105 research outputs found
The Black Hole Mass - Galaxy Bulge Relationship for QSOs in the SDSS DR3
We investigate the relationship between black hole mass and host galaxy
velocity dispersion for QSOs in Data Release 3 of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey.
We derive black hole mass from the broad Hbeta line width and continuum
luminosity, and the bulge stellar velocity dispersion from the [OIII] narrow
line width. At higher redshifts, we use MgII and [OII] in place of Hbeta and
[OIII]. For redshifts z < 0.5, our results agree with the black hole mass -
bulge velocity dispersion relationship for nearby galaxies. For 0.5 < z < 1.2,
this relationship appears to show evolution with redshift in the sense that the
bulges are too small for their black holes. However, we find that part of this
apparent trend can be attributed to observational biases, including a Malmquist
bias involving the QSO luminosity. Accounting for these biases, we find ~0.2
dex evolution in the black hole mass-bulge velocity dispersion relationship
between now and redshift z ~ 1.Comment: Accepted by ApJ, 15 pages, 9 figure
The radio luminosity, black hole mass and Eddington ratio for quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
We investigate the \mbh- \sigma_* relation for radio-loud quasars with
redshift in Data Release 3 of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). The
sample consists of 3772 quasars with better model of H and \oiii lines
and available radio luminosity, including 306 radio-loud quasars, 3466
radio-quiet quasars with measured radio luminosity or upper-limit of radio
luminosity (181 radio-quiet quasars with measured radio luminosity). The virial
supermassive black hole mass (\mbh) is calculated from the broad \hb line, the
host stellar velocity dispersion () is traced by the core \oiii
gaseous velocity dispersion, and the radio luminosity and the radio loudness
are derived from the FIRST catalog. Our results are follows: (1) For
radio-quiet quasars, we confirm that there is no obvious deviation from the
\mbh- \sigma_* relation defined in inactive galaxies when \mbh uncertainties
and luminosity bias are concerned. (2) We find that radio-loud quasars deviate
much from the \mbh- \sigma_* relation respect to that for radio-quiet
quasars. This deviation is only partly due to the possible cosmology evolution
of the \mbh- \sigma_* relation and the luminosity bias. (3) The radio
luminosity is proportional to
\mbh^{1.28^{+0.23}_{-0.16}}(\lb/\ledd)^{1.29^{+0.31}_{-0.24}} for radio-quiet
quasars and \mbh^{3.10^{+0.60}_{-0.70}}(\lb/\ledd)^{4.18^{+1.40}_{-1.10}} for
radio-loud quasars. The weaker correlation of the radio luminosity dependence
upon the mass and the Eddington ratio for radio-loud quasars shows that other
physical effects would account for their radio luminosities, such as the black
hole spin.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication in ChJA
The Color Variability of Quasars
We quantify quasar color-variability using an unprecedented variability
database - ugriz photometry of 9093 quasars from SDSS Stripe 82, observed over
8 years at ~60 epochs each. We confirm previous reports that quasars become
bluer when brightening. We find a redshift dependence of this blueing in a
given set of bands (e.g. g and r), but show that it is the result of the flux
contribution from less-variable or delayed emission lines in the different SDSS
bands at different redshifts. After correcting for this effect, quasar
color-variability is remarkably uniform, and independent not only of redshift,
but also of quasar luminosity and black hole mass. The color variations of
individual quasars, as they vary in brightness on year timescales, are much
more pronounced than the ranges in color seen in samples of quasars across many
orders of magnitude in luminosity. This indicates distinct physical mechanisms
behind quasar variability and the observed range of quasar luminosities at a
given black hole mass - quasar variations cannot be explained by changes in the
mean accretion rate. We do find some dependence of the color variability on the
characteristics of the flux variations themselves, with fast, low-amplitude,
brightness variations producing more color variability. The observed behavior
could arise if quasar variability results from flares or ephemeral hot spots in
an accretion disc.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ - in press, 17 pages, 14 figures -
