AGN STORM 2. X. The Origin of the Interband Continuum Delays in Mrk 817

The local (z = 0.0315) active galactic nucleus (AGN) Mrk 817 was monitored over more than 500 days with space-borne and ground-based instruments as part of a large international campaign, AGN STORM 2. Here, we present a comprehensive analysis of the broadband continuum variations using detailed modeling of the broad line region (BLR), several types of disk winds classified by their optical depth, and new numerical simulations. We find that diffuse continuum (DC) emission, with additional contributions from strong and broad emission lines, can explain the continuum lags observed in this source during high- and low-luminosity phases. Disk illumination by the variable X-ray corona contributes only a small fraction of the observed continuum lags. Our BLR models assume radiation-pressure-confined clouds distributed over a distance of 2-122 light days. We present calculated mean emissivity radii of many emission lines, and DC emission, and suggest a simple, transfer-function-dependent method that ties them to cross-correlation lag determinations. We do not find clear indications for large-optical-depth winds, but identify the signature of lower-column-density winds. In particular, we associate the shortest observed continuum lags with a combination of τ(1 Ryd) ≈ 2 wind and a partly shielded BLR. Even smaller optical depth winds may be associated with X-ray absorption features and with noticeable variations in the widths and lags of several high-ionization lines like He ii and C iv. Finally, we demonstrate the effect of torus dust emission on the observed lags in the i and z bands.