H. Lu

A Comprehensive Study of 2000 Narrow Line Seyfert 1 Galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. I. The Sample

This is the first paper in a series dedicated to the study of the emission-line and continuum properties of narrow line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLS1s). We carried out a systematic search for NLS1s from objects assigned as QSOs or galaxies in the spectroscopic sample of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 3 (SDSS DR3) by a careful modeling of their emission lines and continua. The result is a uniform sample comprising similar to 2000 NLS1s. This sample dramatically increases the number of known NLS1s by a factor of similar to 10 over previous compilations. This paper presents the parameters of the prominent emission lines and continua, which were measured accurately with typical uncertainties < 10%. Taking advantage of such an unprecedented large and uniform sample with accurately measured spectral parameters, we carried out various statistical analyses, some of which were only possible for the first time. The main results found are as follows. (1) Within the overall Seyfert 1 population, the incidence of NLS1s is strongly dependent on the optical, X-ray, and radio luminosities as well as the radio loudness. The fraction of NLS1s peaks around SDSS g-band absolute magnitude M-g similar to -22 mag in the optical and similar to 10(43.2) ergs s(-1) in the soft X-ray band, and decreases quickly as the radio loudness increases. (2) On average the relative Fe II emission, R-4570 = Fe II lambda lambda 4434-4684/H beta, in NLS1s is about twice that in normal active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and is anticorrelated with the broad component width of the Balmer emission lines. (3) The well-known anticorrelation between the width of broad low-ionization lines and the soft X-ray spectral slope for broad line AGNs extends down to FWHM similar to 1000 km s(-1) in NLS1s, but the trend appears to reverse at still smaller line widths. (4) The equivalent width of H beta and Fe II emission lines are strongly correlated with the H beta and continuum luminosities. (5) We do not find any difference between NLS1s and normal AGNs in regard to the narrow line region. (6) We have examined the black hole mass versus stellar velocity dispersion (M-BH-sigma(*)) relation for a subsample of 308 NLS1s for which sigma(*) could be measured directly from fitting the starlight in the SDSS spectra with our stellar spectral templates. A significant correlation between M-BH and sigma(*) is found, but with the bulk of black hole masses falling below the values expected from the M-BH-sigma(*) relation for normal galaxies and normal AGNs. This result indicates that NLS1s are underage AGNs, where the growth of the SMBH lags behind the formation of the galactic bulge. (7) We also find that the FWHM of [N II] line is well correlated with sigma(*) in 206 NLS1s, for which both parameters could be derived with reasonable accuracy. The [N II] width can predict the stellar velocity dispersion to an accuracy of similar to 30%. A similar M-BH-sigma(*) relation could be found for a larger sample of 613 NLS1s on making use of the more reliable measurements of FWHM[N II].

A population of radio-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies with blazar-like properties?

Blazars having strong emission lines were found to be associated mostly with broad-line type 1 active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Hitherto, evidence for blazars identified with narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) AGNs was limited to only a very few individual cases. Here we present a comprehensive study of a sample of 23 genuine radio-loud NLS1 AGNs with radio loudness larger than 100. The radio sources of the sample are ubiquitously compact, unresolved on scales of several arcseconds. Some of these objects show interesting radio to X-ray properties that are unusual to most of the previously known radio-loud NLS1 AGNs, but are reminiscent of blazars. These include flat radio spectra, large-amplitude flux and spectral variability, compact VLBI cores, very high variability brightness temperatures, enhanced optical continuum emission, flat X-ray spectra, and blazar-like spectral energy distributions (SEDs). We interpret them as signatures of the postulated blazar nature of some of the objects, which likely possess at least moderately relativistic jets. Intrinsically, some of them have relatively low radio power and would have been classified as radio-intermediate AGNs. The black hole masses are estimated to be within 10(6)-10(8) M-circle dot, and the Eddington ratios close to unity, as in normal NLS1 AGNs. The results imply that radio-loud AGNs may be powered by black holes of moderate masses (similar to 10(6)-10(7) M-circle dot) accreting at high rates. Some of the objects, despite having strong emission lines, resemble high-energy-peaked BL Lac objects (HBLs) in their SEDs. Given the peculiarities of blazar-like NLS1 AGNs, questions arise as to whether they are plain downsizing extensions of normal radio-loud AGNs, or form a previously unrecognized population.

