Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Star Formation In Self-Gravitating Disks In Active Galactic Nuclei. Ii. Episodic Formation Of Broad-Line Regions, Jian-Min Wang, Pu Du, Jack A. Baldwin, Jun-Qiang Ge, Chen Hu, Gary J. Ferland

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

This is the second in a series of papers discussing the process and effects of star formation in the self-gravitating disk around the supermassive black holes in active galactic nuclei (AGNs). We have previously suggested that warm skins are formed above the star-forming (SF) disk through the diffusion of warm gas driven by supernova explosions. Here we study the evolution of the warm skins when they are exposed to the powerful radiation from the inner part of the accretion disk. The skins initially are heated to the Compton temperature, forming a Compton atmosphere (CAS) whose subsequent evolution is divided into …

Star Formation In Self-Gravitating Disks In Active Galactic Nuclei. I. Metallicity Gradients In Broad-Line Regions, Jian-Min Wang, Jun-Qiang Ge, Chen Hu, Jack A. Baldwin, Yan-Rong Li, Gary J. Ferland, Fei Xiang, Chang-Shuo Yan, Shu Zhang

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

It has been suggested that the high metallicity generally observed in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and quasars originates from ongoing star formation in the self-gravitating part of accretion disks around supermassive black holes (SMBHs). We designate this region as the star-forming (SF) disk, in which metals are produced from supernova explosions (SNexp) while at the same time inflows are driven by SNexp-excited turbulent viscosity to accrete onto the SMBHs. In this paper, an equation of metallicity governed by SNexp and radial advection is established to describe the metal distribution and evolution in the SF disk. We find that the metal …

Emission From Hot Dust In The Infrared Spectra Of Gamma-Ray Bright Blazars, Michael P. Malmrose, Alan P. Marscher, Svetlana G. Jorstad, Robert Nikutta, Moshe Elitzur

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

A possible source of γ-ray photons observed from the jets of blazars is inverse Compton scattering by relativistic electrons of infrared seed photons from a hot, dusty torus in the nucleus. We use observations from the Spitzer Space Telescope to search for signatures of such dust in the infrared spectra of four γ-ray bright blazars, the quasars 4C 21.35, CTA102, and PKS 1510-089, and the BL Lacertae object ON231. The spectral energy distribution (SED) of 4C 21.35 contains a prominent infrared excess indicative of dust emission. After subtracting a non-thermal component with a power-law spectrum, we fit a …

Dusty Tori Of Luminous Type 1 Quasars At Z ~ 2, Rajesh P. Deo, Gordon T. Richards, Robert Nikutta, Moshe Elitzur, Sarah C. Gallagher, Željko Ivezić, Dean Hines

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We present Spitzer infrared (IR) spectra and ultraviolet (UV) to mid-IR spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of 25 luminous type 1 quasars at z ~ 2. In general, the spectra show a bump peaking around 3 μm and the 10 μm silicate emission feature. The 3 μm emission is identified with hot dust emission at its sublimation temperature. We explore two approaches to modeling the SED: (1) using the CLUMPY model SED from Nenkova et al. and (2) the CLUMPY model SED and an additional blackbody component to represent the 3 μm emission. In the first case, …

A New Activity Phase Of The Blazar 3c 454.3 Multifrequency Observations By The Webt And Xmm-Newton In 2007-2008, Niall Smith, Et. Al.

Blackrock Castle Observatory Publications

Aims: The Whole Earth Blazar Telescope (WEBT) consortium has been monitoring the blazar 3C 454.3 from the radio to the optical bands since 2004 to study its emission variability properties.

Methods: We present and analyse the multifrequency results of the 2007-2008 observing season, including XMM-Newton observations and near-IR spectroscopic monitoring, and compare the recent emission behaviour with the past one. The historical mm light curve is presented here for the first time.

Results: In the optical band we observed a multi-peak outburst in July-August 2007, and other faster events in November 2007-February 2008. During these outburst phases, several episodes of …

Agn Dusty Tori. Ii. Observational Implications Of Clumpiness, Maia Nenkova, Matthew M. Sirocky, Robert Nikutta, Željko Ivezić, Moshe Elitzur

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Clumpy torus models with N₀ ~ 5–15 dusty clouds along radial equatorial rays successfully explain AGN infrared observations. The dust has standard Galactic composition, with individual cloud optical depth τ_V ~ 30–100 at visual. The models naturally explain the observed behavior of the 10 μm silicate feature, in particular the lack of deep absorption features in AGNs of any type, and can reproduce the weak emission feature tentatively detected in type 2 QSOs. The clouds' angular distribution must have a soft edge, e.g., Gaussian, and the radial distribution should decrease as 1/r or 1/r^{2 …}

