Kavli Affiliate: Luis Ho
| Summary:
The bolometric luminosity ($L_rm bol$) of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) is a key tracer of accretion physics, but its direct determination is often hindered by limited spectral coverage and contamination of the host galaxy. Bolometric corrections ($κ_λ = L_rm bol/L_λ$) offer a practical means of estimating $L_rm bol$, with the X-ray bolometric correction ($κ_rm 2-10$) being crucial for exploring the coupling between the accretion disk and the X-ray corona. Here we present multi-epoch, multi-wavelength observations of five highly variable, changing-state AGNs that span more than three orders of magnitude in Eddington ratio ($-3.6lesssim log λ_rm Edd lesssim -0.5$). This unique data set reveals a remarkably tight relation between $κ_rm 2-10$ and $λ_rm Edd$, with an intrinsic scatter of only $sim0.05$ dex. We find that while the sources show bolometric corrections following different tracks in luminosity space that depend on black hole mass, they all display the same $κ_rm 2-10-λ_rm Edd$ trend. This shows unambiguously that $λ_rm Edd$ is the primary driver of X-ray bolometric corrections, and points to a tight underlying trend that can be used to obtain reliable estimates of bolometric output from X-ray luminosities. Our results highlight how time-domain, multi-wavelength observations of variable AGN offer unique insights into the accretion flow structure and its radiative output.
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