The method used in our previous papers is adopted to estimate four basic parameters (the central black hole mass (M), the boosting factor (or Doppler factor) (6), the propagation angle (Φ) and the distance a...The method used in our previous papers is adopted to estimate four basic parameters (the central black hole mass (M), the boosting factor (or Doppler factor) (6), the propagation angle (Φ) and the distance along the axis to the site of the γ-ray production (d)) for 59 γ-ray loud blazars (20 BL Lacertae objects and 39 flat spectrum radio quasars). The central black hole masses estimated for this sample are in a range of from 107 Me to 109 MG. In the case of black hole mass, there is no clear difference between BL Lacertae objects and flat spectrum radio quasars, which is consistent with the previous results suggesting that the central black hole masses do not play an important role in the evolutionary sequence of blazars.展开更多
We estimate the intrinsic luminosities and synchrotron peak frequencies using the derived Doppler factor for a sample of 170 BL Lac objects, of which the synchrotron peak frequency is derived by fitting the SED constr...We estimate the intrinsic luminosities and synchrotron peak frequencies using the derived Doppler factor for a sample of 170 BL Lac objects, of which the synchrotron peak frequency is derived by fitting the SED constructed with the collected multi-band data from the literature. We find that the debeamed radio and optical core luminosities follow the same correlation found for FR I radio galaxies, which is in support of the unification of the BL Lac objects and the FR I galaxies based on orientation. For the debeamed luminosity at the synchrotron peak frequency, we find a significant positive correlation between the luminosity and intrinsic synchrotron peak frequency. This implies that the more powerful sources may have the majority of jet emission at higher frequency. At the synchrotron peak frequency, the intrinsic luminosity and black hole mass show strong positive correlation, while mild correlation is found in the case of jet power, indicating that the more powerful sources may have more massive black holes.展开更多
We report a candidate tidal disruption event(TDE) found in the Zwicky Transient Facility survey data.This candidate,with its transient name AT2021acak,showed brightness increases of ~1 mag around MJD 59500 and subsequ...We report a candidate tidal disruption event(TDE) found in the Zwicky Transient Facility survey data.This candidate,with its transient name AT2021acak,showed brightness increases of ~1 mag around MJD 59500 and subsequent power-law–like brightness declines.We have conducted multiple optical spectroscopic observations with the 2.4 m Lijiang telescope and one observation at X-ray and ultraviolet(UV) bands with the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory(Swift).The optical spectra of the source show broad H and He emission lines and Fe emission features.Possible 0.3–2 ke V X-ray and bright UV emission of the source was detected.We analyze the declines of the optical light curves,the emission features of the optical spectra,and the constructed broad-band UV and optical spectra.The properties derived from the analyses are consistent with those of reported(candidate) TDEs,and in particular very similar to those of ASASSN-18jd.The identification is complicated by the host being likely an AGN,and thus further observations of the event and quiescent host are required in order to have a clear understanding of the nature of this transient event.展开更多
This study will see the resurgence of interest in precise velocity dispersion measurements, both for the study of galactic and active nuclei kinematics. As several works suggest, an excellent tactic to measure σ is t...This study will see the resurgence of interest in precise velocity dispersion measurements, both for the study of galactic and active nuclei kinematics. As several works suggest, an excellent tactic to measure σ is to use the absorption lines of the calcium triplet, as it is a spectral region relatively free from complications. The discovery of an empirical relationship between the mass of the central black hole (M•) and σ was the leading guide of my detailed study of the calcium triplet region. This search for more accurate methods to calculate the dispersion of velocities, in addition to the careful study of uncertainties. After investing so much time in the development and improvement of the method and its application to so many galaxies, it is time to reap the rewards of this effort, using my results to address a series of questions concerning the physics of galaxies.展开更多
