- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/789/140
- Title:
- SDSS quasars balmer emission lines
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/789/140
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- A small fraction of quasars have long been known to show bulk velocity offsets (of a few hundred to thousands of km/s) in the broad Balmer lines with respect to the systemic redshift of the host galaxy. Models to explain these offsets usually invoke broad-line region gas kinematics/asymmetry around single black holes (BHs), orbital motion of massive (~sub-parsec (sub-pc)) binary black holes (BBHs), or recoil BHs, but single-epoch spectra are unable to distinguish between these scenarios. The line-of-sight (LOS) radial velocity (RV) shifts from long-term spectroscopic monitoring can be used to test the BBH hypothesis. We have selected a sample of 399 quasars with kinematically offset broad H{beta} lines from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Seventh Data Release quasar catalog, and have conducted second-epoch optical spectroscopy for 50 of them. Combined with the existing SDSS spectra, the new observations enable us to constrain the LOS RV shifts of broad H{beta} lines with a rest-frame baseline of a few years to nearly a decade. While previous work focused on objects with extreme velocity offset (>10^3^ km/s), we explore the parameter space with smaller (a few hundred km/s) yet significant offsets (99.7% confidence). Using cross-correlation analysis, we detect significant (99% confidence) radial accelerations in the broad H{beta} lines in 24 of the 50 objects, of ~10-200 km/s/yr with a median measurement uncertainty of ~10 km/s/yr, implying a high fraction of variability of the broad-line velocity on multi-year timescales. We suggest that 9 of the 24 detections are sub-pc BBH candidates, which show consistent velocity shifts independently measured from a second broad line (either H{alpha} or Mg II) without significant changes in the broad-line profiles. Combining the results on the general quasar population studied in Paper I (Shen et al. 2013ApJ...775...49S), we find a tentative anti-correlation between the velocity offset in the first-epoch spectrum and the average acceleration between two epochs, which could be explained by orbital phase modulation when the time separation between two epochs is a non-negligible fraction of the orbital period of the motion causing the line displacement. We discuss the implications of our results for the identification of sub-pc BBH candidates in offset-line quasars and for the constraints on their frequency and orbital parameters.
Number of results to display per page
Search Results
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/385/488
- Title:
- Search for duplicity in periodic Be stars
- Short Name:
- J/A+A/385/488
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- Four Be stars, HR 1960, HR 2968, HR 3237 and HR 3642, selected according to their periodic variations in Hipparcos and Geneva photometries, have been monitored from 1998 until 2001 with the Coralie spectrograph. HR 1960 and HR 3237 are two new spectroscopic binaries, HR 3642 is a new lambda Eri star, and HR 2968 is stable.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/646/A34
- Title:
- Search for flares and CMEs in SDSS data
- Short Name:
- J/A+A/646/A34
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- This work aims to detect and classify stellar flares and potential stellar coronal mass ejection (CME) signatures in optical spectra provided by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) data release 14. The sample is constrained to all F, G, K, and M main-sequence type stars, resulting in more than 630000 stars. This work makes use of the individual spectral exposures provided by the SDSS. An automatic flare search was performed by detecting significant amplitude changes in the H{alpha} and H{beta} spectral lines after a Gaussian profile was fit to the line core. CMEs were searched for by identifying asymmetries in the Balmer lines caused by the Doppler effect of plasma motions in the line of sight. We identified 281 flares on late-type stars (spectral types K3-M9). We identified six possible CME candidates showing excess flux in Balmer line wings. Flare energies in H{alpha} were calculated and masses of the CME candidates were estimated. The derived H{alpha} flare energies range from 3x10^28^-2x10^33^erg. The H{alpha} flare energy increases with earlier types, while the fraction of flaring times increases with later types. Mass estimates for the CME candidates are in the range of 6x10^16^-6x10^18^g, and the highest projected velocities are ~300-700km/s. The low detection rate of CMEs we obtained agrees with previous studies, suggesting that for late-type main-sequence stars the CME occurrence rate that can be detected with optical spectroscopy is low.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/786/59
