Changing-look Active Galactic Nuclei from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument. V. Dramatic Variability in High-Ionization Broad Emission Lines

TL;DR

This study targets changing-look quasars at high redshift (z>0.9) to probe accretion-driven inner BLR variability via high-ionization broad emission lines. By cross-matching DESI DR1 and SDSS DR18 spectra and integrating long-baseline optical light curves from CRTS, PS1, and ZTF, the authors identify 97 CL quasars (45 turn-ons, 52 turn-offs) with a detection rate of about 0.042%. They find that CL quasars generally have lower accretion rates, with $ \log \lambda_{\rm Edd} \approx -1.14$ in the bright state and $\approx -1.39$ in the dim state, versus $\approx -0.65$ for typical quasars, and they observe both Baldwin-like trends and inverse cases in high-ionization lines. A positive correlation between high-ionization line variability (e.g., Mg II, C III]) and bolometric luminosity change, along with a characteristic rest-frame CL timescale of ~3 years, supports an intrinsic, accretion-driven origin for CL behavior. Overall, the work expands the high-ionization CL quasar sample at high redshift and offers new constraints on rapid inner-disk or accretion-structure changes in AGNs.

Abstract

We present a systematic search for changing-look (CL) quasars at high redshift z > 0.9 by cross-matching the spectroscopic datasets from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument Data Release 1 and Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 18. We identify 97 CL quasars showing significant variability in high-ionization broad emission lines, including 45 turn-on and 52 turn-off events, corresponding to a detection rate of approximately 0.042%. This rate is lower than that found for low-ionization CL quasars, likely due to both selection effects and physical differences in high-ionization lines. Based on the CL quasar sample, we find that CL quasars generally exhibit lower accretion rates compared to typical quasars, with average Eddington ratios of log lambda_Edd approximately -1.14 in the bright state and approximately -1.39 in the dim state, compared to approximately -0.65 for typical quasars. While high-ionization lines in CL quasars follow the Baldwin effect on a population level, some individual sources show inverse Baldwin trends. We also find a positive correlation between the variability of high-ionization lines such as Mg II and C III] and the change in bolometric luminosity. In addition, we estimate a characteristic rest-frame timescale of approximately 3 years for CL transitions, with no significant difference between turn-on and turn-off cases. Taken together, these results support an accretion-driven origin for the CL phenomenon and provide new insights into the variability of high-ionization emission lines.