【Abstract】For a sample of 185 flat-spectrum radio quasars(FSRQs) constructed from the SDSS DR3 quasar catalog,we found a significant correlation between the synchrotron peak luminosity and both the black hole mass a...【Abstract】For a sample of 185 flat-spectrum radio quasars(FSRQs) constructed from the SDSS DR3 quasar catalog,we found a significant correlation between the synchrotron peak luminosity and both the black hole mass and Eddington ratio.This implies that the physics of its jet formation is not only tightly related with the black hole mass,but also with the accretion rate.We verify that the synchrotron peak luminosity can be a better indicator of jet emission than 5 GHz luminosity,through comparing the relationships between each of these two parameters and both black hole mass and Eddington ratio.The fundamental plane of black hole activity for our FSRQs is established as Lr ∝ L0x.80 ± 0.06 Mbh -0.04 ± 0.09 with a weak dependence on black hole mass,however,the scatter is significant.展开更多
We have collected all available spectra and photometric data from the SDSS catalog for bright AGNs complied from the first three months of the Fermi large area telescope all-sky survey. Based on the 106 high-confidenc...We have collected all available spectra and photometric data from the SDSS catalog for bright AGNs complied from the first three months of the Fermi large area telescope all-sky survey. Based on the 106 high-confidence and 11 low-confidence associated bright AGN list, the photometry data are collected from SDSS DR7 for 28 sources (12 BL Lacs and 16 FSRQs), two of which are low-confidence associated bright AGNs. Among these 28 SDSS photometric sources, SDSS spectra are available for 20 sources (6 BL Lacs and 14 FSRQs). The black hole masses MBH and the broad line region (BLR) luminosity were obtained for 14 FSRQs by measuring the line-widths and strengths of broad emission lines from the SDSS spectra. The broad emission line measurements of five FSRQs are presented for the first time in this work. The optical continuum emission of these 14 FSRQs is found to be likely dominated by the non-thermal jet emission by comparing the relationship between the broad Mg II line and continuum luminosity to that of radio-quiet AGNs. The black hole mass of the 14 FSRQs ranges from 10^8.2 M⊙ to 10^9.9 M⊙, with most of the sources larger than 10^9 M⊙. The Eddington ratio Lbol/LEdd ranges from 10-1'5 to - 1. This implies that an optically thin, geometrically thick accretion disk may exist in these FSRQs.展开更多
We collect a sample of 51 Fermi-detected gamma-ray loud blazars with known radio Doppler factors and study properties of the Doppler factors of blazars at optical, X-ray and gamma-ray bands. A basic assumption is that...We collect a sample of 51 Fermi-detected gamma-ray loud blazars with known radio Doppler factors and study properties of the Doppler factors of blazars at optical, X-ray and gamma-ray bands. A basic assumption is that the emission from the radio to gamma-ray bands of the blazars are produced by the nonthermal radiation of accelerated particles in a jet. Our results show that (1) the Doppler factors of blazars are a function of frequency, with the Doppler factor decreasing with frequency from the radio to X-ray regions, and then increasing from the X-ray to ,y-ray regions which are similar to results given by Zhang et al., and (2) there are marginal correlations between the Doppler factors at radio and X-ray bands and the synchrotron peak fre- quency, and a strong correlation between the Doppler factor in the gamma-ray band and the synchrotron peak frequency, but no correlation in the optical band.展开更多
How supermassive black holes(SMBHs) are spun-up is a key issue in modern astrophysics. As an extension to the study in Wang et al., here we address the issue by comparing the host galaxy properties of nearby(z < 0....How supermassive black holes(SMBHs) are spun-up is a key issue in modern astrophysics. As an extension to the study in Wang et al., here we address the issue by comparing the host galaxy properties of nearby(z < 0.05) radio-selected Seyfert 2 galaxies. With the two-dimensional bulge+disk decompositions for the SDSS r-band images, we identify a dichotomy in various host galaxy properties for radio-loud SMBHs. By assuming that radio emission from the jet reflects a high SMBH spin, which stems from the well-known Blandford-Znajek mechanism of jet production, high-mass SMBHs(i.e., MBH > 10^7.9 M⊙)have a preference for being spun-up in classical bulges, and low-mass SMBHs(i.e., MBH = 10^6-10^7 M⊙)in pseudo-bulges. This dichotomy suggests and confirms that high-mass and low-mass SMBHs are spun-up in different ways, i.e., a major "dry" merger and a secular evolution respectively.展开更多
