We argue that the ‘changing look’ active galactic nucleus (AGN) recently reported by LaMassa et al. could be a luminous flare produced by the tidal disruption of a supersolar mass star passing just a ...few gravitational radii outside the event horizon of a ∼108 M⊙ nuclear black hole. This flare occurred in a massive, star-forming galaxy at redshift z = 0.312, robustly characterized thanks to repeated late-time photometric and spectroscopic observations. By taking difference photometry of the well-sampled multiyear Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Stripe-82 light curve, we are able to probe the evolution of the nuclear spectrum over the course of the outburst. The tidal disruption event (TDE) interpretation is consistent with the very rapid rise and the decay time of the flare, which displays an evolution consistent with the well-known t
−5/3 behaviour (with a clear superimposed re-brightening flare). Our analysis places constraints on the physical properties of the TDE, such as the putative disrupted star's mass and orbital parameters, as well as the size and temperature of the emitting material. The properties of the broad and narrow emission lines observed in two epochs of SDSS spectra provide further constraints on the circum-nuclear structure, and could be indicative that the system hosted a moderate-luminosity AGN as recently as a few 104 yr ago, and is likely undergoing residual accretion as late as 10 yr after peak, as seen from the broad Hα emission line. We discuss the complex interplay between TDEs and gas accretion episodes in galactic nuclei, highlighting the implications for future TDE searches and for estimates of their intrinsic rates.
ABSTRACT
With the launch of eROSITA (extended Roentgen Survey with an Imaging Telescope Array), successfully occurred on 2019 July 13, we are facing the challenge of computing reliable photometric ...redshifts for 3 million of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) over the entire sky, having available only patchy and inhomogeneous ancillary data. While we have a good understanding of the photo-z quality obtainable for AGN using spectral energy distribution (SED)-fitting technique, we tested the capability of machine learning (ML), usually reliable in computing photo-z for QSO in wide and shallow areas with rich spectroscopic samples. Using MLPQNA as example of ML, we computed photo-z for the X-ray-selected sources in Stripe 82X, using the publicly available photometric and spectroscopic catalogues. Stripe 82X is at least as deep as eROSITA will be and wide enough to include also rare and bright AGNs. In addition, the availability of ancillary data mimics what can be available in the whole sky. We found that when optical, and near- and mid-infrared data are available, ML and SED fitting perform comparably well in terms of overall accuracy, realistic redshift probability density functions, and fraction of outliers, although they are not the same for the two methods. The results could further improve if the photometry available is accurate and including morphological information. Assuming that we can gather sufficient spectroscopy to build a representative training sample, with the current photometry coverage we can obtain reliable photo-z for a large fraction of sources in the Southern hemisphere well before the spectroscopic follow-up, thus timely enabling the eROSITA science return. The photo-z catalogue is released here.
Active galactic nuclei: what’s in a name? Padovani, P.; Alexander, D. M.; Assef, R. J. ...
The Astronomy and astrophysics review,
08/2017, Letnik:
25, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Active galactic nuclei (AGN) are energetic astrophysical sources powered by accretion onto supermassive black holes in galaxies, and present unique observational signatures that cover the full ...electromagnetic spectrum over more than twenty orders of magnitude in frequency. The rich phenomenology of AGN has resulted in a large number of different “flavours” in the literature that now comprise a complex and confusing AGN “zoo”. It is increasingly clear that these classifications are only partially related to intrinsic differences between AGN and primarily reflect variations in a relatively small number of astrophysical parameters as well the method by which each class of AGN is selected. Taken together, observations in different electromagnetic bands as well as variations over time provide complementary windows on the physics of different sub-structures in the AGN. In this review, we present an overview of AGN multi-wavelength properties with the aim of painting their “big picture” through observations in each electromagnetic band from radio to
γ
-rays as well as AGN variability. We address what we can learn from each observational method, the impact of selection effects, the physics behind the emission at each wavelength, and the potential for future studies. To conclude, we use these observations to piece together the basic architecture of AGN, discuss our current understanding of unification models, and highlight some open questions that present opportunities for future observational and theoretical progress.
