The Multi-Wavelength Quasar Survey IV. Quasars in the Leo Cluster

We aim to providea quasar sample that is more complete than any previous surveys by using a combined selection technique to reduce the selection effects. Here we present the observational results for the X-ray candidates in the field of the Leo Cluster. We found 33 X-ray AGNs in this field of which 10 are new discoveries. The X-ray data and optical spectra of these AGNs are given. We also study the near-IR properties of the X-ray-selected AGNs by using the data from 2MASS. Most of the AGNs in our sample span the color range 0.0 < B-J < 2.5, 1.0 < J-Ks < 2.0 and 0.5 < H-Ks < 1.2.     

The Multi-Wavelength Quasar Survey III. Quasars in Field 836

This is the third paper in a series connected with our Multiwavelength Quasar Survey. The survey is aimed to provide a quasar sample more complete than any previous survey by using a combined selection technique to reduce selection effects. We present the observational results for the X-ray candidates in field f836. We found 15 X-ray AGNs in this field of which eight are new discoveries. The X-ray data and optical spectra of these AGNs are given. We give the X-ray candidate selection criteria, which proved to be highly efficient in isolating X-ray AGNs.     

Long term optical variability of bright X-ray point sources in elliptical galaxies

We present long term optical variability studies of bright X-ray sources in four nearby elliptical galaxies with the Chandra Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer array(ACIS-S) and observations from the Hubble Space Telescope(HST) Advanced Camera for Surveys.Out of the 46 bright(X-ray counts 60)sources that are in the common field of view of the Chandra and HST observations,34 of them have potential optical counterparts,while the rest of them are optically dark.After taking into account systematic errors,estimated using optical sources in the field as a reference,we find that four of the X-ray sources(three in NGC 1399 and one in NGC 1427) have variable optical counterparts at a high level of significance.The X-ray luminosities of these sources are ~ 10~(38) erg s~(-1) and are also variable on similar time scales.The optical variability implies that the optical emission is associated with the X-ray source itself rather than being the integrated light from a host globular cluster.For one source,the change in optical magnitude is 0.3,which is one of the highest reported for this class of X-ray sources and this suggests that the optical variability is induced by the X-ray activity.However,the optically variable sources in NGC 1399 have been reported to have blue colors(g- z 1).All four sources have been detected in the infrared(IR) by Spitzer as point sources,and their ratios of 5.8 to 3.6 μm flux are 0.63,indicating that their IR spectra are like those of Active Galactic Nuclei(AGNs).While spectroscopic confirmation is required,it is likely that all four sources are background AGNs.We find none of the X-ray sources having optical/IR colors different from AGNs to be optically variable.     

Low-ionization galaxies and evolution in a pilot survey up to z=1

We present galactic spectroscopic data from a pencil beam of 10.75×7.5 centered on the X-ray cluster RXJ0054.0-2823 at z=0.29.We study the spectral evolution of galaxies from z=1 down to the cluster redshift in a magnitude-limited sample at R≤23,for which the statistical properties of the sample are well understood.We divide emission-line galaxies into star-forming galaxies,Low Ionization Nuclear Emission line Regions(LINERs) ,and Seyferts by using emission-line ratios of[OII],Hβ,and[OIII],and derive stella...     

Testing X-ray measurements of galaxy cluster gas mass fraction using the cosmic distance-duality relation

We propose a consistency test for some recent X-ray gas mass fraction(fgas) measurements in galaxy clusters, using the cosmic distance-duality relation, ηtheory = DL(1 + z) 2/DA, with luminosity distance(DL) data from the Union2 compilation of type Ia supernovae. We set ηtheory ≡1, instead of assigning any redshift parameterizations to it, and constrain the cosmological information preferred by fgasdata along with supernova observations. We adopt a new binning method in the reduction of the Union2 data, in order to minimize the statistical errors. Four data sets of X-ray gas mass fraction, which are reported by Allen et al.(two samples), LaRoque et al. and Ettori et al., are analyzed in detail in the context of two theoretical models of fgas. The results from the analysis of Allen et al.’s samples demonstrate the feasibility of our method. It is found that the preferred cosmology by LaRoque et al.’s sample is consistent with its reference cosmology within the 1σ confidence level. However, for Ettori et al.’s fgas sample, the inconsistency can reach more than a 3σ confidence level and this dataset shows special preference to an Λ = 0 cosmology.     