There are significant correlations between the broad line region luminosity LBLR,the quantity Δmax(maximum of Δ≡log[(Fν)cm/(Fν)mm]) and redshift z.There are strong correlations between the extended radio luminosi...There are significant correlations between the broad line region luminosity LBLR,the quantity Δmax(maximum of Δ≡log[(Fν)cm/(Fν)mm]) and redshift z.There are strong correlations between the extended radio luminosity PE,LBLR and Δmax.Our results indicate that FSRQs with higher mass accretion rate M and black hole spin j occur in the earlier,highly luminous,violent phase of the galactic sequence,and BL Lacs with lower M and j occur in the lower luminous,later phase of the galactic sequence,while FR II BL Lacs are possible intermediate stages in the sequence of blazars from FSRQs to FR I BL Lacs with j lower than FR II BL Lacs.It is indicated that there is a disk-jet symbiosis in blazars.展开更多
All galaxies with extragalactic H2O maser sources observed so far are collected. With the 2MASS and the IRAS photometric data an infrared study is performed on those galaxies. By a comparison between the H2O maser det...All galaxies with extragalactic H2O maser sources observed so far are collected. With the 2MASS and the IRAS photometric data an infrared study is performed on those galaxies. By a comparison between the H2O maser detected sources and non-detected sources in the infrared it is indicated that infrared properties in the IRAS 12-25 #m and 60-100#m are important for producing H20 masers in galaxies. It is also found that the H20 maser galaxies with different nuclear activity types have rather different infrared properties mainly in the IRAS 12-60 μm region.展开更多
Many galaxies are thought to contain massive black holes, with masses in excess of ten million solar masses, at their centres and warped circumnuclear toruses. The best evidence comes from observing gas or masers rota...Many galaxies are thought to contain massive black holes, with masses in excess of ten million solar masses, at their centres and warped circumnuclear toruses. The best evidence comes from observing gas or masers rotating rapidly within a circumnuclear torus surrounding a central body. Here we report on the first MERLIN observations of line emission from the OH megamaser toward IRAS 10173+0828. The position of peak flux contours of the OH megamaser is consistent with that of the continuum in IRAS 10173+0828. This means that the OH megamaser is a diffuse unsaturated maser which could amplify the diffuse 18 cm continuum emission with an amplification factor of order unity.展开更多
Active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in low surface brightness galaxies (LSBGs) have received little attention in previous studies. We present a detailed spectral analysis of 194 LSBGs from the Impey et al. (1996) APM ...Active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in low surface brightness galaxies (LSBGs) have received little attention in previous studies. We present a detailed spectral analysis of 194 LSBGs from the Impey et al. (1996) APM LSBG sample which has been observed spectroscopically by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 5 (SDSS DR5). Our elaborate spectral analysis enables us to carry out, for the first time, reliable spectral classification of nuclear processes in LSBGs based on the standard emission line diagnostic diagrams in a rigorous way. Star-forming galaxies are common, as found in about 52% of LSBGs. We find that, contrary to some previous claims, the fraction of galaxies that contain AGNs is significantly lower than that found in nearby normal galaxies of high surface brightness. This is qualitatively in line with the finding of Impey et al. This result holds true even within each morphological type from Sa to Sc. LSBGs that have larger central stellar velocity dispersions or larger physical sizes tend to have a higher chance of harboring an AGN. For three AGNs with broad emission lines, the black hole masses estimated from the emission lines are broadly consistent with the well known M-σ. relation established for normal galaxies and AGNs.展开更多
The XMM-Newton observations of H2O megamaser galaxy NGC 7479 are presented. Its smoothed X-ray image clearly shows spiral morphology, which matches well with its optical asymmetric spiral structure. One prominent sour...The XMM-Newton observations of H2O megamaser galaxy NGC 7479 are presented. Its smoothed X-ray image clearly shows spiral morphology, which matches well with its optical asymmetric spiral structure. One prominent source can be found at the tip of its northern spiral arm, which is much brighter than its nuclear X-ray source (about a 50% higher count rate). For the nuclear source (a circular region with a radius of 20 ″), the spectra show soft excess below 2 keV and a strong iron Kα emission line. The best fitting model includes a partially absorbed model for the hard continuum and one thermal plasma model for the soft scatter component. Both the high column density (NH - 6.88 × 10^23 cm^-2) and strong fluorescent iron line (with an equivalent width of - 1.5 keV) support the existence of one heavily obscured AGN. For the bright prominent source, its radial profile is consistent with that of a single point-like source. Its spectra are extracted from the circular region around its peak, with a radius of 20″ and 6″ respectively and both spectra show models for the ultra-luminous X-ray source no significant difference. Four alternative (ULXs) can reproduce the spectra well: an absorbed power law, thermal bremsstrahlung, multicolor blackbody disk plus another blackbody or power law. Further observations (e.g., the tremendous improvement in the spatial resolution of the Chandra X-ray observations) and studies are desirable for probing the nature of this prominent source. In addition, we also estimate the mass of its central engine to be 1.18 × 10^7 M⊙ and maser disk parameters: the disk radius of -0.7 pc and the dimensionless accretion rate (L2-10kev/LEdd) of 1.2 × 10^-4.展开更多
