Previous
abstract 
Next
abstract
Session 32 - RXTE Diagnostics of Active Galactic Nuclei.
Topical, Oral session, Tuesday, June 09
Sierra/Padre,
AGN show strong, persistent X-ray variability down to the shortest measurable time scales. EXOSAT observations showed that the power spectra were generally featureless, and had a ``red noise'' character in the 10^-3-10^-5 Hz range. Variations on longer time scales are known to exist, but have never been examined in great detail due to a lack of appropriate data. RXTE has ushered in a new era of X-ray variability studies, in part due to its very liberal viewing constraints. For the first time, well-sampled light curves are being assembled on weeks-years time scales, allowing a search for characteristic features in the power spectra. Sympathetic scheduling has also enabled a number of large, multi-waveband variability campaigns to be coordinated. The results and implications of these observations will be discussed.