X-ray absorption and 9.7 μm silicate feature as a probe of AGN torus structure

The dusty torus plays a vital role in unifying active galactic nuclei(AGNs).However,the physical structure of the torus remains largely unclear.Here we present a systematical investigation of the torus mid-infrared(MIR) spectroscopic feature,i.e.,the 9.7μm silicate line,of 175 AGNs selected from the Swift/BAT Spectroscopic Survey(BASS).Our sample is constructed to ensure that each of the 175 AGNs has Spizter/IRS MIR,optical,and X-ray spectroscopic coverage.Therefore,we can simultaneously measure the silicate strength,optical emission lines,and X-ray properties(e.g.,the column density and the intrinsic X-ray luminosity).We show that,consistent with previous works,the silicate strength is weakly correlated with the hydrogen column density(N_H~X),albeit with large scatters.For X-ray unobscured AGNs,the silicate-strength-derived V-band extinction and the broad-Hα-inferred one are both small;however,for X-ray obscured AGNs,the former is much larger than the latter.In addition,we find that the optical type1 AGNs with strong X-ray absorption on average show significant silicate absorption,indicating that their X-ray absorption might not be caused by dust-free gas in the broad-line region.Our results suggest that the distribution and structure of the obscuring dusty torus are likely to be very complex.We test our results against the smooth and clumpy torus models and find evidence in favor of the clumpy torus model.     

Geometry of Broad Line Regions of Active Galactic Nuclei

It has long remained an open question as to the geometry of the broad line region (BLR) in active galactic nuclei (AGNs). The reverberation mapping technique which mea-sures the response of the broad emission lines to the ionizing continuum, when combined with multiwavelength continuum fitted by sophisticated accretion disks, provides a way of probing the BLR geometry. We analyze a sample of 35 AGNs, which have been monitored by the reverberation mapping campaign. In view of energy budget, the reverberation-based BH masses are found to be in agreement with those obtained by accretion disk models in two thirds of the present sample while the reverberation mapping methods underestimate the BH masses in about one third of objects, as also suggested by Collin et al. in a recent work. We point out that there are obviously two kinds of BLR geometry, which are strongly dependent on the Eddington ratio, and separated by the value LBol/LEdd ～ 0.1. These results prefer a scenario of the disk and wind configuration of the BLR and identify the Eddington ratio as the physical driver regulating the wind in the BLR.     

Geometry of Broad Line Regions of Active Galactic Nuclei

It has long remained an open question as to the geometry of the broad line region （BLR） in active galactic nuclei （AGNs）. The reverberation mapping technique which measures the response of the broad emission lines to the ionizing continuum, when combined with multiwavelength continuum fitted by sophisticated accretion disks, provides a way of probing the BLR geometry. We analyze a sample of 35 AGNs, which have been monitored by the reverberation mapping campaign. In view of energy budget, the reverberation-based BH masses are found to be in agreement with those obtained by accretion disk models in two thirds of the present sample while the reverberation mapping methods underestimate the BH masses in about one third of objects, as also suggested by CoUin et al. in a recent work. We point out that there are obviously two kinds of BLR geometry, which are strongly dependent on the Eddington ratio, and separated by the value LBol/LEdd - 0.1. These results prefer a scenario of the disk and wind configuration of the BLR and identify the Eddington ratio as the physical driver regulating the wind in the BLR.     