A Time Delay For The Cluster‐Lensed Quasar Sdss J1004+4112, J. Fohlmeister, C. S. Kochanek, E. E. Falco, J. Wambsganss, N. Morgan, C.W. Morgan, E.O. Ofek, D. Maoz, C.R. Keeton, J.C. Barentine, G. Dalton, J. Dembicky, W. Ketzeback, R. Mcmillan, C.S. Peters

Dartmouth Scholarship

We present 426 epochs of optical monitoring data spanning 1000 days from 2003 December to 2006 June for the gravitationally lensed quasar SDSS J1004+4112. The time delay between the A and B images is tBA . 38: 42: 0 days (2 . 4) in the expected sense that B leads A and the overall time ordering is C-B-A-D-E. The measured delay invalidates all published models. The models probably failed because they neglected the perturbations from cluster member galaxies. Models including the galaxies can fit the data well, but conclusions about the clustermass distribution should await themeasurement of the longer, and …

Hs 2331+3905: The Cataclysmic Variable That Has It All, S. Araujo-Betancor, B. T. Gänsicke, H.-J. Hagen, T. R. Marsh, E T. Harlaftis, J Thorstensen

Dartmouth Scholarship

We report detailed follow-up observations of the cataclysmic variable HS 2331+3905, identified as an emission- line object in the Hamburg Quasar Survey. An orbital period of 81.08 min is unambiguously determined from the detection of eclipses in the light curves of HS 2331+3905. A second photometric period is consistently detected at P ≃ 83.38 min, ∼2.8% longer than Porb, which we tentatively relate to the presence of permanent superhumps. High time resolution photometry exhibits short-timescale variability on time scales of ≃5−6 min which we interpret as non-radial white dwarf pulsations, as well as a coherent signal at 1.12 min, which …

Recovery Of The Power Spectrum Of Mass Fluctuations From Observations Of The Ly Alpha Forest, Rac Croft, Dh Weinberg, N Katz, L Hernquist

Astronomy Department Faculty Publication Series

We present a method to recover the shape and amplitude of the power spectrum of mass fluctuations, P(k), from observations of the high-redshift Lyα forest. The method is motivated by the physical picture that has emerged from hydrodynamic cosmological simulations and related semianalytic models, in which typical Lyα forest lines arise in a diffuse, continuous, fluctuating intergalactic medium. The thermal state of this low-density gas (δρ/ρ 10) is governed by simple physical processes, which lead to a tight correlation between the Lyα optical depth and the underlying matter density. To recover the mass power spectrum, we (1) …

The Observability Of Metal Lines Associated With The Ly Alpha Forest, U Hellsten, L Hernquist, N Katz, Dh Weinberg

Astronomy Department Faculty Publication Series

We develop a prescription for characterizing the strengths of metal lines associated with Lyα forest absorbers (LYFAs) of a given neutral hydrogen column density N_{H I} and metallicity [O/H]. This line observability index (LOX) is line specific and translates, for weak lines, into a measure of the equivalent width. It can be evaluated quickly for thousands of transitions within the framework of a given model of the Lyα forest, providing a ranking of the absorption lines in terms of their strengths and enabling model builders to select the lines that deserve more detailed consideration, i.e., those that should be …

The Formation Of Quasars In Low-Luminosity Hosts Via Galaxy Harassment, G Lake, N Katz, B Moore

Astronomy Department Faculty Publication Series

We have simulated disk galaxies undergoing continual bombardment by other galaxies in a rich cluster. "Galaxy harassment" leads to dramatic evolution of smaller disk galaxies and provides an extremely effective mechanism for fueling a central quasar. Within a few billion years after a small disk galaxy enters the cluster environment, up to 90% of its gas can be driven into the inner 500 pc. Up to half of the mass can be transferred in a burst lasting just 100-200 Myr. This transport of gas to the center of galaxy is far more efficient than any mechanism proposed before. Galaxy harassment …

An Atlas Of Computed Equivalent Widths Of Quasar Broad Emission Lines, Kirk Korista, Jack Baldwin, Gary J. Ferland, Dima Verner

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We present graphically the results of several thousand photoionization calculations of broad emission-line clouds in quasars, spanning 7 orders of magnitude in hydrogen ionizing flux and particle density. The equivalent widths of 42 quasar emission lines are presented as contours in the particle density-ionizing flux plane for a typical incident continuum shape, solar chemical abundances, and cloud column density of N(H) = 10²³ cm^-2. Results are similarly given for a small subset of emission lines for two other column densities (10²² and 10²⁴ cm^-2), five other incident continuum shapes, and a gas …

