Tracing Quasar Narrow-Line Regions Across Redshift: A Library of High S/N Optical Spectra

In a single optical spectrum, the quasar narrow-line region (NLR) reveals low density, photoionized gas in the host galaxy interstellar medium, while the immediate vicinity of the central engine generates the accretion disk continuum and broad emission lines. To isolate these two components, we construct a library of high S/N optical composite spectra created from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-DR7). We divide the sample into bins of continuum luminosity and Hbeta FWHM that are used to construct median composites at different redshift steps up to 0.75. We measure the luminosities of the narrow-emission lines [NeV]3427, [NeIII]3870, [OIII]5007, and [OII]3728 with ionization potentials (IPs) of 97, 40, 35, and 13.6 eV respectively. The high IP lines' luminosities show no evidence of increase with redshift consistent with no evolution in the AGN SED or the host galaxy ISM illuminated by the continuum. In contrast, we find that the [OII] line becomes stronger at higher redshifts, and we interpret this as a consequence of enhanced star formation contributing to the [OII] emission in host galaxies at higher redshifts. The SFRs estimated from the [OII] luminosities show a flatter increase with z than non-AGN galaxies given our assumed AGN contribution to the [OII] luminosity. Finally, we confirm an inverse correlation between the strength of the FeII4570 complex and both the [OIII] EW (though not the luminosity) and the width of the Hbeta line as known from the eigenvector 1 correlations.Comment: 17 pages, colour figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

Discharge coefficients for thick-plate orifices

Investigation enables more accurate prediction of coolant flows within internally cooled turbine blades and vanes. The data is applicable for predicting flows in complex flow passages

An outside-inside view of exclusive practice within an inclusive mainstream school

This article is a reflection on a sabbatical experience in a mainstream school where an inclusive ethos underpinned the curriculum and environmental approaches for all children. The period as Acting Head teacher raised some challenges for me in reconciling inclusion for all children and the exclusive nature of some professional and physical spaces available to the community of adults working in the school. It has highlighted some development opportunities for the senior management of the school and its governing body

A 100 micro Kelvin bolometer system for SIRTF

Progress toward a prototype of 100 mK bolometric detection system for the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) is described. Two adiabatic demagnetization refrigerators (ADR's) were constructed and used to investigate the capabilities necessary for orbital operation. The first, a laboratory ADR, demonstrated a hold time at 0.1 K of over 12 hours, with temperature stability approx. 3 micro-K RMS achieved by controlling the magnetic field. A durable salt pill and an efficient support system have been demonstrated. A second ADR, the SIRTF flight prototype, has been built and will be flown on a balloon. Techniques for magnetic shielding, low heat leak current leads, and a mechanical heat switch are being developed in this ADR. Plans for construction of 100 mK bolometers are discussed. Three important cosmological investigations which will be carried out by these longest wavelength SIRTF detectors are described

QCD Sum Rule Analysis of Heavy Quarkonium Hybrids

We have studied the charmonium and bottomonium hybrid states with various $J^{PC}$ quantum numbers in QCD sum rules. At leading order in $\alpha_s$, the two-point correlation functions have been calculated up to dimension six including the tri-gluon condensate and four-quark condensate. After performing the QCD sum rule analysis, we have confirmed that the dimension six condensates can stabilize the hybrid sum rules and allow the reliable mass predictions. We have updated the mass spectra of the charmonium and bottomonium hybrid states and identified that the negative-parity states with $J^{PC}=(0, 1, 2)^{-+}, 1^{--}$ form the lightest hybrid supermultiplet while the positive-parity states with $J^{PC}=(0, 1)^{+-}, (0, 1, 2)^{++}$ belong to a heavier hybrid supermultiplet.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figures. Some minor edits have been made. Presentation at the DPF 2013 Meeting of the American Physical Society Division of Particles and Fields, Santa Cruz, California, August 13-17, 201

