FRADO model of Czerny & Hryniewicz gives rise to the formation of fast funnel-shaped outflow from the disk for a certain range of black hole masses, Eddington ratios and metallicities. We now interpret BAL QSO as sources viewed along the outflowing stream and we calculate the probabilities of seeing the BAL phenomenon as functions of these global parameters, and we compare these probabilities to those seen in the observational data. We include considerations on the presence/absence of obscuring torus. Comparing our theoretical results with observational data for a sample consisting of two sub-populations of BAL and non-BAL QSOs we found that both in the model and in the data the BAL phenomenon mostly happens for sources with black hole masses larger than 10^{8} solar mass, the effect get stronger with accretion rate, and also high metallicities are more likely in QSOs showing BAL features if the presence of torus is taken into account. The consistency of the model with the data provides support for the interpretation of the BAL phenomenon as the result of the orientation of the source. It also supports the underlying theoretical model although more consistency checks should be done in the future., Comment: 15 pages, 13 figures, 3 tables, Accepted for publication in the Journal of Astronomy and Astrophysics (A&A)

Since many years we know that dust in the form of the dusty-molecular torus is responsible for the obscuration in active galactic nuclei (AGN) at large viewing angles and thus for the classification of AGN. Recently, we gained some observational and theoretical insight into geometry of the region and the role of the dust in the dynamics of the outflow and failed winds. We will briefly touch on all these aspects, including our dust-based model (FRADO - Failed Radiatively Accelerated Dusty Outflow) of the formation of the Balmer lines in AGN., Comment: Partially based on talk at 31st Symposium on the Physics of Ionized Gases in Belgrade, accepted for European Physical Journal D Topical Issue: "Physics of Ionized Gases and Spectroscopy of Isolated Complex Systems: Fundamentals and Applications"

As Setti & Woltjer noted back in 1973, quasars could be used to construct the Hubble diagram but the actual application was not that straightforward. It took years to implement the idea successfully. Most of the ways to use quasars for cosmology now require an advanced understanding of their structure, step by step. We briefly review this progress, with unavoidable personal bias, and concentrate on bright unobscured sources. We will mention the problem of the gas flow character close to the innermost stable circular orbit close to the black hole, discussed 50 years ago, which later led to the development of the slim disk scenario, but was recently revived in the context of Magnetically Arrested Disks (MAD) and Standard and Normal Evolution (SANE) disk models. We also discuss the hot/warm corona issue, which is still under discussion and complicates the analysis of the X-ray reflection. We present the scenario of the formation of the low ionization part of the Broad Line Region as a mostly failed wind powered by radiation pressure acting on dust (FRADO - Failed Radiatively Driven Dusty Outflow model). Next, we discuss the cosmological constraints that are currently achievable with quasars, mostly concentrating on light echo methods (continuum time delays and spectral line time delays with respect to the continuum) which are (or should be) incorporating the progress mentioned above. Finally, we briefly mention future prospects in this direction., Comment: Astrophysics and Space Science (in press)

We present an analysis of UV spectra of quasars at intermediate redshifts believed to belong to the extreme Population A (xA), aimed to estimate the chemical abundances of the broad line emitting gas. We follow the approach described in a previous work extending the sample to 42 sources. Our aim is to test the robustness of the analysis carried out previously, as well as to confirm the two most intriguing results of this investigation: evidence of very high solar metallicities, and deviation of the relative abundance of elements with respect to solar values. The basis of our analysis is multi-component fits in three regions of the spectra centered at 1900, 1550 and 1400 A in order to deblend the broad components of AlIII1860, CIII]1909, CIV1549, HeII1640, and SiIV1397+OIV]1402 and their blue excess. By comparing the observed flux ratios of these components with the same ratios predicted by photoionization code CLOUDY we found that the virialized gas (broad components) presents a metallicity Z higher than 10Z$_\odot$. For non-virialized clouds we derive a lower limit to the metallicity around $\sim$ 5Z$_\odot$ under the assumption of chemical composition proportional to the solar one, confirming the previous results. We especially rely on the ratios between metal lines and HeII1640. This allowed us to confirm systematic differences in the solar-scaled metallicity derived from the lines of Aluminium and Silicon, and of Carbon, with the first being a factor 2 higher. For luminous quasars accreting at high rates, high Z values are likely, but that Z scaled values are affected by the possible pollution due to highly-enriched gas associated with the circumnuclear star formation. The high-Z values suggest a complex process involving nuclear and circumnuclear star formation, interaction between nuclear compact objects and accretion disk, possibly with the formation of accretion-modified stars., Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics. 29 pages plus an appendix with full spectral analysis

