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Articles 1 - 30 of 34
Full-Text Articles in External Galaxies
Measuring Cosmic Expansion From Early To Late Times Using Quasars, Galaxies, & Local Supernovae, Rajeev Vaisakh
Measuring Cosmic Expansion From Early To Late Times Using Quasars, Galaxies, & Local Supernovae, Rajeev Vaisakh
Physics Theses and Dissertations
This dissertation investigates the evolution of cosmic expansion across a wide redshift ($z$) range by combining measurements from quasars \& galaxies in the distant universe $(z > 0.8)$ with those obtained from stripped-core collapse supernovae observations from the nearby universe $(z < 0.1)$. Using the DESI spectroscopic survey, we analyze large-scale clustering from quasars over $0.8 < z < 2.1$ and emission line galaxies over $0.8 < z < 1.6$, contributing to DESI DR2 BAO and full-shape measurements of cosmic expansion and structure growth. Combined with BBN in flat $\Lambda$CDM, DESI DR2 BAO gives $H_0 = 68.51 \pm 0.58$ km s$^{-1}$ Mpc$^{-1}$, while combinations of DESI BAO with CMB and supernova data show a preference for evolving dark energy, with representative constraints such as $w_0 = -0.752 \pm 0.057$ and $w_a = -0.86^{+0.23}_{-0.20}$ for DESI+CMB+DESY5. Using the ROTSE-III Supernova Survey and the expanding photosphere method (EPM), we measure distances to a sample of six supernovae for which the thermal phase can be clearly identified. This analysis focuses on testing whether reliable EPM distances can be obtained for this population. The resulting distances will eventually be compared with independent estimates from the literature. Establishing consistency with these external measurements represents an important step toward applying this methodology to larger samples, with the eventual goal of using ROTSE supernova distances to provide an independent measurement of the local Hubble constant.
Active Galactic Nuclei - The Arrhythmic Beat Of A Galactic Heart, Henry James Best V
Active Galactic Nuclei - The Arrhythmic Beat Of A Galactic Heart, Henry James Best V
Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) are generally believed to be supermassive black holes (SMBHs) at the center of galaxies which are actively accreting material from the host galaxy. Through this process, they emit radiation across the electromagnetic spectrum both as a smooth continuum and emission lines. However, there is a great variety of the signals we observe–some faint, some bright, some variable and others steady. The wide array of signals produced by AGN is believed to encode both the geometry and the physics surrounding these SMBHs, making them a valuable target for understanding the high gravity limit, their feedback mechanisms to …
Galaxy And Mass Assembly (Gama): Low-Redshift Quasars And Inactive Galaxies Have Similar Neighbors, Maria B. Stone, Clare F. Wethers, Roberto De Propris, Jari Kotilainen, Nischal Acharya, Benne W. Holwerda, Jonathan Loveday, Steven Phillipps
Galaxy And Mass Assembly (Gama): Low-Redshift Quasars And Inactive Galaxies Have Similar Neighbors, Maria B. Stone, Clare F. Wethers, Roberto De Propris, Jari Kotilainen, Nischal Acharya, Benne W. Holwerda, Jonathan Loveday, Steven Phillipps
Faculty and Staff Scholarship
We explore the properties of galaxies in the proximity (within a ∼2 Mpc radius sphere) of Type I quasars at 0.1 <z <0.35, to check whether and how an active galaxy influences the properties of its neighbors. We further compare these with the properties of neighbors around inactive galaxies of the same mass and redshift within the same volume of space, using the Galaxy and Mass Assembly spectroscopic survey. Our observations reveal no significant difference in properties such as the number of neighbors, morphologies, stellar mass, star formation rates, and star formation history between the neighbors of quasars and those of the comparison sample. This implies that quasar activity in a host galaxy does not significantly affect its neighbors (e.g., via interactions with the jets). Our results suggest that quasar host galaxies do not strongly differ from the average galaxy within the specified mass and redshift range. Additionally, the implication of the relatively minor importance of the environmental effect on and from quasars is that nuclear activity is more likely triggered by internal and secular processes.
