Christian Leipski

JET-POWERED MOLECULAR HYDROGEN EMISSION FROM RADIO GALAXIES

H2 pure-rotational emission lines are detected from warm (100–1500 K) molecular gas in 17/55 (31% of) radio galaxies at redshift z< 0.22 observed with the Spitzer IR Spectrograph. The summed H2 0–0 S(0)–S(3) line luminosities are L(H2) = 7 × 10 38 –2 × 10 42 erg s −1 , yielding warm H2 masses up to 2 × 10 10 M� . These radio galaxies, of both FR radio morphological types, help to firmly establish the new class of radio-selected molecular hydrogen emission galaxies (radio MOHEGs). MOHEGs have extremely large H2 to 7.7 μm polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission ratios: L(H2)/L(PAH7.7) = 0.04–4, up to a factor 300 greater than the median value for normal star-forming galaxies. In spite of large H2 masses, MOHEGs appear to be inefficient at forming stars, perhaps because the molecular gas is kinematically unsettled and turbulent. Low-luminosity mid-IR continuum emission together with low-ionization emission line spectra indicates low-luminosity active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in all but three radio MOHEGs. The AGN X-ray emission measured with Chandra is not luminous enough to power the H2 emission from MOHEGs. Nearly all radio MOHEGs belong to clusters or close pairs, including four cool-core clusters (Perseus, Hydra, A2052, and A2199). We suggest that the H2 in radio MOHEGs is delivered in galaxy collisions or cooling flows, then heated by radio-jet feedback in the form of kinetic energy dissipation by shocks or cosmic rays.

The characteristic blue spectra of accretion disks in quasars as uncovered in the infrared

Quasars are thought to be powered by supermassive black holes accreting surrounding gas. Central to this picture is a putative accretion disk which is believed to be the source of the majority of the radiative output. It is well known, however, that the most extensively studied disk model—an optically thick disk which is heated locally by the dissipation of gravitational binding energy—is apparently contradicted by observations in a few major respects. In particular, the model predicts a specific blue spectral shape asymptotically from the visible to the near-infrared, but this is not generally seen in the visible wavelength region where the disk spectrum is observable. A crucial difficulty has been that, towards the infrared, the disk spectrum starts to be hidden under strong, hot dust emission from much larger but hitherto unresolved scales, and thus has essentially been impossible to observe. Here we report observations of polarized light interior to the dust-emitting region that enable us to uncover this near-infrared disk spectrum in several quasars. The revealed spectra show that the near-infrared disk spectrum is indeed as blue as predicted. This indicates that, at least for the outer near-infrared-emitting radii, the standard picture of the locally heated disk is approximately correct.

AMUSE-Virgo II. Down-sizing in black hole accretion

We complete the census of nuclear X-ray activity in 100 early-type Virgo galaxies observed by the Chandra X-ray Telescope as part of the AMUSE-Virgo survey, down to a (3σ ) limiting luminosity of 3.7 × 10 38 erg s −1 over 0.5–7 keV. The stellar mass distribution of the targeted sample, which is mostly composed of formally “inactive” galaxies, peaks below 10 10 M� , a regime where the very existence of nuclear supermassive black holes (SMBHs) is debated. Out of 100 objects, 32 show a nuclear X-ray source, including 6 hybrid nuclei which also host a massive nuclear cluster as visible from archival Hubble Space Telescope images. After carefully accounting for contamination from nuclear low-mass X-ray binaries based on the shape and normalization of their X-ray luminosity function (XLF), we conclude that between 24% and 34% of the galaxies in our sample host an X-ray active SMBH (at the 95% confidence level). This sets a firm lower limit to the black hole (BH) occupation fraction in nearby bulges within a cluster environment. The differential logarithmic XLF of active SMBHs scales with the X-ray luminosity as LX −0.4±0.1 up to 10 42 erg s −1 . At face value, the active fraction—down to our luminosity limit—is found to increase with host stellar mass. However, taking into account selection effects, we find that the average Eddington-scaled X-ray luminosity scales with BH mass as MBH −0.62 +0.13 −0.12 , with an intrinsic scatter of 0.46 +0.08 −0.06 dex. This finding can be interpreted as observational evidence for “down-sizing” of BH accretion in local early types, that is, low-mass BHs shine relatively closer to their Eddington limit than higher mass objects. As a consequence, the fraction of active galaxies, defined as those above a fixed X-ray Eddington ratio,decreases with increasing BH mass.