This paper is the first in a series of preparing and analyzing spectral and other properties for a database of already discovered Changing-Look active galactic nuclei (CL AGNs). Here, we focus on the spectral fitting and analysis of broad emission lines in a sample of 93 CL AGNs collected from the literature with existing SDSS/BOSS/eBOSS spectroscopy where the H$\beta$ emission line profile does not completely disappear in any epochs. Additionally, we have gathered older/newer spectral epochs from all the available SDSS data releases to make the database more complete. We use PyQSOFit and perform a homogeneous spectral decomposition of all of our SDSS spectra and tabulate the AGN continuum and emission line properties per epoch per source, chronologically. This further allows us to categorize the sources in our sample as \textit{Turn-On} or \textit{Turn-Off} and subsequently check for repeated occurrences of such phases. We then estimate the black hole mass (M$_{\rm BH}$) and the Eddington ratio (L$_{\rm bol}$/L$_{\rm Edd}$) per epoch per source where the required parameters are available and well-estimated. We realize the movement of the source in the M$_{\rm BH}$ versus L$_{\rm bol}$/L$_{\rm Edd}$ plane allowing us to check for systematic changes in the source's fundamental properties. We then track their transition along the optical plane of the Eigenvector 1 (EV1) schema and categorize sources that either stay within the same Population (A or B) or make an inter-population movement as a function of spectral epoch. We also test the Balmer decrement (H$\alpha$/H$\beta$) of a subset of our sample of CL AGNs as a function of time and AGN luminosity., Comment: 35 pages, 21 figures, 4 tables, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series

Some of the accreting black holes exhibit much stronger variability patterns than the usual stochastic variations. Radiation pressure instability is one of the proposed mechanisms which could account for this effect. We aim to model luminosity changes for objects with black hole mass of 10, 10$^5$, and 10$^7$ solar masses, using the time-dependent evolution of an accretion disk unstable due to the dominant radiation pressure. We use a 1-dimensional, vertically integrated time-dependent numerical scheme which models simultaneous evolution of the disk and corona, coupled by the vertical mass exchange. We also discuss the possibility of presence of an inner optically thin flow, namely the Advection-Dominated Accretion Flow (ADAF). We found that the outburst character strongly depends on the magnetic field and the outer radius of the disk if this radius is smaller (due to TDE phenomenon) than the size of the instability zone in a stationary disk with infinite radius. For microquasars, the dependence on the magnetic field is monotonic, and the period decreases with the field strength. For larger black hole masses, the dependence is non-monotonic, and initial rise of the period is later replaced with the relatively rapid decrease as the magnetic field continues to rise. Still stronger magnetic field stabilizes the disk. Our computations confirm that the radiation pressure instability model can account for heartbeat states in microquasars. Rapid variability detected in IMBH in the form of Quasi-Periodic Ejection can be consistent with the model but only if combined with TDE phenomenon. Yearly repeating variability in Changing Look AGN also requires, in our model, small outer radius either due to the recent TDE or due to the presence of the gap in the disk related to the presence of a secondary black hole., Comment: 23 pages, 18 figures, Submitted for publication on Astronomy and Astrophysics, comments very welcome

Narrow Line Seyfert 1 (NLSy1) galaxies have been shown to have high Eddington ratios and relatively small black hole masses. The measurement of the black hole masses is based on the virial relation which is dependent on the distribution of the line-emitting gas and the viewing angle to the source. Spectropolarimetry enables us to probe the geometry of this line-emitting gas and allows us to estimate independently the viewing angle of the source by comparing the spectrum viewed under natural light and in the polarized light. We performed spectropolarimetric observations of three NLSy1 - Mrk 1044, SDSS J080101.41+184840.7, and IRAS 04416+1215 using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope. We use ESO Reflex workflow to perform standard data reduction and extract the natural and polarized spectra. We estimate the Stokes parameters and the viewing angles of the three sources. We model the Stokes parameters and infer the properties of the scattering media - located in the equatorial and polar regions, and simulate the spectra observed both in natural light and in polarized light using the polarization radiative transfer code STOKES. We confirm that all three sources are high Eddington ratio objects. We are successful in recovering the observed H$\alpha$ line profile both in the natural and polarized light using the STOKES modelling. We recover the polarization fractions of the order of 0.2-0.5% for the three sources. Our principal component analysis shows that the sample of the 25 sources including our sources, Fairall 9 from Jiang et al. (2021), and sources from Capetti et al. (2021) are mainly driven by the black hole mass and Eddington ratio. We re-affirm the connection of the strength of the optical FeII emission with the Eddington ratio, but the dependence on the viewing angle is moderate, more like a secondary effect., Comment: 25 pages, 21 figures, 11 tables, to be published in Astronomy & Astrophysics, version after proofs