Intergalactic Helium Absorption In Cold Dark Matter Models, Rac Croft, Dh Weinberg, N Katz, L Hernquist

Astronomy Department Faculty Publication Series

Observations from the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope and the Hubble Space Telescope have recently detected He II absorption along the lines of sight to two high-redshift quasars. We use cosmological simulations with gas dynamics to investigate He II absorption in the cold dark matter (CDM) theory of structure formation. We consider two Ω = 1 CDM models with different normalizations and one open universe (Ω₀ = 0.4) CDM model. The simulations incorporate the photoionizing UV background spectrum computed by Haardt & Madau, which is based on the output of observed quasars and reprocessing by the Lyα forest. The simulated …

The Opacity Of The Ly Alpha Forest And Implications For Omega(B) And The Ionizing Background, M Rauch, J Miraldaescude, Wl Sargent, Ta Barlow, Dh Weinberg, L Hernquist, N Katz, R Cen, Jp Ostriker

Astronomy Department Faculty Publication Series

We have measured the distribution function of the flux decrement D = 1 - e^-τ caused by Lyα forest absorption from intervening gas in the lines of sight to high-redshift QSOs from a sample of seven high-resolution QSO spectra obtained with the Keck telescope. The observed flux decrement distribution function (FDDF) is compared with the FDDF from two simulations of the Lyα forest: a ΛCDM model (with Ω = 0.4, Λ = 0.6), computed with the Eulerian code of Cen & Ostriker, and a standard cold dark matter (SCDM) model (with Ω = 1), computed with the smoothed particle …

Testing Cosmological Models Against The Abundance Of Damped Lyman-Alpha Absorbers, Jp Gardner, N Katz, Dh Weinberg, L Hernquist

Astronomy Department Faculty Publication Series

We calculate the number of damped Lyα absorbers expected in various popular cosmological models as a function of redshift and compare our predictions with observed abundances. The Press-Schechter formalism is used to obtain the distribution of halos with circular velocity in different cosmologies, and we calibrate the relation between circular velocity and absorption cross section using detailed gasdynamical simulations of a standard cold dark matter (CDM) model. Because of this calibration, our approach makes more realistic assumptions about the absorption properties of collapsed objects than previous, analytic calculations of the damped Lyα abundance. CDM models with Ω₀ = 1, …

Contemporaneous Iue, Euve, And High-Energy Observations Of 3c 273, E. Ramos, Menas Kafatos, A. Fruscione, F. C. Bruhweiler, I. M. Mchardy, R. C. Hartman, L. G. Titarchuk, C. Von Montigny

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

We present the results of our 1994 January and 1995 January observations of the quasar 3C 273 obtained with the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) and the Extreme-Ultraviolet Explorer (EUV E). These observations were part of a large multiwavelength campaign to observe 3C 273 from radio through γ-rays. Our 1995 January photometric observations with the EUV E Lexan/B Deep Survey (DS) instrument indicate strong evidence for variability, at a 99% confidence level, during the 12 day observing period. We have utilized ROSAT PSPC soft X-ray power-law models to correlate with EUV E count rates. Besides variations in the normalization level between …

The Origin Of N Iii Λ990 And C Iii Λ977 Emission In Agn Narrow-Line Region Gas, Jason W. Ferguson, Gary J. Ferland, A. K. Pradham

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We discuss implications of Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT) detections of C III λ977 and N III λ990 emission from the narrow-line region of the Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 1068. In their discovery paper Kriss et al. showed that the unexpectedly great strength of these lines implies that the emitting gas must be shock-heated if the lines are collisionally excited. Here we investigate other processes which excite these lines in photoionization equilibrium. Recombination, mainly dielectronic, and continuum fluorescence are strong contributors to the line. The resulting intensities are sensitive to the velocity field of the emitting gas and require …

The Optical-Ultraviolet-Γ-Ray Spectrum Of 3c 279, Hagai Netzer, D. Kazanas, Beverley J. Wills, D. Wills, Han Mingsheng, M. S. Brotherton, J A. Baldwin, Gary J. Ferland, I. W. A. Browne

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We have obtained spectrosocpy of the violently variable quasar 3C 279, simultaneous with γ-ray observations, in 1992 April. Our combined optical (McDonald Observatory and Cerro Tololo InterAmerican Observatory (CTIO) and ultraviolet (HST) observations, made when the source was faint, show a very steep power-law continuum (F_ν∝ν^-1.95) and strong broad emission lines. This is the first time that the broad ultraviolet lines of this object have been measured, and we note several unusual properties of the spectrum. In particular, the profiles of C IV λ1549 and Mg II λ …

