Stefanie Komossa

The Northern ROSAT All-Sky (NORAS) Galaxy Cluster Survey. I. X-Ray Properties of Clusters Detected as Extended X-Ray Sources*

In the construction of an X-ray-selected sample of galaxy clusters for cosmological studies, we have assembled a sample of 495 X-ray sources found to show extended X-ray emission in the first processing of the ROSAT All-Sky Survey. The sample covers the celestial region with declination ? ? 0? and Galactic latitude |bII| ? 20? and comprises sources with a count rate ?0.06 counts s-1 and a source extent likelihood of L ? 7. In an optical follow-up identification program we find 378 (76%) of these sources to be clusters of galaxies.?????It was necessary to reanalyze the sources in this sample with a new X-ray source characterization technique to provide more precise values for the X-ray flux and source extent than obtained from the standard processing. This new method, termed growth curve analysis (GCA), has the advantage over previous methods in its ability to be robust, to be easy to model and to integrate into simulations, to provide diagnostic plots for visual inspection, and to make extensive use of the X-ray data. The source parameters obtained assist the source identification and provide more precise X-ray fluxes. This reanalysis is based on data from the more recent second processing of the ROSAT Survey. We present a catalog of the cluster sources with the X-ray properties obtained as well as a list of the previously flagged extended sources that are found to have a noncluster counterpart. We discuss the process of source identification from the combination of optical and X-ray data.?????To investigate the overall completeness of the cluster sample as a function of the X-ray flux limit, we extend the search for X-ray cluster sources to the data of the second processing of the ROSAT Survey for the northern sky region between 9h and 14h in right ascension. We include the search for X-ray emission of known clusters as well as a new investigation of extended X-ray sources. In the course of this search we find X-ray emission from 85 additional Abell clusters and 56 very probable cluster candidates among the newly found extended sources. A comparison of the X-ray cluster number counts of the NORAS sample with the ROSAT-ESO Flux-limited X-Ray (REFLEX) Cluster Survey results leads to an estimate of the completeness of the NORAS sample of ROSAT All-Sky Survey (RASS) I extended clusters of about 50% at an X-ray flux of FX(0.1-2.4 keV) = 3 ? 10-12 ergs s-1 cm-2. The estimated completeness achieved by adding the supplementary sample in the study area amounts to about 82% in comparison to REFLEX. The low completeness introduces an uncertainty in the use of the sample for cosmological statistical studies that will be cured with the completion of the continuing Northern ROSAT All-Sky (NORAS) Cluster Survey project.

Discovery of a binary active galactic nucleus in the ultraluminous infrared galaxy NGC 6240 using Chandra

Ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) are outstanding due to their huge luminosity output in the infrared, which is predominantly powered by superstarbursts and/or hidden active galactic nuclei (AGNs). NGC 6240 is one of the nearest ULIRGs and is considered a key representative of its class. Here we report the first high-resolution imaging spectroscopy of NGC 6240 in X-rays. The observation, performed with the ACIS-S detector aboard the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, led to the discovery of two hard nuclei, coincident with the optical-IR nuclei of NGC 6240. The AGN character of both nuclei is revealed by the detection of absorbed, hard, luminous X-ray emission and two strong neutral Fe Kα lines. In addition, extended X-ray emission components are present, changing their rich structure in dependence of energy. The close correlation of the extended emission with the optical Hα emission of NGC 6240, in combination with the softness of its spectrum, clearly indicates its relation to starburst-driven superwind activity.

Radio-loud Narrow-Line Type 1 Quasars

We present the first systematic study of (non-radio-selected) radio-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) galaxies. Cross-correlation of the Catalogue of Quasars and Active Nuclei with several radio and optical catalogs led to the identification of ~11 radio-loud NLS1 candidates, including four previously known ones. This study almost triples the number of known radio-loud NLS1 galaxies if all candidates are confirmed. Most of the radio-loud NLS1 galaxies are compact, steep-spectrum sources accreting close to or above the Eddington limit. The radio-loud NLS1 galaxies of our sample are remarkable in that they occupy a previously rarely populated regime in NLS1 multiwavelength parameter space. While their [O III]/Hβ and Fe II/Hβ intensity ratios almost cover the whole range observed in NLS1 galaxies, their radio properties extend the range of radio-loud objects to those with small widths of the broad Balmer lines. Their black hole masses are generally at the upper observed end among NLS1 galaxies but are still unusually small in view of the radio loudness of the sources. Among the radio-detected NLS1 galaxies, the radio index R is distributed quite smoothly up to the critical value of R 10 and covers about 4 orders of magnitude in total. Statistics show that ~7% of the NLS1 galaxies are formally radio-loud, while only 2.5% exceed a radio index R > 100. Implications for NLS1 models are discussed. Several mechanisms are considered as explanations for the radio loudness of the NLS1 galaxies and for the lower frequency of radio-loud galaxies among NLS1 galaxies than among quasars. While properties of most sources (with two to three exceptions) generally do not favor relativistic beaming, the combination of accretion mode and spin may explain the observations.

