Variability Of Active Galactic Nuclei Research Articles

Could the Interband Lag of Active Galactic Nucleus Vary Randomly?

The interband lags among the optical broad-band continua of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) have been intensively explored over the past decade. However, the nature of the lags remains under debate. Here, utilizing two distinct scenarios for AGN variability, i.e., the thermal fluctuation of accretion disk and the reprocessing of both the accretion disk and clouds in the broad line region, we show that, owing to the random nature of AGN variability, the interband lags of an individual AGN would vary from one campaign with a finite baseline to another. Specifically, the thermal fluctuation scenario implies larger variations in the lags than the reprocessing scenario. Moreover, the former predicts a positive correlation between the lag and variation amplitude, while the latter does not result in such a correlation. For both scenarios, averaging the lags of an individual AGN measured with repeated and nonoverlapping campaigns would give rise to a stable lag, which is larger for a longer baseline and gets to saturation for a sufficiently long baseline. However, obtaining the stable lag for an individual AGN is very time-consuming. Alternatively, it can be equivalently inferred by averaging the lags of a sample of AGNs with similar physical properties, and thus can be properly compared with predictions of AGN models. In addition, several new observational tests suggested by our simulations are discussed, as well as the role of the deep high-cadence surveys of the Wide Field Survey Telescope in enriching our knowledge of the lags.

Active galactic nucleus time-variability analysis and its caveats

In this study, we demonstrate some of the caveats in common statistical methods used for analysing astronomical variability timescales. We consider these issues specifically in the context of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and use a more practical approach compared to mathematics literature, where the number of formulae may sometimes be overwhelming. We conducted a thorough literature review both on the statistical properties of light-curve data, specifically in the context of sampling effects, as well as on the methods used to analyse them. We simulated a wide range of data to test some of the known issues in AGN variability analysis as well as to investigate previously unknown or undocumented caveats. We discovered problems with some commonly used methods and confirmed how challenging it is to identify timescales from observed data. We find that interpolation of a light curve with biased sampling, specifically with bias towards flaring events, affects its measured power spectral density in a different manner than those of simulated light curves. We also find that an algorithm aiming to match the probability density function of a light curve has often been used incorrectly. These new issues appear to have been mostly overlooked and not necessarily addressed before, especially in astronomy literature.

A multi-faceted view of the X-ray spectral variability in Seyfert galaxy Ark 120

Abstract Utilizing a range of techniques including multi-band light curves, softness ratio analysis, structure functions, rms spectra, cross-correlation functions, and ratios of spectra from different intervals, we present a comprehensive study of the complex X-ray spectral variability in Seyfert 1 galaxy Ark 120, through re-analyzing its six XMM-Newton observations taken between 2003 and 2014. We find a clear ``softer-when-brighter" trend in the 2--10 keV power-law component over long timescales, with this trend being timescale dependent, as it is much weaker on shorter timescales, similar to that previously detected in NGC 4051. Notably, a rare ``harder-when-brighter" trend is observed during one exposure, indicating dynamic changes in the spectral variability behavior of the power-law component. This exceptional exposure, with the spectral variability indeed marked by a power-law pivoting at an unusually low energy of $\sim$ 2 keV, suggests intricate variations in the thermal Comptonization processes within the corona. Furthermore, when the data below 2 keV are included, we identify that the soft excess component adds significant complexity to the spectral variability, such as evidenced by a transition from ``harder-when-brighter” to ``softer-when-brighter” during another single exposure.Such extra complexity arises because the variability of the soft excess sometimes follows and sometimes does not follow the changes in the power-law component.Our findings underscore the necessity of applying multiple analytic techniques to fully capture the multifaceted spectral variability of AGNs.

How Long Will the Quasar UV/Optical Flickering Be Damped? II. The Observational Test

The characteristic timescale at which the variability of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) turns from red noise to white noise can probe the accretion physics around supermassive black holes (SMBHs). A number of works have studied the characteristic timescale of quasars and obtained quite different scaling relations between the timescale and quasar physical properties. One possible reason for the discrepancies is that the characteristic timescale can be easily underestimated if the light curves are not long enough. In this work, we construct well-defined AGN samples to observationally test the relationships between the characteristic timescale and AGN properties obtained by previous works. Our samples eliminate the effects of insufficient light-curve lengths. We confirm that the timescale predictions of the Corona Heated Accretion disk Reprocessing model are consistent with our timescale measurements. The timescale predictions by empirical relations are systematically smaller than our measured ones. Our results provide further evidence that AGN variability is driven by thermal fluctuations in SMBH accretion disks. Future flagship time-domain surveys can critically test our conclusions and reveal the physical nature of AGN variability.

