Photometric variability in star-forming galaxies as evidence for low-mass AGN and a precursor to quenching

We measure the optical variability in $\sim$ 16500 low-redshift (z $\sim$ 0.1) galaxies to map the relations between AGN activity and galaxy stellar mass, specific star-formation rate, half-light radius and bulge-to-total ratio. To do this, we use a reduced $χ^2$ variability measure on > 10 epoch lightcurves from the Zwicky Transient Facility and combine with spectroscopic data and derived galaxy parameters from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We find that below stellar mass of $10^{11} M_\odot$, galaxies classed as star-forming via the BPT diagram have higher mean variabilities than AGN or composite galaxies. Revealingly, the highest mean variabilities occur in star-forming galaxies in a narrow range of specific star-formation, $-11<\log($sSFR/yr$^{-1})<-10$. In very actively star-forming galaxies $(\log($sSFR/yr$^{-1})>-10)$, the reduced variability implies a lack of instantaneous correlation with star-formation rate. Our results may indicate that a high level of variability, and thus black hole growth, acts as a precursor for reduced star-formation, bulge growth, and revealed AGN-like emission lines. These results add to the mounting evidence that optical variability can act as a viable tracer for low-mass AGNs and that such AGNs can strongly affect their host galaxy.

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