17,760 research outputs found
No Evidence for [O III] Variability in Mrk 142
Using archival data from the 2008 Lick AGN Monitoring Project, Zhang & Feng
(2016) claimed to find evidence for flux variations in the narrow [O III]
emission of the Seyfert 1 galaxy Mrk 142 over a two-month time span. If
correct, this would imply a surprisingly compact size for the narrow-line
region. We show that the claimed [O III] variations are merely the result of
random errors in the overall flux calibration of the spectra. The data do not
provide any support for the hypothesis that the [O III] flux was variable
during the 2008 monitoring period.Comment: Response to Zhang & Feng 2016, MNRAS Letters, 457, L64
(arXiv:1512.07673). Accepted for publication in MNRAS Letters. 5 pages, 2
figure
Intermediate-mass Black Holes in Galactic Nuclei
We present the first homogeneous sample of intermediate-mass black hole
candidates in active galactic nuclei. Starting with broad-line active nuclei
from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, we use the linewidth-luminosity-mass scaling
relation to select a sample of 19 galaxies in the mass range M_BH ~ 8 x 10^4 -
10^6 solar masses. In contrast to the local active galaxy population, the host
galaxies are ~1 mag fainter than M* and thus are probably late-type systems.
The active nuclei are also faint, with M_g ~ -15 to -18 mag, while the
bolometric luminosities are close to the Eddington limit. The spectral
properties of the sample are compared to the related class of objects known as
narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies. We discuss the importance of our sample as
observational analogues of primordial black holes, contributors to the
integrated signal for future gravitational wave experiments, and as a valuable
tool in the calibration of the M-sigma relation.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures. To appear in "The Interplay among Black Holes,
Stars and ISM in Galactic Nuclei," Proc. IAU 222 (Gramado, Brazil), eds Th.
Storchi Bergmann, L.C. Ho, H.R. Schmit
The Carnegie-Irvine Galaxy Survey. V. Statistical study of bars and buckled bars
Simulations have shown that bars are subject to a vertical buckling
instability that transforms thin bars into boxy or peanut-shaped structures,
but the physical conditions necessary for buckling to occur are not fully
understood. We use the large sample of local disk galaxies in the
Carnegie-Irvine Galaxy Survey to examine the incidence of bars and buckled bars
across the Hubble sequence. Depending on the disk inclination angle (), a
buckled bar reveals itself as either a boxy/peanut-shaped bulge (at high )
or as a barlens structure (at low ). We visually identify bars,
boxy/peanut-shaped bulges, and barlenses, and examine the dependence of bar and
buckled bar fractions on host galaxy properties, including Hubble type, stellar
mass, color, and gas mass fraction. We find that the barred and unbarred disks
show similar distributions in these physical parameters. The bar fraction is
higher (70\%--80\%) in late-type disks with low stellar mass () and high gas mass ratio. In contrast, the buckled bar
fraction increases to 80\% toward massive and early-type disks (), and decreases with higher gas mass ratio. These
results suggest that bars are more difficult to grow in massive disks that are
dynamically hotter than low-mass disks. However, once a bar forms, it can
easily buckle in the massive disks, where a deeper potential can sustain the
vertical resonant orbits. We also find a probable buckling bar candidate (ESO
506G004) that could provide further clues to understand the timescale of the
buckling process.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, 2 tables. Accepted for publication in The
Astrophysical Journa
Iron Emission in the z=6.4 Quasar SDSS J114816.64+525150.3
We present near-infrared J and K-band spectra of the z = 6.4 quasar SDSS
J114816.64+525150.3 obtained with the NIRSPEC spectrograph at the Keck-II
telescope, covering the rest-frame spectral regions surrounding the C IV 1549
and Mg II 2800 emission lines. The iron emission blend at rest wavelength
2900-3000 A is clearly detected and its strength appears nearly
indistinguishable from that of typical quasars at lower redshifts. The Fe II /
Mg II ratio is also similar to values found for lower-redshift quasars,
demonstrating that there is no strong evolution in Fe/alpha broad-line emission
ratios even out to z=6.4. In the context of current models for iron enrichment
