The origin of the light distribution in spiral galaxies

We analyse a high-resolution, fully cosmological, hydrodynamical disc galaxy simulation, to study the source of the double-exponential light profiles seen in many stellar discs, and the effects of stellar radial migration upon the spatiotemporal evolution of both the disc age and metallicity distributions. We find a 'break' in the pure exponential stellar surface brightness profile, and trace its origin to a sharp decrease in the star formation per unit surface area, itself produced by a decrease in the gas volume density due to a warping of the gas disc. Star formation in the disc continues well beyond the break. We find that the break is more pronounced in bluer wavebands. By contrast, we find little or no break in the mass density profile. This is, in part, due to the net radial migration of stars towards the external parts of the disc. Beyond the break radius, we find that ∼60 per cent of the resident stars migrated from the inner disc, while ∼25 per cent formed in situ . Our simulated galaxy also has a minimum in the age profile at the break radius but, in disagreement with some previous studies, migration is not the main mechanism producing this shape. In our simulation, the disc metallicity gradient flattens with time, consistent with an 'inside-out' formation scenario. We do not find any difference in the intensity or the position of the break with inclination, suggesting that perhaps the differences found in empirical studies are driven by dust extinction.     

An irradiated accretion disc in the narrow-line Seyfert 1 RE J1034+396?

We model the optical to X-ray continuum spectrum of the narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy RE J1034+396. We show that the flat optical spectrum is consistent with emission from an irradiated accretion disc. The X-ray emission can be modelled with a disc blackbody and a Comptonized component. The temperature at the inner edge of the disc     Using this constraint, we show that the flat optical spectrum is consistent with emission from the irradiatively heated outer part of the accretion disc. We constrain the outer radius of the optically thick disc     and the inner radius of the irradiation-dominated region     . Our optical and X-ray spectral fits indicate a mass     , and do not rule out a low (i.e. face-on) inclination angle for the system.     

A softer look at MCG–6-30-15 with XMM–Newton

We present the analysis and first results from the Reflection Grating Spectrometer (RGS) during the 320-ks XMM–Newton observation of the Seyfert 1 galaxy MCG–6-30-15. The spectrum is marked by a sharp drop in flux at 0.7 keV which has been interpreted by Branduardi-Raymont et al. using RGS spectra from an earlier and shorter observation as the blue wing of a strong relativistic O  viii emission line and by Lee et al. using a Chandra spectrum as due to a dusty warm absorber. We find that the drop is well explained by the Fe  i L_2,3 absorption edges and obtain reasonable fits over the 0.32–1.7 keV band using a multizone, dusty warm absorber model constructed using the photoionization code cloudy . Some residuals remain which could be due to emission from a relativistic disc, but at a much weaker level than from any simple model relying on relativistic emission lines alone. A model based on such emission lines can be made to fit if sufficient (warm) absorption is added, although the line strengths exceed those expected. In order to distinguish further whether the spectral shape is dominated by absorption or emission, we examined the difference spectrum between the highest and lowest flux states of the source. The EPIC pn data indicate that this is a power law in the 3–10 keV band which, if extrapolated to lower energies, reveals the absorption function acting on the intrinsic spectrum, provided that any emission lines do not scale exactly with the continuum. We find that this function matches our dusty warm absorber model well if the power law steepens below 2 keV. The soft X-ray spectrum is therefore dominated by absorption structures, with the equivalent width of any individual emission lines in the residuals being below approximately 30 eV.     

A new superwind galaxy: XMM–Newton observations of NGC 6810

We present the first imaging X-ray observation of the highly inclined  ( i = 78°)  Sab Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 6810 using XMM–Newton , which reveals soft X-ray emission that extends out to a projected height of ∼7 kpc away from the plane of the galaxy. The soft X-ray emission beyond the optical disc of the galaxy is most plausibly extraplanar, although it could instead come from large galactic radius. This extended X-ray emission is spatially associated with diffuse Hα emission, in particular with a prominent 5-kpc-long Hα filament on the north-west of the disc. A fraction ≲35 per cent of the total soft X-ray emission of the galaxy arises from projected heights  | z | ≥ 2 kpc  . Within the optical disc of the galaxy the soft X-ray emission is associated with the star-forming regions visible in ground-based Hα and XMM–Newton optical monitor near-UV imaging. The temperature, supersolar α-element-to-iron abundance ratio, soft X-ray/Hα correlation, and X-ray to far-infrared (FIR) flux ratio of NGC 6810 are all consistent with local starbursts with winds, although the large base radius of the outflow would make NGC 6810 one of the few 'disc-wide' superwinds currently known. Hard X-ray emission from NGC 6810 is weak, and the total   E = 2–10 keV  luminosity and spectral shape are consistent with the expected level of X-ray binary emission from the old and young stellar populations. The X-ray observations provide no evidence of any active galactic nucleus activity. We find that the optical, IR and radio properties of NGC 6810 are all consistent with a starburst galaxy, and that the old classification of this galaxy as a Seyfert 2 galaxy is probably incorrect.     