Relativistic reflection modeling in AGN and related variability from PCA: a brief review

X-ray observations of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) reveal relativistic reflections from the innermost regions of accretion disks, which contain general-relativistic footprints caused by spinning supermassive black holes (SMBH). We anticipate the spin of a SMBH to be stable over the human timeframe, so brightness changes in the high-energy corona above the SMBH should slightly alter relativistic reflection. In this brief review, we discuss the latest developments in modeling relativistic reflection, as well as the rapid small variation in relativistic emission disclosed by the principal component analysis (PCA) of X-ray variability in AGN. PCA studies of X-ray spectra from AGNs have shown that relativistically blurred reflection has negligible fluctuations over the course of observations, which could originate from rapid (intrahour) intrinsic variations in near-horizon accretion flows and photon rings. The PCA technique is an effective way to disclose relativistic reflection from X-ray observations of AGNs, simplifying the complexity of largely variable X-ray data for automated spectral analysis with machine learning algorithms.

X-ray occultations in active galactic nuclei: Physical properties of eclipsing clouds as part of the broad-line region cloud ensemble

Context. Short-term X-ray variability in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) can be explained as being due to varying X-ray absorption induced by the temporary occultation of the primary X-ray source, when moving absorbing clouds cross the line of sight to the X-ray source itself. Earlier work suggests that these absorbing clouds have physical properties similar to those of broad-line region (BLR) emitting clouds and are located in the same spatial region. Aims. We intend to extract physical information on each individual absorber associated with any given occultation event detected in our sample and to analyse general properties of the cloud ensemble whose components can produce X-ray eclipses. Methods. From the analysis of previously detected occultation events, two ‘observables’ characterising each single occultation event can be derived: the peak fractional hardness ratio variation (ΔHR/HR) and the duration of the event normalised by a characteristic eclipse timescale evaluated for each AGN source. To determine the eclipsing cloud properties, we devised a procedure a) based on simplifying assumptions on the geometry of both the X-ray source and the cloud-like gas condensations, and on the cloud X-ray absorbing properties in the energy range of interest (2–10 keV), and b) relying on a set of simulated instrumental responses from both XMM and Suzaku relevant instruments to different incoming X-ray spectra, absorbed with varying absorber column density and maximum covering factor during the occultation. Thus, we derived information on the individual cloud producing any given occultation event, determining the cloud radius normalised to that of the X-ray source, the spatial location of the cloud, and an estimate of the cloud gas number density for reasonable values of the equivalent absorber column density. Results. The physical properties of eclipsing clouds that we obtained are consistent with those of BLR clouds. We can exclude the dominance, in the ensemble cloud size distribution, of clouds larger than about 10–12 times the Schwarzschild radius characterising each AGN, and we do not find any significant dependence of the cloud physical size on the distance from the central black hole, in agreement with the results of our previous work. As for the number density of these gas condensations, with our procedure we obtained values within a range of ∼109 − 1011 cm−3, which is consistent with the estimates derived from broad emission line analysis.

Investigating the interplay between the coronal properties and the hard X-ray variability of active galactic nuclei with NuSTAR

Investigating the interplay between the coronal properties and the hard X-ray variability of active galactic nuclei with <i>NuSTAR</i>

High-quality Extragalactic Legacy-field Monitoring (HELM) with DECam: Project Overview and First Data Release

High-quality Extragalactic Legacy-field Monitoring (HELM) is a long-term observing program that photometrically monitors several well-studied extragalactic legacy fields with the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) imager on the CTIO 4 m Blanco telescope. Since 2019 February, HELM has been monitoring regions within COSMOS, XMM-LSS, CDF-S, S-CVZ, ELAIS-S1, and SDSS Stripe 82 with few-day cadences in the (u)gri(z) bands, over a collective sky area of ∼38 deg2. The main science goal of HELM is to provide high-quality optical light curves for a large sample of active galactic nuclei (AGNs), and to build decades-long time baselines when combining past and future optical light curves in these legacy fields. These optical images and light curves will facilitate the measurements of AGN reverberation mapping lags, as well as studies of AGN variability and its dependencies on accretion properties. In addition, the time-resolved and coadded DECam photometry will enable a broad range of science applications from galaxy evolution to time-domain science. We describe the design and implementation of the program and present the first data release that includes source catalogs and the first ∼3.5 yr of light curves during 2019A–2022A.