from Type Ia supernovae, this implies that the SN Ia progenitor stars formed at
z > 10. We apply the scaling relations of Vestergaard and of McLure & Jarvis to
estimate the black hole mass from the widths of the C IV and Mg II emission
lines and the ultraviolet continuum luminosity. The derived mass is in the
range (2-6)x10^9 solar masses, with an additional uncertainty of a factor of 3
due to the intrinsic scatter in the scaling relations. This result is in
agreement with the previous mass estimate of 3x10^9 solar masses by Willott,
McLure, & Jarvis, and supports their conclusion that the quasar is radiating
close to its Eddington luminosity.Comment: To appear in ApJ Letter
Stellar Velocity Dispersion and Black Hole Mass in the Blazar Markarian 501
The recently discovered correlation between black hole mass and stellar
velocity dispersion provides a new method to determine the masses of black
holes in active galaxies. We have obtained optical spectra of Markarian 501, a
nearby gamma-ray blazar with emission extending to TeV energies. The stellar
velocity dispersion of the host galaxy, measured from the calcium triplet lines
in a 2"x3.7" aperture, is 372 +/- 18 km/s. If Mrk 501 follows the M-sigma
correlation defined for local galaxies, then its central black hole has a mass
of (0.9-3.4)x10^9 solar masses. This is significantly larger than some previous
estimates for the central mass in Mrk 501 that have been based on models for
its nonthermal emission. The host galaxy luminosity implies a black hole of
6x10^8 solar masses, but this is not in severe conflict with the mass derived
from the M-sigma relation because the M_BH-L_bulge correlation has a large
intrinsic scatter. Using the emission-line luminosity to estimate the
bolometric luminosity of the central engine, we find that Mrk 501 radiates at
an extremely sub-Eddington level of L/L_Edd ~ 10^-4. Further applications of
the M-sigma relation to radio-loud active galactic nuclei may be useful for
interpreting unified models and understanding the relationship between radio
galaxies and BL Lac objects.Comment: To appear in ApJ Letters. 5 pages, 2 figure
Navier-Stokes computations for circulation control airfoils
Navier-Stokes computations of subsonic to transonic flow past airfoils with augmented lift due to rearward jet blowing over a curved trailing edge are presented. The approach uses a spiral grid topology. Solutions are obtained using a Navier-Stokes code which employs an implicit finite difference method, an algebraic turbulence model, and developments which improve stability, convergence, and accuracy. Results are compared against experiments for no jet blowing and moderate jet pressures and demonstrate the capability to compute these complicated flows
The M87 Black Hole Mass From Gas-Dynamical Models Of Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph Observations
The supermassive black hole of M87 is one of the most massive black holes known and has been the subject of several stellar and gas-dynamical mass measurements; however, the most recent revision to the stellar-dynamical black hole mass measurement is a factor of about two larger than the previous gas-dynamical determinations. Here, we apply comprehensive gas-dynamical models that include the propagation of emission-line profiles through the telescope and spectrograph optics to new Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph observations from the Hubble Space Telescope. Unlike the previous gas-dynamical studies of M87, we map out the complete kinematic structure of the emission-line disk within similar to 40 pc from the nucleus, and find that a small amount of velocity dispersion internal to the gas disk is required to match the observed line widths. We examine a scenario in which the intrinsic velocity dispersion provides dynamical support to the disk, and determine that the inferred black hole mass increases by only 6%. Incorporating this effect into the error budget, we ultimately measure a mass of M-BH = (3.5(-0.7)(+0.9)) x 10(9)M circle dot (68% confidence). Our gas-dynamical black hole mass continues to differ from the most recent stellar-dynamical mass by a factor of two, underscoring the need for carrying out more cross-checks between the two main black hole mass measurement methods.NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowship 1102845Space Telescope Science Institute 12162NASA NAS 5-26555NSF AST-1108835Astronom
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