1,212 research outputs found
Near Infrared Spectroscopy of High Redshift Active Galactic Nuclei. II. Disappearing Narrow Line Regions and the Role of Accretion
We present new near infrared spectroscopic measurements for 29 luminous
high-z quasars and use the data to discuss the size and other properties of the
NLRs in those sources. The high resolution spectra have been used to carefully
model the Fe II blends and to provide reliable [O III], Fe II and Hb
measurements. We find that about 2/3 of all high luminosity sources show strong
[O III] lines while the remaining objects show no or very weak such line. While
weak [O III] emitters are also found among lower luminosity AGN, we argue that
the implications for very high luminosity objects are different. In particular,
we suggest that the averaging of these two populations in other works gave rise
to claims of a Baldwin relationship in [O III] which is not confirmed by our
data. We also argue that earlier proposed relations of the type R_NLR \propto
L_[O III]^{1/2}, where R_NLR is the NLR radius, are theoretically sound yet
they must break down for R_NLR exceeding a few kpc. This suggests that the NLR
properties in luminous sources are different from those observed in nearby AGN.
In particular, we suggest that some sources lost their very large, dynamically
unbound NLR while others are in a phase of violent star-forming events that
produce a large quantity of high density gas in the central kpc. This gas is
ionized and excited by the central radiation source and its spectroscopic
properties may be different from those observed in nearby, lower luminosity
NLRs. We also discuss the dependence of EW(Hb) and Fe II/Hb on L, M_BH, and
accretion rate for a large sample of AGNs. The strongest dependence of the two
quantities is on the accretion rate and the Fe II/Hb correlation is probably
due to the EW(Hb) dependence on accretion rate. We show the most extreme values
measured so far of Fe II/Hb and address its correlation with EW([O III]).Comment: 10 pages (emulateapj), 9 figures. Accepted by Ap
Locating Star-Forming Regions in Quasar Host Galaxies
We present a study of the morphology and intensity of star formation in the
host galaxies of eight Palomar-Green quasars using observations with the Hubble
Space Telescope. Our observations are motivated by recent evidence for a close
relationship between black hole growth and the stellar mass evolution in its
host galaxy. We use narrow-band [O II] 3727, H, [O III]
5007 and Pa images, taken with the WFPC2 and NICMOS
instruments, to map the morphology of line-emitting regions, and, after
extinction corrections, diagnose the excitation mechanism and infer
star-formation rates. Significant challenges in this type of work are the
separation of the quasar light from the stellar continuum and the
quasar-excited gas from the star-forming regions. To this end, we present a
novel technique for image decomposition and subtraction of quasar light. Our
primary result is the detection of extended line-emitting regions with sizes
ranging from 0.5 to 5 kpc and distributed symmetrically around the nucleus,
powered primarily by star formation. We determine star-formation rates of order
a few tens of M/yr. The host galaxies of our target quasars have
stellar masses of order M and specific star formation rates
on a par with those of M82 and luminous infrared galaxies. As such they fall at
the upper envelope or just above the star-formation mass sequence in the
specific star formation vs stellar mass diagram. We see a clear trend of
increasing star formation rate with quasar luminosity, reinforcing the link
between the growth of the stellar mass of the host and the black hole mass
found by other authors.Comment: Accepted for publication in M.N.R.A.
Mid-Infrared line diagnostics of Active Galaxies -- A spectroscopic AGN survey with ISO-SWS
We present medium resolution (R approx. 1500) ISO-SWS 2.4--45 micron spectra
of a sample of 29 galaxies with active nuclei. This data set is rich in fine
structure emission lines tracing the narrow line regions and (circum-)nuclear
star formation regions, and it provides a coherent spectroscopic reference for
future extragalactic studies in the mid-infrared. We use the data set to
briefly discuss the physical conditions in the narrow line regions (density,
temperature, excitation, line profiles) and to test for possible differences
between AGN sub-types. Our main focus is on new tools for determining the
propertibes of dusty galaxies and on the AGN-starburst connection. We present
mid-IR line ratio diagrams which can be used to identify composite (starburst +
AGN) sources and to distinguish between emission excited by active nuclei and
emission from (circum-nuclear) star forming regions. For instance, line ratios
of high to low excitation lines like [O IV]25.9um/[Ne II]12.8um, that have been
used to probe for AGNs in dusty objects, can be examined in more detail and
with better statistics now. In addition, we present two-dimensional diagnostic
diagrams that are fully analogous to classical optical diagnostic diagrams, but
better suited for objects with high extinction. Finally, we discuss
correlations of mid-infrared line fluxes to the mid- and far-infrared
continuum. We compare these relations to similar relations in starburst
galaxies in order to examine the contribution of AGNs to the bolometric
luminosities of their host galaxies. The spectra are available in electronic
form from the authors.Comment: 24 pages, 23 figures, 5 tables. Accepted for A&
A Single Intrinsic Luminosity Function for Both Type-I and Type-II Active Galactic Nuclei
The luminous electromagnetic emission from distant active galactic nuclei
(AGNs) including quasars is believed to be powered by accretion onto
super-massive black holes (SMBHs). In the standard unification model for AGNs a
dusty torus covers a significant portion of the viewing angles to the accretion
disk and the BH. The system is classified as a type-I AGN if the accretion disk
is viewed through the opening part; otherwise it is called a type-II AGN.