A bar in the inner halo of barred galaxies – I. Structure and kinematics of a representative model

N -body simulations argue that the inner haloes of barred galaxies should not be spherical, nor even axisymmetric, but triaxial. The departure from sphericity is the strongest near the centre and decreases outwards; typical axial ratios for the innermost parts are of the order of 0.8. The halo shape is prolate-like in the inner parts up to a certain radius and then turns to oblate-like. I call this inner halo structure the 'halo bar' and analyse here in depth its structure and kinematics in a representative model. It is always considerably shorter than the disc bar. It lags the disc bar by only a few degrees at all radii and the difference between the two bar phases increases with distance from the centre. The two bars turn with roughly the same pattern speed. This means that the halo bar is a slow bar, since its corotation radius is much larger than its length. The bisymmetric component in the halo continues well outside the halo bar in the form of an open spiral, trailing behind the disc bar. The inner parts of the halo display some mean rotation in the same sense as the disc rotation. This is more important for particles nearer to the equatorial plane and decreases with increasing distance from it, but is always much smaller than the disc rotation.     

The AGN and gas disc in the low surface brightness galaxy PGC 045080

We present radio observations and optical spectroscopy of the giant low surface brightness (LSB) galaxy PGC 045080 (or 1300+0144). PGC 045080 is a moderately distant galaxy having a highly inclined optical disc and massive H  i gas content. Radio continuum observations of the galaxy were carried out at 320, 610 MHz and 1.4 GHz. Continuum emission was detected and mapped in the galaxy. The emission appears extended over the inner disc at all three frequencies. At 1.4 GHz and 610 MHz it appears to have two distinct lobes. We also did optical spectroscopy of the galaxy nucleus; the spectrum did not show any strong emission lines associated with active galactic nucleus (AGN) activity but the presence of a weak AGN cannot be ruled out. Furthermore, comparison of the Hα flux and radio continuum at 1.4 GHz suggests that a significant fraction of the emission is non-thermal in nature. Hence we conclude that a weak or hidden AGN may be present in PGC 045080. The extended radio emission represents lobes/jets from the AGN. These observations show that although LSB galaxies are metal poor and have very little star formation, their centres can host significant AGN activity. We also mapped the H  i gas disc and velocity field in PGC 045080. The H  i disc extends well beyond the optical disc and appears warped. In the H  i intensity maps, the disc appears distinctly lopsided. The velocity field is disturbed on the lopsided side of the disc but is fairly uniform in the other half. We derived the H  i rotation curve for the galaxy from the velocity field. The rotation curve has a flat rotation speed of ∼190 km s⁻¹.     

Two-dimensional line-strength maps in three well-studied early-type galaxies

Integral field spectroscopy has been obtained for the nuclear regions of three large, well-studied, early-type galaxies. From these spectra we have obtained line-strength maps for about 20 absorption lines, mostly belonging to the Lick system. An extensive comparison with multilenslet spectroscopy shows that accurate kinematic maps can be obtained, and also reproducible line-strength maps. Comparison with long-slit spectroscopy also produces good agreement.
We show that Mg is enhanced with respect to Fe in the inner disc of one of the three galaxies studied, the Sombrero. [Mg/Fe] there is larger than in the rest of the bulge. The large values of Mg/Fe in the central disc are consistent with the centres of other early-type galaxies, and not with large discs, like the disc of our Galaxy, where [Mg/Fe] ∼0. We confirm with this observation a recent result of Worthey: that Mg/Fe is determined only by the central kinetic energy, or escape velocity, of the stars, and not by the formation time-scale of the stars.
A stellar population analysis using the models of Vazdekis et al. shows that our observed H γ agrees well with what is predicted based on the other lines. Given the fact that H β is often contaminated by emission lines, we confirm the statement of Worthey & Ottaviani, Kuntschner & Davies and others that if one tries to measure ages of galaxies, H γ is a much better index to use than H β . Using the line strength of the Ca  ii IR triplet as an indicator of the abundance of Ca, we find that Ca follows Fe, and not Mg, in these galaxies. This is peculiar, given the fact that Ca is an α element. Finally, by combining the results of this paper with those of Vazdekis et al., we find that the line-strength gradients in the three galaxies are primarily caused by variations in metallicity.     

