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431. Long-term radio variations of QSO J1819+3845
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/574/A125
Title:
Long-term radio variations of QSO J1819+3845
Short Name:
J/A+A/574/A125
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
We examine the long-term evolution of the intra-hour variable quasar, J1819+3845, whose variations have been attributed to interstellar scintillation by extremely local turbulent plasma, located only 1-3pc from Earth. The variations in this source ceased some time between June 2006 and February 2007. The evolution of the source spectrum and the long-term lightcurve, and the persistent compactness of the source VLBI structure indicates that the cessation of rapid variability was associated with the passage of the scattering material out of the line of sight to the quasar. We present an analysis of the linear polarization variations and their relation to total intensity variations. The proper motion of polarized features in the quasar jet is found to be subluminal. Systematic time delays between Stokes I, Q and U, in combination with the structure of the source obtained from 8.4GHz VLBI data, confirm the estimate of the screen distance: 1-2pc, making the screen one of the nearest objects to the Solar System. We determine the physical properties of this scattering material. We examine the rotation measures of sources and the diffuse polarized emission in the surrounding region. We place a limit of 10rad/m^2^ on the RM change. The variability of sources near J1819+3845 is used to deduce that the screen must therefore be either very small (~100AU) or patchy.
432. Long term R and V band monitoring of AGN
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/587/A112
Title:
Long term R and V band monitoring of AGN
Short Name:
J/A+A/587/A112
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
The Gaia astrometric mission of the European Space Agency was launched on December 2013. It will provide a catalog of 500 000 quasars. Some of these targets will be chosen to build an optical reference system that will be linked to the International Celestial Reference Frame (ICRF). The astrometric coordinates of these sources will have roughly the same uncertainty at both optical and radio wavelengths, and it is then mandatory to observe a common set of targets to build the link. In the ICRF, some targets have been chosen because of their pointlikeness. They are quoted as defining sources, and they ensure very good uncertainty about their astrometric coordinates. At optical wavelengths, a comparable uncertainty could be achieved for targets that do not exhibit strong astrophysical phenomena, which is a potential source of photocenter flickering. A signature of these phenomena is a magnitude variation at optical wavelengths. The goal of this work is to present the time series of 14 targets suitable for the link between the ICRF and the future Gaia Celestial Reference Frame. The observations have been done systematically by robotic telescopes in France and Chile once every two nights since 2011 and in two filters. These time series are analyzed to search for periodic or quasi-periodic phenomena that must be taken into account when computing the uncertainty about the astrometric coordinates. Two independent methods were used in this work to analyze the time series. We used the CLEAN algorithm to compare the frequency obtained to those given by the Lomb-Scargle method. It avoids misinterpreting the frequency peaks given in the periodograms.
433. LoTSS/HETDEX. Optical quasars. I.
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/622/A11
Title:
LoTSS/HETDEX. Optical quasars. I.
Short Name:
J/A+A/622/A11
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
The radio-loud/radio-quiet (RL/RQ) dichotomy in quasars is still an open question. Although it is thought that accretion onto supermassive black holes in the centre the host galaxies of quasars is responsible for some radio continuum emission, there is still a debate as to whether star formation or active galactic nuclei (AGN) activity dominate the radio continuum luminosity. To date, radio emission in quasars has been investigated almost exclusively using high-frequency observations in which the Doppler boosting might have an important effect on the measured radio luminosity, whereas extended structures, best observed at low radio frequencies, are not affected by the Doppler enhancement. We used a sample of quasars selected by their optical spectra in conjunction with sensitive and high-resolution low-frequency radio data provided by the LOw Frequency ARray (LOFAR) as part of the LOFAR Two-Metre Sky Survey (LoTSS) to investigate their radio properties using the radio loudness parameter (R=L_144MHz_/L_iband_). The examination of the Li band radio continuum emission and RL/RQ dichotomy in quasars exhibits that quasars show a wide continuum of radio properties (i.e. no clear bimodality in the distribution of R). Radio continuum emission at low frequencies in low-luminosity quasars is consistent with being dominated by star formation. We see a significant albeit weak dependency of R on the source nuclear parameters. For the first time, we are able to resolve radio morphologies of a considerable number of quasars. All these crucial results highlight the impact of the deep and high-resolution low-frequency radio surveys that foreshadow the compelling science cases for the Square Kilometre Array (SKA).
