1,751 research outputs found
The Infrared-X-ray continuum correlation in Active Galactic Nuclei
The correlation between the soft X-ray and near infrared emission from AGN is
analysed using composite models by the code SUMA. We find new evidences for
differences in ranges of parameters which characterize the NLR of Seyfert
galaxies and LINERs. Results obtained by modelling the Einstein and the ROSAT
samples of galaxies are in full agreement. In order to fit the infrared and
X-ray continua, an eta factor is defined, which accounts for the emitting area
of the cloud. If the infrared emission is due to bremsstrahlung and comes from
the same cloud producing the soft X-rays, the eta values obtained from both
emissions must be the same. Therefore, if eta_IR < eta_soft-X there must be a
strong contribution of soft X-rays from the active centre. From the eta values
we expect to identify the objects that could present strong variability. \Comment: 11 pages,13 figures, in press in MNRAS. in press in MNRA
Extended Coronal Emission Lines in Active Galactic Nuclei
VLT and NTT spectra are used to examine the nuclear and extended coronal line
emission in a sample of well-known Seyfert 1 and 2 galaxies. The excellent
spatial resolution obtained with VLT allowed us to map [SiVI] 1.963 m and
[SiVII] 2.48 m on scales of up to 20 pc. Coronal line emission, extended
to distances of 100 pc, is detected in some of the lines analyzed,
particularly in [FeX] 6374\AA, [FeXI] 7891\AA, and [SiVII] 2.48m. Most
coronal lines are strongly asymmetric towards the blue and broader than
low-ionization lines. This result is particularly important for Circinus, where
previous observations had failed at detecting larger widths for high-ionization
lines. Photoionization models are used to investigate the physical conditions
and continuum luminosities necessary to produced the observed coronal emission.
We found that an ionization parameter U> 0.10 is necessary to reproduce the
observations, although the clouds should be located at distances < 30 pc.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figures, to appear in proceedings of IAU Symposium No.
222, The Interplay Among Black Holes, Stars and ISM in Galacti Nucle
Temperature Fluctuations and Abundances in HII Galaxies
There is evidence for temperature fluctuations in Planetary Nebulae and in
Galactic HII regions. If such fluctuations occur in the low-metallicity,
extragalactic HII regions used to probe the primordial helium abundance, the
derived 4He mass fraction, Y_P, could be systematically different from the true
primordial value. For cooler, mainly high-metallicity HII regions the derived
helium abundance may be nearly unchanged but the oxygen abundance could have
been seriously underestimated. For hotter, mainly low-metallicity HII regions
the oxygen abundance is likely accurate but the helium abundance could be
underestimated. The net effect is to tilt the Y vs. Z relation, making it
flatter and resulting in a higher inferred Y_P. Although this effect could be
large, there are no data which allow us to estimate the size of the temperature
fluctuations for the extragalactic HII regions. Therefore, we have explored
this effect via Monte Carlos in which the abundances derived from a fiducial
data set are modified by \Delta-T chosen from a distribution with 0 < \Delta-T
< \Delta-T_max where \Delta-T_max is varied from 500K to 4000K. It is
interesting that although this effect shifts the locations of the HII regions
in Y vs. O/H plane, it does not introduce any significant additional
dispersion.Comment: 11 pages, 9 postscript figures; submitted to the Ap
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