37,026 research outputs found
Two-dimensional gases of generalized statistics in a uniform magnetic field
We study the low temperature properties of two-dimensional ideal gases of
generalized statistics in a uniform magnetic field. The generalized statistics
considered here are the parafermion statistics and the exclusion statistics.
Similarity in the behaviours of the parafermion gas of finite order and the
gas with exclusion coefficient at very low temperatures is noted. These
two systems become exactly equivalent at . Qumtum Hall effect with these
particles as charge carriers is briefly discussed.Comment: Latex file, 14 pages, 5 figures available on reques
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
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
Self-shadowing Effects of Slim Accretion Disks in Active Galactic Nuclei: Diverse Appearance of the Broad-line Region
Supermassive black holes in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) undergo a wide
range of accretion rates, which lead to diversity of appearance. We consider
the effects of anisotropic radiation from accretion disks on the broad-line
region (BLR), from the Shakura-Sunyaev regime to slim disks with
super-Eddington accretion rates. The geometrically thick funnel of the inner
region of slim disks produces strong self-shadowing effects that lead to very
strong anisotropy of the radiation field. We demonstrate that the degree of
anisotropy of the radiation fields grows with increasing accretion rate. As a
result of this anisotropy, BLR clouds receive different spectral energy
distributions depending on their location relative to the disk, resulting in
diverse observational appearance of the BLR. We show that the self-shadowing of
the inner parts of the disk naturally produces two dynamically distinct regions
of the BLR, depending on accretion rate. These two regions manifest themselves
as kinematically distinct components of the broad H line profile with
different line widths and fluxes, which jointly account for the Lorentzian
profile generally observed in narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies. In the time
domain, these two components are expected reverberate with different time lags
with respect to the varying ionizing continuum, depending on the accretion rate
and the viewing angle of the observer. The diverse appearance of the BLR due to
the anisotropic ionizing energy source can be tested by reverberation mapping
of H and other broad emission lines (e.g., \feii), providing a new tool
to diagnose the structure and dynamics of the BLR. Other observational
consequences of our model are also explored.Comment: emulatapj style, 15 pages, 6 figures, in pres
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
Steep-Spectrum Radio Emission from the Low-Mass Active Galactic Nucleus GH 10
GH 10 is a broad-lined active galactic nucleus (AGN) energized by a black
hole of mass 800,000 Solar masses. It was the only object detected by Greene et
al. in their Very Large Array (VLA) survey of 19 low-mass AGNs discovered by
Greene & Ho. New VLA imaging at 1.4, 4.9, and 8.5 GHz reveals that GH 10's
emission has an extent of less than 320 pc, has an optically-thin synchrotron
spectrum with a spectral index -0.76+/-0.05, is less than 11 percent linearly
polarized, and is steady - although poorly sampled - on timescales of weeks and
years. Circumnuclear star formation cannot dominate the radio emission, because
the high inferred star formation rate, 18 Solar masses per year, is
inconsistent with the rate of less than 2 Solar masses per year derived from
narrow Halpha and [OII] 3727 emission. Instead, the radio emission must be
mainly energized by the low-mass black hole. GH 10's radio properties match
those of the steep-spectrum cores of Palomar Seyfert galaxies, suggesting that,
like those Seyferts, the emission is outflow-driven. Because GH 10 is radiating
close to its Eddington limit, it may be a local analog of the starting
conditions, or seeds, for supermassive black holes. Future imaging of GH 10 at
higher resolution thus offers an opportunity to study the relative roles of
radiative versus kinetic feedback during black-hole growth.Comment: 7 pages; 2 figures; emulateapj; to appear in Ap
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
Investigation of defect cavities formed in three-dimensional woodpile photonic crystals
We report the optimisation of optical properties of single defects in
three-dimensional (3D) face-centred-cubic (FCC) woodpile photonic crystal (PC)
cavities by using plane-wave expansion (PWE) and finite-difference time-domain
(FDTD) methods. By optimising the dimensions of a 3D woodpile PC, wide photonic
band gaps (PBG) are created. Optical cavities with resonances in the bandgap
arise when point defects are introduced in the crystal. Three types of single
defects are investigated in high refractive index contrast (Gallium
Phosphide-Air) woodpile structures and Q-factors and mode volumes ()
of the resonant cavity modes are calculated. We show that, by introducing an
air buffer around a single defect, smaller mode volumes can be obtained. We
demonstrate high Q-factors up to 700000 and cavity volumes down to
. The estimates of and are then used to
quantify the enhancement of spontaneous emission and the possibility of
achieving strong coupling with nitrogen-vacancy (NV) colour centres in diamond.Comment: 12 pages, 11 figure
Feedback In Luminous Obscured Quasars
We use spatially resolved long-slit spectroscopy from Magellan to investigate the extent, kinematics, and ionization structure in the narrow-line regions of 15 luminous, obscured quasars with z < 0.5. Increasing the dynamic range in luminosity by an order of magnitude, as well as improving the depth of existing observations by a similar factor, we revisit relations between narrow-line region size and the luminosity and linewidth of the narrow emission lines. We find a slope of 0.22 +/- 0.04 for the power-law relationship between size and luminosity, suggesting that the nebulae are limited by availability of gas to ionize at these luminosities. In fact, we find that the active galactic nucleus is effectively ionizing the interstellar medium over the full extent of the host galaxy. Broad (similar to 300-1000 km s(-1)) linewidths across the galaxies reveal that the gas is kinematically disturbed. Furthermore, the rotation curves and velocity dispersions of the ionized gas remain constant out to large distances, in striking contrast to normal and starburst galaxies. We argue that the gas in the entire host galaxy is significantly disturbed by the central active galactic nucleus. While only similar to 10(7)-10(8) M-circle dot worth of gas are directly observed to be leaving the host galaxies at or above their escape velocities, these estimates are likely lower limits because of the biases in both mass and outflow velocity measurements and may in fact be in accord with expectations of recent feedback models. Additionally, we report the discovery of two dual obscured quasars, one of which is blowing a large-scale (similar to 10 kpc) bubble of ionized gas into the intergalactic medium.NSF AST-0548198Astronom
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