SPECTRAL ENERGY DISTRIBUTIONS OF QSOs AT z > 5: COMMON ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEUS-HEATED DUST AND OCCASIONALLY STRONG STAR-FORMATION

We present spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of 69 QSOs at z > 5, covering a rest frame wavelength range of 0.1 μm to ~80 μm, and centered on new Spitzer and Herschel observations. The detection rate of the QSOs with Spitzer is very high (97% at λrest 4 μm), but drops toward the Herschel bands with 30% detected in PACS (rest frame mid-infrared) and 15% additionally in the SPIRE (rest frame far-infrared; FIR). We perform multi-component SED fits for Herschel-detected objects and confirm that to match the observed SEDs, a clumpy torus model needs to be complemented by a hot (~1300 K) component and, in cases with prominent FIR emission, also by a cold (~50 K) component. In the FIR-detected cases the luminosity of the cold component is of the order of 1013 L ☉ which is likely heated by star formation. From the SED fits we also determine that the active galactic nucleus (AGN) dust-to-accretion disk luminosity ratio declines with UV/optical luminosity. Emission from hot (~1300 K) dust is common in our sample, showing that nuclear dust is ubiquitous in luminous QSOs out to redshift 6. However, about 15% of the objects appear under-luminous in the near infrared compared to their optical emission and seem to be deficient in (but not devoid of) hot dust. Within our full sample, the QSOs detected with Herschel are found at the high luminosity end in L UV/opt and L NIR and show low equivalent widths (EWs) in Hα and in Lyα. In the distribution of Hα EWs, as determined from the Spitzer photometry, the high-redshift QSOs show little difference to low-redshift AGN.

Revealing the Heavily Obscured Active Galactic Nucleus Population of High-redshift 3CRR Sources with Chandra X-Ray Observations

Chandra observations of a complete, flux-limited sample of 38 high-redshift (1 0) indicating obscuration (N_H ~10^(22)-10^(24) cm^(–2)). These properties and the correlation between obscuration and radio core fraction are consistent with orientation-dependent obscuration as in unification models. About half the NLRGs have soft X-ray hardness ratios and/or a high [O III] emission line to X-ray luminosity ratio suggesting obscuration by Compton thick (CT) material so that scattered nuclear or extended X-ray emission dominates (as in NGC 1068). The ratios of unobscured to Compton-thin (10^(22) cm^(–2) 1.5 × 10^(24) cm^(–2)) is 2.5:1.4:1 in this high-luminosity, radio-selected sample. The obscured fraction is 0.5, higher than is typically reported for active galactic nuclei at comparable luminosities from multi-wavelength surveys (0.1-0.3). Assuming random nuclear orientation, the unobscured half-opening angle of the disk/wind/torus structure is ~60° and the obscuring material covers 30°, ~12° of which is CT. The multi-wavelength properties reveal that many NLRGs have intrinsic absorption 10-1000 × higher than indicated by their X-ray hardness ratios, and their true L_X values are ~10-100× larger than the hardness-ratio absorption corrections would indicate.

THE SPITZER VIEW OF FR I RADIO GALAXIES: ON THE ORIGIN OF THE NUCLEAR MID-INFRARED CONTINUUM

We present Spitzer mid-infrared (MIR) spectra of 25 FR I radio galaxies and investigate the nature of their MIR continuum emission. MIR spectra of star-forming galaxies and quiescent elliptical galaxies are used to identify host galaxy contributions while radio/optical core data are used to isolate the nuclear nonthermal emission. Out of the 15 sources with detected optical compact cores, four sources are dominated by emission related to the host galaxy. Another four sources show signs of warm, nuclear dust emission: 3C15, 3C84, 3C270, and NGC 6251. It is likely that these warm dust sources result from hidden active galactic nuclei of optical spectral type 1. The MIR spectra of seven sources are dominated by synchrotron emission, with no significant component of nuclear dust emission. In parabolic spectral energy distribution fits of the nonthermal cores FR Is tend to have lower peak frequencies and stronger curvature than blazars. This is roughly consistent with the common picture in which the core emission in FR Is is less strongly beamed than in blazars.

