The variability properties of X-ray steep and X-ray flat quasars

Abstract

We have studied the variability of 6 low redshift, radio quiet `PG' quasars on three timescales (days, weeks, and months) using the ROSAT HRI. The quasars were chosen to lie at the two extreme ends of the ROSAT PSPC spectral index distribution and hence of the H$\beta$ FWHM distribution. The observation strategy has been carefully designed to provide even sampling on these three basic timescales and to provide a uniform sampling among the quasars We have found clear evidence that the X-ray steep, narrow H_beta, quasars systematically show larger amplitude variations than the X-ray flat broad H_beta quasars on timescales from 2 days to 20 days. On longer timescales we do not find significant differences between steep and flat quasars, although the statistics are poorer. We suggest that the above correlation between variability properties and spectral steepness can be explained in a scenario in which the X-ray steep, narrow line objects are in a higher L/L_Edd state with respect to the X-ray flat, broad line objects. We evaluated the power spectrum of PG1440+356 (the brigthest quasar in our sample) between 2E-7 and 1E-3 Hz, where it goes into the noise. The power spectrum is roughly consistent with a 1/f law between 1E-3 and 2E-6 Hz. Below this frequency it flattens significantly.