{
  "abstract": "We investigate whether embedded stellar-mass black holes (sBHs) in active galactic nucleus (AGN) disks can leave observable optical/UV variability signatures through migration-trap-driven magnetic heating. This mechanism operates when sBHs migrating toward torque-balance radii pile up near migration traps, triggering localized, stochastic magnetic reconnection that heats the disk atmosphere. It is potentially important because it provides a physical source of noncoronal disk heating and directly links optical/UV continuum variability to otherwise hidden compact-object populations. By coupling a one-dimensional sBH population synthesis model with a corona-heated accretion-disk reprocessing variability framework, we show that migration traps concentrate sBHs at preferred radii and generate localized, stochastic reconnection heating. The resulting heating is self-regulated: sBH pile-ups enhance the reconnection rate, while gap opening reduces the local gas density and partially suppresses the reconnection power. This heating produces excess short-timescale optical/UV variability, flattened short-term structure functions, and deviations from the standard τ ∝ λ 4/3 lag-wavelength relation, which describes the time delay between variability at different wavelengths for a standard thin accretion disk. These signatures are strongest at low-to-moderate Eddington ratios, and related observations could provide indirect evidence for embedded compact-object populations in AGN disks.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Xiamen University",
    "Chinese Academy of Sciences",
    "University of Science and Technology of China",
    "Guangxi University",
    "University of Chinese Academy of Sciences",
    "National Astronomical Observatory of China"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 8,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Jing-Tong Xing",
      "orcid": "0009-0008-9726-9431"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Tong Liu",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-8678-6291"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Mouyuan Sun",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-0771-2153"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Ya-Ping Li",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-7329-9344"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Shuying Zhou",
      "orcid": "0009-0005-2801-6594"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Zhen-Yi Cai",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-4223-2198"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Da-Bin Lin",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-1474-293X"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        4,
        5
      ],
      "name": "Jian-Min Wang",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-9449-9268"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4k0hfe084ehb3.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3847/1538-4357/aeaa4f",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "4k0hfe084ehb3",
  "issns": [
    "0004-637X",
    "1538-4357"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/aeaa4f",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "3103|Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7165690220",
  "pdf_url": "https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/aeaa4f/pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-13",
  "publisher": "American Astronomical Society",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4k0hfe084ehb3.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:18:11Z",
      "native_id": "10.3847/1538-4357/aeaa4f",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/aeaa4f"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "astronomy",
      "origin": "journal-openalex:3103|Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies",
      "subfield": "stellar"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Migration Traps as Variability Attractors. I. Optical/UV Signatures of Embedded Stellar-mass Black Holes in Active Galactic Nucleus Disks",
  "title_text": "Migration Traps as Variability Attractors. I. Optical/UV Signatures of Embedded Stellar-mass Black Holes in Active Galactic Nucleus Disks",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:18:11Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4k0hfe084ehb3",
  "venue": "The Astrophysical Journal",
  "versions": []
}