The Narrow-Line Region Of High-Luminosity Active Galactic Nuclei, Beverley J. Wills, H. Netzer, M. S. Brotherton, Mingsheng Han, D. Wills, J. A. Baldwin, Gary J. Ferland, I. W. A. Browne

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We have made high signal-to-noise spectroscopic observations of seven radio-loud quasars with the Faint Object Spectrograph on the Hubble Space Telescope and from the ground at McDonald Observatory and at Kitt Peak National Observatory. The resolution is 300-400 km s^-1 over the wavelength range 1000-8500 Å, enabling us to separate the broad and narrow components of the emission lines. This is the first study of the optical and UV narrow lines in such high-luminosity active galactic nuclei (AGNs).

The most important and striking observational result is the relative weakness of the narrow ultraviolet lines, assuming that they have …

An Overview Of First Results From Comptel, V. Schonfelder, H Aarts, K Bennett, H Bloemen, H Deboer, M Busetta, W Collmar, A Connors, R Diehl, J W. Den Herder, W Hermsen, L Kuiper, G G. Lichti, J Lockwood, John R. Macri, Mark L. Mcconnell, D Morris, R Much, James M. Ryan, G. Simpson, J G. Stacy, H Steinle, A W. Strong, B Swanenburg, B G. Taylor, M Varendorff, C De Vries, W Webber, C Winkler

Space Science Center

COMPTEL is the first imaging telescope to explore the MeV gamma-ray range (0.7 to 30 MeV). At present, it is performing a complete sky survey. Targets of special interest in the COMPTEL energy range are radio pulsars, X-ray binaries, novae, supernovae, supernova remnants, mulecular clouds, the interstellar medium within the Milky Way, active galactic nuclei, and the diffuse cosmic background radiation. The data from the first half year of the mission have demonstrated that COMPTEL performs as expected. The Crab is clearly seen at its proper position in the first images of the anticenter region of the galaxy. The Crab …

Comptel Detections Of The Quasars 3c 273 And 3c 279, W Hermsen, H Aarts, K Bennett, H Bloemen, H Deboer, W Collmar, A Connors, R Diehl, R Vandijk, J W. Den Herder, L Kuiper, G G. Lichti, J Lockwood, John R. Macri, Mark L. Mcconnell, D Morris, James M. Ryan, V. Schonfelder, G. Simpson, H Steinle, A W. Strong, B Swanenburg, C De Vries, W Webber, O R. Williams, C Winkler

Physics & Astronomy

The COMPTEL experiment aboard the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, sensitive in the energy range from about 0.7 to 30 MeV, observed the high-latitude region containing 3C 273 and 3C 279 during a 2-week period in June, 1991. A search for sources using a maximum likelihood analysis revealed two statistically significant point-like excesses, the positions of which are consistent with those of 3C 273 and 3C 279. These sources are the first QSOs detected at MeV energies. In the COMPTEL energy domain their spectra appear to be greatly different. A comparison with earlier and simultaneous measurements in neighboring energy ranges indicates …

Discovery Of A Lyα Galaxy Near A Damped Lyα Absorber At Z = 2.3, James D. Lowenthal, Craig J. Hogan, Richard F. Green, Adeline Caulet, Bruce E. Woodgate, Larry Brown, Craig B. Foltz

Astronomy: Faculty Publications

We report the detection of a galaxy associated with the damped Lyα absorbing cloud seen at z = 2.309 toward the QSO PHL 957 (zem = 2.681). The galaxy was discovered in deep Fabry-Perot narrow-band CCD frames and was subsequently imaged spectroscopically. In addition to a strong but narrow Lyα emission line (FLyα = 5.6 × 10-16 ergs s-1 cm-2, FWHM ∼ 700 km s-1) and weaker C IV and He II lines, the object shows continuum at V ∼ 24, with a slope (in Fν) rising slightly toward the red, similar to what is seen in high-redshift radio galaxies; …

Emission From The Z = 2 Damped Lyα Absorber Toward Q1215 + 333, Richard Elston, Jill Bechtold, James Lowenthal, Marcia Rieke