A Narrow-Line Seyfert 1-Blazar Composite Nucleus in 2MASX J0324+3410

We report the identification of 2MASX J032441.19 + 341045.9 (hereafter 2MASX J0324 + 3410) with an appealing object that shows the dual properties of both a narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy (NLS1) and a blazar. Its optical spectrum, which has a H beta line width of about 1600 km s(-1) (FWHM), an [O III]-to-H beta line ratio of similar or equal to 0.12, and strong Fe II emission, clearly fulfills the conventional definition of NLS1s. On the other hand, 2MASX J0324 + 3410 also exhibits some behavior that is characteristic of blazars, including a flat radio spectrum above 1 GHz, a compact core plus a one-sided jet structure on milliarcsecond scale at 8.4 GHz, highly variable fluxes in the radio, optical, and X-ray bands, and a possible detection of TeV gamma-ray emission. On its optical image, obtained with the HST WFPC2, the active nucleus is displaced from the center of the host galaxy, which exhibits an apparent one-armed spiral structure extended to 16 kpc. The remarkable hybrid behavior of this object presents a challenge to current models of NLS1s and gamma-ray blazars.

Discovery of superstrong, fading, iron line emission and double-peaked balmer lines of the galaxy sdss j095209.56+214313.3: The light echo of a huge flare

We report the discovery of superstrong, fading, high-ionization iron line emission in the galaxy SDSS J095209.56+214313.3 (SDSS J0952+2143 hereafter), which must have been caused by an X-ray outburst of large amplitude. SDSS J0952+2143 is unique in its strong multiwavelength variability; such a broadband emission-line and continuum response has not been observed before. The strong iron line emission is accompanied by unusual Balmer line emission with a broad base, narrow core, and double-peaked narrow horns, and strong He II emission. These lines, while strong in the SDSS spectrum taken in 2005, have faded away significantly in new spectra taken in 2007 December. Comparison of SDSS, 2MASS, GALEX, and follow-up GROND photometry reveals variability in the NUV, optical, and NIR band. Taken together, these unusual observations can be explained by a giant outburst in the EUV-X-ray band, detected even in the optical and NIR. The intense and variable iron, helium, and Balmer lines represent the light echo of the flare, as it traveled through circumnuclear material. The outburst may have been caused by the tidal disruption of a star by a supermassive black hole. Spectroscopic surveys such as SDSS are well suited to detect emission-line light echoes of such rare flare events. Reverberation-mapping of these light echoes can then be used as a new and efficient probe of the physical conditions in the circumnuclear material in nonactive or active galaxies.

Ensemble Learning for Independent Component Analysis of Normal Galaxy Spectra

In this paper, we employ a new statistical analysis technique, ensemble learning for independent component analysis (EL-ICA), on the synthetic galaxy spectra from a newly released high-resolution evolutionary model by Bruzual & Charlot. We find that EL-ICA can sufficiently compress the synthetic galaxy spectral library to six nonnegative independent components (ICs), which are good templates for modeling huge amounts of normal galaxy spectra, such as the galaxy spectra in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). Important spectral parameters, such as starlight reddening, stellar velocity dispersion, stellar mass, and star formation histories, can be given simultaneously by the fit. Extensive tests show that the fit and the derived parameters are reliable for galaxy spectra with the typical quality of the SDSS.

A Northern Sky Survey for Steady Tera-Electron Volt Gamma-Ray Point Sources Using the Tibet Air Shower Array

Results of a steady TeV γ-ray point-source search using data taken from the Tibet HD (1997 February-1999 September) and Tibet III (1999 November-2001 October) arrays are presented. From 0° to 60° in declination, significant excesses from the well-known steady source Crab Nebula and the high state of the flare-type source Markarian 421 are observed. Because the levels of significance from other positions are not sufficiently high, 90% confidence level upper limits on the flux are set assuming different power-law spectra. To allow cross-checking, two independently developed analyses are used in this work.

Multi-TeV Gamma-Ray Flares from Markarian 421 in 2000 and 2001 Observed with the Tibet Air Shower Array

Several strong TeV γ-ray flares were detected from Mrk 421 in the years 2000 and 2001 by the Tibet III air shower array at a level of statistical significance of 5.1 σ. Mrk 421 was unprecedentedly active at X-ray and TeV γ-ray energies during this period, and a positive correlation was found between the change of the all-sky monitor Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer X-ray flux and the Tibet TeV γ-ray flux. When a power-law energy spectrum for γ-rays from this source is assumed, the spectral index is calculated to be -3.24 ± 0.69 at the most active phase in 2001. The spectral index observed by the Tibet air shower array is consistent with those obtained via imaging air Cerenkov telescopes.

