13,886 research outputs found
SALT Long-slit Spectroscopy of Luminous Obscured Quasars: An Upper Limit on the Size of the Narrow-Line Region?
We present spatially resolved long-slit spectroscopy from the Southern
African Large Telescope (SALT) to examine the spatial extent of the narrow-line
regions (NLRs) of a sample of 8 luminous obscured quasars at 0.10 < z < 0.43.
Our results are consistent with an observed shallow slope in the relationship
between NLR size and L_[OIII], which has been interpreted to indicate that NLR
size is limited by the density and ionization state of the NLR gas rather than
the availability of ionizing photons. We also explore how the NLR size scales
with a more direct measure of instantaneous AGN power using mid-IR photometry
from WISE, which probes warm to hot dust near the central black hole and so,
unlike [OIII], does not depend on the properties of the NLR. Using our results
as well as samples from the literature, we obtain a power-law relationship
between NLR size and L_8micron that is significantly steeper than that observed
for NLR size and L_[OIII]. We find that the size of the NLR goes approximately
as L^(1/2)_8micron, as expected from the simple scenario of constant-density
clouds illuminated by a central ionizing source. We further see tentative
evidence for a flattening of the relationship between NLR size and L_8micron at
the high luminosity end, and propose that we are seeing a limiting NLR size of
10 - 20 kpc, beyond which the availability of gas to ionize becomes too low. We
find that L_[OIII] ~ L_8micron^(1.4), consistent with a picture in which the
L_[OIII] is dependent on the volume of the NLR. These results indicate that
high-luminosity quasars have a strong effect in ionizing the available gas in a
galaxy.Comment: 9 Pages, 5 figures, accepted to Ap
Composite Spectral Energy Distributions and Infrared-Optical Colors of Type 1 and Type 2 Quasars
We present observed mid-infrared and optical colors and composite spectral
energy distributions (SEDs) of type 1 (broad-line) and 2 (narrow-line) quasars
selected from Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) spectroscopy. A significant
fraction of powerful quasars are obscured by dust, and are difficult to detect
in optical photometric or spectroscopic surveys. However these may be more
easily identified on the basis of mid-infrared (MIR) colors and SEDs. Using
samples of SDSS type 1 type 2 matched in redshift and [OIII] luminosity, we
produce composite rest-frame 0.2-15 micron SEDs based on SDSS, UKIDSS, and
Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) photometry and perform model fits
using simple galaxy and quasar SED templates. The SEDs of type 1 and 2 quasars
are remarkably similar, with the differences explained primarily by the
extinction of the quasar component in the type 2 systems. For both types of
quasar, the flux of the AGN relative to the host galaxy increases with AGN
luminosity (L_[OIII]) and redder observed MIR color, but we find only weak
dependencies of the composite SEDs on mechanical jet power as determined
through radio luminosity. We conclude that luminous quasars can be effectively
selected using simple MIR color criteria similar to those identified previously
(W1-W2 > 0.7 [Vega]), although these criteria miss many heavily obscured
objects. Obscured quasars can be further identified based on optical-IR colors
(for example, (u-W3 [AB]) > 1.4(W1-W2 [Vega])+3.2). These results illustrate
the power of large statistical studies of obscured quasars selected on the
basis of mid-IR and optical photometry.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ; 14 pages, 9 figures, 2 tables;
composite Type 1 and Type 2 quasar SEDs available at
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~hickox/Hickox2017_QSO_SED_Table1.tx
Gemini Long-slit Observations of Luminous Obscured Quasars: Further Evidence for an Upper Limit on the Size of the Narrow-Line Region
We examine the spatial extent of the narrow-line regions (NLRs) of a sample
of 30 luminous obscured quasars at observed with spatially
resolved Gemini-N GMOS long-slit spectroscopy. Using the [OIII]
emission feature, we estimate the size of the NLR using a cosmology-independent
measurement: the radius where the surface brightness falls to 10 erg
s cm arcsec. We then explore the effects of atmospheric
seeing on NLR size measurements and conclude that direct measurements of the
NLR size from observed profiles are too large by 0.1 - 0.2 dex on average, as
compared to measurements made to best-fit S\'{e}rsic or Voigt profiles
convolved with the seeing. These data, which span a full order of magnitude in
IR luminosity () also provide strong evidence that there is a flattening of the
relationship between NLR size and AGN luminosity at a seeing-corrected size of
kpc. The objects in this sample have high luminosities which place
them in a previously under-explored portion of the size-luminosity
relationship. These results support the existence of a maximal size of the
narrow-line region around luminous quasars; beyond this size either there is
not enough gas, or the gas is over-ionized and does not produce enough
[OIII] emission.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical
Journa
BEC-BCS Crossover of a Trapped Two-Component Fermi Gas with Unequal Masses
We determine the energetically lowest lying states in the BEC-BCS crossover
regime of s-wave interacting two-component Fermi gases under harmonic
confinement by solving the many-body Schrodinger equation using two distinct
approaches. Essentially exact basis set expansion techniques are applied to
determine the energy spectrum of systems with N=4 fermions. Fixed-node
diffusion Monte Carlo methods are applied to systems with up to N=20 fermions,
and a discussion of different guiding functions used in the Monte Carlo
approach to impose the proper symmetry of the fermionic system is presented.