Extreme Ultraviolet Quasar Colours From Galex Observations Of The Sdss Dr14q Catalogue, Daniel E. Vanden Berk, Sarah C. Wesolowski, Mary J. Yeckley, Joseph M. Marcinik, Jean M. Quashnock, Lawrence M. Machia, Jian Wu
Extreme Ultraviolet Quasar Colours From Galex Observations Of The Sdss Dr14q Catalogue, Daniel E. Vanden Berk, Sarah C. Wesolowski, Mary J. Yeckley, Joseph M. Marcinik, Jean M. Quashnock, Lawrence M. Machia, Jian Wu
Computer Science Faculty Publications
The rest-frame far to extreme ultraviolet (UV) colour–redshift relationship has been constructed from data on over 480,000 quasars carefully cross-matched between SDSS Data Release 14 and the final GALEX photometric catalogue. UV matching and detection probabilities are given for all the quasars, including dependencies on separation, optical brightness, and redshift. Detection limits are also provided for all objects. The UV colour distributions are skewed redward at virtually all redshifts, especially when detection limits are accounted for. The median GALEX far-UV minus near-UV (FUV − NUV) colour–redshift relation is reliably determined up to z ≈ 2.8, corresponding to rest-frame wavelengths as …
Preparing A Database Of Extremely High Velocity Outflows In Quasars, Griffin Kowash, Carla P. Quintero, Sean S. Haas, Paola Rodriguez Hidalgo
Preparing A Database Of Extremely High Velocity Outflows In Quasars, Griffin Kowash, Carla P. Quintero, Sean S. Haas, Paola Rodriguez Hidalgo
IdeaFest: Interdisciplinary Journal of Creative Works and Research from Cal Poly Humboldt
No abstract provided.
Studying The Potential Of The [Oii] Emission Line As A Surrogate For Stellar Velocity Dispersion In Active Galactic Nuclei, Edward F. Donohue
Studying The Potential Of The [Oii] Emission Line As A Surrogate For Stellar Velocity Dispersion In Active Galactic Nuclei, Edward F. Donohue
Physics
We study the emission profiles of 80 active galaxies to find a surrogate for stellar velocity dispersion. We focus on the width of the emission line of once ionized oxygen, [OII], and compare our results to previous work that used [OIII]. In previous research, [OIII] was found to be a good candidate for a surrogate for stellar velocity dispersion, but analysis of the line was complicated by the presence of wings caused by gas infall and outflow in the region. Emission lines with lower ionization levels, like [OII], are known to have less artificial line-broadening from wings. The study of …
How Many Quasars Have Extremely High Velocity Outflows?, Carla P. Quintero, Sean S. Haas, Paola Rodriguez Hidalgo
How Many Quasars Have Extremely High Velocity Outflows?, Carla P. Quintero, Sean S. Haas, Paola Rodriguez Hidalgo
IdeaFest: Interdisciplinary Journal of Creative Works and Research from Cal Poly Humboldt
No abstract provided.