The sizes of the Broad Line Region (BLR) of some Seyfert 1 galaxies and nearby quasars can be determined by the reverberation mapping method. Combining with the observed FWHM of Hbeta emission line and assuming that t...The sizes of the Broad Line Region (BLR) of some Seyfert 1 galaxies and nearby quasars can be determined by the reverberation mapping method. Combining with the observed FWHM of Hbeta emission line and assuming that the motion of BLR clouds is virialized, the black hole masses of these objects have been estimated. However, this method strongly depends on the poorly-understood geometry and inclination of the BLR. On the other hand, a tight correlation between the black hole mass and the bulge velocity dispersion was recently found for both active and nearby inactive galaxies. This may provide another method, independent of the BLR geometry, for estimating the black hole mass. Using this method for estimating the black hole mass and combining with the measured BLR size and FWHM of Hbeta emission line, we derived the BLR inclination angles for 20 Seyfert 1 galaxies under the assumption that the BLR is disk-like. The derived inclination angles agree well with those derived previously by fitting the UV continuum and Hbeta emission line profiles. Adopting a relation between the FWHMs of [OIII]lambda5007 forbidden line and the stellar velocity dispersion, we also estimated the BLR inclinations for 50 narrow line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLS1s). We found that the inclinations of broad Line Seyfert 1 galaxies (BLS1s) axe systematically greater than those of NLS1s, which seldom exceed 30degrees. This may be an important factor that leads to the differences between NLS1s and BLS1s if the BLR of NLS1s is really disk-like.展开更多
It has been suggested that the narrow cores of the Fe Ka emission lines in Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) are likely produced in the torus, the inner radius of which can be measured by observing the lag time between ...It has been suggested that the narrow cores of the Fe Ka emission lines in Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) are likely produced in the torus, the inner radius of which can be measured by observing the lag time between the V and K band flux variations. In this paper, we compare the virial products of the infrared time lags, and the narrow Fe Ka widths for 10 type 1 AGNs, with the black hole masses from other techniques. We found the narrow Fe Ka line width is in average 2.6+0.9-0.4 times broader than expected, assuming an isotropic velocity distribution of the torus at the distance measured by the infrared lags. We propose the thick disk model of the torus may explain the observed larger line width. Another possibility is the contamination by emission from the broad line region or the outer accretion disk. Alternatively, the narrow iron line might originate from the inner most part of the obscuring torus within the sublimation radius, while the infrared emission may be from the outer cooler part. We note the correlations between the black hole masses based on this new technique and those based on other known techniques are statistically insignificant. We argue that this could be attributed to the small sample size and the very large uncertainties in the measurements of iron K line widths. The next generation of X-ray observatories could help verify the origin of the narrow iron Ka line and the reliability of this new technique.展开更多
The question whether the radio properties of quasars are related to the massof the central black hole or the accretion rate is important for our understanding of the formationof relativistic jets, but no consensus has...The question whether the radio properties of quasars are related to the massof the central black hole or the accretion rate is important for our understanding of the formationof relativistic jets, but no consensus has been reached from statistical analyses. Using two largequasar samples, one radio-selected, one optical-selected, we re-examined these relations and findthat previous differences between radio- and optical- selected samples can be ascribed, at leastpartly, to the effect of the narrow line component. All previous claimed correlations are muchweaker, if exist at all.展开更多
