A systematic study of the long-term mid-infrared color variations of Seyfert 1 galaxies

RESUMO

We present a comparative analysis of long-term mid-infrared (MIR) color variations (MCVs) for 1,977 narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLSy1) and 4,113 broad-line Seyfert 1 (BLSy1) galaxies at $z < 0.3$. Using 14 years of WISE and NEOWISE data, we quantify the correlation between $W1-W2$ color and $W1$ magnitude. We categorize sources into bluer-when-brighter (BWB), redder-when-brighter (RWB), and weak/no MCV populations. Our results show that the MCV properties of BLSy1s are consistent with those of NLSy1s. This suggests that host-contaminated dust reprocessing is a universal mechanism across Seyfert 1s. Bolometric luminosity ($\Lbol$) is the primary driver of MCV behavior. However, at fixed $\Lbol$, the fraction of RWB sources decreases with increasing Eddington ratio ($\REdd$). This reveals a secondary dependence on the accretion state. Ensemble structure function analysis further shows that higher-$\REdd$ sources exhibit flatter structure functions at a given $\Lbol$, indicating smaller dust torus radii. These findings suggest that the central engine's radiation and accretion state shape the circumnuclear dust geometry. Radio-loud sources follow the same trends as radio-quiet counterparts, implying that jet emission does not significantly impact long-term MIR variability. Finally, modified blackbody modeling indicates that grains with sizes $a \gtrsim 0.1~\mu$m are responsible for the observed MCVs. Our results establish a unified framework for MCVs in Seyfert~1s, where the Eddington ratio modulates both variability patterns and the physical scale of the dust torus. Furthermore, given the similarity between the MCV distributions of CLAGNs and RWB sources, we estimate that $\lesssim 6\%$ of Seyfert~1s may be CLAGN candidates, offering a potential MIR-based pre-selection.