- Title:
- SED fitting results of HETDEX pilot survey
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/786/59
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We use broadband photometry extending from the rest-frame UV to the near-IR to fit the individual spectral energy distributions of 63 bright (L(Ly{alpha})>10^43^ erg/s) Ly{alpha} emitting galaxies (LAEs) in the redshift range 1.9<z<3.6. We find that these LAEs are quite heterogeneous, with stellar masses that span over three orders of magnitude, from 7.5<log M/M_{sun}_<10.5. Moreover, although most LAEs have small amounts of extinction, some high-mass objects have stellar reddenings as large as E(B-V)~0.4. Interestingly, in dusty objects the optical depths for Ly{alpha} and the UV continuum are always similar, indicating that Ly{alpha} photons are not undergoing many scatters before escaping their galaxy. In contrast, the ratio of optical depths in low-reddening systems can vary widely, illustrating the diverse nature of the systems. Finally, we show that in the star-formation-rate-log-mass diagram, our LAEs fall above the "main-sequence" defined by z~3 continuum selected star-forming galaxies. In this respect, they are similar to submillimeter-selected galaxies, although most LAEs have much lower mass.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/PAZh/23/409
- Title:
- Spectrophotometry of Mrk 509
- Short Name:
- J/PAZh/23/409
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- Variability of the continuum, H{beta}, H{gamma} and HeII(4686{AA}) fluxes of the Seyfert I galaxy Mrk 509 is studied using spectra obtained on the 2.6-m telescope of the Crimean Astrophysical observatory from 1971-1993. All the measurements of fluxes are in the relative units normalized to the flux of [OIII](5007{AA}) taken equal to 100. The flux in the line [OIII](5007{AA}) is estimated in the interval of (5.7-7.6)*10^-13^erg/cm^2^/s=(5.7-7.6)*10^-16^W/m2. The variability amplitude in the continuum is higher than in the hydrogen lines.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/AJ/149/79
- Title:
- Spectroscopy of 299 galaxies from NewHa survey
- Short Name:
- J/AJ/149/79
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- Using a sample of 299 H{alpha}-selected galaxies at z~~0.8, we study the relationship between galaxy stellar mass, gas-phase metallicity, and star formation rate (SFR), and compare to previous results. We use deep optical spectra obtained with the IMACS spectrograph at the Magellan telescope to measure strong oxygen lines. We combine these spectra and metallicities with (1) rest-frame UV-to-optical imaging, which allows us to determine stellar masses and dust attenuation corrections, and (2) H{alpha} narrowband imaging, which provides a robust measurement of the instantaneous SFR. Our sample spans stellar masses of ~10^9^-6x10^11^M_{sun}_, SFRs of 0.4-270M_{sun}_/yr, and metal abundances of 12+log(O/H)~~8.3-9.1(~~0.4-2.6Z_{sun}_). The correlations that we find between the H{alpha}-based SFR and stellar mass (i.e., the star-forming "main sequence") and between the stellar mass and metallicity are both consistent with previous z~1 studies of star-forming galaxies. We then study the relationship between the three properties using various plane-fitting techniques and a curve-fitting projection. In all cases, we exclude strong dependence of the M_{star}_-Z relation on SFR, but are unable to distinguish between moderate and no dependence. Our results are consistent with previous mass-metallicity-SFR studies. We check whether data set limitations may obscure a strong dependence on the SFR by using mock samples drawn from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. These experiments reveal that the adopted signal-to-noise ratio cuts may have a significant effect on the measured dependence. Further work is needed to investigate these results, and to test whether a "fundamental metallicity relation" or a "fundamental plane" describes star-forming galaxies across cosmic time.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/645/A87
- Title:
- Star-galaxy classification feature importance
- Short Name:
- J/A+A/645/A87
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- Future astrophysical surveys such as J-PAS will produce very large datasets, the so-called "big data", which will require the deployment of accurate and efficient machine-learning (ML) methods. In this work, we analyze the miniJPAS survey, which observed about ~1deg^2^ of the AEGIS field with 56 narrow-band filters and 4 ugri broad-band filters. The miniJPAS primary catalog contains approximately 64 000 objects in the r detection band (mag_AB_<~24), with forced-photometry in all other filters. We discuss the classification of miniJPAS sources into extended (galaxies) and point-like (e.g., stars) objects, which is a step required for the subsequent scientific analyses. We aim at developing