We present an investigation into how well the properties of the accretion flow on to a supermassive black hole may be coupled to those of the overlying hot corona. To do so, we specifically measure ...the characteristic spectral index, Γ, of a power-law energy distribution, over an energy range of 2-10 keV, for X-ray selected, broad-lined radio-quiet active galactic nuclei (AGN) up to z ∼ 2 in Cosmic Evolution Survey (COSMOS) and Extended Chandra Deep Field South (E-CDF-S). We test the previously reported dependence between Γ and black hole mass, full width at half-maximum (FWHM) and Eddington ratio using a sample of AGN covering a broad range in these parameters based on both the Mg ii and Hα emission lines with the later afforded by recent near-infrared spectroscopic observations using Subaru/Fibre Multi Object Spectrograph. We calculate the Eddington ratios, λEdd, for sources where a bolometric luminosity (L
Bol) has been presented in the literature, based on spectral energy distribution fitting, or, for sources where these data do not exist, we calculate L
Bol using a bolometric correction to the X-ray luminosity, derived from a relationship between the bolometric correction and L
X/L
3000. From a sample of 69 X-ray bright sources (>250 counts), where Γ can be measured with greatest precision, with an estimate of L
Bol, we find a statistically significant correlation between Γ and λEdd, which is highly significant with a chance probability of 6.59× 10−8. A statistically significant correlation between Γ and the FWHM of the optical lines is confirmed, but at lower significance than with λEdd indicating that λEdd is the key parameter driving conditions in the corona. Linear regression analysis reveals that Γ = (0.32 ± 0.05) log10λEdd + (2.27 ± 0.06) and Γ = (−0.69 ± 0.11) log10(FWHM/km s−1) + (4.44 ± 0.42). Our results on Γ-λEdd are in very good agreement with previous results. While the Γ-λEdd relationship means that X-ray spectroscopy may be used to estimate black hole accretion rate, considerable dispersion in the correlation does not make this viable for single sources, however could be valuable for large X-ray spectral samples, such as those to be produced by eROSITA.
Context.
High-redshift quasars signpost the early accretion history of the Universe. The penetrating nature of X-rays enables a less absorption-biased census of the population of these luminous and ...persistent sources compared to optical/near-infrared colour selection. The ongoing SRG/eROSITA X-ray all-sky survey offers a unique opportunity to uncover the bright end of the high-
z
quasar population and probe new regions of colour parameter space.
Aims.
We searched for high-
z
quasars within the X-ray source population detected in the contiguous ~140 deg
2
field observed by eROSITA during the performance verification phase. With the purpose of demonstrating the unique survey science capabilities of eROSITA, this field was observed at the depth of the final all-sky survey. The blind X-ray selection of high-redshift sources in a large contiguous, near-uniform survey with a well-understood selection function can be directly translated into constraints on the X-ray luminosity function (XLF), which encodes the luminosity-dependent evolution of accretion through cosmic time.
Methods.
We collected the available spectroscopic information in the eFEDS field, including the sample of all currently known optically selected
z
> 5.5 quasars and cross-matched secure Legacy DR8 counterparts of eROSITA-detected X-ray point-like sources with this spectroscopic sample.
Results.
We report the X-ray detection of eFEDSU J083644.0+005459, an eROSITA source securely matched to the well-known quasar SDSS J083643.85+005453.3 (
z
= 5.81). The soft X-ray flux of the source derived from eROSITA is consistent with previous
Chandra
observations. The detection of SDSS J083643.85+005453.3 allows us to place the first constraints on the XLF at
z
> 5.5 based on a secure spectroscopic redshift. Compared to extrapolations from lower-redshift observations, this favours a relatively flat slope for the XLF at
z
~ 6 beyond
L
*
, the knee in the luminosity function. In addition, we report the detection of the quasar with LOFAR at 145 MHz and ASKAP at 888 MHz. The reported flux densities confirm a spectral flattening at lower frequencies in the emission of the radio core, indicating that SDSS J083643.85+005453.3 could be a (sub-) gigahertz peaked spectrum source. The inferred spectral shape and the parsec-scale radio morphology of SDSS J083643.85+005453.3 indicate that it is in an early stage of its evolution into a large-scale radio source or confined in a dense environment. We find no indications for a strong jet contribution to the X-ray emission of the quasar, which is therefore likely to be linked to accretion processes.
Conclusions.
Our results indicate that the population of X-ray luminous AGNs at high redshift may be larger than previously thought. From our XLF constraints, we make the conservative prediction that eROSITA will detect ~90 X-ray luminous AGNs at redshifts 5.7 <
z
< 6.4 in the full-sky survey (De+RU). While subject to different jet physics, both high-redshift quasars detected by eROSITA so far are radio-loud; a hint at the great potential of combined X-ray and radio surveys for the search of luminous high-redshift quasars.
ABSTRACT We measure a relation between the depth of four prominent rest-UV absorption complexes and metallicity for local galaxies and verify it up to . We then apply this relation to a sample of 224 ...galaxies at ( ) in the Cosmic Evolution Survey (COSMOS), for which unique UV spectra from the Deep Imaging Multi-object Spectrograph (DEIMOS) and accurate stellar masses from the Spitzer Large Area Survey with Hyper-Suprime-Cam (SPLASH) are available. The average galaxy population at and is characterized by 0.3-0.4 dex (in units of ) lower metallicities than at z ∼ 2, but comparable to . We find galaxies with weak or no Ly emission to have metallicities comparable to z ∼ 2 galaxies and therefore may represent an evolved subpopulation of galaxies. We find a correlation between metallicity and dust in good agreement with local galaxies and an inverse trend between metallicity and star-formation rate consistent with observations at z ∼ 2. The relation between stellar mass and metallicity (MZ relation) is similar to , but there are indications of it being slightly shallower, in particular for the young, Ly -emitting galaxies. We show that, within a "bathtub" approach, a shallower MZ relation is expected in the case of a fast (exponential) build-up of stellar mass with an e-folding time of 100-200 Myr. Because of this fast evolution, the process of dust production and metal enrichment as a function of mass could be more stochastic in the first billion years of galaxy formation compared to later times.
