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Full-Text Articles in Physics

The Mid-Infrared Luminosity Evolution And Luminosity Function Of Quasars With Wise And Sdss, Jack Singal Nov 2016

The Mid-Infrared Luminosity Evolution And Luminosity Function Of Quasars With Wise And Sdss, Jack Singal

Physics Faculty Publications

We determine the 22 μm luminosity evolution and luminosity function for quasars from a data set of over 20,000 objects obtained by combining flux-limited Sloan Digital Sky Survey optical and Wide field Infrared Survey Explorer mid-infrared data. We apply methods developed in previous works to access the intrinsic population distributions non-parametrically, taking into account the truncations and correlations inherent in the data. We find that the population of quasars exhibits positive luminosity evolution with redshift in the mid-infrared, but with considerably less mid-infrared evolution than in the optical or radio bands. With the luminosity evolutions accounted for, we determine …


The Intermediate-Line Region In Active Galactic Nuclei, T. P. Adhikari, A. Różańska, B. Czerny, K. Hryniewicz, Gary J. Ferland Oct 2016

The Intermediate-Line Region In Active Galactic Nuclei, T. P. Adhikari, A. Różańska, B. Czerny, K. Hryniewicz, Gary J. Ferland

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We show that the recently observed suppression of the gap between the broad-line region (BLR) and the narrow-line region (NLR) in some active galactic nuclei (AGNs) can be fully explained by an increase of the gas density in the emitting region. Our model predicts the formation of the intermediate-line region (ILR) that is observed in some Seyfert galaxies by the detection of emission lines with intermediate-velocity FWHM ~ 700–1200 km s−1. These lines are believed to be originating from an ILR located somewhere between the BLR and NLR. As was previously proved, the apparent gap is assumed to …


High-Velocity Bipolar Molecular Emission From An Agn Torus, Jack F. Gallimore, Moshe Elitzur, Robert Maiolino, Alessandro Marconi, Christopher P. O'Dea, Dieter Lutz, Stefi A. Baum, Robert Nikutta, C. M. V. Impellizzeri, Richard Davies, Amy E. Kimball, Eleonora Sani Sep 2016

High-Velocity Bipolar Molecular Emission From An Agn Torus, Jack F. Gallimore, Moshe Elitzur, Robert Maiolino, Alessandro Marconi, Christopher P. O'Dea, Dieter Lutz, Stefi A. Baum, Robert Nikutta, C. M. V. Impellizzeri, Richard Davies, Amy E. Kimball, Eleonora Sani

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We have detected in ALMA observations CO J = 6 → 5 emission from the nucleus of the Seyfert galaxy NGC 1068. The low-velocity (up to ±70 km s−1 relative to systemic) CO emission resolves into a 12 × 7 pc structure, roughly aligned with the nuclear radio source. Higher-velocity emission (up to ±400 km s−1) is consistent with a bipolar outflow in a direction nearly perpendicular (≃80°) to the nuclear disk. The position–velocity diagram shows that in addition to the outflow, the velocity field may also contain rotation about the disk axis. These observations provide compelling …


Ultraviolet Emission Lines Of Si Ii In Quasars—Investigating The "Si Ii Disaster", Sibasish Laha, Francis P. Keenan, Gary J. Ferland, Catherine A. Ramsbottom, Kanti M. Aggarwal Jun 2016

Ultraviolet Emission Lines Of Si Ii In Quasars—Investigating The "Si Ii Disaster", Sibasish Laha, Francis P. Keenan, Gary J. Ferland, Catherine A. Ramsbottom, Kanti M. Aggarwal

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

The observed line intensity ratios of the Si II λ1263 and λ1307 multiplets to that of Si II λ1814 in the broad-line region (BLR) of quasars are both an order of magnitude larger than the theoretical values. This was first pointed out by Baldwin et al., who termed it the "Si II disaster," and it has remained unresolved. We investigate the problem in the light of newly published atomic data for Si II. Specifically, we perform BLR calculations using several different atomic data sets within the CLOUDY modeling code under optically thick quasar cloud conditions. In addition, …


Possible Evolution Of Supermassive Black Holes From Fri Quasars, Matthew I. Kim, Damian J. Christian, David Garofalo, Jaclyn D'Avanzo May 2016

Possible Evolution Of Supermassive Black Holes From Fri Quasars, Matthew I. Kim, Damian J. Christian, David Garofalo, Jaclyn D'Avanzo

Faculty and Research Publications

We explore the question of the rapid buildup of black hole mass in the early universe employing a growing black hole mass-based determination of both jet and disc powers predicted in recent theoretical work on black hole accretion and jet formation. Despite simplified, even artificial assumptions about accretion and mergers, we identify an interesting low probability channel for the growth of one billion solar mass black holes within hundreds of millions of years of the big bang without appealing to super Eddington accretion. This result is made more compelling by the recognition of a connection between this channel and an …


Disc Outflows And High-Luminosity True Type 2 Agn, Moshe Elitzur, Hagai Netzer Mar 2016

Disc Outflows And High-Luminosity True Type 2 Agn, Moshe Elitzur, Hagai Netzer

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

The absence of intrinsic broad-line emission has been reported in a number of active galactic nuclei (AGN), including some with high Eddington ratios. Such ‘true type 2 AGN’ are inherent to the disc-wind scenario for the broad-line region: broad-line emission requires a minimal column density, implying a minimal outflow rate and thus a minimal accretion rate. Here we perform a detailed analysis of the consequences of mass conservation in the process of accretion through a central disc. The resulting constraints on luminosity are consistent with all the cases where claimed detections of true type 2 AGN pass stringent criteria, and …


Reconciling Ag-Star Formation, The Soltan Argument, And Meier's Paradox, David Garofalo, Matthew I. Kim, Damian J. Christian, Emily Hollingworth Jan 2016

Reconciling Ag-Star Formation, The Soltan Argument, And Meier's Paradox, David Garofalo, Matthew I. Kim, Damian J. Christian, Emily Hollingworth

Faculty and Research Publications

We provide a theoretical context for understanding the recent work of Kalfountzou et al. showing that star formation is enhanced at lower optical luminosity in radio-loud quasars. Our proposal for coupling the assumption of collimated FRII quasar-jet-induced star formation with lower accretion optical luminosity also explains the observed jet power peak in active galaxies at higher redshift compared to the peak in accretion power, doing so in a way that predicts the existence of a family of radio-quiet active galactic nuclei associated with rapidly spinning supermassive black holes at low redshift, as mounting observations suggest. The relevance of this work …