7,193 research outputs found
PKS1932-46: a radio source in an interacting group?
We present the results of a multiwavelength study of the z=0.23 radio source
PKS1932-46. VIMOS IFU spectroscopy is used to study the morphology, kinematics
and ionisation state of the EELR surrounding this source, and also a companion
galaxy at a similar redshift. Near- and far-IR imaging observations obtained
using the NTT and SPITZER are used to analyse the underlying galaxy
morphologies and the nature of the AGN. The host galaxy is identified as an ~M*
elliptical. Combining Spitzer mid-IR with X-ray, optical and near-IR imaging
observations of this source, we conclude that its AGN is underluminous for a
radio source of this type, despite its status as a BLRG. However, given its
relatively large [OIII] luminosity it is likely that the AGN was substantially
more luminous in the recent past (<10^4 years ago). The EELR is remarkably
extensive and complex, reminiscent of the systems observed around sources at
higher redshifts/radio powers, and the gas is predominantly ionised by a
mixture of AGN photoionisation and emission from young stars. We confirm the
presence of a series of star-forming knots extending N-S from the host galaxy,
with more prodigious star formation occuring in the merging companion galaxy to
the northeast, which has sufficient luminosity at mid- to far-IR wavelengths to
be classified as a LIRG. The most plausible explanation of our observations is
that PKS1932-46 is a member of an interacting galaxy group, and that the
impressive EELR is populated by star-forming, tidal debris. We suggest that the
AGN itself may currently be fuelled by material associated either with the
current interaction, or with a previous merger event. Surprisingly, it is the
companion object, rather than the radio source host galaxy, which is undergoing
the bulk of the star formation activity within the group.Comment: 15 pages, 14 figures (compressed for astro-ph, 1 colour). Accepted
for publication in MNRAS. Abstract abridge
Unconventional antiferromagnetic correlations of the doped Haldane gap system YBaNiZnO
We make a new proposal to describe the very low temperature susceptibility of
the doped Haldane gap compound YBaNiZnO. We propose a new
mean field model relevant for this compound. The ground state of this mean
field model is unconventional because antiferromagnetism coexists with random
dimers. We present new susceptibility experiments at very low temperature. We
obtain a Curie-Weiss susceptibility as expected
for antiferromagnetic correlations but we do not obtain a direct signature of
antiferromagnetic long range order. We explain how to obtain the ``impurity''
susceptibility by subtracting the Haldane gap contribution to
the total susceptibility. In the temperature range [1 K, 300 K] the
experimental data are well fitted by . In the temperature range [100 mK, 1 K] the experimental data are
well fitted by , where increases with
. This fit suggests the existence of a finite N\'eel temperature which is
however too small to be probed directly in our experiments. We also obtain a
maximum in the temperature dependence of the ac-susceptibility which
suggests the existence of antiferromagnetic correlations at very low
temperature.Comment: 19 pages, 17 figures, revised version (minor modifications
Jet-gas interactions in z~2.5 radio galaxies: evolution of the ultraviolet line and continuum emission with radio morphology
We present an investigation into the nature of the jet-gas interactions in a
sample of 10 radio galaxies at 2.3<z<2.9 using deep spectroscopy of the UV line
and continuum emission obtained at Keck II and the Very Large Telescope.
Kinematically perturbed gas, which we have shown to be within the radio
structure in previous publications, is always blueshifted with respect to the
kinematically quiescent gas, is usually spatially extended, and is usually
detected on both sides of the nucleus. In the three objects from this sample
for which we are able to measure line ratios for both the perturbed and
quiescent gases, we suggest that the former has a lower ionization state than
the latter.
We propose that the perturbed gas is part of a jet-induced outflow, with dust
obscuring the outflowing gas that lies on the far side of the object. The
spatial extent of the blueshifted perturbed gas, typically ~35 kpc, implies
that the dust is spatially extended at least on similar spatial scales.
