The incidence of the host galaxy in microvariability observations of quasars

The incidence of a host galaxy in aperture photometry of active galactic nuclei is studied by means of actual and simulated CCD observations. Our goal is to evaluate the importance of spurious variations, introduced by seeing fluctuations during the observations, in the differential light curves used to study optical microvariability. Repeated CCD observations during two consecutive nights were used to obtain time-resolved aperture photometry for the BL Lac object PKS 2316-423, which is located at the center of a conspicuous elliptical galaxy, and for several field stars. The blazar seems to be variable according to standard variability criteria; however we show that the observed differential magnitude variations are strongly correlated with seeing fluctuations during the nights. Moreover, another galaxy within the same CCD field shows nearly identical variations, clearly indicating that such variations are artifacts of the aperture photometry. Simulated observations of quasars within host galaxies of different morphologies and spanning a wide range of luminosities were also used to evaluate the effects of changing seeing conditions. The results show that spurious differential magnitude variations due to seeing fluctuations are larger for active nuclei within brighter hosts, particularly when small photometric apertures (about the seeing FWHM in radius) are used. According to our results, several recommendations are given to future observers.Fil: Cellone, Sergio Aldo. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas; ArgentinaFil: Combi, Jorge Ariel. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas; Argentina. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomía. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomía; ArgentinaFil: Romero, Gustavo Esteban. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas; Argentina. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomía. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomía; Argentin

Unveiling the nature of INTEGRAL objects through optical spectroscopy : VI. A multi-observatory identification campaign

Using 8 telescopes in the northern and southern hemispheres, plus archival data from two on-line sky surveys, we performed a systematic optical spectroscopic study of 39 putative counterparts of unidentified or poorly studied INTEGRAL sources in order to determine or at least better assess their nature. This was implemented within the framework of our campaign to reveal the nature of newly-discovered and/or unidentified sources detected by INTEGRAL. Our results show that 29 of these objects are active galactic nuclei (13 of which are of Seyfert 1 type, 15 are Seyfert 2 galaxies and one is possibly a BL Lac object) with redshifts between 0.011 and 0.316, 7 are X-ray binaries (5 with high-mass companions and 2 with low-mass secondaries), one is a magnetic cataclysmic variable, one is a symbiotic star and one is possibly an active star. Thus, the large majority (74%) of the identifications in this sample belongs to the AGN class. When possible, the main physical parameters for these hard X-ray sources were also computed using the multiwavelength information available in the literature. These identifications further underscore the importance of INTEGRAL in studying the hard X-ray spectra of all classes of X-ray emitting objects, and the effectiveness of a strategy of multi-catalogue cross-correlation plus optical spectroscopy to securely pinpoint the actual nature of still unidentified hard X-ray sources.La lista completa de autores que integran el documento puede consultarse en el archivo.Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísica

The low-luminosity galaxy population in the NGC 5044 group

We present multicolour imaging for a sample of 33 dwarf and intermediate-luminosity galaxies in the field of the NGC 5044 Group, complemented with mid-resolution spectroscopy for a subsample of 13 objects. With these data, a revised membership and morphological classification is made for the galaxies in the sample. We were able to confirm all but one of the 'definite members' included in the spectroscopic subsample, galaxies which were originally classified based on morphological criteria. An important fraction of background galaxies, however, is probably present among 'likely' and 'possible' members. The presence of a nucleus could be detected in just five out of the nine galaxies originally classified as dE,N, confirming the intrinsic difficulty of photographic-plate morphological classification for this kind of object. Our deep surface photometry provided clear evidence for disc structure in at least three galaxies previously catalogued as dE or dS0. Their transition-type properties are also evident from the colour-magnitude diagram, where they lie near the late-type galaxy locus, suggesting an evolutionary connection between a parent disc-galaxy population and at least some present-day dEs. Six new dSph candidates were also found, most of them at small projected distances from NGC 5044, the central galaxy of the group. The NGC 5044 Group appears clearly defined in redshift space, with a mean heliocentric radial velocity of (νr) = 2461 ± 84km s-1 (z = 0.0082), and a moderate dispersion of σνr = 431 km s-1. Our kinematical data show no luminosity segregation for early-type galaxies: both dwarf and bright E/S0 systems show very similar velocity distributions (σνr ∼290km s-1). This is in contrast to late-type galaxies, which seem to display a broader distribution (σνr ∼680 km s-1).Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísica

