A recurring changing state AGN discovered in the SAMI Galaxy Survey and SDSS
Abstract
We present a detailed analysis of the AGN in galaxy J085337.26+014303.6 at z=0.0582. A combination of SDSS and SAMI Galaxy Survey data shows that this object has gone through at least one full changing-look AGN cycle, from type 1.9 in 2001 to type 1 in 2015 and 2021, and then type 1.9 again in 2022. While the broad lines in this object show evidence of dust obscuration, detailed spectral analysis plus WISE photometry demonstrate that the changes in this object are related to a physical state change, not changing obscuration. In fact, the WISE light curve suggests that this object may have briefly returned to a type 1.9 state in 2020. In the optical, the host galaxy dominates the light (e.g. only ~10 per cent contribution from the AGN at 4000 Angstoms within a central aperture), even in the high state. In contrast, the brightest WISE W2-band measurements place the AGN at a similar luminosity to the entire host galaxy. The broad Balmer lines show evidence of multiple components, with a weak very-broad component (FWHM=5000-6000 km/s) visible in the low type 1.9 state, and a stronger broad component of FWHM~2000 km/s dominating in the high type 1 state. We propose that this is caused by two spatially distinct regions within the broad line region.
Related
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- A Massive Barred Spiral Galaxy at z = 5.102 Discovered by JWST
- NGC 3227 Blinks: An Extreme Changing-look Event in a Seyfert Galaxy
- NGC 3227 Blinks: An Extreme Changing-Look Event in a Seyfert Galaxy
BibTeX
@misc{croom2026recurring,
title = {{A recurring changing state AGN discovered in the SAMI Galaxy Survey and SDSS}},
author = {Scott M. Croom and Rebecca McElroy and Dougal Dobie and Thomas Dunn and Yasmeen Janschek and Tyler Klinger and Shaun Parasher and Mitchell Spanner and Oliver J. Thorp},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2610.30816},
eprint = {2610.30816},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.30816},
note = {CC BY-NC-SA 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - A recurring changing state AGN discovered in the SAMI Galaxy Survey and SDSS
AU - Scott M. Croom
AU - Rebecca McElroy
AU - Dougal Dobie
AU - Thomas Dunn
AU - Yasmeen Janschek
AU - Tyler Klinger
AU - Shaun Parasher
AU - Mitchell Spanner
AU - Oliver J. Thorp
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/22
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2610.30816
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.30816
AB - We present a detailed analysis of the AGN in galaxy J085337.26+014303.6 at z=0.0582. A combination of SDSS and SAMI Galaxy Survey data shows that this object has gone through at least one full changing-look AGN cycle, from type 1.9 in 2001 to type 1 in 2015 and 2021, and then type 1.9 again in 2022. While the broad lines in this object show evidence of dust obscuration, detailed spectral analysis plus WISE photometry demonstrate that the changes in this object are related to a physical state change, not changing obscuration. In fact, the WISE light curve suggests that this object may have briefly returned to a type 1.9 state in 2020. In the optical, the host galaxy dominates the light (e.g. only ~10 per cent contribution from the AGN at 4000 Angstoms within a central aperture), even in the high state. In contrast, the brightest WISE W2-band measurements place the AGN at a similar luminosity to the entire host galaxy. The broad Balmer lines show evidence of multiple components, with a weak very-broad component (FWHM=5000-6000 km/s) visible in the low type 1.9 state, and a stronger broad component of FWHM~2000 km/s dominating in the high type 1 state. We propose that this is caused by two spatially distinct regions within the broad line region.
ER -