Abstract :
The X-ray illumination of the accretion disk in active galactic nuclei (AGN) leads to a thermal reverberation signal that can be used to study their inner regions and the interplay between the X-ray corona and the disk. Multiwavelength monitoring campaigns have produced a wealth of data ideal to conduct such studies, which however appeared to challenge the standard paradigm. In this talk, after reviewing the main observational results from these campaigns, I will present my recent work in studying the observational data in the Fourier space. I will discuss the new insights such an analysis provides and how we managed to reconcile the observational results with theoretical predictions, suggesting that X-ray reprocessing can account for the observed UV/optical variability in AGN.
In the second part of my talk, I will discuss our efforts to perform a systematic search of the NEOWISE archive for transient sources, which led to the identification of numerous tidal disruption event (TDE) candidates in our own cosmological backyard. In particular, I will outline our ongoing efforts to categorize mid-IR nuclear transients and I will highlight some recent results, including the discovery of one of the nearest TDEs, a population of obscured TDEs and the lack of connection between neutrino sources and a complete sample of mid-IR accretion flares, which challenges past claims.
