- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/MNRAS/452/4326
- Title:
- Metal-rich damped Ly{alpha} systems at z~2
- Short Name:
- J/MNRAS/452/4326
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- Using our sample of the most metal-rich damped Lyman {alpha} systems (DLAs) at z_abs_~2, and two literature compilations of chemical abundances in 341 DLAs and 2818 stars, we present an analysis of the chemical composition of DLAs in the context of the Local Group. The metal-rich sample of DLAs at z_abs~2 probes metallicities as high as the Galactic disc and the most metal-rich dwarf spheroidals (dSphs), permitting an analysis of many elements typically observed in DLAs (Fe, Zn, Cr, Mn, Si, and S) in comparison to stellar abundances observed in the Galaxy and its satellites (in particular dSphs). Our main conclusions are: (1) non-solar [Zn/Fe] abundances in metal-poor Galactic stars and in dSphs over the full metallicity range probed by DLAs, suggest that Zn is not a simple proxy for Fe in DLAs and therefore not a suitable indicator of dust depletion. After correcting for dust depletion, the majority of DLAs have subsolar [Zn/Fe] similar to dSphs; (2) at [Fe/H]~-0.5, a constant [Mn/Fe]~-0.5 and near-solar [{alpha}/Fe] (requiring an assumption about dust depletion) are in better agreement with dwarf galaxies than Galactic disc stars; (3) [{alpha}/Zn] is usually solar or subsolar in DLAs. However, although low ratios of [{alpha}/Fe] are usually considered more 'dwarf-like' than `Milky Way-like', subsolar [Zn/Fe] in Local Group dwarfs leads to supersolar [{alpha}/Zn] in the dSphs, in contrast with the DLAs. Therefore, whilst DLAs exhibit some similarities with the Local Group dwarf population, there are also notable differences.
Number of results to display per page
Search Results
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/763/37
- Title:
- Metals in SDSS QSOs. I. 1.5<z<4.5 CIV absorbers
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/763/37
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We have vastly increased the CIV statistics at intermediate redshift by surveying the thousands of quasars in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Data-Release 7. We visually verified over 16000 CIV systems with 1.46<z<4.55 - a sample size that renders Poisson error negligible. Detailed Monte Carlo simulations show that we are approximately 50% complete down to rest equivalent widths W_r_{approx}0.6{AA}. We analyzed the sample as a whole and in 10 small redshift bins with approximately 1500 doublets each. The equivalent width frequency distributions f(W_r_) were well modeled by an exponential, with little evolution in shape. In contrast with previous studies that modeled the frequency distribution as a single power law, the fitted exponential gives a finite mass density for the CIV ions. The comoving line density dN_CIV_/dX evolved smoothly with redshift, increasing by a factor of 2.37+/-0.09 from z=4.55-1.96, then plateauing at dN_CIV_/dX~0.34 for z=1.96-1.46. Comparing our SDSS sample with z<1 (ultraviolet) and z>5 (infrared) surveys, we see an approximately 10-fold increase in dN_CIV_/dX over z{approx}6->0, for W_r_>=0.6{AA}. This suggests a monotonic and significant increase in the enrichment of gas outside galaxies over the 12Gyr lifetime of the universe.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/PASP/118/1077
- Title:
- Metal-strong damped Ly{alpha} systems
- Short Name:
- J/PASP/118/1077
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We have identified a metal-strong [logN(Zn+)>=13.15 or logN(Si^+^)>=15.95] damped Ly{alpha} (MSDLA) population from an automated quasar (QSO) absorber search in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Data Release 3 quasar sample and find that MSDLAs comprise >>5% of the entire DLA population with z_abs_>=2.2 found in QSO sight lines with r<19.5. We have also acquired 27 Keck ESI (Echellete Spectrograph and Imager) follow-up spectra of metal strong candidates in order to evaluate our automated technique and examine the MSDLA candidates at higher resolution.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/MNRAS/353/211
- Title:
- Method for selection of quasars
- Short Name:
- J/MNRAS/353/211
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- The application of supervised artificial neural networks (ANNs) for quasar selection from combined radio and optical surveys with photometric and morphological data is investigated, using the list of candidates and their classification from the work of White et al. (2000, Cat. J/ApJS/126/133>) Seven input parameters and one output, evaluated to 1 for quasars and 0 for non-quasars during the training, were used, with architectures 7: 1 and 7: 2: 1. Both models were trained on samples of 800 sources and yielded similar performance on independent test samples, with reliability as large as 87 per cent at 80 per cent completeness (or 90 to 80 per cent for completeness from 70 to 90 per cent). For comparison, the quasar fraction from the original candidate list was 56 per cent.
