Extended line emission around seven radio-loud quasars at redshift z ∼ 2

We present near-infrared spectra of seven radio-loud quasars with a median redshift of 2.1, five of which were previously known to have Ly α nebulae. Extended [O  iii ] λ 5007 and H α emission are evident around six objects, at the level of a few times 10⁻¹⁶ erg cm⁻² arcsec⁻² s⁻¹ within ≃2 arcsec of the nucleus (≡16 kpc in the adopted cosmology). Nuclear [O  ii ] λ 3727 is detected in three of the five quasars studied at this wavelength and clearly extended in one of them.
The extended [O  iii ] tends to be brighter on the side of the nucleus with the stronger, jet-like radio emission, indicating at least that the extranuclear gas is distributed anisotropically. It is also typically redshifted by several hundred km s⁻¹ from the nuclear [O  iii ], perhaps because of the latter being blueshifted from the host galaxy's systemic velocity. Alternatively, the velocity shifts could be due to infall (which is suggested by linewidths ∼1000 km s⁻¹ FWHM) in combination with a suitable dust geometry. Ly α /H α ratios well below the case B value suggest that some dust is present.
Photoionization modelling of the [O  iii ]/[O  ii ] ratios in the extended gas suggests that its pressure is around or less than a few times 10⁷ cm⁻³ K; any confining intracluster medium is thus likely to host a strong cooling flow. A comparison with lower redshift work suggests that there has been little evolution in the nuclear emission-line properties of radio-loud quasars between redshifts 1 and 2.     

Are there any Type 2 QSOs? The case of AXJ0341.4–4453

The X-ray source AXJ0341.4–4453 was described by Boyle et al. as a Type 2 active galactic nucleus (AGN) at z =0.672 based on the absence of broad emission lines in the observed wavelength range 4000–7000 Å. We obtained a new spectrum of AXJ0341.4–4453 extending to 9600 Å which reveals broad Balmer lines and other characteristics of Seyfert 1 galaxies. The FWHM of broad H β is at least 1600 km s⁻¹, while [O  iii ] λ 5007 has FWHM=730 km s⁻¹. The flux ratio [O  iii ] λ 5007/H β =1. Thus, AXJ0341.4–4453 is by definition a narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy, or perhaps a moderately reddened Seyfert 1 galaxy, but it is not a Type 2 QSO. Although examples of the latter have long been sought, particularly in connection with the problem of the X-ray background, there is still virtually no evidence for the existence of any Type 2 QSO among X-ray selected samples.     

The Norma cluster (ACO 3627) – I. A dynamical analysis of the most massive cluster in the Great Attractor

A detailed dynamical analysis of the nearby rich Norma cluster (ACO 3627) is presented. From radial velocities of 296 cluster members, we find a mean velocity of 4871 ± 54 km s⁻¹ and a velocity dispersion of 925 km s⁻¹. The mean velocity of the E/S0 population (4979 ± 85 km s⁻¹) is offset with respect to that of the S/Irr population (4812 ± 70 km s⁻¹) by  Δ v = 164 km s⁻¹  in the cluster rest frame. This offset increases towards the core of the cluster. The E/S0 population is free of any detectable substructure and appears relaxed. Its shape is clearly elongated with a position angle that is aligned along the dominant large-scale structures in this region, the so-called Norma wall. The central cD galaxy has a very large peculiar velocity of 561 km s⁻¹ which is most probably related to an ongoing merger at the core of the cluster. The spiral/irregular galaxies reveal a large amount of substructure; two dynamically distinct subgroups within the overall spiral population have been identified, located along the Norma wall elongation. The dynamical mass of the Norma cluster within its Abell radius is  1–1.1 × 10¹⁵  h ⁻¹₇₃ M_⊙  . One of the cluster members, the spiral galaxy WKK 6176 which recently was observed to have a 70 kpc X-ray tail, reveals numerous striking low-brightness filaments pointing away from the cluster centre suggesting strong interaction with the intracluster medium.     