DAVOS: Dwarf Active Galactic Nuclei from Variability for the Origins of Seeds: Properties of Variability-selected Active Galactic Nuclei in the COSMOS Field and Expectations for the Rubin Observatory

We study the black hole mass–host galaxy stellar mass relation, M BH–M *, of a sample of z < 4 optically variable active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in the COSMOS field. The parent sample of 491 COSMOS AGNs were identified by optical variability from the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program (HSC-SSP) program. Using publicly available catalogs and spectra, we consolidate their spectroscopic redshifts and estimate virial black hole masses using broad-line widths and luminosities. We show that variability searches with deep, high-precision photometry like the HSC-SSP can identity AGNs in low-mass galaxies up to z ∼ 1. However, their black holes are more massive given their host galaxy stellar masses than predicted by the local relation for active galaxies. We report that z ∼ 0.5–4 variability-selected AGNs are meanwhile more consistent with the M BH–M * relation for local inactive early-type galaxies. This result is in agreement with most previous studies of the M BH–M * relation at similar redshifts and indicates that AGNs selected from variability are not intrinsically different from the broad-line Type 1 AGN population at similar luminosities. Our results demonstrate the need for robust black hole and stellar mass estimates for intermediate-mass black hole candidates in low-mass galaxies at similar redshifts to anchor this scaling relation. Assuming that these results do not reflect a selection bias, they appear to be consistent with self-regulated feedback models wherein the central black hole and stars in galaxies grow in tandem.

RadioSED I: Bayesian inference of radio SEDs from inhomogeneous surveys

Abstract We present here RadioSED, a Bayesian inference framework tailored to modelling and classifying broadband radio spectral energy distributions (SEDs) using only data from publicly-released, large-area surveys. We outline the functionality of RadioSED, with its focus on broadband radio emissions which can trace kiloparsec-scale absorption within both the radio jets and the circumgalactic medium of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). In particular, we discuss the capability of RadioSED to advance our understanding of AGN physics and composition within youngest and most compact sources, for which high resolution imaging is often unavailable. These young radio AGN typically manifest as peaked spectrum (PS) sources which, before RadioSED, were difficult to identify owing to the large, broadband frequency coverage typically required, and yet they provide an invaluable environment for understanding AGN evolution and feedback. We discuss the implementation details of RadioSED, and we validate our approach against both synthetic and observational data. Since the surveys used are drawn from multiple epochs of observation, we also consider the output from RadioSED in the context of AGN variability. Finally, we show that RadioSED recovers the expected SED shapes for a selection of well-characterised radio sources from the literature, and we discuss avenues for further study of these and other sources using radio SED fitting as a starting point. The scalability and modularity of this framework make it an exciting tool for multiwavelength astronomers as next-generation telescopes begin several all-sky surveys. Accordingly, we make the code for RadioSED, which is written in python, available on Github.

A New Timescale–Mass Scaling for the Optical Variation of Active Galactic Nuclei across the Intermediate-mass to Supermassive Scales

The variability of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) has long been servicing as an essential avenue of exploring the accretion physics of a black hole (BH). There are two commonly used methods for analyzing AGN variability. First, the AGN variability, characterized by the structure function (SF) of a single band, can be well described by a damped random walk (DRW) process on timescales longer than ∼weeks, shorter than which departures have been reported. Second, the color variation (CV) between two bands behaves timescale dependent, raising challenges to the widely accepted reprocessing scenario. However, both the departure from the DRW process and the timescale-dependent CV are hitherto limited to AGNs, mainly quasars, at the supermassive scale. Here, utilizing the high-cadence multiwavelength monitoring on NGC 4395 harboring an intermediate-mass BH, we unveil at the intermediate-mass scale for the first time, prominent departures from the DRW process at timescales shorter than ∼hours in all three nights and bands, and plausible timescale-dependent CVs in the two longest nights of observation. Furthermore, comparing SFs of NGC 4395 to four AGNs at the supermassive scale, we suggest a new scaling relation between the timescale (τ; across nearly 3 orders of magnitude) and the BH mass (M BH): τ∝MBHγ where the exponent γ is likely ≃0.6–0.8. This exponent differs from most previous measurements, but confirms a few, and is consistent with a recent theoretical prediction, suggesting a similar accretion process in AGNs across different mass scales.