Apart from regular, low-level stochastic variability, some AGN occasionally show exceptionally large changes in the luminosity, spectral shape, and/or X-ray absorption. The most notable are the changes of the spectral type when the source classified as a Seyfert 1 becomes a Seyfert 2 galaxy or vice versa. Thus a name was coined of 'Changing-Look AGN' (CL AGN). The origin of this phenomenon is still unknown, but for most of the sources, there are strong arguments in favor of the intrinsic changes. Understanding the nature of such rapid changes is a challenge to the models of black hole accretion flows since the timescales of the changes are much shorter than the standard disk viscous timescales. We aim to model the CL AGN phenomenon assuming that the underlying mechanism is the time-dependent evolution of a black hole accretion disk unstable due to the dominant radiation pressure. We use a 1-dimensional, vertically integrated disk model, but we allow for the presence of the hot coronal layer above the disk and the presence of the inner purely hot flow. We focus on the variability timescales and amplitudes, which can be regulated by the action of large-scale magnetic fields, the description of the disk-corona coupling, and the presence of an inner optically thin flow, like Advection-Dominated Accretion Flow (ADAF). We compare model predictions for the accretion disk around black hole mass 10$^7$M$_{\odot}$., Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication as part of the Special Issue featuring the "13th SCSLSA Workshop" in Astronomische Nachrichten

The quasar Main Sequence (MS) appears to be an incredibly powerful tool to organize the diversity in large samples of type-1 quasars but the most important physical parameters governing it are still unclear. Here we investigate the origin of the broadening and of a defining feature of Population B sources: a strong redward asymmetry of the Balmer emission lines. We focus on a prototypical source, Fairall 9. Spectropolarimetric data of the Fairall 9 broad H$\beta$ and H$\alpha$ profiles allowed for a view of the geometric and dynamical complexity of the line emitting regions. Measurements (1) provided evidence of rotational motion; (2) were helpful to test the presence of polar and equatorial scatterers, and their association with non-virial motions., Comment: 22 pages, 3 tables and 14 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRAS

Using the six years of the spectroscopic monitoring of the luminous quasar HE 0435-4312 ($z=1.2231$) with the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT), in combination with the photometric data (CATALINA, OGLE, SALTICAM, and BMT), we determined the rest-frame time-delay of $296^{+13}_{-14}$ days between the MgII broad-line emission and the ionizing continuum using seven different time-delay inference methods. Artefact time-delay peaks and aliases were mitigated using the bootstrap method, prior weighting probability function as well as by analyzing unevenly sampled mock light curves. The MgII emission is considerably variable with the fractional variability of $\sim 5.4\%$, which is comparable to the continuum variability ($\sim 4.8\%$). Because of its high luminosity ($L_{3000}=10^{46.4}\,{\rm erg\,s^{-1}}$), the source is beneficial for a further reduction of the scatter along the MgII-based radius-luminosity relation and its extended versions, especially when the high-accreting subsample that has an RMS scatter of $\sim 0.2$ dex is considered. This opens up a possibility to use the high-accretor MgII-based radius-luminosity relation for constraining cosmological parameters. With the current sample of 27 reverberation-mapped sources, the best-fit cosmological parameters $(\Omega_{\rm m}, \Omega_{\Lambda})=(0.19; 0.62)$ are consistent with the standard cosmological model within 1$\sigma$ confidence level., Comment: 34 pages, 23 figures, 6 tables; accepted by the Astrophysical Journal; Main body as well as the Appendix extended; added references