Neutral gas and dust in the central region of the ultraluminous infrared galaxy Mrk 273

We have used MERLIN to observe neutral hydrogen absorption against the central region of the ultraluminous infrared galaxy (ULIRG) galaxy Mrk 273 with an angular resolution of 0.2 arcsec. This represents a factor of 5 increase in resolution compared with previous work. Absorption has been resolved against two of three radio continuum components. A Hubble Space Telescope ( HST ) image reveals a complex central region composed of clumpy emission obscured by dust lanes. We find that the northern and south-eastern radio components are associated with two optical components. The alignment supports the idea that Mrk 273 has a double nucleus due to a recent galactic merger event.
Broad, strong and spatially varying absorption is seen against the northern radio component with a velocity gradient of 1990±50 km s⁻¹ kpc⁻¹. The absorption resolves into six discrete components with an average column density of 1.7×10²² atom cm⁻². We propose that the absorption is due to a clumpy ring or disc of neutral gas of radius ∼250 pc rotating around a central starburst. In addition to the broad component, narrow absorption (<100 km s⁻¹) is detected against the northern and south-eastern components. Absorption is not detected against the weak (2 mJy) south-western component. We propose that the narrow absorption is due to quiescent gas in a large-scale dust lane that coincides with these regions of narrow absorption.     

Spectroscopy of the optical Einstein ring 0047 – 2808

We present optical and near-infrared spectroscopic observations of the optical Einstein ring 0047 – 2808. We detect both [O III ] lines λλ4959, 5007 near ∼ 2.3 μm, confirming the redshift of the lensed source as z  = 3.595. The Lyα line is redshifted relative to the [O III ] line by 140 ± 20 km s⁻¹. Similar velocity shifts have been seen in nearby starburst galaxies. The [O III ] line is very narrow, 130 km s⁻¹ FWHM. If the ring is the image of the centre of a galaxy, the one-dimensional stellar velocity dispersion σ = 55 km s⁻¹ is considerably smaller than the value predicted by Baugh et al. for the somewhat brighter Lyman-break galaxies. The Lyα line is significantly broader than the [O III ] line, probably due to resonant scattering. The stellar central velocity dispersion of the early-type deflector galaxy at z  = 0.485 is 250 ± 30 km s⁻¹. This value is in good agreement both with the value predicted from the radius of the Einstein ring (and a singular isothermal sphere model for the deflector), and with the value estimated from the D _n −σ relation.     

The host galaxy of a narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy, RE J1034+396, with X-ray quasi-periodic oscillations

Using simple stellar population synthesis, we model the bulge stellar contribution in the optical spectrum of a narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy, RE J1034+396. We find that its bulge stellar velocity dispersion is  67.7 ± 8 km s⁻¹  . The supermassive black hole (SMBH) mass is about  (1–4) × 10⁶ M_⊙  if it follows the well-known   M _BH–σ_*  relation found in quiescent galaxies. We also derive the SMBH mass from the Hβ second moment, which is consistent with that from its bulge stellar velocity dispersion. The SMBH mass of (1–4)  × 10⁶ M_⊙  implies that the X-ray quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO) of RE J1034+396 can be scaled to a high-frequency QPO at 27–108 Hz found in Galactic black hole binaries with a  10-M_⊙  black hole. With the mass distribution in different age stellar populations, we find that the mean specific star formation rate (SSFR) over the past 0.1 Gyr is  0.0163 ± 0.0011  Gyr⁻¹, the stellar mass in the logarithm is  10.155 ± 0.06  in units of solar mass and the current star formation rate is  0.23 ± 0.016 M_⊙ yr⁻¹  . For RE J1034+396, there is no relation between the Eddington ratio and the SSFR as suggested by Chen et al., despite a larger scatter in their relation. We also suggest that about 7.0 per cent of the total Hα luminosity and 50 per cent of the total [O  ii ] luminosity come from the star formation process.     

HST/STIS observations of the high-velocity interstellar cloud HVC 291.2−41.2+80: a warm, mainly ionized high-velocity cloud

We present intermediate-resolution HST /STIS spectra of a high-velocity interstellar cloud ( v _LSR=+80 km s⁻¹) towards DI 1388, a young star in the Magellanic Bridge located between the Small and Large Magellanic Clouds. The STIS data have a signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) of 20–45 and a spectral resolution of about 6.5 km s⁻¹ (FWHM). The high-velocity cloud absorption is observed in the lines of C  ii , O  i , Si  ii , Si  iii , Si  iv and S  iii . Limits can be placed on the amount of S  ii and Fe  ii absorption that is present. An analysis of the relative abundances derived from the observed species, particularly C  ii and O  i , suggests that this high-velocity gas is warm ( T _k∼10³–10⁴ K) and predominantly ionized. This hypothesis is supported by the presence of absorption produced by highly ionized species, such as Si  iv . This sightline also intercepts two other high-velocity clouds that produce weak absorption features at v _LSR=+113 and +130 km s⁻¹ in the STIS spectra.     

