PS1-13cbe: The Rapid “Turn on” of a Seyfert 1. (arXiv:1811.03694v1 [astro-ph.GA])
<a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Katebi_R/0/1/0/all/0/1">Reza Katebi</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Chornock_R/0/1/0/all/0/1">Ryan Chornock</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Berger_E/0/1/0/all/0/1">Edo Berger</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Jones_D/0/1/0/all/0/1">David O. Jones</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Lunnan_R/0/1/0/all/0/1">Ragnhild Lunnan</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Margutti_R/0/1/0/all/0/1">Raffaella Margutti</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Rest_A/0/1/0/all/0/1">Armin Rest</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Scolnic_D/0/1/0/all/0/1">Daniel M. Scolnic</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Burgett_W/0/1/0/all/0/1">William S. Burgett</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Kaiser_N/0/1/0/all/0/1">Nick Kaiser</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Kudritzki_R/0/1/0/all/0/1">Rolf-Peter Kudritzki</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Magnier_E/0/1/0/all/0/1">Eugene A. Magnier</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Wainscoat_R/0/1/0/all/0/1">Richard J. Wainscoat</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Waters_C/0/1/0/all/0/1">Christopher Waters</a>
We present a nuclear transient event, PS1-13cbe, that was first discovered in
the Pan-STARRS1 survey in 2013. The outburst occurred in the nucleus of the
galaxy SDSS J222153.87+003054.2 at $z = 0.12355$, which was classified as a
Seyfert 2 in a pre-outburst archival Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) spectrum.
PS1-13cbe showed the appearance of strong broad H$alpha$ and H$beta$ emission
lines and a non-stellar continuum in a Magellan spectrum taken 57 days after
the peak of the outburst that resembled the characteristics of a Seyfert 1.
These broad lines were not present in the SDSS spectrum taken a decade earlier
and faded away within two years, as observed in several late-time MDM spectra.
We argue that the dramatic appearance and disappearance of the broad lines and
factor of $sim 8$ increase in the optical continuum is most likely caused by
variability in the pre-existing accretion disk than a tidal disruption event,
supernova, or variable obscuration. The timescale for the turn-on of the
optical emission of $sim 70$ days observed in this transient is among the
shortest observed in a “changing look” active galactic nucleus.
We present a nuclear transient event, PS1-13cbe, that was first discovered in
the Pan-STARRS1 survey in 2013. The outburst occurred in the nucleus of the
galaxy SDSS J222153.87+003054.2 at $z = 0.12355$, which was classified as a
Seyfert 2 in a pre-outburst archival Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) spectrum.
PS1-13cbe showed the appearance of strong broad H$alpha$ and H$beta$ emission
lines and a non-stellar continuum in a Magellan spectrum taken 57 days after
the peak of the outburst that resembled the characteristics of a Seyfert 1.
These broad lines were not present in the SDSS spectrum taken a decade earlier
and faded away within two years, as observed in several late-time MDM spectra.
We argue that the dramatic appearance and disappearance of the broad lines and
factor of $sim 8$ increase in the optical continuum is most likely caused by
variability in the pre-existing accretion disk than a tidal disruption event,
supernova, or variable obscuration. The timescale for the turn-on of the
optical emission of $sim 70$ days observed in this transient is among the
shortest observed in a “changing look” active galactic nucleus.
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