A relativistically smeared spectrum in the neutron star X-ray binary 4U 1705−44: looking at the inner accretion disc with X-ray spectroscopy

Iron emission lines at 6.4–6.97 keV, identified with fluorescent Kα transitions, are among the strongest discrete features in the X-ray band. These are therefore one of the most powerful probes to infer the properties of the plasma in the innermost part of the accretion disc around a compact object. In this paper, we present a recent XMM–Newton observation of the X-ray burster 4U 1705−44, where we clearly detect a relativistically smeared iron line at about 6.7 keV, testifying with high statistical significance that the line profile is distorted by high-velocity motion in the accretion disc. As expected from disc reflection models, we also find a significant absorption edge at about 8.3 keV; this feature appears to be smeared, and is compatible with being produced in the same region where the iron line is produced. From the line profile, we derive the physical parameters of the inner accretion disc with large precision. The line is identified with the Kα transition of highly ionized iron, Fe  xxv , the inner disc radius is   R _in= 14 ± 2  R _g  (where R _g is the Gravitational radius,   GM / c ²  ), the emissivity dependence from the disc radius is   r ^{−2.27±0.08}  , the inclination angle with respect to the line of sight is   i = 39°± 1°  . Finally, the XMM–Newton spectrum shows evidences of other low-energy emission lines, which again appear broad and their profiles are compatible with being produced in the same region where the iron line is produced.     

Ram pressure stripping of disc galaxies orbiting in clusters – I. Mass and radius of the remaining gas disc

We present the first 3D hydrodynamical simulations of ram pressure stripping of a disc galaxy orbiting in a galaxy cluster. Along the orbit, the ram pressure that this galaxy experiences varies with time. In this paper, we focus on the evolution of the radius and mass of the remaining gas disc, and compare it with the classical analytical estimate proposed by Gunn & Gott. We find that this simple estimate works well in predicting the evolution of the radius of the remaining gas disc. Only if the ram pressure increases faster than the stripping time-scale, the disc radius remains larger than predicted. However, orbits with such short ram pressure peaks are unlikely to occur in other than compact clusters. Unlike the radius evolution, the mass-loss history for the galaxy is not accurately described by the analytical estimate. Generally, in the simulations the galaxy loses its gas more slowly than predicted.     

Broad reprocessed Balmer emission from warped accretion discs

Double-peaked broad emission lines in active galactic nuclei are generally considered to be formed in an accretion disc. In this paper, we compute the profiles of reprocessing emission lines from a relativistic, warped accretion disc around a black hole in order to explore the possibility that certain asymmetries in the double-peaked emission-line profile which cannot be explained by a circular Keplerian disc may be induced by disc warping. The disc warping also provides a solution for the energy budget in the emission-line region because it increases the solid angle of the outer disc portion subtended to the inner portion of the disc. We adopted a parametrized disc geometry and a central point-like source of ionizing radiation to capture the main characteristics of the emission-line profile from such discs. We find that the ratio between the blue and red peaks of the line profiles becoming less than unity can be naturally predicted by a twisted warped disc, and a third peak can be produced in some cases. We show that disc warping can reproduce the main features of multipeaked line profiles of four active galactic nuclei from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey.     

A high-velocity ionized outflow and XUV photosphere in the narrow emission line quasar PG1211+143

We report on the analysis of a ∼60-ks XMM–Newton observation of the bright, narrow emission line quasar PG1211+143. Absorption lines are seen in both European Photon Imaging Camera and Reflection Grating Spectrometer spectra corresponding to H- and He-like ions of Fe, S, Mg, Ne, O, N and C. The observed line energies indicate an ionized outflow velocity of ∼24 000 km s⁻¹. The highest energy lines require a column density of   N _H∼ 5 × 10²³ cm⁻²  , at an ionization parameter of  log ξ∼ 3.4  . If the origin of this high-velocity outflow lies in matter being driven from the inner disc, then the flow is likely to be optically thick within a radius of ∼130 Schwarzschild radii, providing a natural explanation for the big blue bump (and strong soft X-ray) emission in PG1211+143.     

