- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/722/520
- Title:
- Gamma-ray light curves of Fermi blazars
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/722/520
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- This paper presents light curves as well as the first systematic characterization of variability of the 106 objects in the high-confidence Fermi Large Area Telescope Bright AGN Sample (LBAS). Weekly light curves of this sample, obtained during the first 11 months of the Fermi survey (2008 August 4-2009 July 4), are tested for variability and their properties are quantified through autocorrelation function and structure function analysis. For the brightest sources, 3 or 4 day binned light curves are extracted in order to determine power density spectra (PDSs) and to fit the temporal structure of major flares. More than 50% of the sources are found to be variable with high significance, where high states do not exceed 1/4 of the total observation range. Variation amplitudes are larger for flat spectrum radio quasars and low/intermediate synchrotron frequency peaked BL Lac objects. Autocorrelation timescales derived from weekly light curves vary from four to a dozen of weeks.
Number of results to display per page
Search Results
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/726/16
- Title:
- {gamma}-ray loud blazars
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/726/16
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- The radio properties of blazars detected by the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope have been observed as part of the VLBA Imaging and Polarimetry Survey. This large, flux-limited sample of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) provides insights into the mechanism that produces strong {gamma}-ray emission. At lower flux levels, radio flux density does not directly correlate with {gamma}-ray flux. We find that the LAT-detected BL Lac objects tend to be similar to the non-LAT BL Lac objects, but that the LAT-detected FSRQs are often significantly different from the non-LAT FSRQs. The differences between the {gamma}-ray loud and quiet FSRQs can be explained by Doppler boosting; these objects appear to require larger Doppler factors than those of the BL Lac objects. It is possible that the {gamma}-ray loud FSRQs are fundamentally different from the {gamma}-ray quiet FSRQs. Strong polarization at the base of the jet appears to be a signature for {gamma}-ray loud AGNs.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/MNRAS/442/1693
- Title:
- Gamma-ray-loud blazars optical polarization
- Short Name:
- J/MNRAS/442/1693
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present first results from RoboPol, a novel-design optical polarimeter operating at the Skinakas Observatory in Crete. The data, taken during the 2013 May-June commissioning of the instrument, constitute a single-epoch linear polarization survey of a sample of gamma-ray-loud blazars, defined according to unbiased and objective selection criteria, easily reproducible in simulations, as well as a comparison sample of, otherwise similar, gamma-ray-quiet blazars. As such, the results of this survey are appropriate for both phenomenological population studies and for tests of theoretical population models. We have measured polarization fractions as low as 0.015 down to Rmag of 17 and as low as 0.035 down to 18mag. The hypothesis that the polarization fractions of gamma-ray-loud and gamma-ray-quiet blazars are drawn from the same distribution is rejected at the 3{sigma} level. We therefore conclude that gamma-ray-loud and gamma-ray-quiet sources have different optical polarization properties. This is the first time this statistical difference is demonstrated in optical wavelengths. The polarization fraction distributions of both samples are well described by exponential distributions with averages of <p>=6.4^+0.9^_-0.8_x10^-2^ for gamma-ray-loud blazars, and <p>=3.2^+2.0^_-1.1_x10^-2^ for gamma-ray-quiet blazars. The most probable value for the difference of the means is 3.4^+1.5^_-2.0_x10^-2^. The distribution of polarization angles is statistically consistent with being uniform.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/873/35
- Title:
- Gemini GNIRS NIR spectroscopy of 50 QSOs at z>~5.7
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/873/35
- Date:
- 19 Jan 2022 09:09:09
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We report initial results from a large Gemini program to observe z>~5.7 quasars with GNIRS near-IR spectroscopy. Our sample includes 50 quasars with simultaneous ~0.85-2.5{mu}m spectra covering the rest-frame ultraviolet and major broad emission lines from Ly{alpha} to MgII. We present spectral measurements for these quasars and compare with their lower redshift counterparts at z=1.5-2.3. We find that when quasar luminosity is matched, there are no significant differences between the rest-UV spectra of z>~5.7 quasars and the low-z comparison sample. High-z quasars have similar continuum and emission line properties and occupy the same region in the black hole mass and luminosity space as the comparison sample, accreting at an average Eddington ratio of ~0.3. There is no evidence for super-Eddington accretion or hypermassive (>10^10^M_{sun}_) black holes within our sample. We find a mild excess of quasars with weak CIV lines relative to the control sample. Our results, corroborating earlier studies but with better statistics, demonstrate that these high-z quasars are already mature systems of accreting supermassive black holes operating with the same physical mechanisms as those at lower redshifts.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/901/123