The energies are calculated as a function of the s-wave scattering length a_s
for N=2-20 fermions and different mass ratios \kappa of the two species. On the
BEC and BCS sides, our energies agree with analytically-determined first-order
correction terms. We extract the scattering length and the effective range of
the dimer-dimer system up to \kappa = 20. Our energies for the
strongly-interacting trapped system in the unitarity regime show no shell
structure, and are well described by a simple expression, whose functional form
can be derived using the local density approximation, with one or two
parameters. The universal parameter \xi for the trapped system for various
\kappa is determined, and comparisons with results for the homogeneous system
are presented.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, extended versio
Gemini Long-Slit Observations of Luminous Obscured Quasars: Further Evidence for an Upper Limit on the Size of the Narrow-Line Region
We examine the spatial extent of the narrow-line regions (NLRs) of a sample of 30 luminous obscured quasars at 0.4 \u3c z \u3c 0.7 observed with spatially resolved Gemini-N GMOS long-slit spectroscopy. Using the [O III] λ5007 emission feature, we estimate the size of the NLR using a cosmology-independent measurement: the radius where the surface brightness falls to 10–15 erg s–1 cm–2 arcsec–2. We then explore the effects of atmospheric seeing on NLR size measurements and conclude that direct measurements of the NLR size from observed profiles are too large by 0.1-0.2 dex on average, as compared to measurements made to best-fit Sérsic or Voigt profiles convolved with the seeing. These data, which span a full order of magnitude in IR luminosity (log (L 8 μm/erg s–1) = 44.4-45.4), also provide strong evidence that there is a flattening of the relationship between NLR size and active galactic nucleus luminosity at a seeing-corrected size of ~7 kpc. The objects in this sample have high luminosities which place them in a previously under-explored portion of the size-luminosity relationship. These results support the existence of a maximal size of the NLR around luminous quasars; beyond this size, there is either not enough gas or the gas is over-ionized and does not produce enough [O III] λ5007 emission
Mid-Infrared Observations of Class I/Flat-Spectrum Systems in Six Nearby Molecular Clouds
We have obtained new mid-infrared observations of 65 Class I/Flat-Spectrum
(F.S.) objects in the Perseus, Taurus, Chamaeleon I/II, Rho Ophiuchi, and
Serpens dark clouds. We detected 45/48 (94%) of the single sources, 16/16
(100%) of the primary components, and 12/16 (75%) of the secondary/triple
components of the binary/multiple objects surveyed. The composite spectral
energy distributions (SEDs) for all of our sample sources are either Class I or
F.S., and, in 15/16 multiple systems, at least one of the individual components
displays a Class I or F.S. spectral index. However, the occurrence of mixed
pairings, such as F.S. with Class I, F.S. with Class II, and, in one case, F.S.