Suzaku observations of Markarian 335: evidence for a distributed reflector

We report on a 151-ks net exposure Suzaku observation of the narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy Mrk 335. The 0.5–40 keV spectrum contains a broad Fe line, a strong soft excess below about 2 keV and a Compton hump around 20–30 keV. We find that a model consisting of a power law and two reflectors provides the best fit to the time-averaged spectrum. In this model, an ionized, heavily blurred, inner reflector produces most of the soft excess, while an almost neutral outer reflector (outside ∼ 40 r _g) produces most of the Fe line emission. The spectral variability of the observation is characterized by spectral hardening at very low count rates. In terms of our power-law + two-reflector model it seems like this hardening is mainly caused by pivoting of the power law. The rms spectrum of the entire observation has the curved shape commonly observed in active galactic nuclei, although the shape is significantly flatter when an interval which does not contain any deep dip in the light curve is considered. We also examine a previous 133-ks XMM–Newton observation of Mrk 335. We find that the XMM–Newton spectrum can be fitted with a similar two-reflector model as the Suzaku data and we confirm that the rms spectrum of the observation is flat. The flat rms spectra, as well as the high-energy data from the Suzaku PIN detector, disfavour an absorption origin for the soft excess in Mrk 335.     

Barred galaxy resonance rings: analytically explaining morphology and predicting dissipative misalignment

Many barred disc galaxies show rings of gas clouds and young stars thought to be in periodic orbits near the two-fold inner and outer Lindblad resonances (ILR and OLR) plus a four-fold ultraharmonic resonance (UHR) of the turning bar with oscillations about the disc orbital motion. To confirm and extend simulations by Schwarz and by Byrd et al. of resonance ring formation, we present an analytical formulation of the clouds' orbital motion which includes dissipative damping of oscillations relative to the local interstellar medium plus the rotation curve, bar pattern speed, and strength. Observed ring morphology matches our plots of periodic orbits where the density is enhanced but clouds do not collide violently. Pairs of 'outer rings' bracket the OLR. Dimpled outer rings like that of ESO 507-16 can be matched by plots with strong bars. Slightly dimpled outer rings like that of ESO 509-98 can be matched by weak bar plots. For flat rotation curves, a pair of two-fold rings bracket the ILR; the smaller can be identified with the tiny 'nuclear rings'. We find narrow UHR rings just outside this pair as well as just inside the OLR pair. We confirm the identification of the larger ILR ring and the inner UHR ring with 'inner rings'. Disagreeing with the common identification, we associate the dimpled outer rings with the UHR just inside the OLR. See ESO 507-16 as an example. We predict that damping can misalign the ILR and OLR rings relative to the bar as seen in our match to ESO 507-16. We find that for weak bars, if the linearly rising portion of the rotation curve is a significant fraction of the corotation radius, nuclear and inner rings are absent with outer rings still present. We show this in a match to ESO 509-98. Success of the matches to ESO 507-16 and 509-98 shows how the analytic formulation can be used to estimate disc orientation and pattern speed if rotation curve observations are available.     

Relativistic Fe Kα features in the XMM‐Newton spectrum of the intermediate Seyfert galaxy 4U 1344‐60

We present the analysis of optical and X‐ray XMM‐Newton data of the source 4U 1344‐60. On the basis of the optical data we propose to classify 4U 1344‐60 as a Seyfert 1.5 galaxy and we measured a redshift value z = 0.012 ± 0.001. The observed X‐ray spectrum is complex. The continuum emission can be described as a power law obscured by two neutral absorption components. 4U 1344‐60 exhibits a broad and skewed iron line at 6.4 keV most likely originated in a few gravitational radius of an accretion disc. The analysis also reveals the presence of two narrow emission line‐like features at ∼4.9 keV and ∼5.3 keV. Assuming that hot spots on the surface of the accretion disc, orbiting very close to the black hole is responsible of these emission lines, the accretion disc would present an inclination of 20° and the active regions would be located in the 6–10 R _g radius range. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

A near-infrared polarized bipolar cone in the Circinus galaxy

We present near-infrared broad-band polarization images of the nuclear regions of the Circinus galaxy in the J , H and K bands. For the first time the south-eastern reflection cone is detected in polarized light, which is obscured at optical wavelengths behind the galactic disc. This biconical structure is clearly observed in J - and H -band polarized flux, whilst in the K band a more compact structure is detected. Total flux J − K and H − K colour maps reveal a complex colour gradient toward the south-east direction (where the Circinus galactic disc is nearer to us). We find enhanced extinction in an arc-shaped structure, at about 200 pc from the nucleus, probably part of the star formation ring.
We model the polarized flux images with the scattering and torus model of Young et al., with the same basic input parameters as used by Alexander et al. in the spectropolarimetry modelling of Circinus. The best fit to the polarized flux is achieved with a torus radius of ∼16 pc, and a visual extinction A _V , through the torus, to the near-infrared emission regions of >66 mag.     