Emission lines from the broad emission line region (BELR) and the narrow emission line region (NELR) of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) have been extensively studied. However, emission lines are rarely detected be...Emission lines from the broad emission line region (BELR) and the narrow emission line region (NELR) of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) have been extensively studied. However, emission lines are rarely detected between these two regions. We present a detailed analysis of quasar SDSS J232444.80-094600.3 (SDSS J2324-0946), which is remarkable for its strong intermediate-width emission lines (IELs) with FWHM ≈ 1800 km s^-1. The IEL component is present in different emission lines, including the permitted lines Lyαλ1216, CⅣ λ1549, semiforbidden line C Ⅲ] λ1909, and forbidden lines [OⅢ] ss4959, 5007. With the aid of photo-ionization models, we found that the IELs are produced by gas with a hydrogen density of nH - 10^6.2 -- 10^6.3 cm^-3, a distance from the central ionizing source of R - 35 - 50 pc, a covering factor of - 6%, and a dust-to-gas ratio of ≤ 4% that of the SMC. We suggest that the strong IELs of this quasar are produced by nearly dust-free and intermediate-density gas located at the skin of the dusty torus. Such strong IELs, which serve as a useful diagnostic, can provide an avenue to study the properties of gas between the BELR and the NELR.展开更多
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.(Nos. 10573005 and 10633010) the 973 project (No. 2007CB815405)
文摘The method used in our previous papers is adopted to estimate four basic parameters (the central black hole mass (M), the boosting factor (or Doppler factor) (6), the propagation angle (Φ) and the distance along the axis to the site of the γ-ray production (d)) for 59 γ-ray loud blazars (20 BL Lacertae objects and 39 flat spectrum radio quasars). The central black hole masses estimated for this sample are in a range of from 107 Me to 109 MG. In the case of black hole mass, there is no clear difference between BL Lacertae objects and flat spectrum radio quasars, which is consistent with the previous results suggesting that the central black hole masses do not play an important role in the evolutionary sequence of blazars.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of ChinaThis work is supported by theNSFC under grants 10373019,10633010 and 10703009
文摘We estimate the intrinsic luminosities and synchrotron peak frequencies using the derived Doppler factor for a sample of 170 BL Lac objects, of which the synchrotron peak frequency is derived by fitting the SED constructed with the collected multi-band data from the literature. We find that the debeamed radio and optical core luminosities follow the same correlation found for FR I radio galaxies, which is in support of the unification of the BL Lac objects and the FR I galaxies based on orientation. For the debeamed luminosity at the synchrotron peak frequency, we find a significant positive correlation between the luminosity and intrinsic synchrotron peak frequency. This implies that the more powerful sources may have the majority of jet emission at higher frequency. At the synchrotron peak frequency, the intrinsic luminosity and black hole mass show strong positive correlation, while mild correlation is found in the case of jet power, indicating that the more powerful sources may have more massive black holes.
基金supported by the National Science Foundation under grant No.AST-2034437supported by the National SKA program of China(No.2022SKA0130101)+2 种基金Basic Research Program of Yunnan Province(No.202201AS070005)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(12273033)the support by the Original Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(E085021002)。
文摘We report a candidate tidal disruption event(TDE) found in the Zwicky Transient Facility survey data.This candidate,with its transient name AT2021acak,showed brightness increases of ~1 mag around MJD 59500 and subsequent power-law–like brightness declines.We have conducted multiple optical spectroscopic observations with the 2.4 m Lijiang telescope and one observation at X-ray and ultraviolet(UV) bands with the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory(Swift).The optical spectra of the source show broad H and He emission lines and Fe emission features.Possible 0.3–2 ke V X-ray and bright UV emission of the source was detected.We analyze the declines of the optical light curves,the emission features of the optical spectra,and the constructed broad-band UV and optical spectra.The properties derived from the analyses are consistent with those of reported(candidate) TDEs,and in particular very similar to those of ASASSN-18jd.The identification is complicated by the host being likely an AGN,and thus further observations of the event and quiescent host are required in order to have a clear understanding of the nature of this transient event.