We present an analysis of UV spectra of 13 quasars believed to belong to extreme Population A (xA) quasars, aimed at the estimation of the chemical abundances of the broad line emitting gas. Metallicity estimates for the broad line emitting gas of quasars are subject to a number of caveats, although present data suggest the possibility of an increase along the quasar main sequence along with prominence of optical Fe II emission. Extreme Population A sources with the strongest Fe II emission offer several advantages with respect to the quasar general population, as their optical and UV emission lines can be interpreted as the sum of a low-ionization component roughly at quasar rest frame (from virialized gas), plus a blueshifted excess (a disk wind), in different physical conditions. Specifically, in terms of ionization parameter, cloud density, metallicity and column density. Capitalizing on these results, we analyze the component at rest frame and the blueshifted one, exploiting the dependence (of several intensity line ratios on metallicity $Z$). We find that the validity of intensity line ratios as metallicity indicators depends on the physical conditions. We apply the measured diagnostic ratios to estimate the physical properties of sources such as density, ionization, and metallicity of the gas. Our results confirm that the two regions (the low-ionization component and the blue-shifted excess) of different dynamical conditions also show different physical conditions and suggest metallicity values that are high, and probably the highest along the quasar main sequence, with $Z \gtrsim 10 Z_{\odot}$. We found some evidence of an overabundance of Aluminium with respect to Carbon, possibly due to selective enrichment of the broad line emitting gas by supernova ejecta., Comment: 39 pages, will appear in ApJ

We present the monitoring of the AGN continuum and MgII broad line emission for the quasar HE 0413-4031 ($z=1.38$) based on the six-year monitoring by the South African Large Telescope (SALT). We managed to estimate a time-delay of $302.6^{+28.7}_{-33.1}$ days in the rest frame of the source using seven different methods: interpolated cross-correlation function (ICCF), discrete correlation function (DCF), $z$-transformed DCF, JAVELIN, two estimators of data regularity (Von Neumann, Bartels), and $\chi^2$ method. This time-delay is below the value expected from the standard radius-luminosity relation. However, based on the monochromatic luminosity of the source and the SED modelling, we interpret this departure as the shortening of the time-delay due to the higher accretion rate of the source, with the inferred Eddington ratio of $\sim 0.4$. The MgII line luminosity of HE 0413-4031 responds to the continuum variability as $L_{\rm line}\propto L_{\rm cont}^{0.43\pm 0.10}$, which is consistent with the light-travel distance of the location of MgII emission at $R_{\rm out} \sim 10^{18}\,{\rm cm}$. Using the data of 10 other quasars, we confirm the radius-luminosity relation for broad MgII line, which was previously determined for broad H$\beta$ line for lower-redshift sources. In addition, we detect a general departure of higher-accreting quasars from this relation in analogy to H$\beta$ sample. After the accretion-rate correction of the light-travel distance, the MgII-based radius-luminosity relation has a small scatter of only $0.10$ dex., Comment: 39 pages (23 pages - Main text, 16 pages - Appendix), 21 figures, 14 tables; accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal

Changing-look phenomenon observed now in a growing number of active galaxies challenges our understanding of the accretion process close to a black hole. We propose a simple explanation for periodic outbursts in sources operating at a few per cent of the Eddington limit. The mechanism is based on two relatively well understood phenomena: radiation pressure instability and formation of the inner optically thin Advection-Dominated Accretion Flow. The limit cycle behaviour takes place in a relatively narrow transition zone between the standard disk and optically thin flow. Large changes in the cold disk are due to the irradiation by the hot flow with accretion rate strongly varying during the cycle. The model gives quantitative predictions and works well for multiple outbursts of NGC 1566., Comment: This version was rejected from ApJ, we extended it significantly and published this new version in A&A (arxiv:2007.06441)

We report 6 yr monitoring of a distant bright quasar CTS C30.10 (z = 0.90052) with the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT). We measured the rest-frame time-lag of $562\pm 2$ days between the continuum variations and the response of the Mg II emission line, using the Javelin approach. More conservative approach, based on five different methods, imply the time delay of $564^{+109}_{-71}$ days. This time delay, combined with other available measurements of Mg II line delay, mostly for lower redshift sources, shows that the Mg II line reverberation implies a radius-luminosity relation very similar to the one based on a more frequently studied H$\beta$ line., Comment: submitted to ApJ; comments welcome

The work initially started as a test to retrace the Shen & Ho (2014) Quasar Main Sequence diagram where they claimed that the parameter RFeII, which defines the Eigenvector 1 (EV1) is driven by the Eddington ratio alone. We subsequently construct a refined (error and redshift limited) sample from the original Shen et al. 2011 QSO catalogue. Based on our hypothesis - the main driver of the Quasar Main Sequence is the maximum of the accretion disk temperature defined by the Big Blue Bump on the Spectral Energy Distribution. We select the four extreme sources that have RFeII $\geq$ 4.0 and use the SED modelling code CIGALE to fit the multi-band photometric data for these sources. We also perform detailed spectral fitting including the FeII pseudo-continuum to estimate and compare the value of RFeII for them. We show the metallicity dependent FeII strength in the context of this study., Comment: International Astronomical Union Proceedings: IAU Symposium 341 - PanModel2018: Challenges in Panchromatic Galaxy Modelling with next generation facilities

