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We present a sample of 706, $z < 1.5$ active galactic nuclei (AGNs) selectedfrom optical photometric variability in three of the Dark Energy Survey (DES)deep fields (E2, C3, and X3) over an area of 4.64 deg$^2$. We construct lightcurves using difference imaging aperture photometry for resolved sources andnon-difference imaging PSF photometry for unresolved sources, respectively, andcharacterize the variability significance. Our DES light curves have a meancadence of 7 days, a 6 year baseline, and a single-epoch imaging depth of up to$g \sim 24.5$. Using spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting, we find 26 outof total 706 variable galaxies are consistent with dwarf galaxies with areliable stellar mass estimate ($M_{\ast}<10^{9.5}\ M_\odot$; medianphotometric redshift of 0.9). We were able to constrain rapid characteristicvariability timescales ($\sim$ weeks) using the DES light curves in 15 dwarfAGN candidates (a subset of our variable AGN candidates) at a medianphotometric redshift of 0.4. This rapid variability is consistent with theirlow black hole masses. We confirm the low-mass AGN nature of one source with ahigh S/N optical spectrum. We publish our catalog, optical light curves, andsupplementary data, such as X-ray properties and optical spectra, whenavailable. We measure a variable AGN fraction versus stellar mass and compareto results from a forward model. This work demonstrates the feasibility ofoptical variability to identify AGNs with lower black hole masses in deepfields, which may be more "pristine" analogs of supermassive black hole seeds.

Dwarf AGNs from Optical Variability for the Origins of Seeds (DAVOS): Insights from the Dark Energy Survey Deep Fields