Paolo Padovani

Unified schemes for radio-loud active galactic nuclei

The appearance of active galactic nuclei (AGN) depends so strongly on orientation that our current classification schemes are dominated by random pointing directions instead of more interesting physical properties. Light from the centers of many AGN is obscrued by optically thick circumstellar matter, particularly at optical and ultraviolet wavelengths. In radio-loud AGN, bipolar jets emanating from the nucleus emit radio through gamma-ray light that is relativistically beamed along the jet axes. Understanding the origin and magnitude of radiation anistropies in AGN allows us to unify different classes of AGN; that is, to identify each single, underlying AGN type that gives rise to different classes through different orientations. This review describes the unification of radio-loud AGN, which includes radio galaxies, quasars, and blazars. We describe the classification and general properties of AGN. We summarize the evidence for anisotropic emission caused by circumstellar obscuration and relativistic beaming. We outline the two most plausible unified schemes for radio-loud AGN, one linking the high-luminosity sources (BL Lac objects and less luminous radio galaxies). Using the formalism appropriate to samples biased by relativistic beaming, we show the population statistics for two schemes are in accordance with available data. We analyze the possible connections between low- and high-luminosity radio-loud AGN and conclude they probably are powered by similar physical processes, at least within the relativistic jet. We review potential difficulties with unification and conclude that none currently constitutes a serious problem. We discuss likely complications to unified schemes that are suggested by realistic physical considerations; these will be important to consider when more comprehensive data for larger complete samples become available. We conclude with a list of the ten questions we believe are the most pressing in this field.

The Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey: Initial Results from Optical and Near-Infrared Imaging

This special issue of the Astrophysical Journal Letters is dedicated to presenting initial results from the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey (GOODS) that are primarily, but not exclusively, based on multiband imaging data obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope and the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS). The survey covers roughly 320 arcmin2 in the ACS F435W, F606W, F814W, and F850LP bands, divided into two well-studied fields. Existing deep observations from the Chandra X-Ray Observatory and ground-based facilities are supplemented with new, deep imaging in the optical and near-infrared from the European Southern Observatory and from the Kitt Peak National Observatory. Deep observations with the Space Infrared Telescope Facility are scheduled. Reduced data from all facilities are being released worldwide within 3-6 months of acquisition. Together, this data set provides two deep reference fields for studies of distant normal and active galaxies, supernovae, and faint stars in our own Galaxy. This Letter serves to outline the survey strategy and describe the specific data that have been used in the accompanying letters, summarizing the reduction procedures and sensitivity limits.

The connection between x-ray- and radio-selected BL Lacertae objects

We explain the properties of X-ray selected BL Lacertae objects, under the assumption that they constitute the small minority of the BL Lac population with energy cutoff located in the UV/X-ray band, as suggested by their multifrequency spectra. In particular, we derive their X-ray luminosity function, log N-log S, and radio flux distribution starting from radio selected BL Lacs using a method that does not require any free parameters. Our hypothesis is at variance with the most common explanation for the existence of two classes of BL Lacs, namely that X-ray selected objects are viewed significantly off the beaming axis while radio-selected ones have their jets more aligned with the line of sight. In this case, in fact, X-ray selected sources should be intrinsically more numerous than objects selected in the radio band at a fixed value of some isotropic luminosity such as that of the diffuse radio emission. While also accounting for most of the properties of BL Lacs detected in current X-ray surveys, this latter scenario would predict their radio emission to be dominated by the extended (unbeamed) component, in contrast with observations. We also address the question of the negative evolution apparently exhibited by X-ray selected BL Lacs, showing that neither recognition problems nor a break in the X-ray spectrum are likely to be responsible for it. Our hypothesis explains in a simple way the bimodal distribution of BL Lacs in the alpha_ro - alpha_ ox diagram. It also makes specific predictions for the X-ray, radio, and optical properties of BL Lacs which will be tested by future deep X-ray surveys.

Relativistic bulk motion in active galactic nuclei

We discuss the evidence for relativistic bulk motion of the emitting plasma in the nuclei of ∼100 radio sources, which include BL Lacertae objects, radio quasars, and radio galaxies, with published VBLI measurements of the core angular dimension and radio flux. Comparing the predicted and observed high-frequency (X-ray) flux, in the framework of the synchrotron self-Compton model, we derive the beaming or Doppler factor for all sources. This is compared with other beaming indicators, such as the value of the expansion velocity (mostly superluminal and available for ∼40% of the objects) and the ratio of the core to the extended radio flux (available for all but two sources)

Jets and accretion processes in active galactic nuclei: further clues

We present evidence in favour of a link between the luminosity radiatively dissipated in the central engine of radio-loud Active Galactic Nuclei and the kinetic power in their jets. This piece of evidence is based on the relation we find between the luminosity in broad emission lines and the kinetic power in pc-scale radio jets, for a sample of radio-loud quasars for which suitable data are available in the literature. We find that the ionizing luminosity and the kinetic one are of the same order of magnitude, suggesting that the processes responsible for them are somehow related. A strong magnetic field in equipartition with the radiation field could be responsible for regulating both processes. BL Lac objects seem to follow a similar behaviour, but with comparatively fainter broad line emission.

