The Cepheus B (Cep B) molecular cloud and a portion of the nearby Cep OB3b OB association, one of the most active regions of star formation within 1kpc, have been observed with the Infrared Array Camera detector on board the Spitzer Space Telescope. The goals are to study protoplanetary disk evolution and processes of sequential triggered star formation in the region. Out of ~400 pre-main-sequence (PMS) stars selected with an earlier Chandra X-ray Observatory observation, ~95% are identified with mid-infrared sources and most of these are classified as diskless or disk-bearing stars. The discovery of the additional >200 IR-excess low-mass members gives a combined Chandra+Spitzer PMS sample that is almost complete down to 0.5M_{sun}_ outside of the cloud, and somewhat above 1M_{sun}_ in the cloud.
We present Spitzer Space Telescope IRAC and MIPS observations of a 0.85deg^2^ field including the Corona Australis (CrA) star-forming region. At a distance of 130pc, CrA is one of the closest regions known to be actively forming stars, particularly within its embedded association, the Coronet. Using the Spitzer data, we identify 51 young stellar objects (YSOs) in CrA which include sources in the well-studied Coronet cluster as well as sources distributed throughout the molecular cloud. Twelve of the YSOs discussed are new candidates, one of which is located in the Coronet. Known YSOs retrieved from the literature are also added to the list, and a total of 116 candidate YSOs in CrA are compiled. A clustering analysis was also performed, finding that the main cluster core, consisting of 68 members, is elongated (having an aspect ratio of 2.36), with a circular radius of 0.59pc and mean surface density of 150pc^-2^. In addition, we analyze outflows and jets in CrA by means of new CO and H2 data. We present 1.3mm interferometric continuum observations made with the Submillimeter Array (SMA) covering R CrA, IRS 5, IRS 7, and IRAS 18595-3712 (IRAS 32).
X-rays from very young stars are powerful probes to investigate the mechanisms at work in the very first stages of the star formation and the origin of X-ray emission in very young stars. We present results from a 500ks long observation of the rho Ophiuchi cloud with a XMM-Newton large program named DROXO, aiming at studying the X-ray emission of deeply embedded young stellar objects (YSOs).
We present an IR-monitoring survey with the Spitzer Space Telescope of the star-forming region GGD 12-15. More than 1000 objects were monitored, including about 350 objects within the central 5', which is found to be especially dense in cluster members. The monitoring took place over 38 days and is part of the Young Stellar Object VARiability project. The region was also the subject of a contemporaneous 67 ks Chandra observation. The field includes 119 previously identified pre-main sequence star candidates. X-rays are detected from 164 objects, 90 of which are identified with cluster members. Overall, we find that about half the objects in the central 5' are young stellar objects (YSOs) based on a combination of their spectral energy distribution, IR variability, and X-ray emission. Most of the stars with IR excess relative to a photosphere show large amplitude (>0.1 mag) mid-infrared (mid-IR) variability. There are 39 periodic sources, and all but one is found to be a cluster member. Almost half of the periodic sources do not show IR excesses. Overall, more than 85% of the Class I, flat spectrum, and Class II sources are found to vary. The amplitude of the variability is larger in more embedded YSOs. Most of the Class I/II objects exhibit redder colors in a fainter state, which is compatible with time-variable extinction. A few become bluer when fainter, which can be explained with significant changes in the structure of the inner disk. A search for changes in the IR due to X-ray events is carried out, but the low number of flares prevented an analysis of the direct impact of X-ray flares on the IR light curves. However, we find that X-ray detected Class II sources have longer timescales for change in the MIR than a similar set of non-X-ray detected Class IIs.
We investigate early black hole (BH) growth through the methodical search for z>~5 active galactic nuclei (AGN) in the Chandra} Deep Field South. We base our search on the Chandra 4-Ms data with flux limits of 9.1x10^-18^erg/s/cm2 (soft, 0.5-2keV) and 5.5x10^-17^erg/s/cm2 (hard, 2-8keV). At z~5, this corresponds to luminosities as low as ~10^42^erg/s/cm2 (~10^43^erg/s) in the soft (hard) band and should allow us to detect Compton-thin AGN with M_BH_>10^7^M_{sun}_ and Eddington ratios >0.1. Our field (0.03deg^2^) contains over 600 z~5 Lyman Break Galaxies. Based on lower redshift relations, we would expect ~20 of them to host AGN. After combining the Chandra data with Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey (GOODS)/Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS), CANDELS/Wide Field Camera 3 and Spitzer/Infrared Array Camera data, the sample consists of 58 high-redshift candidates. We run a photometric redshift code, stack the GOODS/ACS data, apply colour criteria and the Lyman Break Technique and use the X-ray Hardness Ratio. We combine our tests and using additional data find that all sources are most likely at low redshift. We also find five X-ray sources without a counterpart in the optical or infrared which might be spurious detections. We conclude that our field does not contain any convincing z>~5 AGN. Explanations for this result include a low BH occupation fraction, a low AGN fraction, short, super-Eddington growth modes, BH growth through BH-BH mergers or in optically faint galaxies. By searching for z>~5 AGN, we are setting the foundation for constraining early BH growth and seed formation scenarios.