- Title:
- Ghostly damped Ly{alpha} systems in SDSS DR14
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/901/123
- Date:
- 18 Feb 2022 09:18:37
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We report the discovery of 59 new ghostly absorbers from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 14. These absorbers, with z_abs_~z_QSO_, reveal no Ly{alpha} absorption, and they are mainly identified through the detection of strong metal absorption lines in the spectra. The number of such previously known systems is 30. The new systems are found with the aid of machine-learning algorithms. The spectra of 41 (out of total of 89) absorbers also cover the Ly{beta} spectral region. By fitting the damping wings of the Ly{beta} absorption in the stacked spectrum of 21 (out of 41) absorbers with relatively stronger Ly{beta} absorption, we measured an HI column density of log N(HI)=21.50. This column density is 0.5dex higher than that of the previous work. We also found that the metal absorption lines in the stacked spectrum of the 21 ghostly absorbers with stronger Ly{beta} absorption have similar properties as those in the stacked spectrum of the remaining systems. This circumstantial evidence strongly suggests that the majority of our ghostly absorbers are indeed DLAs.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/888/85
- Title:
- Ghostly strong Lya absorbers in SDSS DR12
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/888/85
- Date:
- 25 Oct 2021 10:15:53
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We have searched the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 12 for ghostly strong Ly{alpha} (DLA) systems. These systems, located at the redshift of the quasars, show strong absorption from low-ionization atomic species but reveal no HI Ly{alpha} absorption. Our search has, for the first time, resulted in a sample of 30 homogeneously selected ghostly absorbers with z_QSO_>2.0. Thirteen of the ghostly absorbers exhibit absorption from other HI Lyman series lines. The lack of Ly{alpha} absorption in these absorbers is consistent with them being dense and compact with projected sizes smaller than the broad-line region of the background quasar. Although uncertain, the estimated median HI column density of these absorbers is logN(HI)~21.0. We compare the properties of ghostly absorbers with those of eclipsing DLAs that are high-column-density absorbers, located within 1500km/s of the quasar emission redshift and showing strong Ly{alpha} emission in their DLA trough. We discover an apparent sequence in the observed properties of these DLAs, with ghostly absorbers showing wider HI kinematics, stronger absorptions from high-ionization species, CII and SiII excited states, and a higher level of dust extinction. Since we estimate that all these absorbers have similar metallicities, logZ/Z_{sun}_~-1.0, we conclude that ghostly absorbers are part of the same population as eclipsing DLAs, except that they are denser and located closer to the central active galactic nuclei.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/742/27
- Title:
- 15GHz and jet properties of MOJAVE blazars
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/742/27
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We investigate the Fermi Large Area Telescope {gamma}-ray and 15GHz Very Long Baseline Array radio properties of a joint {gamma}-ray and radio-selected sample of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) obtained during the first 11 months of the Fermi mission (2008 August 4-2009 July 5). Our sample contains the brightest 173 AGNs in these bands above declination -30{deg} during this period, and thus probes the full range of {gamma}-ray loudness ({gamma}-ray to radio band luminosity ratio) in the bright blazar population. The latter quantity spans at least 4 orders of magnitude, reflecting a wide range of spectral energy distribution (SED) parameters in the bright blazar population. The BL Lac objects, however, display a linear correlation of increasing {gamma}-ray loudness with synchrotron SED peak frequency, suggesting a universal SED shape for objects of this class.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/AJ/127/1959
- Title:
- 1.4GHz emission of KISS emission-line galaxies
- Short Name:
- J/AJ/127/1959
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We have searched the Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty centimeters (FIRST, <VIII/71>) and the NRAO VLA Sky Survey (NVSS, <VIII/65>) 1.4GHz radio surveys for sources that are coincident with emission-line galaxy (ELG) candidates from the KPNO International Spectroscopic Survey (KISS). A total of 207 of the 2157 KISS ELGs (~10%) in the first two H{alpha}-selected survey lists (Cats <J/AJ/121/66>, <J/AJ/127/1943>) were found to possess radio detections in FIRST, NVSS, or both. Follow-up spectra exist for all of the radio detections, allowing us to determine the activity type (star-forming vs. active nucleus) for the entire sample. We explore the properties of the radio-detected KISS galaxies in order to gain a better insight into the nature of radio-emitting galaxies in the local universe (z<0.1). Because of the selection technique used for KISS, our radio ELGs represent a quasivolume-limited sample, which allows us to develop a clearer picture of the radio galaxy population at low redshift. Nearly two-thirds of the KISS radio galaxies are starburst or star-forming galaxies, which is in stark contrast to the results of flux-limited radio surveys, which are dominated by active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and elliptical galaxies (i.e., classical radio galaxies).
