547 research outputs found
Novel calibrations of virial black hole mass estimators in active galaxies based on X-ray luminosity and optical/NIR emission lines
Accurately weigh the masses of SMBH in AGN is currently possible for only a
small group of local and bright broad-line AGN through reverberation mapping
(RM). Statistical demographic studies can be carried out considering the
empirical scaling relation between the size of the BLR and the AGN optical
continuum luminosity. However, there are still biases against low-luminosity or
reddened AGN, in which the rest-frame optical radiation can be severely
absorbed/diluted by the host and the BLR emission lines could be hard to
detect. Our purpose is to widen the applicability of virial-based SE relations
to reliably measure the BH masses also for low-luminosity or intermediate/type
2 AGN that are missed by current methodology. We achieve this goal by
calibrating virial relations based on unbiased quantities: the hard X-ray
luminosities, in the 2-10 keV and 14-195 keV bands, that are less sensitive to
galaxy contamination, and the FWHM of the most important rest-frame NIR and
optical BLR emission lines. We built a sample of RM AGN having both X-ray
luminosity and broad optical/NIR FWHM measurements available in order to
calibrate new virial BH mass estimators. We found that the FWHM of the
H, H and NIR lines (i.e. Pa, Pa and
HeI10830) all correlate each other having negligible or small offsets.
This result allowed us to derive virial BH mass estimators based on either the
2-10 keV or 14-195 keV luminosity. We took also into account the recent
determination of the different virial coefficients for pseudo and classical
bulges. By splitting the sample according to the bulge type and adopting
separate factors we found that our virial relations predict BH masses of
AGN hosted in pseudobulges 0.5 dex smaller than in classical bulges.
Assuming the same average factor for both populations, a difference of
0.2 dex is still found.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures, 4 tables, accepted for publication on A&
A survey of UV-excess AGNs in the South Galactic Pole
Spectra, position, magnitudes and colors are presented for 485 faint (B<20.5)
emission line objects selected with the ultraviolet-excess (UVX) criterion on a
area of 24.6 sq. deg in the South Galactic Pole. The objects were selected from
the analysis of pixel-to-pixel stacking of COSMOS scans of UKST U, J and R
plates. The candidates were observed with the Meudon-ESO Fiber Optics System
(MEFOS) at the ESO 3.6m telescope. 429 type 1 AGNs have been identified (373 in
the redshift range 0.3<z<2.2). This sample has allowed the measure of a
difference on the QSO clustering evolution in comparison with that found for
galaxies (La Franca et al 1998). The region is part of the ESO Imaging Survey
(EIS) and of the 2dF QSO redshift survey.Comment: 32 pages, 19 figures. To appear on A&AS, revised after minor comment
The contribution of faint AGN to the hard X-ray background
Hard X-ray selection is the most efficient way to discriminate between
accretion-powered sources, such as AGN, from sources dominated by starlight.
Hard X-rays are also less affected than other bands by obscuration. We have
then carried out the BeppoSAX High Energy Large Area Survey (HELLAS) in the
largely unexplored 5-10 keV band, finding 180 sources in ~50 deg^2 of sky with
flux >5E-14 erg cm-2 s-1. After correction for the non uniform sky coverage
this corresponds to resolving about 30 % of the hard Cosmic X-ray Background
(XRB). Here we report on a first optical spectroscopic identification campaign,
finding 12 AGN out of 14 X-ray error-boxes studied. Seven AGN show evidence for
obscuration in X-ray and optical bands, a fraction higher than in previous
ROSAT or ASCA-ROSAT surveys (at a 95-99 % and 90 % confidence level
respectively), thus supporting the scenario in which a significant fraction of
the XRB is made by obscured AGN.Comment: MNRAS, revised version after minor referee comment
Dust from AGBs: relevant factors and modelling uncertainties
The dust formation process in the winds of Asymptotic Giant Branch stars is
discussed, based on full evolutionary models of stars with mass in the range
MMM, and metallicities .
Dust grains are assumed to form in an isotropically expanding wind, by growth
of pre--existing seed nuclei. Convection, for what concerns the treatment of
convective borders and the efficiency of the schematization adopted, turns out
to be the physical ingredient used to calculate the evolutionary sequences with
the highest impact on the results obtained. Low--mass stars with MM produce carbon type dust with also traces of silicon carbide. The
mass of solid carbon formed, fairly independently of metallicity, ranges from a
few M, for stars of initial mass M, to
M for MM; the size of dust
particles is in the range mm. On the contrary,
the production of silicon carbide (SiC) depends on metallicity. For the size of SiC grains varies in the range m, while the mass of SiC formed is
. Models of
higher mass experience Hot Bottom Burning, which prevents the formation of
carbon stars, and favours the formation of silicates and corundum. In this case
the results scale with metallicity, owing to the larger silicon and aluminium
contained in higher--Z models. At Z= we find that the most
massive stars produce dust masses M, whereas models of
smaller mass produce a dust mass ten times smaller. The main component of dust
are silicates, although corundum is also formed, in not negligible quantities
().Comment: Paper accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal
Astronomical Society Main Journal (2014 January 4
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