J. Ward Moody

BROAD-LINE REVERBERATION IN THE KEPLER-FIELD SEYFERT GALAXY Zw 229-015

The Seyfert 1 galaxy Zw 229-015 is among the brightest active galaxies being monitored by the Kepler mission. In order to determine the black hole mass in Zw 229-015 from Hβ reverberation mapping, we have carried out nightly observations with the Kast Spectrograph at the Lick 3 m telescope during the dark runs from 2010 June through December, obtaining 54 spectroscopic observations in total. We have also obtained nightly V-band imaging with the Katzman Automatic Imaging Telescope at Lick Observatory and with the 0.9 m telescope at the Brigham Young University West Mountain Observatory over the same period. We detect strong variability in the source, which exhibited more than a factor of two change in broad Hβ flux. From cross-correlation measurements, we find that the Hβ light curve has a rest-frame lag of 3.86+0.69 –0.90 days with respect to the V-band continuum variations. We also measure reverberation lags for Hα and Hγ and find an upper limit to the Hδ lag. Combining the Hβ lag measurement with a broad Hβ width of σline = 1590 ± 47 km s–1 measured from the rms variability spectrum, we obtain a virial estimate of M BH = 1.00+0.19 –0.24 × 107 M ☉ for the black hole in Zw 229-015. As a Kepler target, Zw 229-015 will eventually have one of the highest-quality optical light curves ever measured for any active galaxy, and the black hole mass determined from reverberation mapping will serve as a benchmark for testing relationships between black hole mass and continuum variability characteristics in active galactic nuclei.

The KPNO International Spectroscopic Survey. I. Description of the Survey

The KPNO International Spectroscopic Survey (KISS) is a new objective-prism survey for extragalactic emission-line objects. It combines many of the features of previous slitless spectroscopic surveys that were carried out with Schmidt telescopes using photographic plates with the advantages of modern CCD detectors. It is the first purely digital objective-prism survey, and extends previous photographic surveys to substantially fainter flux limits. In this, the first paper in the series, we give an overview of the survey technique, describe our data processing procedures, and present examples of the types of objects found by KISS. Our first H�-selected survey list detects objects at the rate of 18.1 per square degree, which is 181 times higher than the surface density of the Markarian survey. Since the sample is line-selected, there is an imposed redshift limit of z < � 0.095 due to the filter employed for the objective-prism observations. We evaluate the quality of the observed parameters derived from the survey data, which include accurate astrometry, photometry, redshifts, and line fluxes. Finally, we describe some of the many applications the KISS database will have for addressing specific questions in extragalactic astronomy. Subsequent papers in this series will present our survey lists of emission-line galaxy candidates. Subject headings: galaxies: emission-lines — galaxies: Seyfert — galaxies: starburst — surveys

A VLA 20 CM survey of poor groups of galaxies

The paper reports on VLA 20 cm observations of an extensive sample of galaxies in 139 poor groups. These groups, composed of galaxies down to the limit of the Zwicky et al. (CGCG) catalog, were chosen using a percolation algorithm set at a high surface-density threshold. Approximately 50 percent of the groups have measured redshifts. These groups were surveyed using a snapshot mode of the VLA with a resolution of about 13 arcsec. Analysis of the resulting radio and optical properties reveals that the presence of a nearby companion galaxy has an important role in generating radio emission in a galaxy. CCD observations of two radio-loud, disturbed galaxies with companions are presented and are used to discuss models of radio-source production. Nine tailed radio galaxies are found in the poor groups, which is much more than had been expected from previous work on rich clusters and from theoretical models. The paper discusses previous statistical biases and proposes a method for bending head-tail sources in poor groups. From the confinement of extended radio features associated with tailed sources, the presence of a substantial intracluster medium that should radiate significantly at soft-X-ray energies is predicted. 56 references.

The Stability of BVRI Comparison Stars Near Selected TeV Blazars

We have measured Johnson BV and Cousins RI magnitudes for comparison stars near 5 TeV blazars. We compare our values with published values, spanning 25 years in some cases, to identify those stars that are most likely proven stable. To avoid zero-point offsets mimicking long-term variability, we based our analysis on the standard deviation between measurements after a mean offset between data sets was removed. We found most stars to be stable at the 0.04 mag level. We confirm two stars as variable and identify two others as possibly being variable. In each of the five fields there are at least two stars, and typically many more, that show no evidence of variability.