an ML classifier that is complementary to traditional tools that are based on explicit modeling. In particular, our goal is to release a value-added catalog with our best classification. In order to train and test our classifiers, we cross-matched the miniJPAS dataset with SDSS and HSC-SSP data, whose classification is trustworthy within the intervals 15<=r<=20 and 18.5<=r<=23.5, respectively. We trained and tested six different ML algorithms on the two cross-matched catalogs: K-nearest neighbors, decision trees, random forest (RF), artificial neural networks, extremely randomized trees (ERT), and an ensemble classifier. This last is a hybrid algorithm that combines artificial neural networks and RF with the J-PAS stellar and galactic loci classifier. As input for the ML algorithms we used the magnitudes from the 60 filters together with their errors, with and without the morphological parameters. We also used the mean point spread function in the r detection band for each pointing. We find that the RF and ERT algorithms perform best in all scenarios. When the full magnitude range of 15<=r<=23.5 is analyzed, we find an area under the curve AUC=0.957 with RF when photometric information alone is used, and AUC=0.986 with ERT when photometric and morphological information is used together. When morphological parameters are used, the full width at half maximum is the most important feature. When photometric information is used alone, we observe that broad bands are not necessarily more important than narrow bands, and errors (the width of the distribution) are as important as the measurements (central value of the distribution). In other words, it is apparently important to fully characterize the measurement. ML algorithms can compete with traditional star and galaxy classifiers; they outperform the latter at fainter magnitudes (r>~21). We use our best classifiers, with and without morphology, in order to produce a value-added catalog.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/II/46
- Title:
- Strong cyanogen stars
- Short Name:
- II/46
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- A cyanogen index for late-type giants, insensitive to surface gravity but sensitive to metallicity, is presented in the David Dunlap Observatory (DDO) photometric system. Observations were made using conventional single-channel photometers with 1P21 photomultiplier tubes on the 40cm and 90cm telescopes of Kitt Peak National Observatory. The original DDO filter set C was used (see Paper I, 1968AJ.....73..313M). Table 1 contains DDO photometry on 52 bright late-type giants for calibration. Most G8 to M0 stars, luminosity class III, V<4.0mag, north of {delta}=-10{deg}, supplement the original stars from Paper I. Table 4 includes both DDO and UBV photometry for stars from Schmitt (1967 thesis, Univ. Michigan, Ann Arbor) and Spinrad and Taylor (1967AJ.....72S.320S). Reddening values were computed using the method of McClure and Racine (1969AJ.....74.1000M).
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/778/L13
- Title:
- Subaru new Ca filter transmission function
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/778/L13
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- Recent spectroscopic observations of the outer halo globular cluster (GC) NGC 2419 show that it is unique among GCs, in terms of chemical abundance patterns, and some suggest that it was originated in the nucleus of a dwarf galaxy. Here we show, from the Subaru narrowband photometry employing a calcium filter, that the red giant branch (RGB) of this GC is split into two distinct subpopulations. Comparison with spectroscopy has confirmed that the redder RGB stars in the hk[=(Ca-b)-(b-y)] index are enhanced in [Ca/H] by ~0.2dex compared to the bluer RGB stars. Our population model further indicates that the calcium-rich second generation stars are also enhanced in helium abundance by a large amount ({Delta}Y=0.19). Our photometry, together with the results for other massive GCs (e.g., {omega} Cen, M22, and NGC 1851), suggests that the discrete distribution of RGB stars in the hk index might be a universal characteristic of this growing group of peculiar GCs. The planned narrowband calcium photometry for the Local Group dwarf galaxies would help to establish an empirical connection between these GCs and the primordial building blocks in the hierarchical merging paradigm of galaxy formation.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/561/A36
- Title:
- The LickX Spectra library
- Short Name:
- J/A+A/561/A36
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- Collections of stellar spectra, often called stellar libraries, are useful in a variety of applications in the field of stellar populations. This is an attempt to improve the much-used Lick library of stellar spectra by removing jitter from the wavelength scale via cross-correlation, and calling the result the LickX library.