文摘This study will see the resurgence of interest in precise velocity dispersion measurements, both for the study of galactic and active nuclei kinematics. As several works suggest, an excellent tactic to measure σ is to use the absorption lines of the calcium triplet, as it is a spectral region relatively free from complications. The discovery of an empirical relationship between the mass of the central black hole (M•) and σ was the leading guide of my detailed study of the calcium triplet region. This search for more accurate methods to calculate the dispersion of velocities, in addition to the careful study of uncertainties. After investing so much time in the development and improvement of the method and its application to so many galaxies, it is time to reap the rewards of this effort, using my results to address a series of questions concerning the physics of galaxies.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 10633010,10703009,10833002 and 10821302)the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2009CB824800)
文摘【Abstract】For a sample of 185 flat-spectrum radio quasars(FSRQs) constructed from the SDSS DR3 quasar catalog,we found a significant correlation between the synchrotron peak luminosity and both the black hole mass and Eddington ratio.This implies that the physics of its jet formation is not only tightly related with the black hole mass,but also with the accretion rate.We verify that the synchrotron peak luminosity can be a better indicator of jet emission than 5 GHz luminosity,through comparing the relationships between each of these two parameters and both black hole mass and Eddington ratio.The fundamental plane of black hole activity for our FSRQs is established as Lr ∝ L0x.80 ± 0.06 Mbh -0.04 ± 0.09 with a weak dependence on black hole mass,however,the scatter is significant.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos.10633010, 10703009, 10833002, 10773020 and 10821302)the 973 Program (No. 2009CB824800)+1 种基金the CAS (KJCX2-YW-T03)supported by the Yunnan Provincial Science Foundation of China (grant 2008CD061)
文摘We have collected all available spectra and photometric data from the SDSS catalog for bright AGNs complied from the first three months of the Fermi large area telescope all-sky survey. Based on the 106 high-confidence and 11 low-confidence associated bright AGN list, the photometry data are collected from SDSS DR7 for 28 sources (12 BL Lacs and 16 FSRQs), two of which are low-confidence associated bright AGNs. Among these 28 SDSS photometric sources, SDSS spectra are available for 20 sources (6 BL Lacs and 14 FSRQs). The black hole masses MBH and the broad line region (BLR) luminosity were obtained for 14 FSRQs by measuring the line-widths and strengths of broad emission lines from the SDSS spectra. The broad emission line measurements of five FSRQs are presented for the first time in this work. The optical continuum emission of these 14 FSRQs is found to be likely dominated by the non-thermal jet emission by comparing the relationship between the broad Mg II line and continuum luminosity to that of radio-quiet AGNs. The black hole mass of the 14 FSRQs ranges from 10^8.2 M⊙ to 10^9.9 M⊙, with most of the sources larger than 10^9 M⊙. The Eddington ratio Lbol/LEdd ranges from 10-1'5 to - 1. This implies that an optically thin, geometrically thick accretion disk may exist in these FSRQs.
文摘We collect a sample of 51 Fermi-detected gamma-ray loud blazars with known radio Doppler factors and study properties of the Doppler factors of blazars at optical, X-ray and gamma-ray bands. A basic assumption is that the emission from the radio to gamma-ray bands of the blazars are produced by the nonthermal radiation of accelerated particles in a jet. Our results show that (1) the Doppler factors of blazars are a function of frequency, with the Doppler factor decreasing with frequency from the radio to X-ray regions, and then increasing from the X-ray to ,y-ray regions which are similar to results given by Zhang et al., and (2) there are marginal correlations between the Doppler factors at radio and X-ray bands and the synchrotron peak fre- quency, and a strong correlation between the Doppler factor in the gamma-ray band and the synchrotron peak frequency, but no correlation in the optical band.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC Grant Nos. 11773036 and 11473036)+4 种基金supported by the NSFC Youth Foundation (11303008) and by the Astronomical Union Foundation (U1831126)supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (2014CB845800), the NSFC (11533003)the Strategic Pioneer Program on Space Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDA 15052600 and XDA 15016500)paritally supported by the Bagui Young Scholars Programthe Natural Science Foundation of Guangxi (2018GXNSF GA281007)
文摘How supermassive black holes(SMBHs) are spun-up is a key issue in modern astrophysics. As an extension to the study in Wang et al., here we address the issue by comparing the host galaxy properties of nearby(z < 0.05) radio-selected Seyfert 2 galaxies. With the two-dimensional bulge+disk decompositions for the SDSS r-band images, we identify a dichotomy in various host galaxy properties for radio-loud SMBHs. By assuming that radio emission from the jet reflects a high SMBH spin, which stems from the well-known Blandford-Znajek mechanism of jet production, high-mass SMBHs(i.e., MBH > 10^7.9 M⊙)have a preference for being spun-up in classical bulges, and low-mass SMBHs(i.e., MBH = 10^6-10^7 M⊙)in pseudo-bulges. This dichotomy suggests and confirms that high-mass and low-mass SMBHs are spun-up in different ways, i.e., a major "dry" merger and a secular evolution respectively.