Exploring the Spectrum of Heavy Quarkonium Hybrids with QCD Sum Rules

QCD Laplace sum rules are used to calculate heavy quarkonium (charmonium and bottomonium) hybrid masses in several distinct $J^{PC}$ channels. Previous studies of heavy quarkonium hybrids did not include the effects of dimension-six condensates, leading to unstable sum rules and unreliable mass predictions in some channels. We have updated these sum rules to include dimension-six condensates, providing new mass predictions for the spectra of heavy quarkonium hybrids. We confirm the finding of other approaches that the negative-parity $J^{PC}=(0,1,2)^{-+},\,1^{--}$ states form the lightest hybrid supermultiplet and the positive-parity $J^{PC}=(0,1)^{+-},\,(0,1,2)^{++}$ states are members of a heavier supermultiplet. Our results disfavor a pure charmonium hybrid interpretation of the $X(3872)$, in agreement with previous work.Comment: Presented by RTK at the Theory Canada 9 Conference, held at Wilfrid Laurier University in June 2014. Submitted for the conference proceedings to be published in the Canadian Journal of Physics. 5 pages, 1 figure. Version 2: reference added, typo correcte

The Obscured Fraction of AGN in the XMM-COSMOS Survey: A Spectral Energy Distribution Perspective

The fraction of AGN luminosity obscured by dust and re-emitted in the mid-IR is critical for understanding AGN evolution, unification, and parsec-scale AGN physics. For unobscured (Type-1) AGN, where we have a direct view of the accretion disk, the dust covering factor can be measured by computing the ratio of re-processed mid-IR emission to intrinsic nuclear bolometric luminosity. We use this technique to estimate the obscured AGN fraction as a function of luminosity and redshift for 513 Type-1 AGN from the XMM-COSMOS survey. The re-processed and intrinsic luminosities are computed by fitting the 18-band COSMOS photometry with a custom SED-fitting code, which jointly models emission from: hot-dust in the AGN torus, the accretion disk, and the host-galaxy. We find a relatively shallow decrease of the luminosity ratio as a function of Lbol, which we interpret as a corresponding decrease in the obscured fraction. In the context of the receding torus model, where dust sublimation reduces the covering factor of more luminous AGN, our measurements require a torus height which increases with luminosity as h ~ Lbol^{0.3-0.4}. Our obscured fraction-luminosity relation agrees with determinations from SDSS censuses of Type-1 and Type-2 quasars, and favors a torus optically thin to mid-IR radiation. We find a much weaker dependence of obscured fraction on 2-10 keV luminosity than previous determinations from X-ray surveys, and argue that X-ray surveys miss a significant population of highly obscured Compton-thick AGN. Our analysis shows no clear evidence for evolution of obscured fraction with redshift.Comment: 33 pages, 24 figures, ApJ accepte

The dust emission of high-redshift quasars

The detection of powerful near-infrared emission in high redshift (z>5) quasars demonstrates that very hot dust is present close to the active nucleus also in the very early universe. A number of high-redshift objects even show significant excess emission in the rest frame NIR over more local AGN spectral energy distribution (SED) templates. In order to test if this is a result of the very high luminosities and redshifts, we construct mean SEDs from the latest SDSS quasar catalogue in combination with MIR data from the WISE preliminary data release for several redshift and luminosity bins. Comparing these mean SEDs with a large sample of z>5 quasars we could not identify any significant trends of the NIR spectral slope with luminosity or redshift in the regime 2.5 < z < 6 and 10^45 < nuL_nu(1350AA) < 10^47 erg/s. In addition to the NIR regime, our combined Herschel and Spitzer photometry provides full infrared SED coverage of the same sample of z>5 quasars. These observations reveal strong FIR emission (L_FIR > 10^13 L_sun) in seven objects, possibly indicating star-formation rates of several thousand solar masses per year. The FIR excess emission has unusally high temperatures (T ~ 65 K) which is in contrast to the temperature typically expected from studies at lower redshift (T ~ 45 K). These objects are currently being investigated in more detail.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, to appear in the proceedings to "The Central Kiloparsec in Galactic Nuclei (AHAR2011)", Journal of Physics: Conference Series (JPCS), IOP Publishin