We investigate active galactic nuclei (AGN) candidates within the FourStar Galaxy Evolution Survey (ZFOURGE) to determine the impact they have on star formation in their host galaxies. We first identify a population of radio, X-ray, and infrared-selected AGN by cross-matching the deep Ks-band imaging of ZFOURGE with overlapping multiwavelength data. From this, we construct a mass-complete (log(M*/M_{sun}_)>=9.75), AGN luminosity limited sample of 235 AGN hosts over z=0.2-3.2. We compare the rest-frame U-V versus V-J (UVJ) colours and specific star formation rates (sSFRs) of the AGN hosts to a mass-matched control sample of inactive (non-AGN) galaxies. UVJ diagnostics reveal AGN tend to be hosted in a lower fraction of quiescent galaxies and a higher fraction of dusty galaxies than the control sample. Using 160{mu}m Herschel PACS data, we find the mean specific star formation rate of AGN hosts to be elevated by 0.34-/-0.07dex with respect to the control sample across all redshifts. This offset is primarily driven by infrared-selected AGN, where the mean sSFR is found to be elevated by as much as a factor of ~5. The remaining population, comprised predominantly of X-ray AGN hosts, is found mostly consistent with inactive galaxies, exhibiting only a marginal elevation. We discuss scenarios that may explain these findings and postulate that AGN are less likely to be a dominant mechanism for moderating galaxy growth via quenching than has previously been suggested.
z~1 Ly{alpha} emitters. I. 135 candidates from GALEX
Short Name:
J/ApJ/783/119
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
We construct a flux-limited sample of 135 candidate z~1 Ly{alpha} emitters (LAEs) from Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) grism data using a new data cube search method. These LAEs have luminosities comparable to those at high redshifts and lie within a 7Gyr gap present in existing LAE samples. We use archival and newly obtained optical spectra to verify the UV redshifts of these LAEs. We use the combination of the GALEX UV spectra, optical spectra, and X-ray imaging data to estimate the active galactic nucleus (AGN) fraction and its dependence on Ly{alpha} luminosity. We remove the AGNs and compute the luminosity function (LF) from 60 z~1 LAE galaxies. We find that the best-fit LF implies a luminosity density increase by a factor of ~1.5 from z~0.3 to z~1 and ~20 from z~1 to z~2. We find a z~1 volumetric Ly{alpha} escape fraction of 0.7%+/-0.4%.
We investigate the high-redshift quasar luminosity function (QLF) down to an apparent magnitude of I_AB_=25 in the Cosmic Evolution Survey (COSMOS). Careful analysis of the extensive COSMOS photometry and imaging data allows us to identify and remove stellar and low-redshift contaminants, enabling a selection that is nearly complete for type-1 quasars at the redshifts of interest. We find 155 likely quasars at z>3.1, 39 of which have prior spectroscopic confirmation. We present our sample in detail and use these confirmed and likely quasars to compute the rest-frame UV QLF in the redshift bins 3.1<z<3.5 and 3.5<z<5. The space density of faint quasars decreases by roughly a factor of four from z~3.2 to z~4, with faint-end slopes of {beta}~-1.7 at both redshifts. The decline in space density of faint optical quasars at z>3 is similar to what has been found for more luminous optical and X-ray quasars. We compare the rest-frame UV luminosity functions found here with the X-ray luminosity function at z>3, and find that they evolve similarly between z~3.2 and z~4; however, the different normalizations imply that roughly 75% of X-ray bright active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at z~3-4 are optically obscured. This fraction is higher than found at lower redshift and may imply that the obscured, type-2 fraction continues to increase with redshift at least to z~4. Finally, the implications of the results derived here for the contribution of quasars to cosmic reionization are discussed.
Striking similarities have been seen between accretion signatures of Galactic X-ray binary (XRB) systems and active galactic nuclei (AGNs). XRB spectral states show a V-shaped correlation between X-ray spectral hardness and Eddington ratio as they vary, and some AGN samples reveal a similar trend, implying analogous processes at vastly larger masses and timescales. To further investigate the analogies, we have matched 617 sources from the Chandra Source Catalog (CSC) to Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) spectroscopy, and uniformly measured both X-ray and optical spectral characteristics across a broad range of AGN and galaxy types. We provide useful tabulations of X-ray spectral slope for broad- and narrow-line AGNs, star-forming and passive galaxies, and composite systems, also updating relationships between optical (H{alpha} and [OIII]) line emission and X-ray luminosity. We further fit broadband spectral energy distributions with a variety of templates to estimate bolometric luminosity. Our results confirm a significant trend in AGNs between X-ray spectral hardness and Eddington ratio expressed in X-ray luminosity, albeit with significant dispersion. The trend is not significant when expressed in the full bolometric or template-estimated AGN luminosity. We also confirm a relationship between the X-ray/optical spectral slope {alpha}_ox_ and Eddington ratio, but it may not follow the trend predicted by analogy with XRB accretion states.