Two-color photometry with high temporal resolution of the extremely variable blazar PKS 0537-441

We report the results of a microvariability monitoring campaign on the southern blazar PKS 0537-441. The source was observed in the V and R optical bands throughout six consecutive nights. Strong variations at both bands, with amplitudes of ∼0.3 mag, were observed on timescales of about 2 days. Smaller fluctuations of ∼0.05 mag on a scale of a couple of hours are superposed on the larger outburst. The spectral index was also variable during the observing period, with an average value of α = -1.6 and changes up to ∼27.5%. The spectrum varies in the sense that it becomes harder when the source is brighter, in accordance with predictions of shock-in-jet models. We discuss our results and the possible origin of the variability in this blazar in light of recent higher frequency observations.Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y GeofísicasInstituto Argentino de Radioastronomí

Extreme intranight variability in the BL Lacertae object AO 0235+164

We present results of two-colour photometry with high time resolution of the violently variable BL Lac object AO 0235+164. We have found extreme intranight variability with amplitudes of ~ 100% over time scales of 24 hours. Changes of 0.5 magnitudes in both R and V bands were measured within a single night, and variations up to 1.2 magnitudes occurred from night to night. A complete outburst with an amplitude ~ 30% was observed during one of the nights, while the spectrum remained unchanged. This seems to support an origin based on a thin relativistic shock propagating in such a way that it changes the viewing angle, as recently suggested by Kraus et al. (1999) and Qian et al. (2000).Instituto Argentino de RadioastronomíaFacultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísica

The WEBT campaign to observe AO 0235+16 in the 2003-2004 observing season : Results from radio-to-optical monitoring and XMM-Newton observations

A multiwavelength campaign to observe the BL Lac object AO 0235+16 (z = 0.94) was set up by the Whole Earth Blazar Telescope (WEBT) collaboration during the observing seasons 2003-2004 and 2004-2005, involving radio, near-IR and optical photometric monitoring, VLBA monitoring, optical spectral monitoring, and three pointings by the XMM-Newton satellite. Here we report on the results of the first season, which involved the participation of 24 optical and near-IR telescopes and 4 radio telescopes, as well as the first XMM-Newton pointing, which occurred on January 18-19, 2004. Unpublished data from previous epochs were also collected (from 5 optical-NIR and 3 radio telescopes), in order to fill the gap between the end of the period presented in Raiteri et al. (2001) and the start of the WEBT campaign. The contribution of the southern AGN, 2 arcsec distant from the source, is taken into account. It is found to especially affect the blue part of the optical spectrum when the source is faint. In the optical and near-IR the source has been very active in the last 3 years, although it has been rather faint most of the time, with noticeable variations of more than a magnitude over a few days. In contrast, in the radio bands it appears to have been "quiescent" since early 2000. The major radio (and optical) outburst predicted to peak around February-March 2004 (with a six month uncertainty) has not occurred yet. When comparing our results with the historical light curves, two different behaviours seem to characterize the optical outbursts: only the major events present a radio counterpart. The X-ray spectra obtained by the three EPIC detectors are well fitted by a power law with extra-absorption at z = 0.524; the energy index in the 0.2-10 keV range is well constrained: α = 0.645 ± 0.028 and the 1 keV flux density is 0.311 ± 0.008 μJy. The analysis of the X-ray light curves reveals that no significant variations occurred during the pointing. In contrast, simultaneous dense radio monitoring with the 100 m telescope at Effelsberg shows a ∼2-3% flux decrease in 6-7 h, which, if intrinsic, would imply a brightness temperature well above the Compton limit and hence a lower limit to the Doppler factor δ ≳ 46. We construct the broad-band spectral energy distribution of January 18-19, 2004 with simultaneous radio data from Effelsberg, optical data from the Nordic Optical Telescope (NOT), optical-UV data from the Optical Monitor onboard XMM-Newton, and X-ray data by the EPIC instruments. Particular care is taken to correct data for extinction due to both the Milky Way and the z = 0.524 absorber. The resulting SED suggests the existence of a bump in the UV spectral region.La lista completa de autores que integran el documento puede consultarse en el archivo.Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y GeofísicasInstituto Argentino de Radioastronomí