Evolution of tidal disruption candidates discovered by XMM-Newton

Context. It has been demonstrated that active galactic nuclei are powered by gas accretion onto supermassive black holes located at their centres. The paradigm that the nuclei of inactive galaxies are also occupied by black holes was predicted long ago by theory. In the past decade, this conjecture was confirmed by the discovery of giant-amplitude, non-recurrent X-ray flares from such inactive galaxies and explained in terms of outburst radiation from stars tidally disrupted by a dormant supermassive black hole at the nuclei of those galaxies. Aims. Due to the scarcity of detected tidal disruption events, the confirmation and follow-up of each new candidate is needed to strengthen the theory through observational data, as well as to shed new light on the characteristics of this type of events. Methods. Two tidal disruption candidates have been detected with XMM-Newton during slew observations. Optical and X-ray followup, post-outburst observations were performed on these highly variable objects in order to further study their classification and temporal evolution. Results. We show that the detected low-state X-ray emission for these two candidates has properties such that it must still be related to the flare. The X-ray luminosity of the objects decreases according to theoretical predictions for tidal disruption events. At present, optical spectra of the sources do not present any evident signature of the disruption event. In addition, the tidal disruption rate as derived from the XMM-Newton slew survey has been computed and agrees with previous studies.

A huge drop in the X-ray luminosity of the nonactive galaxy RX J1242.6-119A, and the first postflare spectrum: testing the tidal disruption scenario

In recent years, indirect evidence has emerged suggesting that many nearby nonactive galaxies harbor quiescent supermassive black holes. Knowledge of the frequency of occurrence of black holes, of their masses and spins, is of broad relevance for studying black hole growth and galaxy and active galactic nuclei formation and evolution. It has been suggested that an unavoidable consequence of the existence of supermassive black holes, and the best diagnostic of their presence in nonactive galaxies, would be occasional tidal disruption of stars captured by the black holes. These events manifest themselves in the form of luminous flares powered by accretion of debris from the disrupted star into the black hole. Candidate events among optically nonactive galaxies emerged in the past few years. For the first time, we have looked with high spatial and spectral resolution at one of these most extreme variability events ever recorded among galaxies. Here we report measuring a factor of ~200 drop in luminosity of the X-ray source RX J1242-1119 with the X-ray observatories Chandra and XMM-Newton, and perform tests of the favored outburst scenario, tidal disruption of a star by a supermassive black hole. We show that the detected low-state emission has properties such that it must still be related to the flare. The power-law shaped postflare X-ray spectrum indicates a hardening compared to outburst. The inferred black hole mass, the amount of liberated energy, and the duration of the event favor an accretion event of the form expected from the (partial or complete) tidal disruption of a star.

Size and properties of the narrow-line region in Seyfert-2 galaxies from spatially-resolved optical spectroscopy ?

Context. While [Oiii] narrow-band imaging is commonly used to measure the size of the narrow-line regions (NLRs) in active galactic nuclei (AGNs), it can be contaminated by emission from surrounding starbursts. Recently, we have shown that long-slit spectroscopy provides a valuable alternative approach to probe the size in terms of AGN photoionisation. Moreover, several parameters of the NLR can be directly accessed. Aims. We here apply the same methods developed and described for the Seyfert-2 galaxy NGC 1386 to study the NLR of five other Seyfert-2 galaxies by using high-sensitivity spatially-resolved optical spectroscopy obtained at the VLT and the NTT. Methods. We probe the AGN-photoionisation of the NLR and thus, its “real” size using diagnostic line-ratio diagrams. We derive physical properties of the NLR such as reddening, ionisation parameter, electron density, and velocity as a function of distance from the nucleus. Results. For NGC 5643, the diagnostic diagrams unveil a similar transition between line ratios falling in the AGN regime and those typical for Hii regions as found for NGC 1386, thus determining the size of the NLR. For the other four objects, all measured line ratios fall in the AGN regime. In almost all cases, both electron density and ionisation parameter decrease with radius. Deviations from this general behaviour (such as a secondary peak) seen in both the ionisation parameter and electron density can be interpreted as signs of shocks from the interaction of a radio jet and the NLR gas. In several objects, the gaseous velocity distribution is characteristic for rotational motion in an (inclined) emission-line disk in the centre. We compare our results to those of NGC 1386 and show that the latter can be considered as prototypical also for this larger sample. We discuss our findings in detail for each object.