v2: abstract typo corrected & reference clean-u
Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope Observations of Recent Gamma-ray Outbursts from 3C 454.3
The flat spectrum radio quasar 3C~454.3 underwent an extraordinary outburst
in December 2009 when it became the brightest gamma-ray source in the sky for
over one week. Its daily flux measured with the Fermi Large Area Telescope at
photon energies E>100 MeV reached F = 22+/-1 x 10^-6 ph cm^-2 s^-1,
representing the highest daily flux of any blazar ever recorded in high-energy
gamma-rays. It again became the brightest source in the sky in 2010 April,
triggering a pointed-mode observation by Fermi. The correlated gamma-ray
temporal and spectral properties during these exceptional events are presented
and discussed. The main results show flux variability over time scales less
than 3 h and very mild spectral variability with an indication of gradual
hardening preceding major flares. No consistent loop pattern emerged in the
gamma-ray spectral index vs flux plane. A minimum Doppler factor of ~ 15 is
derived, and the maximum energy of a photon from 3C 454.3 is ~ 20 GeV. The
spectral break at a few GeV is inconsistent with Klein-Nishina softening from
power-law electrons scattering Ly_alpha line radiation, and a break in the
underlying electron spectrum in blazar leptonic models is implied.Comment: submitted to the Astrophysical Journa
Supermassive Black Hole Binaries: The Search Continues
Gravitationally bound supermassive black hole binaries (SBHBs) are thought to
be a natural product of galactic mergers and growth of the large scale
structure in the universe. They however remain observationally elusive, thus
raising a question about characteristic observational signatures associated
with these systems. In this conference proceeding I discuss current theoretical
understanding and latest advances and prospects in observational searches for
SBHBs.Comment: 17 pages, 4 figures. To appear in the Proceedings of 2014 Sant Cugat
Forum on Astrophysics. Astrophysics and Space Science Proceedings, ed.
C.Sopuerta (Berlin: Springer-Verlag
A Runaway Black Hole in COSMOS: Gravitational Wave or Slingshot Recoil?
We present a detailed study of a peculiar source in the COSMOS survey at
z=0.359. Source CXOCJ100043.1+020637 (CID-42) presents two compact optical
sources embedded in the same galaxy. The distance between the 2, measured in
the HST/ACS image, is 0.495" that, at the redshift of the source, corresponds
to a projected separation of 2.46 kpc. A large (~1200 km/s) velocity offset
between the narrow and broad components of Hbeta has been measured in three
different optical spectra from the VLT/VIMOS and Magellan/IMACS instruments.
CID-42 is also the only X-ray source having in its X-ray spectra a strong
redshifted broad absorption iron line, and an iron emission line, drawing an
inverted P-Cygni profile. The Chandra and XMM data show that the absorption
line is variable in energy by 500 eV over 4 years and that the absorber has to
be highly ionized, in order not to leave a signature in the soft X-ray
spectrum. That these features occur in the same source is unlikely to be a
coincidence. We envisage two possible explanations: (1) a gravitational wave
recoiling black hole (BH), caught 1-10 Myr after merging, (2) a Type 1/ Type 2
system in the same galaxy where the Type 1 is recoiling due to slingshot effect
produced by a triple BH system. The first possibility gives us a candidate
gravitational waves recoiling BH with both spectroscopic and imaging
signatures. In the second case, the X-ray absorption line can be explained as a
BAL-like outflow from the foreground nucleus (a Type 2 AGN) at the rearer one
(a Type 1 AGN), which illuminates the otherwise undetectable wind, giving us
the first opportunity to show that fast winds are present in obscured AGN.Comment: 13 figures; submitted to ApJ. Sent back to the referee after the
first interaction and awaiting the final comment
The structure and emission model of the relativistic jet in the quasar 3C 279 inferred from radio to high-energy gamma-ray observations in 2008-2010
We present time-resolved broad-band observations of the quasar 3C 279
obtained from multi-wavelength campaigns conducted during the first two years
of the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope mission. While investigating the
previously reported gamma-ray/optical flare accompanied by a change in optical
