708 research outputs found
Radio Spectra of Giant Radio Galaxies from RATAN-600 Data
Measurements of the flux densities of the extended components of seven giant
radio galaxies obtained using the RATAN-600 radio telescope at wavelengths of
6.25 and 13 cm ar e presented. The spectra of components of these radio
galaxies are constructed using these new RA TAN-600 data together with data
from the WENSS, NVSS, and GB6 surveys. The spectral indices in the stu died
frequency range are calculated, and the need for detailed estimates of the
integrated contributi on of such objects to the background emission is
demonstrated.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, 5 table
The Ellipticity of the Disks of Spiral Galaxies
The disks of spiral galaxies are generally elliptical rather than circular.
The distribution of ellipticities can be fit with a log-normal distribution.
For a sample of 12,764 galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release
1 (SDSS DR1), the distribution of apparent axis ratios in the i band is best
fit by a log-normal distribution of intrinsic ellipticities with ln epsilon =
-1.85 +/- 0.89. For a sample of nearly face-on spiral galaxies, analyzed by
Andersen and Bershady using both photometric and spectroscopic data, the best
fitting distribution of ellipticities has ln epsilon = -2.29 +/- 1.04. Given
the small size of the Andersen-Bershady sample, the two distribution are not
necessarily inconsistent. If the ellipticity of the potential were equal to
that of the light distribution of the SDSS DR1 galaxies, it would produce 1.0
magnitudes of scatter in the Tully-Fisher relation, greater than is observed.
The Andersen-Bershady results, however, are consistent with a scatter as small
as 0.25 magnitudes in the Tully-Fisher relation.Comment: 19 pages, 5 figures; ApJ, accepte
Chandra Discovery of a 300 kpc X-ray Jet in the GPS Quasar PKS1127-145
We have discovered an X-ray jet with Chandra imaging of the z=1.187
radio-loud quasar PKS1127-145. In this paper we present the Chandra X-ray data,
follow-up VLA observations, and optical imaging using the HST WFPC2. The X-ray
jet contains 273+/-5 net counts in 27ksec and extends ~30 arcsec, from the
quasar core, corresponding to a minimum projected linear size of ~330/h_50 kpc.
The evaluation of the X-ray emission processes is complicated by the observed
offsets between X-ray and radio brightness peaks. We discuss the problems posed
by these observations to jet models. In addition, PKS1127-145 is a Giga-Hertz
Peaked Spectrum radio source, a member of the class of radio sources suspected
to be young or ``frustrated'' versions of FRI radio galaxies. However the
discovery of an X-ray and radio jet extending well outside the host galaxy of
PKS1127-145 suggests that activity in this and other GPS sources may be
long-lived and complex.Comment: 22 pages, 11 ps figures, 1 figure in a JPG file, 3 tables. AASTEX.
Accepted by The Astrophysical Journa
Swift BAT Survey of AGN
We present the results of the analysis of the first 9 months of data of the
Swift BAT survey of AGN in the 14-195 keV band. Using archival X-ray data or
follow-up Swift XRT observations, we have identified 129 (103 AGN) of 130
objects detected at |b|> 15 deg and with significance >4.8 sigma. One source
remains unidentified. These same X-ray data have allowed measurement of the
X-ray properties of the objects. We fit a power law to the log N - log S
distribution, and find the slope to be 1.42+/-0.14. Characterizing the
differential luminosity function data as a broken power law, we find a break
luminosity log L_*(erg/s) = 43.85+/-0.26, a low luminosity power law slope
a=0.84^{+0.16}_{-0.22}, and a high luminosity power law slope
b=2.55^{+0.43}_{-0.30}, similar to the values that have been reported based on
INTEGRAL data. We obtain a mean photon index 1.98 in the 14-195 keV band, with
an rms spread of 0.27. Integration of our luminosity function gives a local
volume density of AGN above 10^{41} erg/s of 2.4x10^{-3}/Mpc^3, which is about
10% of the total luminous local galaxy density above M_*=-19.75. We have
obtained X-ray spectra from the literature and from Swift XRT follow-up
observations. These show that the distribution of log n_H is essentially flat
from n_H=10^{20}/cm^{2} to 10^{24}/cm^2, with 50% of the objects having column
densities of less than 10^{22}/cm^{2}. BAT Seyfert galaxies have a median
redshift of 0.03, a maximum log luminosity of 45.1, and approximately half have
log n_H > 22.Comment: 15 pages, 15 figures, 2 tables; to appear in the Astrophysical
Journal, July 10, 2008, v. 68
A Photometric Method for Quantifying Asymmetries in Disk Galaxies
A photometric method for quantifying deviations from axisymmetry in optical
images of disk galaxies is applied to a sample of 32 face-on and nearly face-on
spirals. The method involves comparing the relative fluxes contained within
trapezoidal sectors arranged symmetrically about the galaxy center of light,
excluding the bulge and/or barred regions. Such a method has several advantages
over others, especially when quantifying asymmetry in flocculent galaxies.