Neutral hydrogen absorption observations of the central region of NGC 5929

We present 0.15-arcsec (25-pc) resolution MERLIN observations of neutral hydrogen absorption detected towards the nuclear region of the type 2 Seyfert galaxy NGC 5929. Absorption is detected only towards the north-eastern radio component with a column density of (6.5 ± 0.6) × 10²¹ cm⁻². Based on comparison with an HST WFPC2 continuum image, we propose that the absorption is caused by a 1.5-arcsec structure of neutral gas and dust offset 0.3 arcsec south-east of the nucleus and running NE–SW. A separate cloud of dust is apparent 1.5 arcsec to the south-west of the nucleus in the HST image. A comparison of the centroid velocity (2358 ± 5 km s⁻¹) and full width at half-maximum (43 ± 6 km s⁻¹) of the absorbing gas with previous [O  III ] observations suggests that both the neutral and ionized gas are undergoing galactic rotation towards the observer in the north-east and away from the observer in the south-west. The main structure is consistent with an inclined ring of gas and dust encircling the active galactic nucleus (AGN); alternatively it may be a bar or inner spiral arm. We do not detect neutral hydrogen absorption or dust obscuration against the radio nucleus (column density < 3.1 × 10²¹ cm⁻²) expected by a torus of neutral gas and dust in unified models of AGNs for a type 2 Seyfert galaxy.     

The large peculiar velocity of the cD galaxy in Abell 3653

We present a catalogue of galaxies in Abell 3653 from observations made with the 2-degree field (2dF) spectrograph at the Anglo-Australian Telescope. Of the 391 objects observed, we find 111 are bona fide members of Abell 3653. We show that the cluster has a velocity of   cz = 32 214 ± 83  km s⁻¹ ( z = 0.10 738 ± 0.00 027)  , with a velocity dispersion typical of rich, massive clusters of  σ _cz = 880⁺⁶⁶₋₅₄  . We find that the cD galaxy has a peculiar velocity of  683 ± 96  km s⁻¹  in the cluster rest frame – some 7σ away from the mean cluster velocity, making it one of the largest and most significant peculiar velocities found for a cD galaxy to date. We investigate the cluster for signs of substructure, but do not find any significant groupings on any length scale. We consider the implications of our findings on cD formation theories.     

Predicting the peculiar velocities of nearby PSCz galaxies using the Least Action Principle

We use the Least Action Principle to predict the peculiar velocities of PSC z galaxies inside cz =2000 km s⁻¹. Linear theory is used to account for tidal effects to cz =15 000 km s⁻¹, and we iterate galaxy positions to account for redshift distortions. As the Least Action Principle is valid beyond linear theory, we can predict reliable peculiar velocities even for very nearby galaxies (i.e., cz ≤500 km s⁻¹). These predicted peculiar velocities are then compared with the observed velocities of 12 galaxies with Cepheid distances. The combination of the PSC z galaxy survey (with its large sky coverage and uniform selection) with the accurate Cepheid distances makes this comparison relatively free from systematic effects. We find that galaxies are good tracers of the mass, even at small (≤10  h ⁻¹ Mpc) scales; under the assumption of no biasing, 0.25≤ β ≤0.75 (at 90 per cent confidence). We use the reliable predicted peculiar velocities to estimate the Hubble constant H ₀ from the local volume without 'stepping up' the distance ladder, finding a confidence range of 65–75 km s⁻¹ Mpc⁻¹ (at 90 per cent confidence).     