434. Low-frequency flat spectrum sources (LORCAT)
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJS/213/3
Title:
Low-frequency flat spectrum sources (LORCAT)
Short Name:
J/ApJS/213/3
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
A well known property of the {gamma}-ray sources detected by Cos-B in the 1970s, by the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory in the 1990s, and recently by the Fermi observations is the presence of radio counterparts, particularly for those associated with extragalactic objects. This observational evidence is the basis of the radio-{gamma}-ray connection established for the class of active galactic nuclei known as blazars. In particular, the main spectral property of the radio counterparts associated with {gamma}-ray blazars is that they show a flat spectrum in the GHz frequency range. Our recent analysis dedicated to search blazar-like candidates as potential counterparts for the unidentified {gamma}-ray sources allowed us to extend the radio-{gamma}-ray connection in the MHz regime. We also showed that blazars below 1GHz maintain flat radio spectra. Thus, on the basis of these new results, we assembled a low-frequency radio catalog of flat-spectrum sources built by combining the radio observations of the Westerbork Northern Sky Survey and of the Westerbork in the southern hemisphere catalog with those of the NRAO Very Large Array Sky survey (NVSS). This could be used in the future to search for new, unknown blazar-like counterparts of {gamma}-ray sources. First, we found NVSS counterparts of Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope radio sources, and then we selected flat-spectrum radio sources according to a new spectral criterion, specifically defined for radio observations performed below 1GHz. We also described the main properties of the catalog listing 28358 radio sources and their logN-logS distributions. Finally, a comparison with the Green Bank 6cm radio source catalog was performed to investigate the spectral shape of the low-frequency flat-spectrum radio sources at higher frequencies.
435. Low Ionization BALQSOs MgII and AlIII variability
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/MNRAS/440/799
Title:
Low Ionization BALQSOs MgII and AlIII variability
Short Name:
J/MNRAS/440/799
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
We present results of our time variability studies of MgII and AlIII absorption lines in a sample of 22 Low Ionization Broad Absorption Line QSOs (LoBAL QSOs) at 0.2<=z_em_<=2.1 using the 2-m telescope at IUCAA Girawali Observatory over a time-scale of 10d to 7.69years in the QSO's rest frame. Spectra are analysed in conjunction with photometric light curves from Catalina Real-Time Transient Survey. Long time-scale (i.e. >=1-year) absorption line variability is seen in eight cases (36 per cent systems) while only four of them (i.e. 18 per cent systems) show variability over short time-scales (i.e. <1-year). We notice a tendency of highly variable LoBAL QSOs to have high ejection velocity, low equivalent width and low redshift. The detection rate of variability in LoBAL QSOs showing Fe fine-structure lines (FeLoBAL QSOs) is less than that seen in non-Fe LoBAL QSOs. Absorption line variability is more frequently detected in QSOs having continuum dominated by Fe emission lines compared to rest of the QSOs. Confirming these trends with a bigger sample will give vital clues for understanding the physical distinction between different BAL QSO sub-classes. We correlate the absorption line variability with various parameters derived from continuum light curves and find no clear correlation between continuum flux and absorption line variabilities. However, sources with large absorption line variability also show large variability in their light curves. We also see appearance/disappearance of absorption components in two cases and clear indications for profile variations in four cases. The observed variability can be best explained by a combination of process driven by continuum variations and clouds transiting across the line of sight.
436. Low-luminosity type-1 QSO sample
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/561/A140
Title:
Low-luminosity type-1 QSO sample
Short Name:
J/A+A/561/A140
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
Recognizing the properties of the host galaxies of quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) is essential to understand the suspected coevolution of central supermassive black holes (BHs) and their host galaxies. We selected a subsample of the Hamburg/ESO survey for bright UV-excess QSOs, containing only the 99 nearest QSOs with redshift z<=0.06, that are close enough to allow detailed structural analysis. From this "low-luminosity type-1 QSO sample", we observed 20 galaxies and performed aperture photometry and bulge-disk-bar-AGN-decomposition with BUDDA on near-infrared J, H, K band images. From the photometric decomposition of these 20 objects and visual inspection of images of another 26, we find that ~50% of the hosts are disk galaxies and most of them (86%) are barred. Stellar masses, calculated from parametric models based on inactive galaxy colors, range from 2x10^9^M_{sun}_ to 2x10^11^M_{sun}_. Black hole masses measured from single epoch spectroscopy range from 1x10^6^M_{sun}_ to 5x10^8^M_{sun}_. In comparison to higher luminosity QSO samples, LLQSOs tend to have lower stellar and BH masses. Also, in the effective radius vs. mean surface-brightness projection of the fundamental plane, they lie in the transition area between luminous QSOs and "normal" galaxies. This can be seen as further evidence that they can be pictured as a "bridge" between the local Seyfert population and luminous QSOs at higher redshift. Eleven low-luminosity QSOs for which we have reliable morphological decompositions and BH mass estimations lie below the published BH mass vs. bulge luminosity relations for inactive galaxies. This could be partially explained by bulges of active galaxies containing much younger stellar populations than bulges of inactive galaxies. Also, one could suspect that their BHs are undermassive. This might hint at the growth of the host spheroid to precede that of the BH.