Ensemble Variability Properties of Active Galactic Nuclei in the SDSS DR17

We present the results from a study of ∼9600 broadline-selected active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with host galaxies detected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Data Release 17. We compute ensemble variability statistics based on a comparison of the original SDSS photometric data with spectrophotometric measurements obtained days to decades later in the Sloan g, r, and i bands. Galaxy and AGN templates have been fitted to the SDSS spectra to isolate the AGN component from the host galaxy. The sources have absolute magnitudes in the range −24 < M i < −18 and lie at redshifts less than z ∼ 0.9. A variability analysis reveals that the anticorrelation between luminosity and variability amplitude continues down to log(Lbol [erg s−1]) = 43.5, demonstrating that the relationship extends by 4 orders of magnitude in AGN luminosity. To further explore the connection between AGN luminosity and variability, we determine the black hole mass and the accretion rate through measurement of the Hβ line width and the monochromatic luminosity at rest frame 5100 Å. Our results suggest that the accretion rate is the dominant parameter impacting the amplitude of variability and that the anticorrelation between the accretion rate and amplitude extends to rates as low as 1% Eddington. Moreover, we also identify an anticorrelation between the variability amplitude and black hole mass, with the correlation appearing strongest among the AGNs with low accretion rates.

A Panchromatic Study of the X-Ray Binary Population in NGC 300 on Subgalactic Scales

The population-wide properties and demographics of extragalactic X-ray binaries (XRBs) correlate with the star formation rates (SFRs), stellar masses (M ⋆), and environmental factors (such as metallicity, Z) of their host galaxy. Although there is evidence that XRB scaling relations (L X/SFR for high-mass XRBs (HMXBs) and L X/M ⋆ for low-mass XRBs) may depend on metallicity and stellar age across large samples of XRB-hosting galaxies, disentangling the effects of metallicity and stellar age from stochastic effects, particularly on subgalactic scales, remains a challenge. We use archival X-ray through IR observations of the nearby galaxy NGC 300 to self-consistently model the broadband spectral energy distribution and examine radial trends in its XRB population. We measure a current (<100 Myr) SFR of 0.18 ± 0.08 M⊙ yr−1 and stellar mass M ⋆ = (2.15−0.14+0.26)×109 M⊙. Although we measure a metallicity gradient and radially resolved star formation histories that are consistent with the literature, there is a clear excess in the number of X-ray sources below ∼1037 erg s−1 that are likely a mix of variable XRBs and additional background active galactic nuclei. When we compare the subgalactic L X/SFR ratios as a function of Z to the galaxy-integrated L X-SFR-Z relationships from the literature, we find that only the regions hosting the youngest (≲30 Myr) HMXBs agree with predictions, hinting at time evolution of the L X–SFR–Z relationship.

Instability of Circumnuclear Gas Supply as an Origin of the “Changing-look” Phenomenon of Supermassive Black Holes

The origin of the “changing-look” (CL) phenomenon in supermassive black holes (SMBHs) remains an open issue. This study aims to shed light on this phenomenon by focusing on a sample that encompasses all known repeating CL active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Through the identification of a characteristic timescale for the CL phenomenon, it was observed that larger SMBHs possess shorter characteristic timescales, while smaller SMBHs exhibit longer timescales. These findings reveal a significant contrast to the traditional AGN variability that has been adequately explained by the AGN’s disk instability model. This stark discrepancy highlights a distinct origin of the CL phenomenon, distinguishing it from traditional AGN variability. By properly predicting the characteristic timescale and its dependence on SMBH mass, we propose that the CL phenomenon is likely a result of a variation in accretion rate caused by a sudden change in the supply of circumnuclear gas during the transition between active and passive SMBH fueling stages.