Modelling the bar in the centre of the starburst galaxy M82

We present VLA A-array 21-cm atomic hydrogen (H  i ) absorption observed against the central region of the starburst galaxy M82 with an angular resolution of ∼1.3 arcsec (≃20 pc). These observations, together with MERLIN H  i absorption measurements, are compared with the molecular (CO) and ionized ([Ne  ii ]) gas distributions and are used to constrain the dynamics and structure of the ionized, neutral and molecular gas in this starburst.
A position–velocity diagram of the H  i distribution reveals an unusual 'hole' feature which, when previously observed in CO, has been interpreted as an expanding superbubble contained within a ring of gas in solid body rotation. However, we interpret this feature as a signature of a nearly edge-on barred galaxy. In addition, we note that the CO, H  i and [Ne  ii ] position–velocity diagrams reveal two main velocity gradients, and we interpret these as gas moving on x₁- and x₂-orbits within a bar potential. We find the best fit to the data to be produced using a bar potential with a flat rotation curve velocity v _b=140 km s⁻¹ and a total length of 1 kpc, a non-axisymmetry parameter q =0.9, an angular velocity of the bar Ω_b=217 km s⁻¹ arcsec⁻¹, a core radius R _c=25 pc, an inclination angle i =80° and a projected angle between the bar and the major axis of the galaxy φ '=4°. We also discuss the orientation of the disc and bar in M82.     

Emission-line outflows in PKS1549−79: the effects of the early stages of radio-source evolution?

We present new spectroscopic observations of the southern radio galaxy         . Despite the flat-spectrum character of the radio emission from this source, our optical spectra show no sign of the broad permitted lines and non-stellar continuum characteristic of quasar nuclei and broad-line radio galaxies. However, the high-ionization forbidden lines, including [O  iii ] λλ 5007, 4959, are unusually broad for a narrow-line radio galaxy     , and are blueshifted by 600 km s⁻¹ relative to the low-ionization lines such as [O  ii ] λλ 3726,3729. The [O  ii ] lines are also considerably narrower     than the [O  iii ] lines, and have a redshift consistent with that of the recently detected H  i 21-cm absorption-line system. Whereas the kinematics of the [O  iii ] emission lines are consistent with outflow in an inner narrow-line region, the properties of the [O  ii ] emission lines suggest that they are emitted by a more extended and quiescent gaseous component. We argue that, given the radio properties of the source, our line of sight is likely to be lying close to the direction of bulk outflow of the radio jets. In this case it is probable that the quasar nucleus is entirely obscured at optical wavelengths by the material responsible for the H  i absorption-line system. The unusually broad [O  iii ] emission lines suggest that the radio source is intrinsically compact. Overall, our data are consistent the idea that     is a radio source in an early stage of evolution.     

Time-series Paschen-β spectroscopy of SU Aurigae

We present time-series echelle spectra of the Paβ line of the T Tauri star SU Aur, observed over three consecutive nights. The line shows strong variability (∼10 per cent) over the velocity range 100–420 km s⁻¹ in the red broad absorption component, and weaker variability (∼2 per cent) over the velocity range  −200–0 km s⁻¹  in the blue wing. The variability in the velocity range  −200–0 km s⁻¹  is correlated with that in  200–400 km s⁻¹  , and the variability in these velocity ranges anticorrelates with that in  0–100 km s⁻¹  . The mean spectrum from the second night shows the suggestion of a blueshifted absorption component at about  −150 km s⁻¹  , similar to that found in the Hα and Hβ lines. We find the position of the subpeak in the red absorption component changes steadily with time, and its motion modulates at half the rotational period. We also find that the modulation of the line equivalent width is possibly associated with a half and a third of the rotational period, which is consistent with the surface Doppler images of SU Aur. Radiative transfer models of a rotationally modulated Paβ line, produced in the shock-heated magnetospheric accretion flow, are also presented. Models with a magnetic dipole offset reproduce the overall characteristics of the observed line variability, including the line equivalent width and the motion of the subpeak in the red absorption trough.     

A spectroscopic study of NGC 6251 and its companion galaxies

Measurements of the velocities of galaxies thought to be associated with the giant radio galaxy NGC 6251 confirm the presence of a poor cluster with a systemic redshift of and a line-of-sight velocity dispersion of _z =283(+109,52) km s¹. This suggests a cluster atmosphere temperature of T =0.7(+0.6,0.2) keV, which is not enough to confine the radio jet by gas pressure. The core of NGC 6251 shows strong emission lines of [O  iii ] and H +[N  ii ], but there is no evidence for line emission from the jet (detected in optical continuum by Keel).     

