A comparative study of optical/ultraviolet variability of narrow-line
  Seyfert 1 and broad-line Seyfert 1 active galactic nuclei
  The ensemble optical/ultraviolet variability of narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLS1)
type active galactic nuclei (AGNs) is investigated, based on a sample selected
from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Stripe-82 region with multi-epoch
photometric scanning data. As a comparison a control sample of broad-line
Seyfert 1 (BLS1) type AGNs is also incorporated. To quantify properly the
intrinsic variation amplitudes and their uncertainties, a novel method of
parametric maximum-likelihood is introduced, that has, as we argued, certain
virtues over previously used methods. The majority of NLS1-type AGNs exhibit
significant variability on timescales from about ten days to a few years with,
however, on average smaller amplitudes compared to BLS1-type AGNs. About 20
NLS1- type AGNs showing relatively large variations are presented, that may
deserve future monitoring observations, for instance, reverberation mapping.
The averaged structure functions of variability, constructed using the same
maximumlikelihood method, show remarkable similarity in shape for the two types
of AGNs on timescales longer than about 10 days, which can be approximated by a
power-law or an exponential function. This, along with other similar
properties, such as the wavelength-dependent variability, are indicative of a
common dominant mechanism responsible for the long-term optical/UV variability
of both NLS1- and BLS1-type AGNs. Towards the short timescales, however, there
is tentative evidence that the structure function of NLS1-type AGNs continues
declining, whereas that of BLS1-type AGNs flattens with some residual
variability on timescales of days. If this can be confirmed, it may suggest
that an alternative mechanism, such as X-ray reprocessing, starts to become
dominating in BLS1-type AGNs, but not in NLS1-, on such timescales.