Astronomy: Faculty Publications

We have detected narrow emission lines at 1.118 μm and 1.456 μm in the spectrum of the z = 2.606 quasar Q1215 + 333, corresponding to [O II] λ3727 and Hβ at z = 1.9984, the redshift of a damped Lyα absorber toward this quasar. The intensity of the Hβ line is 7.6 ± 2 × 10-16 ergs cm-2 s-1, which corresponds to a line luminosity of 5 × 1042 ergs s-1 h-2100 (q0 = 0.5). If we assume that the photoionization producing the emission is due purely to massive star formation with a Salpeter initial mass function, we find …

Moderate-Resolution Spectroscopy Of The Lensed Quasar 2237+0305: A Search For Ca Ii Absorption Due To The Interstellar Medium In The Foreground Lensing Galaxy, P. Hintzen, S. P. Maran, A. G. Michalitsianos, C. B. Foltz, F. H. Chafee, Menas Kafatos

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

The gravitational lens system 2237 + 0305 consists of a low-redshift barred spiral galaxy (z = 0.0394) centered on a more distant quasar (z = 1.695). Because the lensing galaxy is nearly face on, spectroscopy of the background quasar affords a unique opportunity to study the interstellar medium in the galaxy's center and buW:. We report moderate-resolution spectroscopy of QS02237 + 0305 yielding a 3u upper limit of 72 rnA forthe rest equivalent width of Ca II K absorption d);le to gas in the intervening galaxy. Since gas in the Milky Way "thick disk" typically produces 220 mA Ca II …

The Unusual Ultraviolet Variability Of The Qso 3c 232, C. Bruhweilier, Menas Kafatos, U. J. Sofia

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

After examining ultraviolet IUE spectra of 18 QSOs with z > 0.35, we find that one object, 3C 232 (z = 0.533), stands out as exhibiting highly unusual spectral and continuum variability. The H 1-Lya shows at least 50% variability on a time scale of roughly a month, while the ultraviolet continuum exhibited approximately a factor of 2 decrease in a day. The magnitude of the UV continuum variability is reminiscent of that seen in the optically violent variables at visual wavelengths. Several spectral features at wavelengths shortward of H I-Lya in the rest frame are identified. A brief discussion COJ?lparing …

Radiation Pressure And The Stability Of Broad-Line Region Clouds, Gary J. Ferland, Moshe Elitzur

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We discuss two constraints on the existence and stability of quasar emission-line gas. The case of a constant pressure photoionized cloud in pressure equilibrium with a surrounding hot gas is considered. We show that the radiation pressure of the internally generated line emission makes a significant contribution to the total pressure in standard broad-line region models, and that models with either a higher ionization parameter or lower gas density are dominated by radiation pressure and hence unstable. Further, clouds with ionization parameters lower than the standard value cannot be supported by any hot gas which is heated only by the …

Gamma Rays From Penrose Powered Black Holes In Centaurus A, 3c 273, And Ngc 4151, Menas Kafatos

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Gamma-ray observations of active galaxies have important consequences for theories of the activity in their nuclei. The observations of Cen A, 3C 273, and NGC 4151 are examined under the assumption that Penrose collision processes in the ergospheres of massive black holes power their nuclei. The observed sharp break in the MeV region of the NGC 4151 spectrum cannot be due to the γ-γ pair production process. We attribute this break to the Penrose Compton scattering (PCS), in which γ-rays escape from the ergosphere as a result of Penrose processes involving electrons and lower energy X-ray photons in the ergosphere …

Penrose Pair Production As A Power Source Of Quasars And Active Galactic Nuclei, Menas Kafatos, D. Leiter

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

In this paper we propose a new mechanism, Penrose pair production in massive, canonical (with a/M = 0.998) Kerr black holes, as a power source in quasars, Seyfert galaxies, radio galaxies, and BL Lac objects (i.e., what one usually refers to as active nuclei). As a working hypothesis, we postulate that massive (10^8 M0 or around this value) Kerr black holes reside in the centers of these objects. We also postulate that an accretion disk is formed. In a variety of models, hot, inner disks are expected. If the temperature is sufficiently high-as, for example, in the two-temperature model-then MeV …

Penrose Pair Production In Massive, Extreme Kerr Black Holes, D. Leiter, Menas Kafatos

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

We show that in the case of very massive (M > 108 M0 ) Kerr black holes with extreme ranges of angular momentum 1 ≥ a/M > 0.998, the possibility of photon-induced Penrose pair production (PPP) in the ergosphere is very plausible. The pairs that escape the ergosphere are very high energy and on the order of the GeV rest mass of the Penrose accreted protons which participate in the photon-induced pair production process. Application of this model to the case of quasistellar objects (QSOs) is shown to lead to reasonable predictions about their masses, lifetimes, and luminosities. The physical mechanism is …