ABSTRACT The COSMOS-Legacy survey is a 4.6 Ms Chandra program that has imaged 2.2 deg2 of the COSMOS field with an effective exposure of ks over the central 1.5 deg2 and of ks in the remaining area. ...The survey is the combination of 56 new observations obtained as an X-ray Visionary Project with the previous C-COSMOS survey. We describe the reduction and analysis of the new observations and the properties of 2273 point sources detected above a spurious probability of 2 × 10−5. We also present the updated properties of the C-COSMOS sources detected in the new data. The whole survey includes 4016 point sources (3814, 2920 and 2440 in the full, soft, and hard band). The limiting depths are 2.2 × 10−16, 1.5 × 10−15, and 8.9 × 10−16 in the 0.5-2, 2-10, and 0.5-10 keV bands, respectively. The observed fraction of obscured active galactic nuclei with a column density >1022 cm−2 from the hardness ratio (HR) is ∼50 %. Given the large sample we compute source number counts in the hard and soft bands, significantly reducing the uncertainties of 5%-10%. For the first time we compute number counts for obscured (HR > −0.2) and unobscured (HR < −0.2) sources and find significant differences between the two populations in the soft band. Due to the unprecedent large exposure, COSMOS-Legacy area is three times larger than surveys at similar depths and its depth is three times fainter than surveys covering similar areas. The area-flux region occupied by COSMOS-Legacy is likely to remain unsurpassed for years to come.
Context. The coeval active galactic nuclei (AGN) and galaxy evolution, and the observed local relations between super massive black holes (SMBHs) and galaxy properties suggest some sort of connection ...or feedback between SMBH growth (i.e., AGN activity) and galaxy build-up (i.e., star formation history). Aims. We looked for correlations between average properties of X-ray detected AGN and their far-IR (FIR) detected, star forming host galaxies in order to find quantitative evidence for this connection, which has been highly debated in recent years. Methods. We exploited the rich multiwavelength data set (from X-ray to FIR) available in the COSMOS field for a large sample (692 sources) of AGN and their hosts in the redshift range 0.1 <z< 4. We use X-ray data to select AGN and determine their properties, such as X-ray intrinsic luminosity and nuclear obscuration, and broadband (from UV to FIR) SED fitting results to derive host galaxy properties, such as stellar mass (M∗) and star formation rate (SFR). Results. We find that the AGN 2–10 keV luminosity (LX) and the host 8−1000 μm star formation luminosity (LIRSF) are significantly correlated, even after removing the dependency of both quantities with redshift. However, the average host LIRSF has a flat distribution in bins of AGN LX, while the average AGN LX increases in bins of host LIRSF with logarithmic slope of ~0.7 in the redshift range 0.4 <z< 1.2. We also discuss the comparison between the full distribution of these two quantities and the predictions from hydrodynamical simulations. No other significant correlations between AGN LX and host properties is found. On the other hand, we find that the average column density (NH) shows a clear positive correlation with the host M∗ at all redshifts, but not with the SFR (or LIRSF). This translates into a negative correlation with specific SFR at all redshifts. The same is true if the obscured fraction is computed. Conclusions. Our results are in agreement with the idea, introduced in recent galaxy evolutionary models, that SMBH accretion and SFRs are correlated, but occur with different variability time scales. Finally, the presence of a positive correlation between NH and host M∗ suggests that the column density that we observe in the X-rays is not entirely due to the circumnuclear obscuring torus, but may also include a significant contribution from the host galaxy.
The goal of this work is to better understand the correlations between the rest-frame UV/optical variability amplitude of quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) and physical quantities such as redshift, ...luminosity, black hole mass, and Eddington ratio. We searched for scaling relations between the fundamental AGN parameters and rest-frame UV/optical variability properties for a sample of ~90 X-ray selected AGNs covering a wide redshift range from the XMM-COSMOS survey, with optical light curves in four bands (gP1, rP1, iP1, zP1) provided by the Pan-STARRS1 (PS1) Medium Deep Field 04 survey. To estimate the variability amplitude, we used the normalized excess variance (s2rms) and probed variability on rest-frame timescales of several months and years by calculating s2rms from different parts of our light curves. We observe that the excess variance and the PSD amplitude are strongly anticorrelated with wavelength, bolometric luminosity, and Eddington ratio. We find a weak tendency for AGNs with higher black hole mass to have steeper high-frequency PSD slopes.
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