The Relationship of Supermassive Black Holes and Host Galaxies at z < 4 in the Deep Optical Variability-selected Active Galactic Nuclei Sample in the COSMOS Field

We present the study on the relationship between supermassive black holes (SMBHs) and their host galaxies using our variability-selected active galactic nuclei (AGNs) sample (i AB ≤ 25.9 and z ≤ 4.5) constructed from the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program Ultradeep survey in the COSMOS field. We estimated the black hole (BH) mass (M BH = 105.5−10 M ⊙) based on the single-epoch virial method and the total stellar mass (M star = 1010−12 M ⊙) by separating the AGN component with spectral energy distribution fitting. We found that the redshift evolution of the BH–stellar mass ratio (M BH/M star) depends on the M BH, which is caused by no significant correlation between M BH and M star. Variable AGNs with massive SMBHs (M BH > 109 M ⊙) at 1.5 < z < 3 show considerably higher BH–stellar mass ratios (> ∼1%) than the BH–bulge ratios (M BH/M bulge) observed in the local Universe for the same BH range. This implies that there is a typical growth path of massive SMBHs, which is faster than the formation of the bulge component as final products seen in the present day. For the low-mass SMBHs (M BH < 108 M ⊙) at 0.5 < z < 3, on the other hand, variable AGNs show similar BH–stellar mass ratios with the local objects (∼0.1%), but smaller than those observed at z > 4. We interpret that host galaxies harboring less massive SMBHs at intermediate redshift have already acquired sufficient stellar mass, although high-z galaxies are still in the early stage of galaxy formation relative to those at the intermediate/local Universe.

Ensemble X-ray variability of optically selected QSOs: dependence on black hole mass and Eddington ratio

ABSTRACT Although flux variability is one of the defining properties of accretion flows on to supermassive black holes, its dependence on physical parameters such as the mass of the compact object and the Eddington ratio remains under discussion. In this paper, we address this issue using the structure function statistic to measure the variability at X-ray wavelengths of a sample of optically selected QSOs with available black hole masses and Eddington ratios. We present a new Bayesian methodology for estimating the structure function tailored to the Poisson nature of the X-ray data. This is applied to 15 548 SDSS DRQ16 QSOs with repeat observations in the XMM–Newton archive and/or the SRG/eROSITA All Sky Survey. The X-ray structure function monotonically increases to time intervals of about 10–15 yrs, consistent with scenarios in which instabilities of the accretion disc contribute to the X-ray variability on long time-scales. Additionally, there is evidence that the amplitude of the stochastic X-ray flux variations rises with decreasing black hole mass and Eddington ratio. This finding imposes stringent constraints on empirical models of Active Galactic Nuclei variability derived from local samples, emphasizing the significance of high-redshift population studies for comprehending the stochastic flux variations in active black holes.

Winds of change: The nuclear and galaxy-scale outflows and the X-ray variability of 2MASS 0918+2117

Context. In this work, we test feedback propagation models on the test case of 2MASS 0918+2117 (2M0918), a z = 0.149 X-ray variable AGN that shows tentative evidence for nuclear ultra-fast outflows (UFOs) in a 2005 XMM-Newton observation. We also investigate whether UFOs can be related to the observed X-ray variability. Aims. We observed 2M0918 with XMM-Newton and NuSTAR in 2020 to confirm the presence of and characterize the UFOs. We performed a kinematic analysis of the publicly available 2005 SDSS optical spectrum to reveal and measure the properties of galaxy-scale ionized outflows. Furthermore, we constructed 20-year-long light curves of observed flux, line-of-sight column density, and intrinsic accretion rate from the spectra of the first four SRG/eROSITA all-sky surveys and archival observations from Chandra and XMM-Newton. Methods. We detect UFOs with v ∼ 0.16c and galaxy-scale ionized outflows with velocities of ∼700 km s−1. We also find that the drastic X-ray variability (factors &gt; 10) can be explained in terms of variable obscuration and variable intrinsic luminosity. Results. Comparing the energetics of the two outflow phases, 2M0918 is consistent with momentum-driven wind propagation. 2M0918 expands the sample of AGN with both UFOs and ionized gas winds from 5 to 6 and brings the sample of AGN hosting multiscale outflows to 19, contributing to a clearer picture of feedback physics. From the variations in accretion rate, column density, and ionization level of the obscuring medium, we propose a scenario that connects obscurers, an accretion enhancement, and the emergence of UFOs.

