  We report the results of long-term simultaneous X-ray and UV monitoring of
the nearby (z=0.03145) Seyfert 1.5 galaxy Mrk 817 using the Neil Gehrels Swift
Observatory XRT and UVOT. Prior work has revealed that the X-ray flux from Mrk
817 has increased by a factor of 40 over the last 40 years, whereas the UV
emission has changed by a factor of 2.3. The X-ray emission of Mrk 817 now
compares to some of the brightest Seyferts, but it has been poorly studied in
comparison. We find that the X-ray (0.3-10.0 keV) and the UVM2 (roughly
2000--2500 Angstrom) fluxes have fractional variability amplitudes of 0.35 and
0.18, respectively, over the entire monitoring period (2017 Jan. 2 to 2018 Apr.
20). A cross-correlation analysis is performed on the X-ray (0.3-10.0 keV) and
UVM2 light curves over the entire monitoring period, a period of less frequent
monitoring (2017 Jan. 2 to 2017 Dec. 11), and a period of more frequent
monitoring (2018 Jan. 12 to 2018 Apr. 20). The analysis reveals no significant
correlation between the two at any given lag for all monitoring periods.
Especially given that reverberation studies have found significant lags between
optical/UV continuum bands and broad optical lines in Mrk 817, the lack of a
significant X-ray-UV correlation may point to additional complexities in the
inner or intermediate disk. Mechanical (e.g.,a funnel in the inner disk) and/or
relativistic beaming of the X-ray emission could potentially explain the lack
of a correlation. Alternatively, scattering in an equatorial wind could also
diminish the ability of more isotropic X-ray emission to heat the disk itself.
