Image Details
Caption: Figure 9.
Rest-frame transition duration for photometric CL-AGN transitions (i.e., transitions with Δ(g) > 0.4 mag and Δ(g − r) > 0.2 mag) as a function of black hole mass from PyQSOfit. We compare to theoretical timescales invoked for CL-AGN transitions from D. Stern et al. (2018), C. Ricci & B. Trakhtenbrot (2022; dashed lines; timescales for R = 150Rg, α = 0.03, and H/R = 0.05), and S. A. Dodd et al. (2025; solid line) and determine that CL-AGN photometric transitions are most consistent with the thermal timescale, the dynamical timescale, or the orbital timescale at ∼10rs, 100rs, 1000rs. However, we are unable to probe timescales longer than the ∼6 yr survey duration of ZTF (e.g., the viscous timescale). We do not detect a significant correlation between black hole mass and transition duration.
© 2026. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society.