998 research outputs found

    Ionised outflows in z \sim 2.4 quasar host galaxies

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    AGN-driven outflows are invoked by galaxy evolutionary models to quench star formation and to explain the origin of the relations observed locally between super massive black holes and their host galaxies. This work aims to detect the presence of extended ionised outflows in luminous quasars where we expect the maximum activity both in star formation and in black hole accretion. Currently, there are only a few studies based on spatially resolved observations of outflows at high redshift, z>2z>2. We analyse a sample of six luminous (L>1047 erg/s{\rm L>10^{47} \ erg/s}) quasars at z2.4z\sim2.4, observed in H-band using the near-IR integral field spectrometer SINFONI at VLT. We perform a kinematic analysis of the [OIII] emission line at λ=5007A˚\lambda = 5007\AA. [OIII] has a complex gas kinematic, with blue-shifted velocities of a few hundreds of km/s and line widths up to 1500 km/s. Using the spectroastrometric method we infer size of the ionised outflows of up to \sim2 kpc. The properties of the ionised outflows, mass outflow rate, momentum rate and kinetic power, are correlated with the AGN luminosity. The increase in outflow rate with increasing AGN luminosity is consistent with the idea that a luminous AGN pushes away the surrounding gas through fast outflows driven by radiation pressure, which depends on the emitted luminosity. We derive mass outflow rates of about 6-700 M_{\odot}/yr for our sample, which are lower than those observed in molecular outflows. Indeed physical properties of ionised outflows show dependences on AGN luminosity which are similar to those of molecular outflows but indicating that the mass of ionised gas is smaller than that of the molecular one. Alternatively, this discrepancy between ionised and molecular outflows could be explained with different acceleration mechanisms.Comment: 13 pages, 11 figures; accepted for publication in A&

    Red Parkes-Quasars: Evidence for Soft X-ray Absorption

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    The Parkes Half-Jansky Flat Spectrum Sample contains a large number of sources with unusually red optical-to-near-infrared continua. If this is to be interpreted as extinction by dust in the line-of-sight, then associated material might also give rise to absorption in the soft X-ray regime. This hypothesis is tested using broadband (0.1-2.4 keV) data from the {\it ROSAT} All-Sky Survey provided by Siebert et al. (1998). Significant (>3σ>3\sigma confidence level) correlations between optical (and near-infrared)--to--soft X-ray continuum slope and optical extinction are found in the data, consistent with absorption by material with metallicity and a range in gas-to-dust ratio as observed in the local ISM. Under this simple model, the soft X-rays are absorbed at a level consistent with the range of extinctions (0<AV<60< A_{V}< 6 magnitudes) implied by the observed optical reddening. Excess X-ray absorption by warm (ionised) gas, (ie. a `warm absorber') is not required.Comment: 23 pages of text, 3 figures, to appear in Jan 10 (1999) issue of The Astrophysical Journa

    Cosmic Evolution with Early and Late Acceleration Inspired by Dual Nature of the Ricci Scalar Curvature

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    In the present paper, it is found that dark energy emerges spontaneously from the modified gravity. According to cosmological scenario, obtained here, the universe inflates for 1037\sim 10^{-37} sec. in the beginning and late universe accelerates after 8.58 Gyrs. During the long intermediate period, it decelerates driven by radiation and subsequently by matter. Emerged gravitational dark energy mimics quintessence and its density falls by 115 orders from its initial value 2.58×1068GeV42.58\times 10^{68} {\rm GeV}^4 to its current value 2.19×1047GeV42.19\times 10^{-47} {\rm GeV}^4 .Comment: 40 pages. To appearin Int. J. Mod. Phys.
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