with Class III, is surprisingly frequent. Such behaviour is not consistent with
that of multiple systems among T Tauri stars (TTS), where the companion of a
classical TTS also tends to be a classical TTS, although other mixed pairings
have been previously observed among Class II objects. Based on an analysis of
the spectral indices of the individual binary components, there appears to be a
higher proportion of mixed Class I/F.S. systems (65-80%) than that of mixed
Classical/Weak-Lined TTS (25-40%), demonstrating that the envelopes of Class I/
F.S. systems are rapidly evolving during this evolutionary phase. We report the
discovery of a steep spectral index secondary companion to ISO-ChaI 97,
detected for the first time via our mid-infrared observations. In our previous
near- infrared imaging survey of binary/multiple Class I/F.S. sources, ISO-ChaI
97 appeared to be single. With a spectral index of Alpha >= 3.9, the secondary
component of this system is a member of a rare class of very steep spectral
index objects, those with Alpha > 3. Only three such objects have previously
been reported, all of which are either Class 0 or Class I.Comment: 31 pages, 4 figures, 6 table
Superstrings and Topological Strings at Large N
We embed the large N Chern-Simons/topological string duality in ordinary
superstrings. This corresponds to a large duality between generalized gauge
systems with N=1 supersymmetry in 4 dimensions and superstrings propagating on
non-compact Calabi-Yau manifolds with certain fluxes turned on. We also show
that in a particular limit of the N=1 gauge theory system, certain
superpotential terms in the N=1 system (including deformations if spacetime is
non-commutative) are captured to all orders in 1/N by the amplitudes of
non-critical bosonic strings propagating on a circle with self-dual radius. We
also consider D-brane/anti-D-brane system wrapped over vanishing cycles of
compact Calabi-Yau manifolds and argue that at large they induce a shift in
the background to a topologically distinct Calabi-Yau, which we identify as the
ground state system of the Brane/anti-Brane system.Comment: 30 pages, some minor clarifications adde
Siegert pseudostates: completeness and time evolution
Within the theory of Siegert pseudostates, it is possible to accurately
calculate bound states and resonances. The energy continuum is replaced by a
discrete set of states. Many questions of interest in scattering theory can be
addressed within the framework of this formalism, thereby avoiding the need to
treat the energy continuum. For practical calculations it is important to know
whether a certain subset of Siegert pseudostates comprises a basis. This is a
nontrivial issue, because of the unusual orthogonality and overcompleteness
properties of Siegert pseudostates. Using analytical and numerical arguments,
it is shown that the subset of bound states and outgoing Siegert pseudostates
forms a basis. Time evolution in the context of Siegert pseudostates is also
investigated. From the Mittag-Leffler expansion of the outgoing-wave Green's
function, the time-dependent expansion of a wave packet in terms of Siegert
pseudostates is derived. In this expression, all Siegert pseudostates--bound,
antibound, outgoing, and incoming--are employed. Each of these evolves in time
in a nonexponential fashion. Numerical tests underline the accuracy of the
method
Black hole polarization and new entropy bounds
Zaslavskii has suggested how to tighten Bekenstein's bound on entropy when
the object is electrically charged. Recently Hod has provided a second tighter
version of the bound applicable when the object is rotating. Here we derive
Zaslavskii's optimized bound by considering the accretion of an ordinary
charged object by a black hole. The force originating from the polarization of
the black hole by a nearby charge is central to the derivation of the bound
from the generalized second law. We also conjecture an entropy bound for
charged rotating objects, a synthesis of Zaslavskii's and Hod's. On the basis
of the no hair principle for black holes, we show that this last bound cannot
be tightened further in a generic way by knowledge of ``global'' conserved
charges, e.g., baryon number, which may be borne by the object.Comment: 21 pages, RevTex, Regularization of potential made clearer. Error in
energy of the particle corrected with no consequence for final conclusions.
New references adde
A non-standard matter distribution in the RS1 model and the coupling constant of the radion
In the zero mode approximation we solve exactly the equations of motion for
linearized gravity in the Randall-Sundrum model with a non-standard
distribution of matter in the neighbourhood of the negative tension brane. It
is shown that the form of this distribution can strongly affect the coupling of
the radion to matter. We believe that such a situation can arise in models with
a realistic mechanisms of matter localization.Comment: 12 pages, LaTe
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