The jet power extracted from a magnetized accretion disc

We consider the power of a relativistic jet accelerated by the magnetic field of an accretion disc. It is found that the power extracted from the disc is mainly determined by the field strength and configuration of the field far from the disc. Comparing it with the power extracted from a rotating black hole, we find that the jet power extracted from a disc can dominate over that from the rotating black hole. However, in some cases, the jet power extracted from a rapidly rotating hole can be more important than that from the disc, even if the poloidal field threading the hole is not significantly larger than that threading the inner edge of the disc. The results imply that the radio-loudness of quasars may be governed by its accretion rate, which might be regulated by the central black hole mass. It is proposed that the different disc field generation mechanisms might be tested against observations of radio-loud quasars if their black hole masses are available.     

X-ray observations of the edge-on star-forming galaxy NGC 891 and its supernova SN1986J

We present XMM–Newton observations of NGC 891, a nearby edge-on spiral galaxy. We analyse the extent of the diffuse emission emitted from the disc of the galaxy, and find that it has a single-temperature profile with best-fitting temperature of 0.26 keV, though the fit of a dual-temperature plasma with temperatures of 0.08 and 0.30 keV is also acceptable. There is a considerable amount of diffuse X-ray emission protruding from the disc in the north-west direction out to approximately 6 kpc. We analyse the point-source population using a Chandra observation, using a maximum-likelihood method to find that the slope of the cumulative luminosity function of point sources in the galaxy is  −0.77^+0.13_−0.1  . Using a sample of other local galaxies, we compare the X-ray and infrared properties of NGC 891 with those of 'normal' and starburst spiral galaxies, and conclude that NGC 891 is most likely a starburst galaxy in a quiescent state. We establish that the diffuse X-ray luminosity of spirals scales with the far-infrared luminosity as   L _X∝ L ^0.87±0.07_FIR  , except for extreme starbursts, and NGC 891 does not fall in the latter category. We study the supernova SN1986J in both XMM–Newton and Chandra observations, and find that the X-ray luminosity has been declining with time more steeply than expected  ( L _X∝ t ⁻³)  .     

Spatially resolved X-ray spectroscopy of the core of the Centaurus cluster

We present Chandra data from a 31.7-ks observation of the Centaurus cluster, using the ACIS-S detector. Images of the X-ray emission show a plume-like feature at the centre of the cluster, of extent 60 arcsec (20 kpc in projection). The feature has the same metallicity as gas at a similar radius, but is cooler. Using adaptive binning, we generate temperature, abundance and absorption maps of the cluster core. The radial abundance profile shows that the previously known, steep abundance gradient peaks with a metallicity of  1.3–1.8 Z_⊙  at a radius of about 45 arcsec (15 kpc), before falling back to 0.4 Z_⊙ at the centre of the cluster. A radial temperature profile shows that the temperature decreases inwards. We determine the spatial distributions of each of two temperature components, where applicable. The radiative cooling time of the cooler component within the inner 10 arcsec (3 kpc) is less than  2×10⁷ yr  . X-ray holes in the image coincident with the radio lobes are seen, as well as two outer sharp temperature drops, or cold fronts. The origin of the plume is unclear. The existence of the strong abundance gradient is a strong constraint on extensive convection or gas motion driven by a central radio source.     

Is the Bardeen–Petterson effect responsible for the warping and precession in NGC 4258?

Strong evidence for the presence of a warped Keplerian accretion disc in NGC 4258 (M 106) has been inferred from the kinematics of water masers detected at subparsec scales. Assuming a power-law accretion disc and using constraints on the disc parameters derived from observational data, we have analysed the relativistic Bardeen–Petterson effect driven by a Kerr black hole as the potential physical mechanism responsible for the disc warping. We found that the Bardeen–Petterson radius is comparable to or smaller than the inner radius of the maser disc (independent of the allowed value for the black hole spin parameter). Numerical simulations for a wide range of physical conditions have shown that the evolution of a misaligned disc due to the Bardeen–Petterson torques usually produces an inner flat disc and a warped transition region with a smooth gradient in the tilt and twist angles. Since this structure is similar to that seen in NGC 4258, we propose that the Bardeen–Petterson effect may be responsible for the disc warping in this galaxy. We estimated the time-scale necessary for the disc inside of the Bardeen–Petterson radius to align with the black hole's equator, as a function of the black hole spin. Our results show that the Bardeen–Petterson effect can align the disc within a few billion years in the case of NGC 4258. Finally, we show that if the observed curvature of the outer anomalous arms in the galactic disc of NGC 4258 is associated with the precession of its radio jet/counterjet, then the Bardeen–Petterson effect can provide the required precession period.