PHOTOMETRIC ACCURACY OF DECONVOLVED SIMULATED ASTRONOMICAL IMAGES

A study of the photometric accuracy of deconvolved astronomical images was undertaken by processing two simulated images with several well-known algorithms. The simulations consisted of an image of a simple star field and an image of an active galactic nucleus (AGN). Each image was mathematically convolved with a known PSF and then deconvolved to recover the original image. Measurements and comparisons were made before and after the deconvolution to check for photometric accuracy. The best result for the star field was obtained with the multiscale Richardson-Lucy algorithm. When measuring the differential photometry of the nucleus of the AGN between different frames, leaving the image in its convolved state gave a closer variability result to the original than any deconvolution method.

The Arizona-New Mexico Spectroscopic Survey of Galaxies. I. Data for the Western End of the Perseus Supercluster

We present new optical spectroscopic data for 347 galaxies in the region of the Perseus supercluster. The new data were obtained using the Steward Observatory 2.3 m telescope and cover the whole optical window. Included are redshifts (for 345 objects), absorption-line equivalent widths, a continuum index measuring the 4000 A break, and emission-line flux ratios. After 11 objects are rejected for being too faint and redshifts for 26 objects are added from the literature, we arrive at a complete sample of 361 galaxies. The distribution of redshifts for the whole sample is examined, and we show the relationship of the continuum index to morphology.

The Arizona-New Mexico Spectroscopic Survey of Galaxies. II. Structures in the Perseus Supercluster

Using new redshift data reported in Gregory et al., we examine the structure of the Perseus supercluster. We discuss in detail three filaments lying in the plane of the sky on the western end of the supercluster that are distinct from each other in redshift and/or position. Additionally, radially directed filaments are found, and it appears that all of the filaments in the region are connected. We speculate that an important feature of filamentary structures may be the fact that many, if not all of them, connect in such a way as to form complete loops or rings. Underdense regions that border our filaments may not be very representative of the now classical cosmic void, in that their structures are not predominantly spheroidal.

The Feasibility of a Galaxy Infrared Slitless Prism Survey

We examine the issues surrounding an IR slitless prism survey for galaxies with highly redshifted Hα to see if some of the next generation of IR instruments should have the capability to conduct such surveys. We model the galaxy and star surface density as a function of J, H, and K magnitudes to estimate field crowding with depth. Using data from the Subaru 8.2 m telescope and Infrared Camera and Spectrograph detector as a benchmark, we estimate the number of detectable galaxies as a function of telescope aperture size, object magnitude, and line strength. We find that while crowding need not be a major problem, it is still difficult for even a large telescope to obtain a useful emission-line galaxy sample in the J, H, or K bands primarily because of the high IR background and the faintness of the galaxies with Hα in these bands.

The Arizona-New Mexico Spectroscopic Survey of Galaxies. III. On Galaxy Populations

We examine the population statistics for two samples of galaxies in the direction of the Perseus supercluster. One sample, with N = 258 galaxies having MB ≤ -19.52 + 5 log(h) and vh ≤ 8000 km s-1, is complete for those galaxies within the boundaries of our survey region that have apparent magnitudes mp ≤ 15.0 in the Zwicky catalog. A more restrictive sample with N = 177 galaxies having MB ≤ -20.00 + 5 log(h) (with the same redshift range) is complete in both luminosity and volume. We derive the statistics for the relative incidence of galaxies in the following spectroscopic classes: (1) absorption line only, (2) collisionally-excited emission lines only, (3) nuclear H II region, (4) starburst, (5) LINER, and (6) Seyfert 1.8–2.

The Future of the ASP Conference Series

The Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP) has been publishing the proceedings of conferences in astronomy and astrophysics for more than 20 years. The ASP Conference Series (ASPCS) is widely known for its affordable and high quality printed volumes. The ASPCS is adapting to the changing market by making electronically published volumes available to subscribers around the world, including papers in the Astrophysics Data System (ADS) database, and allowing authors to post papers on e-print archives. We discuss the role of the printed book in our future plans, and how electronic publishing affects the types of products and services we offer. Recently there has been increasing pressure in the academic world for open access (electronic copies of scholarly publications made freely-available immediately after publication), and we discuss how the ASPCS is responding to the needs of the professional astronomical community, the ASP, and humanity at large. While we cannot yet provide full open access and stay in business, we are actively pursuing several initiatives to improve the quality of our product and the impact of the papers we publish.