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/831/168
- Title:
- 6GHz JVLA observations of low-z SDSS quasars
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/831/168
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We discuss 6GHz JVLA observations covering a volume-limited sample of 178 low-redshift (0.2<z<0.3) optically selected quasi-stellar objects (QSOs). Our 176 radio detections fall into two clear categories: (1) about 20% are radio-loud QSOs (RLQs) with spectral luminosities of L_6_>~10^23.2^W/Hz that are primarily generated in the active galactic nucleus (AGN) responsible for the excess optical luminosity that defines a bona fide QSO; and (2) the remaining 80% that are radio-quiet QSOs (RQQs) that have 10^21^<~L_6_<~10^23.2^W/Hz and radio sizes <~10kpc, and we suggest that the bulk of their radio emission is powered by star formation in their host galaxies. "Radio-silent" QSOs (L_6_<~10^21^W/Hz) are rare, so most RQQ host galaxies form stars faster than the Milky Way; they are not "red and dead" ellipticals. Earlier radio observations did not have the luminosity sensitivity of L_6_<~10^21^W/Hz that is needed to distinguish between such RLQs and RQQs. Strong, generally double-sided radio emission spanning >>10kpc was found to be associated with 13 of the 18 RLQ cores with peak flux densities of S_p_>5mJy/beam (log(L)>~24). The radio luminosity function of optically selected QSOs and the extended radio emission associated with RLQs are both inconsistent with simple "unified" models that invoke relativistic beaming from randomly oriented QSOs to explain the difference between RLQs and RQQs. Some intrinsic property of the AGNs or their host galaxies must also determine whether or not a QSO appears radio-loud.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/AJ/137/3718
- Title:
- 15GHz monitoring of AGN jets with VLBA
- Short Name:
- J/AJ/137/3718
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present images from a long-term program (MOJAVE: Monitoring of Jets in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with VLBA Experiments) to survey the structure and evolution of parsec-scale jet phenomena associated with bright radio-loud active galaxies in the northern sky. The observations consist of 2424 15GHz Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) images of a complete flux-density-limited sample of 135 AGNs above declination -20{deg}, spanning the period 1994 August to 2007 September. These data were acquired as part of the MOJAVE and 2cm Survey programs, and from the VLBA archive. The sample-selection criteria are based on multi-epoch parsec-scale (VLBA) flux density, and heavily favor highly variable and compact blazars. The sample includes nearly all the most prominent blazars in the northern sky, and is well suited for statistical analysis and comparison with studies at other wavelengths. Our multi-epoch and stacked-epoch images show 94% of the sample to have apparent one-sided jet morphologies, most likely due to the effects of relativistic beaming. Of the remaining sources, five have two-sided parsec-scale jets, and three are effectively unresolved by the VLBA at 15GHz, with essentially all of the flux density contained within a few tenths of a milliarcsecond.