405. MEXSAS catalogue
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/593/A55
- Title:
- MEXSAS catalogue
- Short Name:
- J/A+A/593/A55
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- Most investigations of the X-ray variability of active galactic nuclei (AGN) have been concentrated on the detailed analyses of individual, nearby sources. A relatively small number of studies have treated the ensemble behaviour of the more general AGN population in wider regions of the luminosity-redshift plane. We want to determine the ensemble variability properties of a rich AGN sample, called Multi-Epoch XMM Serendipitous AGN Sample (MEXSAS), extracted from the fifth release of the XMM-Newton Serendipitous Source Catalogue (XMMSSC-DR5), with redshift between 0.1 and 5, and X-ray luminosities in the 0.5-4.5keV band between 10^42^ and 10^47^erg/s. We urge caution on the use of the normalised excess variance (NXS), noting that it may lead to underestimate variability if used improperly. We use the structure function (SF), updating our previous analysis for a smaller sample. We propose a correction to the NXS variability estimator, accounting for the light curve duration in the rest frame on the basis of the knowledge of the variability behaviour gained by SF studies. We find an ensemble increase of the X-ray variability with the rest-frame time lag tau, given by tau^0.12^. We confirm an inverse dependence on the X-ray luminosity, approximately as L_X^-0.19^. We analyse the SF in different X-ray bands, finding a dependence of the variability on the frequency as nu^-0.15^, corresponding to a softer when brighter trend. In turn, this dependence allows us to parametrically correct the variability estimated in observer-frame bands to that in the rest frame, resulting in a moderate shift upwards (V-correction). Ensemble X-ray variability of AGNs is best described by the structure function. An improper use of the normalised excess variance may lead to an underestimate of the intrinsic variability, so that appropriate corrections to the data or the models must be applied to prevent these effects.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/748/131
- Title:
- MgII absorbers in SDSS-DR7 quasar catalog
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/748/131
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- A few percent of quasars show strong associated Mg II absorption, with velocities (v_off_) lying within a few thousand km/s from the quasar systemic redshift. These associated absorption line (AAL) systems are usually interpreted as absorbers that are either intrinsic to the quasar and its host, or arising from external galaxies clustering around the quasar. Using composite spectra of ~1800 Mg II AAL quasars selected from SDSS DR7 at 0.4<~z<~2, we show that quasars with AALs with v_off_<1500km/s have a prominent excess in [OII]{lambda}3727 emission (detected at >7{sigma}) at rest relative to the quasar host, compared to unabsorbed quasars. We interpret this [OII] excess as due to enhanced star formation in the quasar host. Our results suggest that a significant fraction of AALs with v_off_<1500km/s are physically associated with the quasar and its host. AAL quasars also have dust reddening lying between normal quasars and the so-called dust-reddened quasars. We suggest that the unique properties of AAL quasars can be explained if they are the transitional population from heavily dust-reddened quasars to normal quasars in the formation process of quasars and their hosts. This scenario predicts a larger fraction of young bulges, disturbed morphologies, and interactions of AAL quasar hosts compared to normal quasars. The intrinsic link between associated absorbers and quasar hosts opens a new window to probe massive galaxy formation and galactic-scale feedback processes, and provides a crucial test of the evolutionary picture of quasars.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/MNRAS/354/L25
- Title:
- MgII absorbers in SDSS QSOs
- Short Name:
- J/MNRAS/354/L25