polarization, we found that the optical emission appears delayed with respect
to the gamma-ray emission by about 10 days. X-ray observations reveal a pair of
`isolated' flares separated by ~90 days, with only weak gamma-ray/optical
counterparts. The spectral structure measured by Spitzer reveals a synchrotron
component peaking in the mid-infrared band with a sharp break at the
far-infrared band during the gamma-ray flare, while the peak appears in the
mm/sub-mm band in the low state. Selected spectral energy distributions are
fitted with leptonic models including Comptonization of external radiation
produced in a dusty torus or the broad-line region. Adopting the interpretation
of the polarization swing involving propagation of the emitting region along a
curved trajectory, we can explain the evolution of the broad-band spectra
during the gamma-ray flaring event by a shift of its location from ~ 1 pc to ~
4 pc from the central black hole. On the other hand, if the gamma-ray flare is
generated instead at sub-pc distance from the central black hole, the
far-infrared break can be explained by synchrotron self-absorption. We also
model the low spectral state, dominated by the mm/sub-mm peaking synchrotron
component, and suggest that the corresponding inverse-Compton component
explains the steady X-ray emission.Comment: 23 pages, 18 figures 5 tables, Accepted for publication in The
Astrophysical Journa
Multiwavelength observations of 3C 454.3. III. Eighteen months of AGILE monitoring of the "Crazy Diamond"
We report on 18 months of multiwavelength observations of the blazar 3C 454.3
(Crazy Diamond) carried out in July 2007-January 2009. We show the results of
the AGILE campaigns which took place on May-June 2008, July-August 2008, and
October 2008-January 2009. During the May 2008-January 2009 period, the source
average flux was highly variable, from an average gamma-ray flux F(E>100MeV) >
200E-8 ph/cm2/s in May-June 2008, to F(E>100MeV)~80E-8 ph/cm2/s in October
2008-January 2009. The average gamma-ray spectrum between 100 MeV and 1 GeV can
be fit by a simple power law (Gamma_GRID ~ 2.0 to 2.2). Only 3-sigma upper
limits can be derived in the 20-60 keV energy band with Super-AGILE. During
July-August 2007 and May-June 2008, RXTE measured a flux of F(3-20 keV)=
8.4E-11 erg/cm2/s, and F(3-20 keV)=4.5E-11 erg/cm2/s, respectively and a
constant photon index Gamma_PCA=1.65. Swift/XRT observations were carried out
during all AGILE campaigns, obtaining a F(2-10 keV)=(0.9-7.5)E-11 erg/cm2/s and
a photon index Gamma_XRT=1.33-2.04. BAT measured an average flux of ~5 mCrab.
GASP-WEBT monitored 3C 454.3 during the whole 2007-2008 period from the radio
to the optical. A correlation analysis between the optical and the gamma-ray
fluxes shows a time lag of tau=-0.4 days. An analysis of 15 GHz and 43 GHz VLBI
core radio flux observations shows an increasing trend of the core radio flux,
anti- correlated with the higher frequency data. The modeling SEDs, and the
behavior of the long-term light curves in different energy bands, allow us to
compare the jet properties during different emission states, and to study the
geometrical properties of the jet on a time-span longer than one year.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ. Adapted Abstract. 17 pages, 19
Figures, 5 Table
Variable gamma-ray sky at 1 GeV
We search for the long-term variability of the \gamma-ray sky in the energy
range E > 1 GeV with 168 weeks of Fermi-LAT data. We perform a full sky blind
search for regions with variable flux looking for deviations from uniformity.
We bin the sky into 12288 bins using Healpix package and use Kolmogorov-Smirnov
test to compare weekly photon counts in each bin with a constant flux
hypothesis. The weekly exposure of Fermi-LAT for each bin is calculated with
the Fermi-LAT tools. We consider flux variations in the bin significant if
statistical probability of uniformity is less than 4e-6, which corresponds to
0.05 false detections in the whole set. We identified 117 variable sources,
variability of 27 of which has not been reported before. Among the sources with
previously unidentified variability there are 25 AGNs belonging to blazar class
(11 BL Lacs and 14 FSRQs), one AGN of uncertain type and one pulsar PSR
J0633+1746 (Geminga). The observed long term flux variability of Geminga has a
statistical significance of 5.1\sigma.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures, 2 table
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