基金supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2009CB824800)
文摘There are significant correlations between the broad line region luminosity LBLR,the quantity Δmax(maximum of Δ≡log[(Fν)cm/(Fν)mm]) and redshift z.There are strong correlations between the extended radio luminosity PE,LBLR and Δmax.Our results indicate that FSRQs with higher mass accretion rate M and black hole spin j occur in the earlier,highly luminous,violent phase of the galactic sequence,and BL Lacs with lower M and j occur in the lower luminous,later phase of the galactic sequence,while FR II BL Lacs are possible intermediate stages in the sequence of blazars from FSRQs to FR I BL Lacs with j lower than FR II BL Lacs.It is indicated that there is a disk-jet symbiosis in blazars.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
文摘All galaxies with extragalactic H2O maser sources observed so far are collected. With the 2MASS and the IRAS photometric data an infrared study is performed on those galaxies. By a comparison between the H2O maser detected sources and non-detected sources in the infrared it is indicated that infrared properties in the IRAS 12-25 #m and 60-100#m are important for producing H20 masers in galaxies. It is also found that the H20 maser galaxies with different nuclear activity types have rather different infrared properties mainly in the IRAS 12-60 μm region.
文摘Many galaxies are thought to contain massive black holes, with masses in excess of ten million solar masses, at their centres and warped circumnuclear toruses. The best evidence comes from observing gas or masers rotating rapidly within a circumnuclear torus surrounding a central body. Here we report on the first MERLIN observations of line emission from the OH megamaser toward IRAS 10173+0828. The position of peak flux contours of the OH megamaser is consistent with that of the continuum in IRAS 10173+0828. This means that the OH megamaser is a diffuse unsaturated maser which could amplify the diffuse 18 cm continuum emission with an amplification factor of order unity.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
文摘Active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in low surface brightness galaxies (LSBGs) have received little attention in previous studies. We present a detailed spectral analysis of 194 LSBGs from the Impey et al. (1996) APM LSBG sample which has been observed spectroscopically by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 5 (SDSS DR5). Our elaborate spectral analysis enables us to carry out, for the first time, reliable spectral classification of nuclear processes in LSBGs based on the standard emission line diagnostic diagrams in a rigorous way. Star-forming galaxies are common, as found in about 52% of LSBGs. We find that, contrary to some previous claims, the fraction of galaxies that contain AGNs is significantly lower than that found in nearby normal galaxies of high surface brightness. This is qualitatively in line with the finding of Impey et al. This result holds true even within each morphological type from Sa to Sc. LSBGs that have larger central stellar velocity dispersions or larger physical sizes tend to have a higher chance of harboring an AGN. For three AGNs with broad emission lines, the black hole masses estimated from the emission lines are broadly consistent with the well known M-σ. relation established for normal galaxies and AGNs.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 10633010)the Guangdong provincial Natural Science Foundation (8451009101001047)
文摘The XMM-Newton observations of H2O megamaser galaxy NGC 7479 are presented. Its smoothed X-ray image clearly shows spiral morphology, which matches well with its optical asymmetric spiral structure. One prominent source can be found at the tip of its northern spiral arm, which is much brighter than its nuclear X-ray source (about a 50% higher count rate). For the nuclear source (a circular region with a radius of 20 ″), the spectra show soft excess below 2 keV and a strong iron Kα emission line. The best fitting model includes a partially absorbed model for the hard continuum and one thermal plasma model for the soft scatter component. Both the high column density (NH - 6.88 × 10^23 cm^-2) and strong fluorescent iron line (with an equivalent width of - 1.5 keV) support the existence of one heavily obscured AGN. For the bright prominent source, its radial profile is consistent with that of a single point-like source. Its spectra are extracted from the circular region around its peak, with a radius of 20″ and 6″ respectively and both spectra show models for the ultra-luminous X-ray source no significant difference. Four alternative (ULXs) can reproduce the spectra well: an absorbed power law, thermal bremsstrahlung, multicolor blackbody disk plus another blackbody or power law. Further observations (e.g., the tremendous improvement in the spatial resolution of the Chandra X-ray observations) and studies are desirable for probing the nature of this prominent source. In addition, we also estimate the mass of its central engine to be 1.18 × 10^7 M⊙ and maser disk parameters: the disk radius of -0.7 pc and the dimensionless accretion rate (L2-10kev/LEdd) of 1.2 × 10^-4.
基金This work is partially supported by the NSFC (No. 10173001) and by the Scientific Foundation for Returned Overseas Chinese Scholars, Ministry of Education, China.
