1,362 research outputs found
Optical Spectroscopy of the unusual galaxy J2310-43
We present and discuss new spectroscopic observations of the unusual galaxy
J2310-43. The observations cover a wide wavelength range, from 3700 A to 9800 A
allowing the study of both the regions where H alpha and the Ca II ``contrast''
are expected. No evidence for H alpha in emission is found and we thus confirm
the absence of emission lines in the spectrum of J2310-43, ruling out the
possibility that it may host a Seyfert nucleus. The CaII break is clearly
detected and the value of the contrast (38 +/-4 %) is intermediate between that
of a typical elliptical galaxy (about 50 %) and that of a BL Lac object (<25
%). This result imposes limits on the intensity of a possible non-stellar
continuum and, in the light of the radio and X-ray loudness of the source,
draws further attention to the problem of the recognition of a BL Lac object.
Objects like J2310-43 may be more common than previously recognized, and begin
to emerge in surveys of radio-emitting X-ray sources.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figure; to be published in The Astronomical Journa
The relationship between [OIII]5007A equivalent width and obscuration in AGN
In this paper we study the relationship between the equivalent width (EW) of
the [OIII]5007A narrow emission line in AGN and the level of obscuration. To
this end, we combine the results of a systematic spectral analysis, both in the
optical and in the X-rays, on a statistically complete sample of ~170 X-ray
selected AGN from the XMM-Newton Bright Serendipitous Source sample (XBS). We
find that the observed large range of [OIII]5007A equivalent widths observed in
the sample (from a few A up to 500A) is well explained as a combination of an
intrinsic spread, probably due to the large range of covering factors of the
Narrow Line Region, and the effect of absorption. The intrinsic spread is
dominant for EW below 40-50A while absorption brings the values of EW up to
~100-150A, for moderate levels of absorption (AV~0.5-2 mag) or up to ~500A for
AV>2 mag. In this picture, the absorption has a significant impact on the
observed EW also in type~1 AGN. Using numerical simulations we find that this
model is able to reproduce the [OIII]5007A EW distribution observed in the XBS
sample and correctly predicts the shape of the EW distribution observed in the
optically selected sample of QSO taken from the SDSS survey.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA
GALEX measurements of the Big Blue Bump as a tool to study bolometric corrections in AGNs
Active Galactic Nuclei emit over the entire electromagnetic spectrum with the
peak of the accretion disk emission in the far-UV, a wavelength range
historically difficult to investigate. We use here the GALEX (Galaxy Evolution
Explorer) Near-UV and Far-UV measurements (complemented with optical data from
Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and XMM-Newton X-ray spectra) of a sample of 83
X-ray selected type 1 AGN extracted from the XMM-Newton Bright Serendipitous
Survey to study their spectral energy distribution (SED) in the optical, Near
and Far-UV and X-ray energy bands. We have constrained the luminosity of the
accretion disk emission component and calculated the hard X-ray bolometric
corrections for a significant sample of AGN spanning a large range in
properties (z, L(x)).Comment: 2 pages, 2 figures, To appear in refereed Proceedings of "X-ray
Astronomy 2009: Present Status, Multi-Wavelength Approach and Future
Perspectives", Bologna, Italy, September 7-11, 2009, AIP, eds. A. Comastri,
M. Cappi, and L. Angelin
The REX survey: a search for Radio Emitting X-ray sources
We present the scientific goals, the strategy and the first results of the
REX project, an effort aimed at creating a sizable and statistically complete
sample of Radio Emitting X-ray sources (REX) using the available data from a
VLA survey and the ROSAT PSPC archive. Through a positional cross-correlation
of the two data sets we have derived a sample of about 1600 REX. Among the 393
REX identified so far a high fraction is represented by AGNs, typically radio
loud QSOs and BL Lacs. The remaining sources are galaxies, typically radio
galaxies isolated or in cluster. Thanks to the low flux limits in the radio and
in the X-ray band and the large area of sky covered by the survey, we intend to
derive a new complete and unbiased sample of BL Lacs which will contain both
``RBL'' and ``XBL'' type objects. In this way, the apparent dichotomy resulting
from the current samples of BL Lacs will be directly analyzed in a unique
sample. Moreover, the high number of BL Lacs expected in the REX sample (about
200) will allow an accurate estimate of their statistical properties. To date,
we have discovered 15 new BL Lacs and 11 BL Lac candidates with optical
properties intermediate between those of a typical elliptical galaxy and those
of a typical BL Lac object. These objects could harbour weak sources of
non-thermal continuum in their nuclei and, if confirmed, they could represent
the faint tail of the BL Lac population. The existence of such ``weak'' BL Lacs
is matter of discussion in recent literature and could lead to a re-assessment
of the defining criteria of a BL Lac and, consequently, to a revision of their
cosmological and statistical properties.Comment: 30 pages, 13 figures, accepted for publication to Ap
Emission Line AGNs from the REX survey: Results from optical spectroscopy
We present 71 Emission Line objects selected from the REX survey. Except for
3 of them, for which the presence of an active nucleus is dubious, all these
sources are Active Galactic Nuclei (QSOs, Seyfert galaxies, emission line
radiogalaxies). In addition, we present the spectra of other 19 AGNs included
in a preliminary version of the REX catalog but not in the final one. The
majority (80) of the 90 sources presented in this paper is newly discovered.
Finally, we present the general properties in the radio and in the X-ray band
of all the AGNs discovered so far in the REX survey.Comment: 27 pages. To be published in Astronomy and Astrophysics, Supplement
Series. Better quality figures can be asked to the autho
Heavily obscured AGN with SIMBOL-X
By comparing an optically selected sample of narrow lines AGN with an X-ray
selected sample of AGN we have recently derived an estimate of the intrinsic
(i.e. before absorption) 2-10 keV luminosity function (XLF) of Compton Thick
AGNs. We will use this XLF to derive the number of Compton Thick AGN that will
be found in the SIMBOL-X survey(s).Comment: Talk at the Simbol-X symposium held in Paris, 2-5 December, 2008. 6
pages, 1 figure with three panel
Black-hole masses of type 1 AGN in the XMM-Newton bright serendipitous survey
We derive masses of the central super-massive black hole (SMBH) and accretion
rates for 154 type1 AGN belonging to a well-defined X-ray-selected sample, the
XMM-Newton Serendipitous Sample (XBS). To this end, we use the most recent
"single-epoch" relations, based on Hbeta and MgII2798A emission lines, to
derive the SMBH masses. We then use the bolometric luminosities, computed on
the basis of an SED-fitting procedure, to calculate the accretion rates, both
absolute and normalized to the Eddington luminosity (Eddington ratio). The
selected AGNs cover a range of masses from 10^7 to 10^10 Msun with a peak
around 8x10^8 Msun and a range of accretion rates from 0.01 to ~50 Msun/year
(assuming an efficiency of 0.1), with a peak at ~1 Msun/year. The values of
Eddington ratio range from 0.001 to ~0.5 and peak at 0.1.Comment: 14 pages, 11 figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy &
Astrophysic
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