We also find interesting interrelationships between UV line, UV continuum and
radio continuum properties of this sample.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRA
The large scale distribution of warm ionized gas around nearby radio galaxies with jet-cloud interactions
Deep, narrow-band Halpha observations taken with the TAURUS Tunable Filter
(TTF) on the 4.2m WHT telescope are presented for two nearby radio galaxies
with strong jet-cloud interactions. Although the brightest emission line
components are closely aligned with the radio jets --- providing nearby
examples of the ``alignment effect'' most commonly observed in high redshift (z
> 0.5) radio galaxies --- lower surface brightness emission line structures are
detected at large distances (10's of kpc) from the radio jet axis. These latter
structures cannot be reconciled with anisotropic illumination of the ISM by
obscured quasar-like sources, since parts of the structures lay outside any
plausible quasar ionization cones. Rather, the distribution of the emission
lines around the fringes of the extended radio lobes suggests that the gas is
ionized either by direct interaction with the radio components, or by the
diffuse photoionizing radiation fields produced in the shocks generated in such
interactions. These observations serve to emphasise that the ionizing effects
of the radio components can extend far from the radio jet axes, and that deep
emission line imaging observations are required to reveal the true distribution
of warm gas in the host galaxies. We expect future deep imaging observations to
reveal similar structures perpendicular to the radio axes in the high-z radio
galaxies.Comment: 18 pages, 4 figures, to be published in MNRA
Triggered Star Formation in a Massive Galaxy at z=3.8: 4C41.17
Spectropolarimetric observations obtained with the W. M. Keck Telescope of
the z=3.8 radio galaxy 4C41.17 show that the UV continuum emission from this
galaxy, which is aligned with the radio axis, is unpolarized (P[2sigma] <
2.4%). This implies that scattered AGN light, which is generally the dominant
contributor to the rest-frame UV emission in z~1 radio galaxies, is unlikely to
be a major component of the UV flux from 4C41.17. The spectrum shows absorption
lines that are similar to those detected in the spectra of the recently
discovered population of star forming galaxies at z~2-3. A galaxian outflow may
contribute partially to the low ionization absorption lines; however, the high
velocity wings of the high ionization lines are unlikely to be dominated by a
galaxian wind since the implied outflow mass is very large. The detection of
stellar absorption lines, the shape of the SiIV profile, the unpolarized
continuum, the inability of any AGN-related processes to account for the UV
flux, and the similarity of the UV continuum spectra of 4C41.17 and the nearby
starburst region NGC 1741B1 suggest that the UV light in 4C41.17 is dominated
by young stars. If so, the implied star-formation rate is roughly
140-1100Msun/yr. We discuss the possibility that star formation in 4C41.17 was
triggered by the radio source. Our data are consistent with the hypothesis that
4C41.17 is undergoing its major epoch of star formation at z~4, and that by z~1
it will have evolved to have spectral and morphological properties similar to
those observed in known z~1 powerful radio galaxies.Comment: 28 pages (Latex text + figures); Accepted for publication in The
Astrophysical Journal (Dec 1, 1997 issue
Deep spectroscopy of the FUV-optical emission lines from a sample of radio galaxies at z~2.5: metallicity and ionization
We present long-slit NIR spectra, obtained using the ISAAC instrument at the
Very Large Telescope, for nine radio galaxies at z~2.5. One-dimensional spectra
have been extracted and cross calibrated with optical spectra from the
literature to produce line spectra spanning a rest wavelength of ~1200-7000 A.
We have also produced a composite of the rest-frame UV-optical line fluxes of
powerful, z~2.5 radio galaxies. We have investigated the relative strengths of
Ly-alpha, H-beta, H-alpha, HeII 1640 and HeII 4687, and we find that Av can
vary significantly from object to object. In addition, we identify new line
ratios to calculate electron temperature: [NeV] 1575/[NeV] 3426, [NeIV]
1602/[NeIV] 2423, OIII] 1663/[OIII] 5008 and [OII] 2471/[OII]3728. We model the
emission line spectra and conclude they are best explained by
AGN-photoionization with the ionization parameter U varying between objects.
Single slab photoionization models are unable to reproduce the high- and the
low-ionization lines simultaneously: this may be alleviated either by combining
two or more single slab photoionization models with different U, or by using
mixed-medium models such as those of Binette, Wilson & Storchi-Bergmann (1996).
On the basis of NV/NIV] and NIV]/CIV we argue that shocks make a fractional
contribution to the ionization of the EELR. We find that in the EELR of z~2
radio galaxies the N/H abundance ratio is close to its solar value. We conclude
that N/H and metallicity do not vary by more than a factor of two in our
sample. This is consistent with the idea that massive ellipticals are assembled
very early in the history of the universe, and then evolve relatively passively
up to the present day.Comment: Accepted for publication by MNRA
Starburst radio galaxies: general properties, evolutionary histories and triggering
In this paper we discuss the results of a programme of spectral synthesis
modelling of a sample of starburst radio galaxies in the context of scenarios
for the triggering of the activity and the evolution of the host galaxies. The
starburst radio galaxies -- comprising ~15 - 25% of all powerful extragalactic
radio sources -- frequently show disturbed morphologies at optical wavelengths,
and unusual radio structures, although their stellar masses are typical of
radio galaxies as a class. In terms of the characteristic ages of their young
stellar populations (YSP), the objects can be divided into two groups: those
with YSP ages t_ysp < 0.1 Gyr, in which the radio source has been triggered
quasi-simultaneously with the main starburst episode, and those with older YSP
in which the radio source has been triggered or re-triggered a significant
period after the starburst episode. Combining the information on the YSP with
that on the optical morphologies of the host galaxies, we deduce that the
majority of the starburst radio galaxies have been triggered in galaxy mergers
in which at least one of the galaxies is gas rich. However, the triggering (or
re-triggering) of the radio jets can occur immediately before, around, or a
significant period after the final coalescence of the merging nuclei,
reflecting the complex gas infall histories of the merger events. Overall, our
results provide further evidence that powerful radio jet activity can be
triggered via a variety of mechanisms, including different evolutionary stages
of major galaxy mergers; clearly radio-loud AGN activity is not solely
associated with a particular stage of a unique type of gas accretion event.Comment: 16 pages, 3 Figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
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