A Multiwavelength Continuum Characterization Of High-Redshift Broad Absorption Line Quasars, D. Tuccillo, G. Bruni, M. A. Dipompeo, M. S. Brotherton
A Multiwavelength Continuum Characterization Of High-Redshift Broad Absorption Line Quasars, D. Tuccillo, G. Bruni, M. A. Dipompeo, M. S. Brotherton
Dartmouth Scholarship
We present the results of a multiwavelength study of a sample of high-redshift radio-loud (RL) broad absorption line (BAL) quasars. This way, we extend to higher redshift previous studies on the radio properties and broad-band optical colours of these objects. We have selected a sample of 22 RL BAL quasars with 3.6 ≤ z ≤ 4.8 cross-correlating the FIRST radio survey with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). Flux densities between 1.25 and 9.5 GHz have been collected with the Jansky Very Large Array and Effelsberg-100 m telescopes for 15 BAL and 14 non-BAL quasars used as a comparison sample. …
Data Mining By Grid Computing In The Search For Extrasolar Planets, Oisin Creaner [Thesis]
Data Mining By Grid Computing In The Search For Extrasolar Planets, Oisin Creaner [Thesis]
Doctoral
A system is presented here to provide improved precision in ensemble differential photometry. This is achieved by using the power of grid computing to analyse astronomical catalogues. This produces new catalogues of optimised pointings for each star, which maximise the number and quality of reference stars available. Astronomical phenomena such as exoplanet transits and small-scale structure within quasars may be observed by means of millimagnitude photometric variability on the timescale of minutes to hours. Because of atmospheric distortion, ground-based observations of these phenomena require the use of differential photometry whereby the target is compared with one or more reference stars. …
A Scuba-2 Survey Of Felobal Qsos. Are Felobals In A ‘Transition Phase’ Between Ulirgs And Qsos?, Giulio Violino, Kristen E. K. Coppin, Jason A. Stevens, Duncan Farrah, James E. Geach, Dave M. Alexander, Ryan Hickox
A Scuba-2 Survey Of Felobal Qsos. Are Felobals In A ‘Transition Phase’ Between Ulirgs And Qsos?, Giulio Violino, Kristen E. K. Coppin, Jason A. Stevens, Duncan Farrah, James E. Geach, Dave M. Alexander, Ryan Hickox
Dartmouth Scholarship
It is thought that a class of broad absorption line (BAL) QSOs, characterised by Fe absorption features in their UV spectra (called `FeLoBALs'), could mark a transition stage between the end of an obscured starburst event and a youthful QSO beginning to shed its dust cocoon, where Fe has been injected into the interstellar medium by the starburst. To test this hypothesis we have undertaken deep SCUBA-2 850 μm observations of a sample of 17 FeLoBAL QSOs with 0.89 ≤ z ≤ 2.78 and -23.31 ≤ MB ≤-28.50 to directly detect an excess in the thermal emission of the dust …
The Mid-Infrared Luminosity Evolution And Luminosity Function Of Quasars With Wise And Sdss, Jack Singal
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 …
Peering Through The Dust: Nustar Observations Of Two First-2mass Red Quasars, Stephanie M. Lamassa, Angelo Ricarte, Eilat Glikman, C. Megan Urry, Daniel Stern, Tahir Yaqoob, George B. Lansbury, Francesca Civano
Peering Through The Dust: Nustar Observations Of Two First-2mass Red Quasars, Stephanie M. Lamassa, Angelo Ricarte, Eilat Glikman, C. Megan Urry, Daniel Stern, Tahir Yaqoob, George B. Lansbury, Francesca Civano
Dartmouth Scholarship
Some reddened quasars appear to be transitional objects in the merger-induced black hole growth/galaxy evolution paradigm, where a heavily obscured nucleus starts to be unveiled by powerful quasar winds evacuating the surrounding cocoon of dust and gas. Hard X-ray observations are able to peer through this gas and dust, revealing the properties of circumnuclear obscuration. Here, we present NuSTAR and XMM-Newton/Chandra observations of FIRST-2MASS selected red quasars F2M 0830+3759 and F2M 1227+3214. We find that though F2M 0830+3759 is moderately obscured (NH,Z=2.1±0.2×1022 cm−2) and F2M 1227+3214 is mildly absorbed (NH,Z=3.4+0.8−0.7×1021 cm−2 …
The Impact Of The Dusty Torus On Obscured Quasar Halo Mass Measurements, M. A. Dipompeo, J. C. Runnoe, R. C. Hickox, A. D. Myers, J. E. Geach
The Impact Of The Dusty Torus On Obscured Quasar Halo Mass Measurements, M. A. Dipompeo, J. C. Runnoe, R. C. Hickox, A. D. Myers, J. E. Geach
Dartmouth Scholarship
Recent studies have found that obscured quasars cluster more strongly and are thus hosted by dark matter haloes of larger mass than their unobscured counterparts. These results pose a challenge for the simplest unification models, in which obscured objects are intrinsically the same as unobscured sources but seen through a dusty line of sight. There is general consensus that a structure like a "dusty torus" exists, meaning that this intrinsic similarity is likely the case for at least some subset of obscured quasars. However, the larger host halo masses of obscured quasars implies that there is a second obscured population …
Gamma-Rays From The Quasar Pks 1441+25: Story Of An Escape, P. T. Reynolds, Et Al
Gamma-Rays From The Quasar Pks 1441+25: Story Of An Escape, P. T. Reynolds, Et Al
Physical Sciences Publications
Outbursts from gamma-ray quasars provide insights on the relativistic jets of active galactic nuclei and constraints on the diffuse radiation fields that fill the universe. The detection of significant emission above 100 GeV from a distant quasar would show that some of the radiated gamma-rays escape pair-production interactions with low-energy photons, be it the extragalactic background light (EBL), or the radiation near the supermassive black hole lying at the jet's base. VERITAS detected gamma-ray emission up to ~200 GeV from PKS 1441+25 (z = 0.939) during 2015 April, a period of high activity across all wavelengths. This observation of …
Population Dynamics In Active Galactic Nuclei, Jon Bessler
Population Dynamics In Active Galactic Nuclei, Jon Bessler
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
The goal of this thesis is to present an approach to understanding the dynamics that govern the evolution of active galactic nuclei (AGN) in general, and those associated with spiral galaxies in particular. This approach starts with the continuity equation governing the mass function for a population of supermassive black holes (SMBHs). This approach is then extended to the luminosity function for AGN. Where the dynamical parameters that govern accretion are fairly well known, those values are adopted. The values that are not as well known are constrained by comparing evolved luminosity functions with observed luminosity functions. Boundary conditions for …
A Connection Between Obscuration And Star Formation In Luminous Quasars, Chien-Ting J. Chen, Ryan C. Hickox, Stacey Alberts, Chris M. Harrison
A Connection Between Obscuration And Star Formation In Luminous Quasars, Chien-Ting J. Chen, Ryan C. Hickox, Stacey Alberts, Chris M. Harrison
Dartmouth Scholarship
We present a measurement of the star formation properties of a uniform sample of mid-IR selected, unobscured and obscured quasars (QSO1s and QSO2s) in the Bo\"otes survey region. We use an spectral energy distribution (SED) analysis for photometric data spanning optical to far-IR wavelengths to decompose AGN and host galaxy components. We find that when compared to a matched sample of QSO1s, the QSO2s have higher far-IR detection fractions, far-IR fluxes and infrared star formation luminosities (LSFIR) by a factor of ∼2. Correspondingly, we show that the AGN obscured fraction rises from 0.3 to 0.7 between 4−40×10 …
A Spectroscopic Survey Of Wise -Selected Obscured Quasars With The Southern African Large Telescope, Kevin N. Hainline, Ryan C. Hickox, Christopher M. Carroll, Adam D. Myers
A Spectroscopic Survey Of Wise -Selected Obscured Quasars With The Southern African Large Telescope, Kevin N. Hainline, Ryan C. Hickox, Christopher M. Carroll, Adam D. Myers
Dartmouth Scholarship
We present the results of an optical spectroscopic survey of a sample of 40 candidate obscured quasars identified on the basis of their mid-infrared emission detected by the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). Optical spectra for this survey were obtained using the Robert Stobie Spectrograph on the Southern African Large Telescope. Our sample was selected with WISE colors characteristic of active galactic nuclei (AGNs), as well as red optical to mid-IR colors indicating that the optical/UV AGN continuum is obscured by dust. We obtain secure redshifts for the majority of the objects that comprise our sample (35/40), and …
A Uv To Mid-Ir Study Of Agn Selection, Sun Mi Chung, Christopher S. Kochanek, Roberto Assef, Michael J. I. Brown, Daniel Stern, Buell T. Jannuzi, Anthony H. Gonzalez, Ryan C. Hickox, John Moustakas
A Uv To Mid-Ir Study Of Agn Selection, Sun Mi Chung, Christopher S. Kochanek, Roberto Assef, Michael J. I. Brown, Daniel Stern, Buell T. Jannuzi, Anthony H. Gonzalez, Ryan C. Hickox, John Moustakas
Dartmouth Scholarship
We classify the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of 431,038 sources in the 9 deg2 Boötes field of the NOAO Deep Wide-Field Survey (NDWFS). There are up to 17 bands of data available per source, including ultraviolet (GALEX), optical (NDWFS), near-IR (NEWFIRM), and mid-infrared (IRAC and MIPS) data, as well as spectroscopic redshifts for ~20,000 objects, primarily from the AGN and Galaxy Evolution Survey. We fit galaxy, active galactic nucleus (AGN), stellar, and brown dwarf templates to the observed SEDs, which yield spectral classes for the Galactic sources and photometric redshifts and galaxy/AGN luminosities for the extragalactic sources. …
Obscuration By Gas And Dust In Luminous Quasars, S. M. Usman, S. S. Murray, R. C. Hickox, M. Brodwin
Obscuration By Gas And Dust In Luminous Quasars, S. M. Usman, S. S. Murray, R. C. Hickox, M. Brodwin
Dartmouth Scholarship
We explore the connection between absorption by neutral gas and extinction by dust in mid-infrared (IR) selected luminous quasars. We use a sample of 33 quasars at redshifts 0.7 < z < 3 in the 9 deg^2 Bo\"otes multiwavelength survey field that are selected using Spitzer Space Telescope Infrared Array Camera colors and are well-detected as luminous X-ray sources (with >150 counts) in Chandra observations. We divide the quasars into dust-obscured and unobscured samples based on their optical to mid-IR color, and measure the neutral hydrogen column density N_H through fitting of the X-ray spectra. We find that all subsets of quasars have consistent power law photon indices equal to 1.9 that are uncorrelated with N_H. We classify the quasars as gas-absorbed or gas-unabsorbed if N_H > 10^22 cm^-2 or N_H < 10^22 cm^-2, respectively. Of 24 dust-unobscured quasars in the sample, only one shows clear evidence for significant intrinsic N_H, while 22 have column densities consistent with N_H < 10^22 cm^-2. In contrast, of the nine dust-obscured quasars, six show evidence for intrinsic gas absorption, and three are consistent with N_H < 10^22 cm^-2. We conclude that dust extinction in IR-selected quasars is strongly correlated with significant gas absorption as determined through X-ray spectral fitting. These results suggest that obscuring gas and dust in quasars are generally co-spatial, and confirm the reliability of simple mid-IR and optical photometric techniques for separating quasars based on obscuration.
Gemini Long-Slit Observations Of Luminous Obscured Quasars: Further Evidence For An Upper Limit On The Size Of The Narrow-Line Region, Kevin N. Hainline, Ryan C. Hickox, Jenny E. Greene, Adam D. Myers
Gemini Long-Slit Observations Of Luminous Obscured Quasars: Further Evidence For An Upper Limit On The Size Of The Narrow-Line Region, Kevin N. Hainline, Ryan C. Hickox, Jenny E. Greene, Adam D. Myers
Dartmouth Scholarship
We examine the spatial extent of the narrow-line regions (NLRs) of a sample of 30 luminous obscured quasars at 0.4 < z < 0.7 observed with spatially resolved Gemini-N GMOS long-slit spectroscopy. Using the [O III] λ5007 emission feature, we estimate the size of the NLR using a cosmology-independent measurement: the radius where the surface brightness falls to 10–15 erg s–1 cm–2 arcsec–2. We then explore the effects of atmospheric seeing on NLR size measurements and conclude that direct measurements of the NLR size from observed profiles are too large by 0.1-0.2 dex on average, as compared to measurements made to best-fit Sérsic or Voigt profiles convolved with the seeing. These data, which span a full order of magnitude in IR luminosity (log (L 8 μm/erg s–1) = 44.4-45.4), …
Weighing Obscured And Unobscured Quasar Hosts With The Cosmic Microwave Background, M. A. Dipompeo, A. D. Myers, R. C. Hickox, J. E. Geach, G. Holder, K. N. Hainline, S. W. Hall
Weighing Obscured And Unobscured Quasar Hosts With The Cosmic Microwave Background, M. A. Dipompeo, A. D. Myers, R. C. Hickox, J. E. Geach, G. Holder, K. N. Hainline, S. W. Hall
Dartmouth Scholarship
We cross-correlate a cosmic microwave background (CMB) lensing map with the projected space densities of quasars to measure the bias and halo masses of a quasar sample split into obscured and unobscured populations, the first application of this method to distinct quasar subclasses. Several recent studies of the angular clustering of obscured quasars have shown that these objects likely reside in higher-mass halos compared to their unobscured counterparts. This has important implications for models of the structure and geometry of quasars, their role in growing supermassive black holes, and mutual quasar/host galaxy evolution. However, the magnitude and significance of this …
Black Hole Variability And The Star Formation-Active Galactic Nucleus Connection: Do All Star-Forming Galaxies Host An Active Galactic Nucleus?, Ryan C. Hickox, James R. Mullaney, David M. Alexander, Chien-Ting J. Chen, Francesca M. Civano, Andy D. Goulding, Kevin N. Hainline
Black Hole Variability And The Star Formation-Active Galactic Nucleus Connection: Do All Star-Forming Galaxies Host An Active Galactic Nucleus?, Ryan C. Hickox, James R. Mullaney, David M. Alexander, Chien-Ting J. Chen, Francesca M. Civano, Andy D. Goulding, Kevin N. Hainline
Dartmouth Scholarship
We investigate the effect of active galactic nucleus (AGN) variability on the observed connection between star formation and black hole accretion in extragalactic surveys. Recent studies have reported relatively weak correlations between observed AGN luminosities and the properties of AGN hosts, which has been interpreted to imply that there is no direct connection between AGN activity and star formation. However, AGNs may be expected to vary significantly on a wide range of timescales (from hours to Myr) that are far shorter than the typical timescale for star formation (100 Myr). This variability can have important consequences for observed correlations. We …
The Halo Occupation Distribution Of X-Ray-Bright Active Galactic Nuclei: A Comparison With Luminous Quasars, Jonathan Richardson, Suchetana Chatterjee, Zheng Zheng, Adam D. Myers, Ryan Hickox
The Halo Occupation Distribution Of X-Ray-Bright Active Galactic Nuclei: A Comparison With Luminous Quasars, Jonathan Richardson, Suchetana Chatterjee, Zheng Zheng, Adam D. Myers, Ryan Hickox
Dartmouth Scholarship
We perform halo occupation distribution (HOD) modeling of the projected two-point correlation function (2PCF) of high-redshift (z~1.2) X-ray-bright active galactic nuclei (AGN) in the XMM-COSMOS field measured by Allevato et al. The HOD parameterization is based on low-luminosity AGN in cosmological simulations. At the median redshift of z~1.2, we derive a median mass of (1.02+0.21/-0.23)x10^{13} Msun/h for halos hosting central AGN and an upper limit of ~10% on the AGN satellite fraction. Our modeling results indicate (at the 2.5-sigma level) that X-ray AGN reside in more massive halos compared to more bolometrically luminous, optically-selected quasars at similar redshift. The modeling …
Spectral Energy Distributions Of Type 1 Agn In Xmm-Cosmos – Ii. Shape Evolution, Heng Hao, Martin Elvis, Francesca Civano, Gianni Zamorani
Spectral Energy Distributions Of Type 1 Agn In Xmm-Cosmos – Ii. Shape Evolution, Heng Hao, Martin Elvis, Francesca Civano, Gianni Zamorani
Dartmouth Scholarship
The mid-infrared to ultraviolet (0.1 -- 10 μm) spectral energy distribution (SED) shapes of 407 X-ray-selected radio-quiet type 1 AGN in the wide-field ``Cosmic Evolution Survey" (COSMOS) have been studied for signs of evolution. For a sub-sample of 200 radio-quiet quasars with black hole mass estimates and host galaxy corrections, we studied their mean SEDs as a function of a broad range of redshift, bolometric luminosity, black hole mass and Eddington ratio, and compared them with the Elvis et al. (1994, E94) type 1 AGN mean SED. We found that the mean SEDs in each bin are closely similar to …
Finding Rare Agn: Xmm-Newton And Chandra Observations Of Sdss Stripe 82, Stephanie M. Lamassa, C. Megan Urry, Nico Cappelluti, Francesca Civano
Finding Rare Agn: Xmm-Newton And Chandra Observations Of Sdss Stripe 82, Stephanie M. Lamassa, C. Megan Urry, Nico Cappelluti, Francesca Civano
Dartmouth Scholarship
We have analysed the XMM–Newton and Chandra data overlapping ∼16.5 deg2 of Sloan Digital Sky Survey Stripe 82, including ∼4.6 deg2 of proprietary XMM–Newton data that we present here. In total, 3362 unique X-ray sources are detected at high significance. We derive the XMM–Newton number counts and compare them with our previously reported Chandra logN–logS relations and other X-ray surveys. The Stripe 82 X-ray source lists have been matched to multiwavelength catalogues using a maximum likelihood estimator algorithm. We discovered the highest redshift (z = 5.86) quasar yet identified in an X-ray survey. We …
Salt Long-Slit Spectroscopy Of Luminous Obscured Quasars: An Upper Limit On The Size Of The Narrow-Line Region?, Kevin N. Hainline, Ryan Hickox, Jenny E. Greene, Adam D. Myers, Nadia L. Zakamska
Salt Long-Slit Spectroscopy Of Luminous Obscured Quasars: An Upper Limit On The Size Of The Narrow-Line Region?, Kevin N. Hainline, Ryan Hickox, Jenny E. Greene, Adam D. Myers, Nadia L. Zakamska
Dartmouth Scholarship
We present spatially resolved long-slit spectroscopy from the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) to examine the spatial extent of the narrow-line regions (NLRs) of a sample of 8 luminous obscured quasars at 0.10 < z < 0.43. Our results are consistent with an observed shallow slope in the relationship between NLR size and L_[OIII], which has been interpreted to indicate that NLR size is limited by the density and ionization state of the NLR gas rather than the availability of ionizing photons. We also explore how the NLR size scales with a more direct measure of instantaneous AGN power using mid-IR photometry from WISE, which probes warm to hot dust near the central black hole and so, unlike [OIII], does not depend on the properties of the NLR. Using our results as well as samples from the literature, we obtain a power-law relationship between NLR size and L_8micron that is significantly steeper than that observed for NLR size and L_[OIII]. We find that the size of the NLR goes approximately as L^(1/2)_8micron, as expected from the simple scenario of constant-density clouds illuminated by a central ionizing source. We further see tentative evidence for a flattening of the relationship between NLR size and L_8micron at the high luminosity end, and propose that we are seeing a limiting NLR size of 10 - 20 kpc, beyond which the availability of gas to ionize becomes too low. We find that L_[OIII] ~ L_8micron^(1.4), consistent with a picture in which the L_[OIII] is dependent on the volume of the NLR. These results indicate that high-luminosity quasars have a strong effect in ionizing the available gas in a galaxy.
A Quasar–Galaxy Mixing Diagram: Quasar Spectral Energy Distribution Shapes In The Optical To Near-Infrared, Heng Hao, Martin Elvis, Angela Bongiorno, Gianni Zamorani, Andrea Merloni, C. Kelly, Francesca Civano
A Quasar–Galaxy Mixing Diagram: Quasar Spectral Energy Distribution Shapes In The Optical To Near-Infrared, Heng Hao, Martin Elvis, Angela Bongiorno, Gianni Zamorani, Andrea Merloni, C. Kelly, Francesca Civano
Dartmouth Scholarship
We define a quasar–galaxy mixing diagram using the slopes of their spectral energy distributions (SEDs) from 1 μm to 3000 Å and from 1 to 3 μm in the rest frame. The mixing diagram can easily distinguish among quasar-dominated, galaxy-dominated and reddening-dominated SED shapes. By studying the position of the 413 XMM-selected type 1 AGN in the wide-field ‘Cosmic Evolution Survey’ in the mixing diagram, we find that a combination of the Elvis et al. mean quasar SED with various contributions from galaxy emission and some dust reddening is remarkably effective in describing the SED shape from 0.3 to …
Finding Rare Agn: X-Ray Number Counts Of Chandra Sources In Stripe 82, Stephanie M. Lamassa, C. Megan Urry, Eilat Glikman, Nico Cappelluti, Francesca Civano
Finding Rare Agn: X-Ray Number Counts Of Chandra Sources In Stripe 82, Stephanie M. Lamassa, C. Megan Urry, Eilat Glikman, Nico Cappelluti, Francesca Civano
Dartmouth Scholarship
We present the first results of a wide area X-ray survey within the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Stripe 82, a 300 deg2 region of the sky with a substantial investment in multi-wavelength coverage. We analyzed archival {\it Chandra} observations that cover 7.5 deg2 within Stripe 82 ("Stripe 82 ACX"), reaching 4.5σ flux limits of 7.9×10−16, 3.4×10−15 and 1.8×10−15 erg s−1 cm−2 in the soft (0.5-2 keV), hard (2-7 keV) and full (0.5-7 keV) bands, to find 774, 239 and 1118 X-ray sources, respectively. Three hundred twenty-one sources are detected only in the full band and 9 sources are detected …
Narrow-Line Region Gas Kinematics Of 24 264 Optically Selected Agn: The Radio Connection, J. R. Mullaney, D. M. Alexander, S. Fine, A. D. Goulding, C. M. Harrison, R. C. Hickox
Narrow-Line Region Gas Kinematics Of 24 264 Optically Selected Agn: The Radio Connection, J. R. Mullaney, D. M. Alexander, S. Fine, A. D. Goulding, C. M. Harrison, R. C. Hickox
Dartmouth Scholarship
Using a sample of 24 264 optically selected active galactic nuclei (AGNs) from the SDSS DR7 data base, we characterize how the profile of the [O iii] λ5007 emission line relates to bolometric luminosity (LAGN), Eddington ratio, radio loudness, radio luminosity (L1.4 GHz) and optical class (i.e. broad/narrow-line Seyfert 1, type 2) to determine what drives the kinematics of this kpc-scale line emitting gas. First, we use spectral stacking to characterize how the average [O iii] λ5007 profile changes as a function of these five variables. After accounting for the known correlation between L …
Confirmation Of The Nature Of The Absorber In Iras 09104+4109, Chia-Ying Chiang, E. M. Cackett, P. Gandhi, A. C. Fabian
Confirmation Of The Nature Of The Absorber In Iras 09104+4109, Chia-Ying Chiang, E. M. Cackett, P. Gandhi, A. C. Fabian
Physics and Astronomy Faculty Research Publications
We present the first long Suzaku observation of the hyperluminous infrared galaxy IRAS 09104+4109 which is dominated by a Type 2 AGN. The infrared to X-ray spectral energy distribution (SED) indicates that the source is an obscured quasar with a Compton-thin absorber. However, the 3σ hard X-ray detection of the source with the BeppoSAX PDS suggested a reflection-dominated, Compton-thick view. The high-energy detection was later found to be possibly contaminated by another Type 2 AGN, NGC 2785, which is only 17 arcmin away. Our new Suzaku observation offers simultaneous soft and hard X-ray coverage and excludes contamination from NGC 2785. …