文摘The sizes of the Broad Line Region (BLR) of some Seyfert 1 galaxies and nearby quasars can be determined by the reverberation mapping method. Combining with the observed FWHM of Hbeta emission line and assuming that the motion of BLR clouds is virialized, the black hole masses of these objects have been estimated. However, this method strongly depends on the poorly-understood geometry and inclination of the BLR. On the other hand, a tight correlation between the black hole mass and the bulge velocity dispersion was recently found for both active and nearby inactive galaxies. This may provide another method, independent of the BLR geometry, for estimating the black hole mass. Using this method for estimating the black hole mass and combining with the measured BLR size and FWHM of Hbeta emission line, we derived the BLR inclination angles for 20 Seyfert 1 galaxies under the assumption that the BLR is disk-like. The derived inclination angles agree well with those derived previously by fitting the UV continuum and Hbeta emission line profiles. Adopting a relation between the FWHMs of [OIII]lambda5007 forbidden line and the stellar velocity dispersion, we also estimated the BLR inclinations for 50 narrow line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLS1s). We found that the inclinations of broad Line Seyfert 1 galaxies (BLS1s) axe systematically greater than those of NLS1s, which seldom exceed 30degrees. This may be an important factor that leads to the differences between NLS1s and BLS1s if the BLR of NLS1s is really disk-like.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 10773010 and 10825312)support from the "Chuang Xin" Foundation operated by the Graduate School of University of Science and Technology of China
文摘It has been suggested that the narrow cores of the Fe Ka emission lines in Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) are likely produced in the torus, the inner radius of which can be measured by observing the lag time between the V and K band flux variations. In this paper, we compare the virial products of the infrared time lags, and the narrow Fe Ka widths for 10 type 1 AGNs, with the black hole masses from other techniques. We found the narrow Fe Ka line width is in average 2.6+0.9-0.4 times broader than expected, assuming an isotropic velocity distribution of the torus at the distance measured by the infrared lags. We propose the thick disk model of the torus may explain the observed larger line width. Another possibility is the contamination by emission from the broad line region or the outer accretion disk. Alternatively, the narrow iron line might originate from the inner most part of the obscuring torus within the sublimation radius, while the infrared emission may be from the outer cooler part. We note the correlations between the black hole masses based on this new technique and those based on other known techniques are statistically insignificant. We argue that this could be attributed to the small sample size and the very large uncertainties in the measurements of iron K line widths. The next generation of X-ray observatories could help verify the origin of the narrow iron Ka line and the reliability of this new technique.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
文摘The question whether the radio properties of quasars are related to the massof the central black hole or the accretion rate is important for our understanding of the formationof relativistic jets, but no consensus has been reached from statistical analyses. Using two largequasar samples, one radio-selected, one optical-selected, we re-examined these relations and findthat previous differences between radio- and optical- selected samples can be ascribed, at leastpartly, to the effect of the narrow line component. All previous claimed correlations are muchweaker, if exist at all.
基金supported by the SOC program (CHINARE 2012-02-03)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC 11473025, 11033007, 11421303, 11503022 and 11473305)+2 种基金the National Basic Research Program of China (the 973 Program 2013CB834905)Strategic Priority Research Program “The Emergence of Cosmological Structures” (XDB 09030200)provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Participating Institutions, National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, NASA, Japanese Monbukagakusho, Max Planck Society,and Higher Education Funding Council for England
文摘Emission lines from the broad emission line region (BELR) and the narrow emission line region (NELR) of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) have been extensively studied. However, emission lines are rarely detected between these two regions. We present a detailed analysis of quasar SDSS J232444.80-094600.3 (SDSS J2324-0946), which is remarkable for its strong intermediate-width emission lines (IELs) with FWHM ≈ 1800 km s^-1. The IEL component is present in different emission lines, including the permitted lines Lyαλ1216, CⅣ λ1549, semiforbidden line C Ⅲ] λ1909, and forbidden lines [OⅢ] ss4959, 5007. With the aid of photo-ionization models, we found that the IELs are produced by gas with a hydrogen density of nH - 10^6.2 -- 10^6.3 cm^-3, a distance from the central ionizing source of R - 35 - 50 pc, a covering factor of - 6%, and a dust-to-gas ratio of ≤ 4% that of the SMC. We suggest that the strong IELs of this quasar are produced by nearly dust-free and intermediate-density gas located at the skin of the dusty torus. Such strong IELs, which serve as a useful diagnostic, can provide an avenue to study the properties of gas between the BELR and the NELR.