437. Low-mass stars found in CFHTLS
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/633/630
Title:
Low-mass stars found in CFHTLS
Short Name:
J/ApJ/633/630
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
We present preliminary results of a new quasar survey being undertaken with multicolor optical imaging from the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope. The current data consist of 3.83deg^2^ of imaging in the i' and z' filters to a 10{sigma} limit of z'<23.35. Near-infrared photometry of 24 candidate 5.7<z<6.4 quasars confirms them all to be low-mass stars, including two T dwarfs and four or five L dwarfs. Photometric estimates of the spectral type of the two T dwarfs are T3 and T6.
438. Low-redshift QSOs in SDSS Stripe 82
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/MNRAS/441/1802
Title:
Low-redshift QSOs in SDSS Stripe 82
Short Name:
J/MNRAS/441/1802
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
We study the environments of low-redshift (z<0.5) quasars based on a large and homogeneous data set from the Stripe 82 region of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). We have compared the <1Mpc scale environments of 302 quasars that were resolved in our recent study to those of 288 inactive galaxies with closely matched redshifts. Crucially, the luminosities of the inactive galaxies and the quasar host galaxies are also closely matched, unlike in most previous studies. The environmental overdensities were studied by measuring the number density of galaxies within a projected distance of 200kpc to 1Mpc. The galaxy number density of the quasar environments is comparable to that of the inactive galaxies with similar luminosities, both classes of objects showing significant excess compared to the background galaxy density for distances <400kpc. There is no significant dependence of the galaxy number density on redshift, quasar or host galaxy luminosity, black hole mass or radio loudness. This suggests that the fuelling and triggering of the nuclear activity is only weakly dependent on the local environment of quasars, and the quasar phase may be a short-lived common phase in the life cycle of all massive galaxies.
439. Low-redshift quasars in SDSS Stripe 82
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/MNRAS/440/476
Title:
Low-redshift quasars in SDSS Stripe 82
Short Name:
J/MNRAS/440/476
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
We present a photometrical and morphological study of the properties of low-redshift (z<0.5) quasars based on a large and homogeneous data set of objects derived from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7. This study over number by a factor of ~5 any other previous study of quasi-stellar object (QSO) host galaxies at low redshift undertaken either on ground or on space surveys. We used ~400 quasars that were imaged in the SDSS Stripe 82 that is up to 2mag deeper than standard Sloan images. For these quasars we undertake a study of the host galaxies and of their environments. In this paper we report the results for the quasar hosts. We are able to detect the host galaxy for more than 3/4 of the whole data set and characterize the properties of their hosts. We found that QSO hosts are dominated by luminous galaxies of absolute magnitude M*-3<M(R)<M*. For the unresolved objects we computed an upper limit to the host luminosity. For each well-resolved quasar we are also able to characterize the morphology of the host galaxy that turn out to be more complex than what found in previous studies. QSOs are hosted in a variety of galaxies from pure ellipticals to complex/composite morphologies that combine spheroids, disc, lens and halo. The black hole (BH) mass of the quasar, estimated from the spectral properties of the nuclei, is poorly correlated with the total luminosity of the host galaxy. However, taking into account only the bulge component we found a significant correlation between the BH mass and the bulge luminosity of the host.
440. Low-z BQS Quasars
ID:
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/MNRAS/263/425
Title:
Low-z BQS Quasars
Short Name:
J/MNRAS/263/425
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
(no description available)