Tentative detection of warm intervening gas towards PKS 0548-322 with XMM–Newton

We present the results of a long (∼93 ks) XMM–Newton observation of the bright BL-Lac object  PKS 0548-322 ( z = 0.069)  . Our Reflection Grating Spectrometer (RGS) spectrum shows a single absorption feature at an observed wavelength  λ= 23.33 ± 0.01 Å  , which we interpret as O  vi Kα absorption at   z = 0.058  , i.e. ∼3000 km s⁻¹ from the background object. The observed equivalent width of the absorption line, ∼30 mÅ, coupled with the lack of the corresponding absorption edge in the EPIC pn data, implies a column density of   N _O VI∼ 2 × 10¹⁶ cm⁻²  and turbulence with a Doppler velocity parameter   b > 100 km s⁻¹  . Within the limitations of our RGS spectrum, no O  vii or O  v Kα absorption are detected. Under the assumption of ionization equilibrium by both collisions and the extragalactic background, this is only marginally consistent if the gas temperature is  ∼2.5 × 10⁵ K  , with significantly lower or higher values being excluded by our limits on O  v or O  vii . If confirmed, this would be the first X-ray detection of a large amount of intervening warm absorbing gas through O  vi absorption. The existence of such a high column density absorber, much stronger than any previously detected one in O  vi , would place stringent constraints on the large-scale distribution of baryonic gas in the Universe.     

Evolution of massive binary black holes

Since many or most galaxies have central massive black holes (BHs), mergers of galaxies can form massive binary black holes (BBHs). In this paper we study the evolution of massive BBHs in realistic galaxy models, using a generalization of techniques used to study tidal disruption rates around massive BHs. The evolution of BBHs depends on BH mass ratio and host galaxy type. BBHs with very low mass ratios (say, ≲0.001) are hardly ever formed by mergers of galaxies, because the dynamical friction time-scale is too long for the smaller BH to sink into the galactic centre within a Hubble time. BBHs with moderate mass ratios are most likely to form and survive in spherical or nearly spherical galaxies and in high-luminosity or high-dispersion galaxies; they are most likely to have merged in low-dispersion galaxies (line-of-sight velocity dispersion ≲90 km s⁻¹) or in highly flattened or triaxial galaxies.
The semimajor axes and orbital periods of surviving BBHs are generally in the range  10^-3–10 pc  and  10–10⁵ yr;  they are also larger in high-dispersion galaxies than in low-dispersion galaxies, larger in nearly spherical galaxies than in highly flattened or triaxial galaxies, and larger for BBHs with equal masses than for BBHs with unequal masses. The orbital velocities of surviving BBHs are generally in the range  10²–10⁴ km s^-1  . The methods of detecting surviving BBHs are also discussed.
If no evidence of BBHs is found in AGNs, this may be either because gas plays a major role in BBH orbital decay or because nuclear activity switches on soon after a galaxy merger, and ends before the smaller BH has had time to spiral to the centre of the galaxy.     

The local star formation rate and radio luminosity density

We present a new determination of the local volume-averaged star formation rate from the 1.4-GHz luminosity function of star forming galaxies. Our sample, taken from the   B ≤12  Revised Shapley–Ames catalogue (231 normal spiral galaxies over an effective area of 7.1 sr) has ≃100 per cent complete radio detections and is insensitive to dust obscuration and cirrus contamination. After removal of known active galaxies, the best-fitting Schechter function has a faint-end slope of  −1.27±0.07  in agreement with the local H α luminosity function, characteristic luminosity   L ∗=(2.6±0.7)×10²² W Hz⁻¹  and density   φ ∗=(4.8±1.1)×10⁻⁴ Mpc⁻³.  The inferred local radio luminosity density of  (1.73±0.37±0.03)×10¹⁹ W Hz⁻¹ Mpc⁻³  (Poisson noise, large-scale structure fluctuations) implies a volume-averaged star formation rate ∼2 times larger than the Gallego et al. H α estimate, i.e.   ρ _1.4 GHz=(2.10±0.45±0.04)×10⁻² M_⊙ yr⁻¹ Mpc⁻³  for a Salpeter initial mass function from  0.1–125 M_⊙  and Hubble constant of 50 km s⁻¹ Mpc⁻¹. We demonstrate that the Balmer decrement is a highly unreliable extinction estimator, and argue that optical–ultraviolet (UV) star formation rates (SFRs) are easily underestimated, particularly at high redshift.     