STONKS: Quasi-real time XMM-Newton transient detection system

Over recent decades, astronomy has entered the era of massive data and real-time surveys. This is improving the study of transient objects -- although they still contain some of the most poorly understood phenomena in astrophysics, as it is inherently more difficult to obtain data to constrain the proposed models. In order to help detect these objects in their brightest state and build synergies with multi-wavelength real-time surveys, we have built a quasi-real time automatic transient detection system for the XMM-Newton pipeline: the Search for Transient Objects in New detections using Known Sources (STONKS) pipeline. STONKS detects long-term X-ray transient events by automatically comparing new XMM-Newton detections to any available archival X-ray data at this position, sending out an alert if the variability between observations (defined as the ratio between the maximum flux and the minimum flux or upper limit) is over 5. This required an initial careful cross-correlation and flux calibration of various X-ray catalogs from different observatories ( XMM-Newton Chandra Swift ROSAT, and eROSITA). A Bayesian framework was put into place to solve any ambiguous associations. We also systematically computed the XMM-Newton upper limits at the position of any X-ray source covered by the XMM-Newton observational footprint, even without any XMM-Newton counterpart. The behavior of STONKS was then tested on all 483 observations performed with imaging mode in 2021. Over the 2021 testing run, STONKS provided a daily alert rate of 0.7$^ $ alerts per day, about 80&lt;!PCT!&gt; of them corresponding to serendipitous sources. Among the detected variable serendipitous sources, there are: several highly variable active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and flaring stars, as well as new X-ray binary and ultra-luminous X-ray source candidates, some of which are present here. STONKS also detected targeted tidal disruption events, ensuring its ability to detect other serendipitous events. As a byproduct of our method, the archival multi-instrument catalog contains about one million X-ray sources, with 15&lt;!PCT!&gt; of them involving several catalogs and 60&lt;!PCT!&gt; of them having XMM-Newton (pointed or slew) upper limits. STONKS demonstrates a great potential for revealing future serendipitous transient X-ray sources, providing the community with the ability to follow-up on these objects a few days after their detection with the goal of obtaining a better understanding of their nature. The underlying multi-instrument archival X-ray catalog will be made available to the community and kept up to date with future X-ray data releases.

Increasing AGN sample completeness using long-term near-infrared variability

Abstract In this work, we use 8 years of deep near-infrared imaging to select and study a new set of 601active galaxies identified through long-term near-infrared (NIR) variability in the UKIDSS Ultra Deep Survey (UDS). These objects are compared to 710X-ray bright AGN detected by the Chandra X-ray observatory. We show that infrared variability and X-ray emission select distinct sets of active galaxies, finding only a 37 per centoverlap of galaxies detected by both techniques and confirming NIR-variable AGN to be typically X-ray quiet. Examining the mass functions of the active galaxies shows that NIR variability detects AGN activity in galaxies over a significantly wider range of host stellar mass compared to X-ray detection. For example, at z ∼ 1, variable AGN are identified among approximately 1 per cent of galaxies in a roughly flat distribution above the stellar mass completeness limit ($&amp;gt;10^{9}\rm \, {\rm M}_{\odot }$), while X-ray detection primarily identifies AGN in galaxies of higher mass ($&amp;gt;10^{10}\rm \, {\rm M}_{\odot }$). We conclude that long-term near-infrared variability provides an important new tool for obtaining more complete samples of AGN in deep survey fields.

Tidal disruption events from three-body scatterings and eccentricity pumping in the disks of active galactic nuclei

ABSTRACT Tidal disruption events (TDEs) are routinely observed in quiescent galaxies, as stars from the nuclear star cluster are scattered into the loss cone of the central supermassive black hole (SMBH). TDEs are also expected to occur in active galactic nuclei (AGNs), due to scattering or orbital eccentricity pumping of stars embedded in the innermost regions of the AGN accretion disc. Encounters with embedded stellar-mass black holes (BH) can result in AGN μTDEs. AGN TDEs and μTDEs could therefore account for a fraction of observed AGN variability. Here, by performing scattering experiments with the few-body code SpaceHub, we compute the probability of AGN TDEs and μTDEs as a result of 3-body interactions between stars and binary BHs. We find that AGN TDEs are more probable during the early life of the AGNs, when rates are $\sim (6\times 10^{-5}-5 \times 10^{-2}) (f_\bullet /0.01)\, \rm {AGN}^{-1}$ yr−1 (where f• is the ratio between the number density of BHs and stars), generally higher than in quiescent galactic nuclei. By contrast, μTDEs should occur throughout the AGN lifetime at a rate of $\sim (1\times 10^{-4} - 4\times 10^{-2})(f_\bullet /0.01)\, \rm {AGN}^{-1}$ yr−1. Detection and characterization of AGN TDEs and μAGN TDEs with future surveys using Rubin and Roman will help constrain the populations of stars and compact objects embedded in AGN discs, a key input for the LVK AGN channel.