C-GOALS: Chandra observations of a complete sample of luminous infrared galaxies from the IRAS Revised Bright Galaxy Survey

We present X-ray data for a complete sample of 44 luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs), obtained with the Chandra X-ray Observatory. These are the X-ray observations of the high luminosity portion of the Great Observatory All-sky LIRG Survey (GOALS), which includes the most luminous infrared selected galaxies, log (L_(ir)/L_⊙) ≥ 11.73, in the local universe, z ≤ 0.088. X-rays were detected from 43 out of 44 objects, and their arcsec-resolution images, spectra, and radial brightness distributions are presented. With a selection by hard X-ray colour and the 6.4 keV iron line, AGN are found in 37% of the objects, with higher luminosity sources more likely to contain an AGN. These AGN also tend to be found in late-stage mergers. The AGN fraction would increase to 48% if objects with [Ne v]λ14.3 μm detection are included. Double AGN are clearly detected only in NGC 6240 among 24 double/triple systems. Other AGN are found either in single nucleus objects or in one of the double nuclei at similar rates. Objects without conventional X-ray signatures of AGN appear to be hard X-ray quiet, relative to the X-ray to far-IR correlation for starburst galaxies, as discussed elsewhere. Most objects also show extended soft X-ray emission, which is likely related to an outflow from the nuclear region, with a metal abundance pattern suggesting enrichment by core collapse supernovae, as expected for a starburst.

A tidal disruption-like X-ray flare from the quiescent galaxy SDSS J120136.02+300305.5

Aims. The study of tidal disruption flares from galactic nuclei has historically been hampered by a lack of high quality spectral observations taken around the peak of the outburst. Here we introduce the first results from a program designed to identify tidal disruption events at their peak by making near-real-time comparisons of the flux seen in XMM-Newton slew sources with that seen in ROSAT. Methods. Flaring extragalactic sources, which do not appear to be AGN, are monitored with Swift and XMM-Newton to track their temporal and spectral evolution. Timely optical observations are made to monitor the reaction of circumnuclear material to the X-ray flare. Results. SDSS J120136.02+300305.5 was detected in an XMM-Newton slew from June 2010 with a flux 56 times higher than an upper limit from ROSAT, corresponding to LX ∼ 3 × 10 44 erg s −1 . It has the optical spectrum of a quiescent galaxy (z = 0.146). Overall the X-ray flux has evolved consistently with the canonical t −5/3 model, expected for returning stellar debris, fading by a factor ∼300 over 300 days. In detail the source is very variable and became invisible to Swift between 27 and 48 days after discovery, perhaps due to self-absorption. The X-ray spectrum is soft but is not the expected tail of optically thick thermal emission. It may be fit with a Bremsstrahlung or double-power-law model and is seen to soften with time and declining flux. Optical spectra taken 12 days and 11 months after discovery indicate a deficit of material in the broad line and coronal line regions of this galaxy, while a deep radio non-detection implies that a jet was not launched during this event.

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.

HYPERCOMPACT STELLAR SYSTEMS AROUND RECOILING SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLES

A supermassive black hole ejected from the center of a galaxy by gravitational-wave recoil carries a retinue of bound stars—a hypercompact stellar system (HCSS). The numbers and properties of HCSSs contain information about the merger histories of galaxies, the late evolution of binary black holes, and the distribution of gravitational-wave kicks. We relate the structural properties (size, mass, density profile) of HCSSs to the properties of their host galaxies and to the size of the kick in two regimes: collisional (M BH 107 M ☉), i.e., short nuclear relaxation times, and collisionless (M BH 107 M ☉), i.e., long nuclear relaxation times. HCSSs are expected to be similar in size and luminosity to globular clusters, but in extreme cases (large galaxies, kicks just above escape velocity) their stellar mass can approach that of ultracompact dwarf galaxies. However, they differ from all other classes of compact stellar system in having very high internal velocities. We show that the kick velocity is encoded in the velocity dispersion of the bound stars. Given a large enough sample of HCSSs, the distribution of gravitational-wave kicks can therefore be empirically determined. We combine a hierarchical merger algorithm with stellar population models to compute the rate of production of HCSSs over time and the probability of observing HCSSs in the local universe as a function of their apparent magnitude, color, size, and velocity dispersion, under two different assumptions about the star formation history prior to the kick. We predict that ~102 HCSSs should be detectable within 2 Mpc of the center of the Virgo cluster, and that many of these should be bright enough that their kick velocities (i.e., velocity dispersions) could be measured with reasonable exposure times. We discuss other strategies for detecting HCSSs and speculate on some exotic manifestations.