K-band imaging of strong Ca ii-absorber host galaxies at z∼1

We present K -band imaging of fields around 30 strong Ca  ii absorption-line systems, at  0.7 < z < 1.2  , three of which are confirmed damped Lyman α systems. A significant excess of galaxies is found within 6.0 arcsec (≃50 kpc) from the absorber line of sight. The excess galaxies are preferentially luminous compared to the population of field galaxies. A model in which field galaxies possess a luminosity-dependent cross-section for Ca  ii absorption of the form  ( L / L *)^0.7  reproduces the observations well. The luminosity-dependent cross-section for the Ca  ii absorbers appears to be significantly stronger than the established  ( L / L *)^0.4  dependence for Mg  ii absorbers. The associated galaxies lie at large physical distances from the Ca  ii -absorbing gas; we find a mean impact parameter of 24 kpc  ( H ₀= 70 km s⁻¹ Mpc⁻¹)  . Combined with the observed number density of Ca  ii absorbers the large physical separations result in an inferred filling factor of only ∼10 per cent. The physical origin of the strong Ca  ii absorption remains unclear, possible explanations vary from very extended discs of the luminous galaxies to associated dwarf galaxy neighbours, remnants of outflows from the luminous galaxies, or tidal debris from cannibalism of smaller galaxies.     

Molecular hydrogen emission in Cygnus A

We present J , H and K -band spectroscopy of Cygnus A, spanning 1.0–2.4 μm in the rest-frame and hence several rovibrational H₂, H recombination and [Fe  ii ] emission lines. The lines are spatially extended by up to 6 kpc from the nucleus, but their distinct kinematics indicate that the three groups (H, H₂ and [Fe  ii ]) are not wholly produced in the same gas. The broadest line, [Fe  ii ] λ 1.644, exhibits a non-Gaussian profile with a broad base (FWHM≃1040 km s⁻¹), perhaps because of the interaction with the radio source. Extinctions to the line-emitting regions substantially exceed earlier measurements based on optical H recombination lines.
Hard X-rays from the quasar nucleus are likely to dominate the excitation of the H₂ emission. The results of Maloney, Hollenbach & Tielens are thus used to infer the total mass of gas in H₂ v=1–0 S(1)-emitting clouds as a function of radius, for gas densities of 10³ and 10⁵ cm⁻³, and stopping column densities N _H=10²²–10²⁴ cm⁻². Assuming azimuthal symmetry, at least 2.3×10⁸ M_⊙ of such material is present within 5 kpc of the nucleus, if the line-emitting clouds see an unobscured quasar spectrum. Alternatively, if the bulk of the X-ray absorption to the nucleus inferred by Ueno et al. actually arises in a circumnuclear torus, the implied gas mass rises to ∼10¹⁰ M_⊙. The latter plausibly accounts for 10⁹ yr of mass deposition from the cluster cooling flow, for which within this radius.     

Radio observations of comet 9P/Tempel 1 with the Australia Telescope facilities during the Deep Impact encounter

We present radio observations of comet 9P/Tempel 1 associated with the Deep Impact spacecraft collision of 2005 July 4. Weak 18-cm OH emission was detected with the Parkes 64-m telescope, in data averaged over July 4–6, at a level of  12 ± 3 mJy km s⁻¹  , corresponding to OH production rate  2.8 × 10²⁸  molecules s⁻¹ (Despois et al. inversion model, or  1.0 × 10²⁸ s⁻¹  for the Schleicher & A'Hearn model). We did not detect the HCN 1–0 line with the Mopra 22-m telescope over the period July 2–6. The 3σ limit of 0.06 K km s⁻¹ for HCN on July 4 after the impact gives the limit to the HCN production rate of  <1.8 × 10²⁵ s⁻¹  . We did not detect the HCN 1–0 line, 6.7 GHz CH₃OH line or 3.4-mm continuum with the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) on July 4, giving further limits on any small-scale structure due to an outburst. The 3σ limit on HCN emission of 2.5 K km s⁻¹ from the ATCA around impact corresponds to limit < 4 × 10²⁹ HCN molecules released by the impact.