A simplified view of blazars: clearing the fog around long-standing selection effects

We propose a scenario where blazars are classified as flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs), BL Lacs, low synchrotron, or high synchrotron peaked objects according to a varying mix of the Doppler boosted radiation from the jet, the emission from the accretion disk, the broad line region, and the light from the host galaxy. In this framework the peak energy of the synchrotron power (ν S ) in blazars is independent of source type and of radio luminosity. We test this new approach, which builds upon unified schemes, using extensive Monte Carlo simulations and show that it can provide simple answers to a number of long-standing issues including, amongst others, the different cosmological evolution of BL Lacs selected in the radio and X-ray bands, the larger ν S peak values observed in BL Lacs, the fact that high synchrotron peaked blazars are always of the BL Lac type, and the existence of FSRQ/BL Lac transition objects. Objects so far classified as BL Lacs on the basis of their observed weak, or undetectable, emission lines are of two physically different classes: intrinsically weak lined objects, more common in X-ray selected samples, and heavily diluted broad lined sources, more frequent in radio selected samples, which explains some of the confusion in the literature. We also show that strong selection effects are the main cause of the diversity observed in radio and X-ray samples, and that the correlation between luminosity and ν S , that led to the proposal of the “blazar sequence”, is also a selection effect arising from the comparison of shallow radio and X-ray surveys, and to the fact that high ν S peak - high radio power objects have never been considered because their redshift is not measurable.

The Deep X-Ray Radio Blazar Survey. I. Methods and First Results*

We have undertaken a survey, the Deep X-Ray Radio Blazar Survey (DXRBS), of archived, pointed ROSAT Position Sensitive Proportional Counter data for blazars by correlating the ROSAT WGACAT database with several publicly available radio catalogs, restricting our candidate list to serendipitous flat radio spectrum sources (αr ≤ 0.70, where Sν ∝ ν). We discuss our survey methods, identification procedure, and first results. Our survey is found to be ~95% efficient at finding flat-spectrum radio-loud quasars (FSRQs; 59 of our first 85 identifications) and BL Lacertae objects (22 of our first 85 identifications), a figure that is comparable to or greater than that achieved by other radio and X-ray survey techniques. The identifications presented here show that all previous samples of blazars (even when taken together) did not representatively survey the blazar population, missing critical regions of (LX, LR) parameter space within which large fractions of the blazar population lie. Particularly important is the identification of a large population of FSRQs (25% of DXRBS FSRQs) with ratios of X-ray to radio luminosity 10-6 (αrx 0.78). In addition, as a result of our greater sensitivity, the DXRBS has already more than doubled the number of FSRQs in complete samples with 5 GHz (radio) luminosities between 1031.5 and 1033.5 ergs s-1 Hz-1, and fills in the region of parameter space between X-ray–selected and radio-selected samples of BL Lac objects. The DXRBS is the very first sample to contain statistically significant numbers of blazars at low luminosities, approaching what should be the lower end of the FSRQ luminosity function.

Stellar mass loss in elliptical galaxies and the fueling of active galactic nuclei

The connection between some observational properties of active galactic nuclei and their host galaxies is studied using a self-consistent model of galactic evolution which reproduces the main features of elliptical galaxies. It is shown that stellar mass loss, calculated in detail from a mixture of stellar generations, can explain the bolometric luminosities and active nucleus-to-host galaxy luminosity ratios of local quasars residing in ellipticals (i.e., the radio-loud ones), under the hypothesis that the power supply is primarily gravitational. The time dependence of the mass-loss rate, however, seems to be too weak to explain quasar evolution as inferred from observations

A Sample-oriented catalogue of BL Lacertae objects

We present a catalogue of 233 BL Lacertae objects compiled through an extensive bibliographic search updated to mid-1995. A large fraction of the sources listed in the catalogue belongs to well-defined samples and can be used for statistical purposes. A smaller fraction consists of miscellaneous (but confirmed) BL Lacs and of objects classified as BL Lac candidates. We discuss the selection criteria of the different samples, report the discovery of two previously unnoticed BL Lacs in the Palomar-Green survey, and comment on the possible association of some of the still unidentified high galactic latitude gamma-ray (EGRET) sources with BL Lacs. Some statistical properties of the catalogue are also briefly discussed.

Luminosity functions, relativistic beaming, and unified theories of high-luminosity radio sources

If relativistically beamed emission dominates the observed radio flux from flat-spectrum radio quasars, as suggested by their rapid variability, polarization, and superluminal motion, then there must be counterpart sources whose emission is beamed at larger angles to the line of sight. We evaluate such unified schemes quantitatively, with steep-spectrum radio quasars and high-luminosity radio galaxies constituting the misaligned sources. Our procedure compares the number densities and luminosities of the separate populations, taking into account the strong selection effects introduced by relativistic beaming