Stellar populations in dwarf elliptical galaxies: a photometrical approach

Several constraints upon stellar populations in dwarf elliptical (dE) galaxies are derived from integrated Washington colors of a sample of 12 Fornax cluster dE's. To do so, the dE's colors are compared to observed colors of Galactic globular clusters and synthetic colors integrated from spectral energy distributions, both observed and theoretical, simple stellar populations. The position of the dwarfs in a color - color plot (C — T) vs M — Tᵢ) suggests metallicities comparable to those of moderately rich globular. However, some galaxies depart from the sequence defined by the globulars; their color can only be reproduced by a mix of an old, moderately rich dominant population, plus contribution from a younger population (∼ 5 x 10⁸ yr). The fact that one galaxy with independent evidences for a recent star formation event lies at the blue end of this sequence, strongly supports our conclusion.Asociación Argentina de Astronomí

Extremely violent optical microvariability in blazars: Fact or fiction?

Variability amplitudes larger than 1 mag over time-scales of a few tens of minutes have recently been reported in the optical light curves of several blazars. In order to independently verify the real occurrence of such extremely violent events, we undertook an observational study of a selected sample of three blazars: PKS 0048-097, PKS 0754+100 and PKS 1510-089. Possible systematic error sources during data acquisition and reduction were carefully evaluated. We indeed found flux variability at intra-night time-scales in all the three sources, although no extremely violent behaviour, as reported by other authors, was detected. We show that an incorrect choice of the stars used for differential photometry will, under fairly normal conditions, lead to spurious variability with large amplitudes on short time-scales. Wrong results of this kind can be avoided with the use of simple error-control techniques.Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísica

Unveiling the nature of INTEGRAL objects through optical spectroscopy : VI. A multi-observatory identification campaign

Using 8 telescopes in the northern and southern hemispheres, plus archival data from two on-line sky surveys, we performed a systematic optical spectroscopic study of 39 putative counterparts of unidentified or poorly studied INTEGRAL sources in order to determine or at least better assess their nature. This was implemented within the framework of our campaign to reveal the nature of newly-discovered and/or unidentified sources detected by INTEGRAL. Our results show that 29 of these objects are active galactic nuclei (13 of which are of Seyfert 1 type, 15 are Seyfert 2 galaxies and one is possibly a BL Lac object) with redshifts between 0.011 and 0.316, 7 are X-ray binaries (5 with high-mass companions and 2 with low-mass secondaries), one is a magnetic cataclysmic variable, one is a symbiotic star and one is possibly an active star. Thus, the large majority (74%) of the identifications in this sample belongs to the AGN class. When possible, the main physical parameters for these hard X-ray sources were also computed using the multiwavelength information available in the literature. These identifications further underscore the importance of INTEGRAL in studying the hard X-ray spectra of all classes of X-ray emitting objects, and the effectiveness of a strategy of multi-catalogue cross-correlation plus optical spectroscopy to securely pinpoint the actual nature of still unidentified hard X-ray sources.La lista completa de autores que integran el documento puede consultarse en el archivo.Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísica

The incidence of the host galaxy in microvariability observations of quasars

The incidence of a host galaxy in aperture photometry of active galactic nuclei is studied by means of actual and simulated CCD observations. Our goal is to evaluate the importance of spurious variations, introduced by seeing fluctuations during the observations, in the differential light curves used to study optical microvariability. Repeated CCD observations during two consecutive nights were used to obtain time-resolved aperture photometry for the BL Lac object PKS 2316-423, which is located at the center of a conspicuous elliptical galaxy, and for several field stars. The blazar seems to be variable according to standard variability criteria; however we show that the observed differential magnitude variations are strongly correlated with seeing fluctuations during the nights. Moreover, another galaxy within the same CCD field shows nearly identical variations, clearly indicating that such variations are artifacts of the aperture photometry. Simulated observations of quasars within host galaxies of different morphologies and spanning a wide range of luminosities were also used to evaluate the effects of changing seeing conditions. The results show that spurious differential magnitude variations due to seeing fluctuations are larger for active nuclei within brighter hosts, particularly when small photometric apertures (about the seeing FWHM in radius) are used. According to our results, several recommendations are given to future observers.Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísica