1,721,038 research outputs found
FRIICAT: A FIRST catalog of FR II radio galaxies
No full textAims. We built a catalog of 122 FR II radio galaxies, called FRIICAT, selected from a published sample obtained by combining observations from the NVSS, FIRST, and SDSS surveys. The catalog includes sources with redshift ≤ 0.15, an edge-brightened radio morphology, and those with at least one of the emission peaks located at radius r larger than 30 kpc from the center of the host.Methods. The radio luminosity at 1.4 GHz of the FRIICAT sources covers the range L1.4 ~ 1039.5−1042.5erg s-1. The FRIICAT catalog has 90% of low and 10% of high excitation galaxies (LEGs and HEGs), respectively. The properties of these two classes are significantly different. The FRIICAT LEGs are mostly luminous (−20 ≳ Mr ≳ −24), red early-type galaxies with black hole masses in the range 108 ≲ MBH ≲ 109M⊙; they are essentially indistinguishable from the FR Is belonging to the FRICAT. The HEG FR IIs are associated with optically bluer and mid-IR redder hosts than the LEG FR IIs and to galaxies and black holes that are smaller, on average, by a factor ~2.Results. FR IIs have a factor ~3 higher average radio luminosity than FR Is. Nonetheless, most (~ 90%) of the selected FR IIs have a radio power that is lower, by as much as a factor of ~100, than the transition value between FR Is and FR IIs found in the 3C sample. The correspondence between the morphological classification of FR I and FR II and the separation in radio power disappears when including sources selected at low radio flux thresholds, which is in line with previous results. In conclusion, a radio source produced by a low power jet can be edge brightened or edge darkened, and the outcome is not related to differences in the optical properties of the host galaxy
FRICAT: A FIRST catalog of FR I radio galaxies
Full text linkWe built a catalog of 219 FR I radio galaxies (FR Is), called FRICAT, selected from a published sample and obtained by combining observations from the NVSS, FIRST, and SDSS surveys. We included in the catalog the sources with an edge-darkened radio morphology, redshift ≤ 0.15, and extending (at the sensitivity of the FIRST images) to a radius r larger than 30 kpc from the center of the host. We also selected an additional sample (sFRICAT) of 14 smaller (10 < r < 30 kpc) FR Is, limiting to z < 0.05. The hosts of the FRICAT sources are all luminous (−21 ≳ Mr ≳ −24), red early-type galaxies with black hole masses in the range 108 ≲ MBH ≲ 3 × 109M⊙; the spectroscopic classification based on the optical emission line ratios indicates that they are all low excitation galaxies. Sources in the FRICAT are then indistinguishable from the FR Is belonging to the Third Cambridge Catalogue of Radio Sources (3C) on the basis of their optical properties. Conversely, while the 3C-FR Is show a strong positive trend between radio and [O III] emission line luminosity, these two quantities are unrelated in the FRICAT sources; at a given line luminosity, they show radio luminosities spanning about two orders of magnitude and extending to much lower ratios between radio and line power than 3C-FR Is. Our main conclusion is that the 3C-FR Is just represent the tip of the iceberg of a much larger and diverse population of FR Is
High-resolution VLA observations of FR0 radio galaxies: the properties and nature of compact radio sources
Full text linkWe present the results of Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) observations regarding the properties of FR0 radio galaxies, the compact radio sources associated with early-type galaxies that represent the bulk of the local radio-loud population of active galactic nuclei. We obtained A-array observations at 1.5, 4.5 and 7.5 GHz for 18 FR0s from the FR0CAT sample: these are sources at z < 0.05, which are unresolved in the FIRST images and spectroscopically classified as low-excitation galaxies (LEGs). Although we reach an angular resolution of ∼0.3 arcsec, the majority of the 18 FR0s are still unresolved. Only four objects show extended emission. Six have steep radio spectra, 11 have flat cores, while one shows an inverted spectrum. We find that (i) the ratio between the core and total emission in FR0s is ∼30 times higher than that in FRIs, and (ii) FR0s have the same properties as FRIs from the nuclear and host points of view. FR0s differ from FRIs only in the paucity of extended radio emission. Various evolutionary scenarios were investigated: (i) the possibility that all FR0s are young sources eventually evolving into extended sources was ruled out by the distribution of radio sizes; (ii) similarly, a time-dependent scenario, in which a variation of accretion or jet launching prevents the formation of large-scale radio structures, appears to be implausible owing to the large abundance of subkiloparsec objects; (iii) a scenario in which FR0s are produced by mildly relativistic jets is consistent with the data but requires observations of a larger sample if it is to be properly tested
Pilot study of the radio-emitting AGN population: The emerging new class of FR 0 radio-galaxies
Full text linkWe present the results of a pilot JVLA project aimed at studying the bulk of the radio-emitting AGN population, that was unveiled by the NVSS/FIRST and SDSS surveys. The key questions are related to the origin of their radio-emission and to its connection with the properties of their hosts. We obtained A-array observations at the JVLA at 1.4, 4.5, and 7.5 GHz for 12 sources, a small but representative subsample. The radio maps reveal compact unresolved or only slightly resolved radio structures on a scale of 1-3 kpc, with the one exception of a hybrid FR I/FR II source extended over ∼40 kpc. Thanks to either the new high-resolution maps or to the radio spectra, we isolated the radio core component in most of them. We split the sample into two groups. Four sources have low black hole (BH) masses (mostly ∼107 Mo) and are hosted by blue galaxies, often showing evidence of a contamination from star formation to their radio emission, and are associated with radio-quiet (RQ) AGN. The second group consists in seven radio-loud (RL) AGN, which are located in red massive (∼1011 Mo) early-type galaxies, have high BH masses (108 Mo), and are spectroscopically classified as low excitation galaxies (LEG). These are all characteristics typical of FR I radio galaxies. They also lie on the correlation between radio core power and [O III] line luminosity defined by FR Is. However, they are more core-dominated (by a factor of ∼30) than FR Is and show a deficit of extended radio emission. We dub these sources "FR 0" to emphasize their lack of prominent extended radio emission, which is their single distinguishing feature with respect to FR Is. The differences in radio properties between FR 0s and FR Is might be ascribed to an evolutionary effect, with the FR 0 sources undergoing rapid intermittency that prevents the growth of large-scale structures. However, this contrasts with the scenario in which low-luminosity radio-galaxies are fed by continuous accretion of gas from their hot coronae. In our preferred scenario the lack of extended radio emission in FR 0s is due to their lower jet Lorentz Γ factor with respect to FR Is. The slower jets in FR 0s are more subject to instabilities and entrainment, which causes their premature disruption
The radio-loud AGN population at z ≳ 1 in the COSMOS field. I. selection and spectral energy distributions
Full text linkWe select a sample of radio galaxies at high redshifts (z ≳ 1) in the COSMOS field by cross-matching optical and infrared (IR) images with the FIRST radio data. The aim of this study is to explore the high-z radio-loud (RL) active galactic nuclei (AGN) population at much lower luminosities than the classical samples of distant radio sources, which are similar to those of the local population of radio galaxies. Precisely, we extended a previous analysis focused on low-luminosity radio galaxies. The wide multiwavelength coverage provided by the COSMOS survey allows us to derive their spectral energy distributions (SEDs). We model them with our own developed technique 2SPD that includes old and young stellar populations and dust emission. When added to those previously selected, we obtain a sample of 74 RL AGN. The SED modeling returns several important quantities associated with the AGN and host properties. The resulting photometric redshifts range from z ~ 0.7 to 3. The sample mostly includes compact radio sources but also 21 FR IIs sources; the radio power distribution of the sample covers ~1031.5 - 1034.3 erg s-1 Hz-1, thus straddling the local FR I/FR II break. The inferred range of stellar mass of the hosts is ~1010 - 1011.5M⊙. The SEDs are dominated by the contribution from an old stellar population with an age of ~1 - 3 Gyr for most of the