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We study the cross-correlation between 212 Mg II quasar absorption systems and ~20000 luminous red galaxies (LRGs) selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 1 (Cat. <J/AJ/126/2579>) in the redshift range 0.4<=z<=0.8. The Mg II systems were selected to have {lambda}{lambda}2796 and 2803 rest-frame equivalent widths >=1.0{AA} and identifications confirmed by the Fe II {lambda}2600 or Mg I {lambda}2852 lines.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/779/161
- Title:
- MgII absorbers in 0.4<z<2.3 SDSS QSOs
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/779/161
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We have performed an analysis of over 34000 Mg II doublets at 0.36<z<2.29 in Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Data Release 7 quasar spectra; the catalog, advanced data products, and tools for analysis are publicly available. The catalog was divided into 14 small redshift bins with roughly 2500 doublets in each and from Monte Carlo simulations, we estimate 50% completeness at rest equivalent width W_r_{approx}0.8{AA}. The equivalent width frequency distribution is described well by an exponential model at all redshifts, and the distribution becomes flatter with increasing redshift, i.e., there are more strong systems relative to weak ones. Direct comparison with previous SDSS Mg II surveys reveals that we recover at least 70% of the doublets in these other catalogs, in addition to detecting thousands of new systems. We discuss how these surveys came by their different results, which qualitatively agree but because of the very small uncertainties, differ by a statistically significant amount. The estimated physical cross section of Mg II-absorbing galaxy halos increased approximately threefold from z=0.4 to z=2.3, while the W_r_>=1{AA} absorber line density, dN_MgII_/dX, grew by roughly 45%. Finally, we explore the different evolution of various absorber populations --damped Ly{alpha} absorbers, Lyman limit systems, strong C IV absorbers, and strong and weaker MgII systems -- across cosmic time (0<z<6).
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/724/L176
- Title:
- MgII absorbing gas around galaxies
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/724/L176
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We study the connections between ongoing star formation, galaxy mass, and extended halo gas, in order to distinguish between starburst-driven outflows and infalling clouds that produce the majority of observed MgII absorbers at large galactic radii (>~10h^-1^kpc) and to gain insights into halo gas contents around galaxies. We present new measurements of total stellar mass (M_star_), H{alpha} emission line strength (EW(H{alpha})), and specific star formation rate (sSFR) for the 94 galaxies described by Chen et al.'s 2010 paper (Cat. J/ApJ/714/1521).
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/754/38
- Title:
- MgII absorption systems for Flat-Spectrum Radio QSOs
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/754/38
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- The conventional wisdom that the rate of incidence of MgII absorption systems, dN/dz (excluding "associated systems" having a velocity {beta}c relative to the active galactic nucleus (AGN) of less than ~5000km/s), is totally independent of the background AGNs has been challenged by a recent finding that dN/dz for strong MgII absorption systems toward distant blazars is 2.2+/-^0.8^_0.6_ times the value known for normal optically selected quasars (QSOs). This has led to the suggestion that a significant fraction of even the absorption systems with {beta} as high as ~0.1 may have been ejected by the relativistic jets in the blazars, which are expected to be pointed close to our direction. Here, we investigate this scenario using a large sample of 115 flat-spectrum radio-loud quasars (FSRQs) that also possess powerful jets, but are only weakly polarized. We show, for the first time, that dN/dz toward FSRQs is, on the whole, quite similar to that known for QSOs and that the comparative excess of strong MgII absorption systems seen toward blazars is mainly confined to {beta}<0.15. The excess relative to FSRQs probably results from a likely closer alignment of blazar jets with our direction; hence, any gas clouds accelerated by them are more likely to be on the line of sight to the active quasar nucleus.
