  In an effort to explain the short-timescale variability of the broad,
double-peaked profiles of some active galactic nuclei, we constructed
stochastically perturbed accretion disk models and calculated H alpha line
profile series as the bright spots rotate, shear and decay. We determined the
dependence of the properties of the line profile variability on the spot
properties. We compared the variability of the line profile from the models to
the observed variability of the H alpha line of Arp 102B and 3C 390.3. We find
that spots need to be concentrated in the outer parts of the line emitting
region to reproduce the observed variability properties for Arp 102B. This
rules out spot production by star/disk collisions and favors a scenario where
the radius of marginal self-gravity is within the line emitting region,
creating a sharp increase in the radial spot distribution in the outer parts.
In the case of 3C 390.3, all the families of models that we tested can
reproduce the observed variability for a suitable choice of model parameters.

Astrophysics