Quantifying the Anisotropy in the Infrared Emission of Powerful Active Galactic Nuclei

We use rest-frame near- and mid-IR data of an isotropically selected sample of quasars and radio galaxies at 1.0 ? z ? 1.4, which have been published previously by Leipski et al., to study the wavelength-dependent anisotropy of the IR emission. For that we build average spectral energy distributions of the quasar subsample (=?type 1 AGNs) and radio galaxies (=?type 2 AGNs) from ~1 to 17 ?m and plot the ratio of both average samples. From 2 to 8 ?m rest-frame wavelengths the ratio gradually decreases from 20 to 2 with values around 3 in the 10 ?m silicate feature. Longward of 12 ?m, the ratio decreases further and shows some high degree of isotropy at 15 ?m (ratio ~1.4). The results are consistent with upper limits derived from the X-ray/mid-IR correlation of local Seyfert galaxies. We find that the anisotropy in our high-luminosity radio-loud sample is smaller than in radio-quiet lower-luminosity active galactic nuclei (AGNs) which may be interpreted in the framework of a receding torus model with luminosity-dependent obscuration properties. It is also shown that the relatively small degree of anisotropy is consistent with clumpy torus models.

Mid-infrared Spectroscopy of High-redshift 3CRR Sources

Using the Spitzer Space Telescope, we have obtained rest-frame 9-16 μm spectra of 11 quasars and 9 radio galaxies from the 3CRR catalog at redshifts 1.0 < z < 1.4. This complete flux-limited 178 MHz selected sample is unbiased with respect to orientation and therefore suited to studying orientation-dependent effects in the most powerful active galactic nuclei (AGNs). The mean radio-galaxy spectrum shows a clear silicate absorption feature (τ_(9.7μm) = 1.1) whereas the mean quasar spectrum shows silicates in emission. The mean radio-galaxy spectrum matches a dust-absorbed mean quasar spectrum in both shape and overall flux level. The data for individual objects conform to these results. The trend of the silicate depth to increase with decreasing core fraction of the radio source further supports that for this sample orientation is the main driver for the difference between radio galaxies and quasars, as predicted by AGN unification. However, comparing our high-z sample with lower redshift 3CRR objects reveals that the absorption of the high-z radio galaxy MIR continuum is lower than expected from a scaled-up version of lower luminosity sources, and we discuss some effects that may explain these trends.

Star formation in z > 1 3CR host galaxies as seen by Herschel

We present Herschel (PACS and SPIRE) far-infrared (FIR) photometry of a complete sample of z> 1 3CR sources, from the Herschel guaranteed time project The Herschel Legacy of distant radio-loud AGN. Combining these with existing Spitzer photometric data, we perform an infrared (IR) spectral energy distribution (SED) analysis of these landmark objects in extragalactic research to study the star formation in the hosts of some of the brightest active galactic nuclei (AGN) known at any epoch. Accounting for the contribution from an AGN-powered warm dust component to the IR SED, about 40% of our objects undergo episodes of prodigious, ULIRG-strength star formation, with rates of hundreds of solar masses per year, coeval with the growth of the central supermassive black hole. Median SEDs imply that the quasar and radio galaxy hosts have similar FIR properties, in agreement with the orientation-based unification for radio-loud AGN. The star-forming properties of the AGN hosts are similar to those of the general population of equally massive non-AGN galaxies at comparable redshifts, thus there is no strong evidence of universal quenching of star formation (negative feedback) within this sample. Massive galaxies at high redshift may be forming stars prodigiously, regardless of whether their supermassive black holes are accreting or not. Herschel is an ESA space observatory with science instruments provided by European-led Principal Investigator consortia and with important participation from NASA.Tables 1, 2, 4 and Appendices are available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org

EXTREME HOST GALAXY GROWTH IN POWERFUL EARLY-EPOCH RADIO GALAXIES

During the first half of the universes life, a heyday of star formation must have occurred because many massive galaxies are in place after that epoch in cosmic history. Our observations with the revolutionary Herschel Space Observatory reveal vigorous optically obscured star formation in the ultra-massive hosts of many powerful high-redshift 3C quasars and radio galaxies. This symbiotic occurrence of star formation and black hole driven activity is in marked contrast to recent results dealing with Herschel observations of X-ray-selected active galaxies. Three archetypal radio galaxies at redshifts 1.132, 1.575, and 2.474 are presented here, with inferred star formation rates of hundreds of solar masses per year. A series of spectacular coeval active galactic nucleus/starburst events may have formed these ultra-massive galaxies and their massive central black holes during their relatively short lifetimes.