Most results of the reverberation monitoring of active galaxies showed a universal scaling of the time delay of the Hbeta emission region with the monochromatic flux at 5100 A, with very small dipersion. Such a scaling favored the dust-based formation mechanism of the Broad Line Region (BLR). Recent reverberation measurements showed that actually a significant fraction of objects exhibits horter lags than the previously found scaling. Here we demonstrate that these shorter lags can be explained by the old concept of scaling of the BLR size with the ionization parameter. Assuming a universal value of this parameter and universal value of the cloud density reproduces the distribution of observational points in the time delay vs. monochromatic flux plane, provided that a range of black hole spins is allowed. However, a confirmation of the new measurements for low/moderate Eddington ratio sources is strongly needed before the dust-based origin of the BLR can be excluded., Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ

Active galaxies form a clear pattern in the optical plane showing the correlation between the Full Width Half Maximum (FWHM) of the H$\beta$ line and the ratio of the Equivalent Width (EW) of the optical FeII emission and the EW(H$\beta$). This pattern is frequently refereed to as the quasar main sequence. In this paper we study the UV plane showing FWHM of the MgII line against the ratio of EW of UV FeII emission to EW(MgII). We show that the UV plane trends are different, with the underlying strong correlation between FWHM(MgII) and EW(MgII). This correlation is entirely driven by the choice of the continuum used to measure EW(MgII). If we correct for the strong curvature in the UV continuum related to the character of emission expected from accretion disk, the behavior of the FWHM vs. EW for MgII becomes similar to the behaviour of H$\beta$. Such a similarity is expected since both lines belong to the Low Ionization group of emission lines and come from a similar region. Such a similarity and weak coupling between FWHM and EW of the corresponding line is then also consistent with the Broad Line Region model based on the presence of dust in the accretion disk atmosphere., Comment: 15 pages, 11 figures

The concept of the quasar main sequence is very attractive since it stresses correlations between various parameters and implies the underlying simplicity. In the optical plane defined by the width of the H\{beta} line and the ratio of the equivalent width of the Fe II to H\{beta} observed objects form a characteristic pattern. In this paper, we use a physically motivated model to explain the distribution of quasars in the optical plane. Continuum is modelled as an accretion disk with a hard X-ray power law uniquely tight to the disk at the basis of observational scaling, and the Broad Line Region distance is determined also from observational scaling. We perform the computations of the FeII and H\{beta} line production with the code CLOUDY. We have only six free parameters for an individual source: maximum temperature of the accretion disk, Eddington ratio, cloud density, cloud column density, microturbulence, and iron abundance, and only the last four remain as global parameters in our modelling of the whole sequence. Our theoretically computed points cover well the optical plane part populated with the observed quasars, particularly if we allow for super-Solar abundance of heavy elements. Explanation of the exceptionally strong Fe II emitter requires a stronger contribution from the dark sides of the clouds. Analyzing the way how our model covers the optical plane we conclude that there is no single simple driver behind the sequence, as neither the Eddington ratio nor broad band spectrum shape plays the dominant role. Also, the role of the viewing angle in providing the dispersion of the quasar main sequence is apparently not as strong as expected., Comment: 16 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

Narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies are defined on the basis of their line widths, and they are generally considered to be high Eddington ratio sources. But in the context of the Quasar Main Sequence, high Eddington rate sources are those which have weak [O III] lines and strong Fe II lines. There is an overlap between the two populations, but they are not identical. Thus these two selection criteria give a different view on which objects are actually high Eddington ratio sources. We discuss this issue in the context of the broad band spectral energy density, emission line shape modeling, Fe II pseudo-continuum strength, and the level of X-ray variability. We also discuss the issue of the viewing angle and the insight one can gain from spectropolarimetric observations. We conclude that there is no single driver behind the Quasar Main Sequence, and the Eddington ratio of the source cannot be determined from the source location on the optical plane alone. On the other hand, an expected range of AGN parameters combined with a simple model of the Fe II production represent well the observed coverage pattern of the plane, with not much effect needed from the dispersion due to the viewing angle., Comment: Revisiting narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies and their place in the Universe - NLS1 Padova 9-13 April 2018; Proceedings of Science (in press)