Specifically, the averaging of large regions improves the signal-to-noise in
the measurements; the method is not strongly affected by the presence of spiral
arms; and it identifies the kinds of asymmetry that are likely to be
dynamically important. Application of this "method of sectors" to R-band images
of 32 disk galaxies indicates that about 30% of spirals show deviations from
axisymmetry at the 5-sigma level.Comment: 17 pages, 2 tables and 6 figures, uses psfig and AAS LaTex; to appear
in A
The Evolution of the ISM in the Mildly Disturbed Spiral Galaxy NGC 4647
We present matched-resolution maps of HI and CO emission in the Virgo Cluster
spiral NGC 4647. The galaxy shows a mild kinematic disturbance in which one
side of the rotation curve flattens but the other side continues to rise. This
kinematic asymmetry is coupled with a dramatic asymmetry in the molecular gas
distribution but not in the atomic gas. An analysis of the gas column densities
and the interstellar pressure suggests that the H2/HI surface density ratio on
the east side of the galaxy is three times higher than expected from the
hydrostatic pressure contributed by the mass of the stellar disk. We discuss
the probable effects of ram pressure, gravitational interactions, and
asymmetric potentials on the interstellar medium and suggest it is likely that
a m=1 perturbation in the gravitational potential could be responsible for all
of the galaxy's features. Kinematic disturbances of the type seen here are
common, but the curious thing about NGC 4647 is that the molecular distribution
appears more disturbed than the HI distribution. Thus it is the combination of
the two gas phases that provides such interesting insight into the galaxy's
history and into models of the interstellar medium.Comment: ApJ, accepte
Is there Evidence for Flat Cores in the Halos of Dwarf Galaxies?: The Case of NGC 3109 and NGC 6822
Two well studied dwarf galaxies -- NGC 3109 and NGC 6822 -- present some of
the strongest observational support for a flat core at the center of galactic
dark matter (DM) halos. We use detailed cosmologically motivated numerical
models to investigate the systematics and the accuracy of recovering parameters
of the galaxies. Some of our models match the observed structure of the two
galaxies remarkably well. Our analysis shows that the rotation curves of these
two galaxies are instead quite compatible with their DM halos having steep
cuspy density profiles. The rotation curves in our models are measured using
standard observational techniques. The models reproduce the rotation curves of
both galaxies, the disk surface brightness profiles as well as the profile of
isophotal ellipticity and position angle. The models are centrally dominated by
baryons; however, the dark matter component is globally dominant. The simulated
disk mass is marginally consistent with a stellar mass-to-light ratio in
agreement with the observed colors. We show that non-circular motions combined
with gas pressure support and projection effects results in a large
underestimation of the circular velocity in the central kpc region,
creating the illusion of a constant density core. Although the systematic
effects mentioned above are stronger in barred systems, they are also present
in axisymetric disks. Our results strongly suggest that there is no
contradiction between the observed rotation curves in dwarf galaxies and the
cuspy central dark matter density profiles predicted by Cold Dark Matter
models.Comment: Accepted for publication in the ApJ. New discussion, figures and one
appendix. High resolution version
at:http://www.astro.washington.edu/octavio/N3109_paper.ps.g
The Photometric and Kinematic Structure of Face-On Disk Galaxies. I. Sample Definition, H-alpha Integral Field Spectroscopy, and HI Line-Widths
We present a survey of the photometric and kinematic properties of 39 nearby,
nearly face-on disk galaxies. Our approach exploits echelle-resolution
integral-field spectroscopy of the H-alpha regions, obtained with DensePak on
the WIYN 3.5m telescope Bench Spectrograph. This data is complemented by HI
line-profiles observed with the Nancay radio telescope for 25 of these sample
galaxies. Twelve additional line-widths are available for sample galaxies from
the literature. In this paper, we introduce the goals of this survey, define
the sample selection algorithm, and amass the integral field spectroscopic data
and HI line-widths. We establish spatially-integrated H-alpha line-widths for
the sample. We test the veracity of these spatially-integrated line profiles by
convolving narrow-band imaging data with velocity field information for one of
the sample galaxies, PGC 38268, and also by comparing to HI line profiles. We
find HI and H-alpha line profiles to be similar in width but different in
shape, indicating we are observing different spatial distributions of ionized
and neutral gas in largely axisymmetric systems with flat outer
rotation-curves. We also find vertical velocity dispersions of the ionized disk
gas within several disk scale-lengths have a median value of 18 km/s and an 80%
range of 12-26 km/s. This is only a factor of ~2 larger than what is observed
for neutral atomic and molecular gas. With standard assumptions for intrinsic
and thermal broadening for H-alpha, this translates into a factor of three
range in turbulent velocities, between 8 and 25 km/s.Comment: 29 pages, 20 figures; accepted for publication in ApJ Supplement
Serie
X-ray Properties of the GigaHertz-Peaked and Compact Steep Spectrum Sources
We present {\it Chandra} X-ray Observatory observations of Giga-Hertz Peaked
Spectrum (GPS) and Compact Steep Spectrum (CSS) radio sources. The {\it
Chandra} sample contains 13 quasars and 3 galaxies with measured 2-10 keV X-ray
luminosity within erg s. We detect all of the
sources, five of which are observed in X-ray for the first time. We study the
X-ray spectral properties of the sample. The measured absorption columns in the
quasars are different than those in the galaxies in the sense that the quasars
show no absorption (with limits ) while the galaxies
have large absorption columns () consistent with
previous findings. The median photon index of the sources with high S/N is
and it is larger than the typical index of radio loud
quasars. The arcsec resolution of {\it Chandra} telescope allows us to
investigate X-ray extended emission, and look for diffuse components and X-ray
jets. We found X-ray jets in two quasars (PKS 1127-145, B2 0738+32), an X-ray
cluster surrounding a CSS quasar (z=1.1, 3C 186), detected a possible binary
structure in 0941-080 galaxy and an extended diffuse emission in galaxy PKS B2
1345+12. We discuss our results in the context of X-ray emission processes and
radio source evolution. We conclude that the X-ray emission in these sources is
most likely unrelated to a relativistic jet, while the sources' radio-loudness
may suggest a high radiative efficiency of the jet power in these sources.Comment: 15 pages, to be published in Ap
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