DEPENDENCE OF THE OPTICAL/ULTRAVIOLET VARIABILITY ON THE EMISSION-LINE PROPERTIES AND EDDINGTON RATIO IN ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI

The dependence of the long-term optical/UV variability on the spectral and fundamental physical parameters for radio-quiet active galactic nuclei (AGNs) is investigated. The multi-epoch-repeated photometric scanning data in the Stripe-82 region of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) are exploited for two comparative AGN samples (mostly quasars) selected therein: a broad-line Seyfert 1 (BLS1) type sample and a narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) type AGN sample within redshifts 0.3-0.8. Their spectral parameters are derived from the SDSS spectroscopic data. It is found that on rest-frame timescales of several years the NLS1-type AGNs show systematically smaller variability compared to the BLS1-type AGNs. In fact, the variability amplitude is found to correlate, though only moderately, with the eigenvector 1 parameters, i.e., the smaller the H beta linewidth, the weaker the [O III] and the stronger the Fe II emission, the smaller the variability amplitude. Moreover, an interesting inverse correlation is found between the variability and the Eddington ratio, which is perhaps more fundamental. The previously known dependence of the variability on luminosity is not significant, and the dependence on black hole mass-as claimed in recent papers and also present in our data-fades out when controlling for the Eddington ratio in the correlation analysis, though these may be partly due to the limited ranges of luminosity and black hole mass of our samples. Our result strongly supports that an accretion disk is likely to play a major role in producing the optical/UV variability.

SDSS J160531.84+174826.1: A dwarf disk galaxy with an intermediate-mass black hole

We report the discovery of a dwarf Seyfert 1 active galactic nucleus (AGN) with a candidate intermediate-mass black hole, hosted by the dwarf galaxy SDSS J160531.84+174826.1 at z = 0.032. A broad component of the H alpha line with FWHM = 781 km s(-1) is detected in its optical spectrum, and a bright, pointlike nucleus is evident from a Hubble Space Telescope (HST) imaging observation. Nonthermal X-ray emission is also detected from the nucleus. The black hole mass, as estimated from the luminosity and width of the broad H alpha component, is about 7 x 10(4) M.. The host galaxy appears to be a disk galaxy with a boxy bulge or nuclear bar. With an absolute magnitude of M-R = -17.8 (M-B = -16.4), it is among the least luminous host galaxies ever identified for a Seyfert 1.

TRANSIENT SUPERSTRONG CORONAL LINES AND BROAD BUMPS IN THE GALAXY SDSS J074820.67+471214.3

Variable superstrong coronal emission lines were observed in the spectrum of one galaxy, SDSS J095209.56+214313.3, and their enigmatic origin remains controversial. In this paper, we report the detection of variable broad emission bumps reminiscent of a supernova (SN) II-Plateau spectra taken a few days after the shock breakout in a second galaxy with variable superstrong coronal lines, SDSS J074820.67+471214.3. The coronal line spectrum shows unprecedentedly high ionization with superstrong [Fe X]{lambda}6376, [Fe XI]{lambda}7894, [Fe XIV]{lambda}5304, [S XII]{lambda}7612, and [Ar XIV]{lambda}4414, but without detectable optical [Fe VII] line emission. The coronal line luminosities are similar to those observed in bright Seyfert galaxies and 20 times more luminous than those reported in the hottest Type IIn SN 2005ip inferred from its strong coronal lines. The coronal lines ({sigma} {approx} 120-240 km s{sup -1}) are much broader than the narrow emission lines ({sigma} {approx} 40 km s{sup -1}) from the star-forming regions in the galaxy, but are nearly at the same systematic redshift. We also detected a variable non-stellar continuum emission from its Sloan Digital Sky Survey spectroscopy and Galaxy Evolution Explorer photometry. In the follow-up spectra taken 4-5 years later, the coronal lines, SN-like feature, and non-stellar continuum disappeared, while the [Omorexa0» III]{lambda}5007 intensity increased by a factor of about 10. Our analysis suggests that the coronal line region should be at least 10 light days in size and should be powered either by a steady ionizing source with a soft X-ray luminosity of at least a few 10{sup 42} erg s{sup -1} or by a very luminous soft X-ray outburst. These findings can be more naturally explained by a star tidally disrupted by the central black hole than by an SN explosion. The similarity of the coronal line variability trend observed in the two galaxies suggests that the two transient events have the same origin, with SDSS J074820.67+471214.3 being caught at an earlier stage by the spectroscopic observation.«xa0less