1,603 research outputs found
Complex Optical-X-ray Correlations in the Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 Galaxy NGC 4051
This paper presents the results of a dense and intensive X-ray and optical
monitoring of the narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 4051 carried out in 2000.
Results of the optical analysis are consistent with previous measurements. The
amplitude of optical emission line variability is a factor of two larger than
that of the underlying optical continuum, but part or all of the difference can
be due to host-galaxy starlight contamination or due to the lines being driven
by the unseen UV continuum, which is more variable than the optical continuum.
We measured the lag between optical lines and continuum and found a lower, more
accurate broad line region size of 3.0+-1.5 light days in this object. The
implied black hole mass is M_BH=5(+6,-3)x10^5 M_sun; this is the lowest mass
found, so far, for an active nucleus. We find significant evidence for an
X-ray-optical (XO) correlation with a peak lag of about <1 day, although the
centroid of the asymmetric correlation function reveals that part of the
optical flux varies in advance of the X-ray flux by 2.4+-1.0 days. This complex
XO correlation is explained as a possible combination of X-ray reprocessing and
perturbations propagating from the outer (optically emitting) parts of the
accretion disc into its inner (X-ray emitting) region.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures included, LaTeX mn.sty, accepted for publication
in MNRA
Reverberation Mapping of High-Luminosity Quasars: First Results
Reverberation mapping of nearby active galactic nuclei has led to estimates
of broad-line-region (BLR) sizes and central-object masses for some 37 objects
to date. However, successful reverberation mapping has yet to be performed for
quasars of either high luminosity (above L_opt~10^{46} erg/s) or high redshift
(z>0.3). Over the past six years, we have carried out, at the Hobby-Eberly
Telescope, rest-frame-ultraviolet spectrophotometric monitoring of a sample of
six quasars at redshifts z=2.2--3.2, with luminosities of
L_opt~10^{46.4}--10^{47.6} erg/s, an order of magnitude greater than those of
previously mapped quasars. The six quasars, together with an additional five
having similar redshift and luminosity properties, were monitored
photometrically at the Wise Observatory during the past decade. All 11 quasars
monitored show significant continuum variations of order 10%--70%. This is
about a factor of two smaller variability than for lower luminosity quasars
monitored over the same rest-frame period. In the six objects which have been
spectrophotometrically monitored, significant variability is detected in the
CIV1550 broad emission line. In several cases the variations track the
continuum variations in the same quasar, with amplitudes comparable to, or even
greater than, those of the corresponding continua. In contrast, no significant
Ly\alpha variability is detected in any of the four objects in which it was
observed. Thus, UV lines may have different variability trends in
high-luminosity and low-luminosity AGNs. For one quasar, S5~0836+71 at z=2.172,
we measure a tentative delay of 595 days between CIV and UV-continuum
variations, corresponding to a rest-frame delay of 188 days and a central
black-hole mass of 2.6\times10^9 M_\odot.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, emulateapj, accepted for publication in The
Astrophysical Journa
Detailed Analysis of Balmer Lines in a Sloan Digital Sky Survey Sample of 90 Broad Line Active Galactic Nuclei
In order to contribute to the general effort aiming at the improvement of our
knowledge about the physical conditions within the Broad Line Region (BLR) of
Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN), here we present the results achieved by our
analysis of the spectral properties of a sample of 90 broad line emitting
sources, collected at the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) database. By focusing
our attention mainly onto the Balmer series of hydrogen emission lines, which
is the dominant feature in the optical wavelength range of many BLR spectra, we
extracted several flux and profile measurements, which we related to other
source properties, such as optical continuum luminosities, inferred black hole
masses, and accretion rates. Using the Boltzmann Plot method to investigate the
Balmer line flux ratios as a function of the line profiles, we found that
broader line emitting AGN typically have larger H_alpha / H_beta and smaller
H_gamma / H_beta and H_delta / H_beta line ratios. With the help of some recent
investigations, we model the structure of the BLR and we study the influence of
the accretion process on the properties of the BLR plasma.Comment: 14 pages, 11 figures, fixes the wrong names of 4 objects; published
on Ap
Anatomische Betrachtungen der arthroskopischen lateralen Retinaculumspaltung
Obwohl die arthroskopische laterale Retinakulumspaltung eine häufig durchgeführte Operation ist, fehlen oft exakte Beschreibungen der technischen Durchführung oder sind relativ kontrovers. Dies könnte ein Grund der nicht seltenen postoperativen Komplikationen wie Hämarthros oder sekundäre mediale Patellasubluxation sein. Unsere anatomischen Betrachtungen bei der Präparierung von innen nach außen zeigen, dass v. a. der tiefen Schicht des lateralen Retinakulums eine wesentliche passive Stabilisierung zukommt. Die anderen Strukturen sind sehr dünn, und eine stumpfe Aufdehnung anatomisch und biomechanisch genügend. Bei der ausgedehnteren Spaltung nach proximal und/oder distal ist v. a. eine Verletzung der A. und V. geniculata lateralis superior oder inferior möglich. Proximal muss der Insertionsbereich der M.-vastus-lateralis-Sehne respektiert werden, um nicht ein „overrelease“ zu verursachen. Anatomisch betrachtet ist es möglich, durch eine kurze arthroskopische laterale Retinakulumspaltung, beginnend auf der Höhe der Patellamitte mit einer maximalen Ausdehnung von 3–4 cm, den gewünschten biomechanischen Effekt zu erreichen
Structural and vibrational properties of two-dimensional nanolayers on Pd(100)
Using different experimental techniques combined with density functional
based theoretical methods we have explored the formation of
interface-stabilized manganese oxide structures grown on Pd(100) at
(sub)monolayer coverage. Amongst the multitude of phases experimentally
observed we focus our attention on four structures which can be classified into
two distinct regimes, characterized by different building blocks. Two
oxygen-rich phases are described in terms of MnO(111)-like O-Mn-O trilayers,
whereas the other two have a lower oxygen content and are based on a
MnO(100)-like monolayer structure. The excellent agreement between calculated
and experimental scanning tunneling microscopy images and vibrational electron
energy loss spectra allows for a detailed atomic description of the explored
models.Comment: 14 pages, 11 figure
High-ionization mid-infrared lines as black hole mass and bolometric luminosity indicators in active galactic nuclei
We present relations of the black hole mass and the optical luminosity with
the velocity dispersion and the luminosity of the [Ne V] and the [O IV]
high-ionization lines in the mid-infrared (MIR) for 28 reverberation-mapped
active galactic nuclei. We used high-resolution Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph
and Infrared Space Observatory Short Wavelength Spectrometer data to fit the
profiles of these MIR emission lines that originate from the narrow-line region
of the nucleus. We find that the lines are often resolved and that the velocity
dispersion of [Ne V] and [O IV] follows a relation similar to that between the
black hole mass and the bulge stellar velocity dispersion found for local
galaxies. The luminosity of the [Ne V] and the [O IV] lines in these sources is
correlated with that of the optical 5100A continuum and with the black hole
mass. Our results provide a means to derive black hole properties in various
types of active galactic nuclei, including highly obscured systems.Comment: accepted for publication in ApJ
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