Therefore the ratio of type-II to type-I AGNs serves as a sensitive probe to
the unification model. A surprising discovery made from several large sky
coverage and/or deep AGN surveys has found a significant anti-correlation
between the type-II fraction and the observed X-ray luminosity between 2-10
keV. This suggests two different luminosity functions for the two types of
AGNs, thus challenging the AGN unification model. However this observed
anti-correlation is a natural consequence of the AGN unification model with
only one intrinsic luminosity function if the inclination angle effects of the
X-ray emitting accretion disk are taken into account. Thus the AGN unification
model survived another critical test.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures, submitted on 2004 Oct. 20 and accepted on 2004
Dec. 1 for publication in ApJ Letter
A New H I Survey of Active Galaxies
We have conducted a new Arecibo survey for H I emission for 113 galaxies with
broad-line (type 1) active galactic nuclei (AGNs) out to recession velocities
as high as 35,000 km/s. The primary aim of the study is to obtain sensitive H I
spectra for a well-defined, uniformly selected sample of active galaxies that
have estimates of their black hole masses in order to investigate correlations
between H I properties and the characteristics of the AGNs. H I emission was
detected in 66 out of the 101 (65%) objects with spectra uncorrupted by radio
frequency interference, among which 45 (68%) have line profiles with adequate
signal-to-noise ratio and sufficiently reliable inclination corrections to
yield robust deprojected rotational velocities. This paper presents the basic
survey products, including an atlas of H I spectra, measurements of H I flux,
line width, profile asymmetry, optical images, optical spectroscopic
parameters, as well as a summary of a number of derived properties pertaining
to the host galaxies. To enlarge our primary sample, we also assemble all
previously published H I measurements of type 1 AGNs for which can can estimate
black hole masses, which total an additional 53 objects. The final
comprehensive compilation of 154 broad-line active galaxies, by far the largest
sample ever studied, forms the basis of our companion paper, which uses the H I
database to explore a number of properties of the AGN host galaxies.Comment: To appear in ApJS; 31 pages. Preprint will full-resolution figures
can be downloaded from http://www.ociw.edu/~lho/preprints/ms1.pd
Metal-overlayer-induced charge-transfer effects in thin SiO<sub>2</sub>-Si structures
The evolution of core-level photoemission spectra has been studied during the initial stages of Cs and In overlayer growth on thin SiO2 layers on Si(111) substrates to probe the influence of the metal-SiO2 interaction on the charge state of the resulting structure. The Si 2p soft-x-ray photoelectron spectra on the SiO2 and the Si substrate, which have been recorded simultaneously, show substantially different shifts to higher binding energy for the two components of the structure for Cs adsorption on the SiO2 surface, but only small uniform shifts for In overlayers. The Si 2p core-level spectra have been analyzed by simulating the spectra with a model that separates the Cs-covered SiO2 structure into thin layers with a constant dipole field gradient applied across them. Accordingly, the metal-induced Si 2p core-level shifts of the Si substrate are interpreted in terms of Si band-bending changes as a result of charge transport from the metal layer to the SiO2/Si interface. The differential Si 2p shifts, which lead to a larger separation of substrate and oxide peaks on cesiated SiO2/Si than on the pristine SiO2/Si structure, are discussed in terms of a Cs-induced dipole field across the SiO2 layer. It is proposed that the different behavior of Cs and In overlayers may be related to the different electronegativity and, consequently, to the different adsorbate dipoles of the two metals
Fast-Growing SMBHs in Fast-Growing Galaxies, at High Redshifts: The Role of Major Mergers As Revealed by ALMA
We present a long-term, multi-wavelength project to understand the epoch of
fastest growth of the most massive black holes by using a sample of 40 luminous
quasars at z~4.8. These quasars have rather uniform properties, with typical
accretion rates and black hole masses of L/L_Edd~0.7 and M_BH~10^9 M_sol. The
sample consists of "FIR-bright" sources with a previous Herschel/SPIRE
detection, suggesting SFR > 1000 M_sol/yr, as well as of "FIR-faint" sources
for which Herschel stacking analysis implies a typical SFR of ~400 M_sol/yr.
Six of the quasars have been observed by ALMA in [CII]{\lambda}157.74 micron
line emission and adjacent rest-frame 150 micron continuum, to study the dusty
cold ISM. ALMA detected companion, spectroscopically confirmed sub-mm galaxies
(SMGs) for three sources - one FIR-bright and two FIR-faint. The companions are
separated by ~14-45 kpc from the quasar hosts, and we interpret them as major
galaxy interactions. Our ALMA data therefore clearly support the idea that
major mergers may be important drivers for rapid, early SMBH growth. However,
the fact that not all high-SFR quasar hosts are accompanied by interacting
SMGs, and their ordered gas kinematics observed by ALMA, suggest that other
processes may be fueling these systems. Our analysis thus demonstrates the
diversity of host galaxy properties and gas accretion mechanisms associated
with early and rapid SMBH growth
Evolutionary Consequences of Dusty Tori in Active Galactic Nuclei
Deep surveys of {\em Chandra} and {\em HST} (Hubble Space Telescope) show
that active galactic nucleus (AGN) populations are changing with hard X-ray
luminosities. This arises an interesting question whether the dusty torus is
evolving with the central engines. We assemble a sample of 50 radio-quiet PG
quasars to tackle this problem. The covering factors of the dusty tori can be
estimated from the multiwavelength continuum. We find they are strongly
correlated with the hard X-ray luminosity. Interestingly this correlation
agrees with the fraction of type II AGNs discovered by {\em Chandra} and {\em
HST}, implying strong evidence for that the AGN population changing results
from the evolution of the tori. We also find that the frequencies of the dips
around 1m in the continuum correlate with the covering factors in the
present sample, indicating the dip frequencies are adjusted by the covering
factors. In the scenario of fueling black hole from the torus, the covering
factor is a good and the dip frequency is a potential indicator of the torus
evolution.Comment: 4 pages in emulateapj5.sty. Accepted by ApJ Letter
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