- 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.
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- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/MNRAS/477/4749
- Title:
- gamma-rays in Fermi blazars
- Short Name:
- J/MNRAS/477/4749
- Date:
- 17 Jan 2022 00:27:10
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- The gamma-ray emission in broad-line blazars is generally explained as inverse Compton (IC) radiation of relativistic electrons in the jet scattering optical-UV photons from the broad-line region (BLR), the so-called BLR external Compton (EC) scenario. We test this scenario on the Fermi gamma-ray spectra of 106 broad-line blazars detected with the highest significance or largest BLR, by looking for cut-off signatures at high energies compatible with {gamma}-{gamma} interactions with BLR photons. We do not find evidence for the expected BLR absorption. For 2/3 of the sources, we can exclude any significant absorption ({tau}_max_<1), while for the remaining 1/3 the possible absorption is constrained to be 1.5-2 orders of magnitude lower than expected. This result holds also dividing the spectra in high- and low-flux states, and for powerful blazars with large BLR. Only 1 object out of 10 seems compatible with substantial attenuation ({tau}_max_>5). We conclude that for 9 out of 10 objects, the jet does not interact with BLR photons. Gamma-rays seem either produced outside the BLR most of the time, or the BLR is ~100 x larger than given by reverberation mapping. This means that (i) EC on BLR photons is disfavoured as the main gamma-ray mechanism, versus IC on IR photons from the torus or synchrotron self-Compton; (ii) the Fermi gamma-ray spectrum is mostly intrinsic, determined by the interaction of the particle distribution with the seed-photon spectrum; and (iii) without suppression by the BLR, broad-line blazars can become copious emitters above 100GeV, as demonstrated by 3C 454.3. We expect the CTA sky to be much richer of broad-line blazars than previously thought.
- 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.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/482/483
- Title:
- GHz-peaked spectrum (GPS) sources
- Short Name:
- J/A+A/482/483
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- Gigahertz-peaked spectrum (GPS) sources and high frequency peakers (HFPs) are among the smallest of active galactic nuclei currently believed to represent the earliest phases in the evolution of extragalactic radio sources. Recently there has been evidence of contamination by other types of radio sources among the GPS and HFP samples, but the confirmed GPS sources or HFPs also seem to form a very heterogeneous population. We study the statistical clustering of the GPS sources and the HFPs by taking as many source parameters as possible to find homogeneous groups among the sources. We expect the clustering to give us insight into the physical parameters that play a role in different source populations. We have collected a sample of 206 GPS sources and HFPs from the literature and gathered a massive database of various source properties, such as the redshift, the size, the polarization, the magnitudes, and the properties of the radio continuum. To visualize and to cluster these multidimensional data we used self-organising maps (SOM), which are neural networks trained by an unsupervised algorithm. We have classified the sources with an auxiliary classification to trace the locations of different types of radio continuum spectra on the map.