The work initially started as a test to retrace the Shen & Ho (2014) Quasar Main Sequence diagram where they (and references therein) claimed that the parameter RFeII, which defines the Eigenvector 1 (EV1) is driven by the Eddington ratio alone. We subsequently construct a refined (error and redshift limited) sample from the original Shen et. al (2011) QSO catalogue. Based on our hypothesis - the main driver of the Quasar Main Sequence is the maximum of the accretion disk temperature defined by the Big Blue Bump on the Spectral Energy Distribution. We select five extreme sources that have RFeII >= 4.0 and use the SED modelling code CIGALE to fit the multi-band photometric data for these sources. Incorporating the prescription for broad emission-line species dependent virial factors, we derive the black hole masses for the entire Shen+11 catalogue and compare their distribution with the black hole masses in the original catalogue. Here, we show the results of our analysis for one of the 5 extreme sources, SDSSJ082358.30+213545.2. We also show the detailed modelling, including the Fe II pseudo-continuum to estimate and compare the value of RFeII for this object., Comment: Proceedings of Science - Revisiting narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies and their place in the Universe, 9-13 April 2018, Padova, Italy

Eigenvector 1 (EV1) was found to be the dominant component behind the significant correlations for the measured parameters in quasar spectra (Boroson & Green, 1992). The parameter R$_{\mathrm{FeII}}$, which strongly correlates to the EV1, is the ${\mathrm{FeII}}$ strength, defined to be the ratio of the equivalent width of ${\mathrm{FeII}}$ to the equivalent width of ${\mathrm{H\beta}}$. This allows to construct a quasar main sequence analogous to the stellar properties driven HR diagram (Sulentic et al. 2001). We try to find the main driver behind the EV1 among the basic (theoretically motivated) parameters of an active nucleus (Eddington ratio, black hole mass, accretion rate, spin, and viewing angle). Based on theoretical modeling using the photoionization code CLOUDY (Ferland et al. 2013), we test the hypothesis that the physical driver of EV1 is the maximum of the accretion disk temperature ($\mathrm{T_{BBB}}$), reflected in the shape of the spectral energy distribution (SED). We have assumed that both H$\mathrm{\beta}$ and Fe${\mathrm{II}}$ emission come from the Broad Line Region represented as a constant density cloud in a plane-parallel geometry. We test the effect of changing Eddington ratio on the $\mathrm{R_{FeII} - T_{BBB}}$ trends with varying mean hydrogen densities. We also test the effect of adding microturbulence that affect the line intensities on the overall $\mathrm{R_{FeII} - T_{BBB}}$ picture., Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, to be published in the proceedings of the 3rd Cosmology School (Polish Astronomical Society), 10-23 July 2017, Krak\'ow, Poland

Quasars are among the most luminous sources characterized by their broad band spectra ranging from radio through optical to X-ray band, with numerous emission and absorption features. Using the Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Boroson & Green (1992) were able to show significant correlations between the measured parameters. Among the significant correlations projected, the leading component, related to Eigenvector 1 (EV1) was dominated by the anti-correlation between the Fe${\mathrm{II}}$ optical emission and [OIII] line where the EV1 alone contained 30% of the total variance. This introduced a way to define a quasar main sequence, in close analogy to the stellar main sequence in the Hertzsprung-Russel (HR) diagram (Sulentic et. al 2001). Which of the basic theoretically motivated parameters of an active nucleus (Eddington ratio, black hole mass, accretion rate, spin, and viewing angle) is the main driver behind the EV1 yet remains to be answered. We currently limit ourselves to the optical waveband, and concentrate on theoretical modelling the Fe${\mathrm{II}}$ to H$\mathrm{\beta}$ ratio, and test the hypothesis that the physical driver of EV1 is the maximum of the accretion disk temperature, reflected in the shape of the spectral energy distribution (SED). We performed computations of the H$\mathrm{\beta}$ and optical Fe${\mathrm{II}}$ for a broad range of SED peak position using CLOUDY photoionisation code. We assumed that both H$\mathrm{\beta}$ and Fe${\mathrm{II}}$ emission come from the Broad Line Region represented as a constant density cloud in a plane-parallel geometry. We compare the results for two different approaches: (1) considering a fixed bolometric luminosity for the SED; (2) considering $\mathrm{L_{bol}/L_{Edd}}$ = 1., Comment: 38th Polish Astronomical Society Assembly Conference Proceedings, Zielona G\'ora, Poland