sources. However, UV and mid-IR (MIR) excesses are observed for half of the sample. The dust luminosities inferred from the MIR excesses are in the range, Ldust ~ 1043 - 1045.5 erg s-1, which are associated with temperatures approximately of 350-1200 K. Estimates of the UV component yield values of ~1041.5 - 1045.5 erg s-1 at 2000 Å. The UV emission is significantly correlated with both IR and radio luminosities; the former being the stronger link. However, the origin of UV and dust emission, whether it is produced by the AGN of by star formation, is still unclear. Our results show that this RL AGN population at high redshifts displays a wide variety of properties. Low-power radio galaxies, which are associated with UV- and IR-faint hosts are generally similar to red massive galaxies of the local FR Is. At the opposite side of the radio luminosity distribution, large MIR and UV excesses are observed in objects consistent with quasar-like AGN, as also proved by their high dust temperatures, which are more similar to local FR IIs
Hubble space telescope emission-line Images of nearby 3CR radio galaxies: Two photoionization, accretion, and feedback modes
No full textWe present HST/ACS narrowband images of a low-z sample of 19 3C radio galaxies to study the Hα and [O iii] emissions from the narrow-line region. Based on nuclear emission-line ratios, we divide the sample into high- and low-excitation galaxies (HEGs and LEGs). We observe different line morphologies, extended [O iii] emission, large [O iii]/Hα scatter across the galaxies, and a radio-line alignment. In general, HEGs show more prominent emission-line properties than LEGs: larger, more disturbed, more luminous, and more massive regions of ionized gas with slightly larger covering factors. We find evidence of correlations between line luminosities and (radio and X-ray) nuclear luminosities. All of these results point to a main common origin, the active nucleus, which ionizes the surrounding gas. However, the contribution of additional photoionization mechanisms (jet shocks and star formation) is needed to account for the different line properties of the two classes. A relationship between the accretion, photoionization, and feedback modes emerges from this study. For LEGs (hot-gas accretors), the synchrotron emission from the jet represents the main source of ionizing photons. The lack of cold gas and star formation in their hosts accounts for the moderate ionized-gas masses and sizes. For HEGs (cold-gas accretors), an ionizing continuum from a standard disk and shocks from the powerful jets are the main sources of photoionization, with a contribution from star formation. These components, combined with the large reservoir of cold/dust gas brought from a recent merger, account for the properties of their extended emission-line regions.</p
Radio-loud Narrow Line Seyfert 1 under a different perspective: a revised black hole mass estimate from optical spectropolarimetry
Full text linkSeveral studies indicate that radio-loud (RL) active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are produced only by the most massive black holes (BH), MBH ∼ 108–1010 M⊙. This idea has been challenged by the discovery of RL Narrow Line Seyfert 1 (RL NLSy1), having estimated masses of MBH ∼ 106–107 M⊙. However, these low MBH estimates might be due to projection effects. Spectropolarimetry allows us to test this possibility by looking at RL NLSy1s under a different perspective, i.e. from the viewing angle of the scattering material. We here report the results of a pilot study of Very Large Telescope spectropolarimetric observations of the RL NLSy1 PKS 2004−447. Its polarization properties are remarkably well reproduced by models in which the scattering occurs in an equatorial structure surrounding its broad-line region, seen close to face-on. In particular, we detect a polarized Hα line with a width of ∼9000 km s−1, ∼6 times broader than the width seen in direct light. This corresponds to a revised estimate of MBH ∼ 6 × 108 M⊙, well within the typical range of RL AGN. The double-peaked polarized broad Hα profile of the target suggests that the rare combination of the orientation effects and a broad line region dominated by the rotation might account for this class of objects, casting doubts on the virial estimates of BH mass for type-I AGN
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
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