Possible evidence of destroying small PAH particles by radiation from AGNs

The issue of destroying small polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon(PAH) particles by radiation from AGNs is examined through optical narrow-emission line ratios of a sample of type II AGNs. We find that narrow-line ratios [OI]λ6300/Hα and[SII]λ6716, λ6731/Hα have prominent correlations with the PAH 11.3/7.7 ratio in our selected sample of AGNs. Because of the marginal(and in some cases no) dependence of the PAH ratio on the gas metallicity, a possible explanation for the correlations is the destruction of small PAH particles by the hard ionizing field associated with the AGNs.     

Learning Vector Quantization for Classifying Astronomical Objects

The sizes of astronomical surveys in different wavebands are increasing rapidly. Therefore, automatic classification of objects is becoming ever more important. We explore the performance of learning vector quantization (LVQ) in classifying multi-wavelength data. Our analysis concentrates on separating active sources from non-active ones. Different classes of X-ray emitters populate distinct regions of a multidimensional parameter space. In order to explore the distribution of various objects in a multidimensional parameter space, we positionally cross-correlate the data of quasars, BL Lacs, active galaxies, stars and normal galaxies in the optical, X-ray and infrared bands. We then apply LVQ to classify them with the obtained data. Our results show that LVQ is an effective method for separating AGNs from stars and normal galaxies with multi-wavelength data.     

Comparison of some properties of star forming galaxies and active galactic nuclei between two BOSS galaxy samples from SDSS DR9

Using the LOWZ and CMASS samples of the ninth data release(DR9)from the SDSS-III Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey(BOSS), I investigate properties of star forming galaxies and active galactic nuclei(AGNs). The CMASS sample seriously suffers from the radial selection effect, even within the redshift0.44 ≤ z ≤ 0.6, which will likely lead to statistical conclusions in the CMASS sample being less robust. In the LOWZ sample, the fraction of star-forming galaxies is nearly constant from the least dense regime to the densest regime; the AGN fraction is also insensitive to the local environment. In addition, I note that in the LOWZ sample, the distributions of stellar mass and stellar velocity dispersion for star forming galaxies and AGNs are nearly the same.     

Estimating Black Hole Masses of AGNs using Ultraviolet Emission Line Properties

Based on measured broad line region sizes in the reverberation-mapping AGN sample, two new empirical relations are introduced to estimate the central black hole masses of radio-loud high-redshift (z > 0.5) AGNs. First, using the archival IUE/HST spectroscopy data at UV band for the reverberation-mapping objects, we obtained two new empirical relations between the BLR size and Mg II/C IV emission line luminosity. Secondly, using the newly determined black hole masses of the reverberation-mapping sample as calibration, we found two new relationships for determining the black hole mass with the full width at half maximum and the luminosity of Mg II/C IV line. We then apply the relations to estimate the black hole masses of the AGNs in the Large Bright Quasar Survey and a sample of radio-loud quasars. For the objects with small radio-loudness, the black hole mass estimated using the RBLR-LMgII/C IV relation is consistent with that from the RBLR-L3000 (?)/1350(?) relation. For radio-loud AGNs, however, the mass estimated from the RBLR-LMgII/CIV relation is sys- tematically lower than that from the continuum luminosity L3000(?)/1350(?). Because jets could have significant contributions to the UV/optical continuum luminosity of radio-loud AGNs, we emphasize once again that for radio-loud AGNs, the emission line luminosity may be a better tracer of the ionizing luminosity than the continuum luminosity, so that the relations between the BLR size and UV emission line luminosities should be used to estimate the black hole masses of high redshift radio-loud AGNs.     

Radial stellar populations of AGN-host dwarf galaxies in SDSS-Ⅳ MaNGA survey

Based on MaNGA integral field unit(IFU) spectroscopy we search 60 AGN candidates,which have stellar masses M_*≤5 × 10~9 M_⊙ and show AGN ionization signatures in the BPT diagram.For these AGN candidates,we derive the spatially resolved stellar population with the stellar population synthesis code STARLIGHT and measure the gradients of the mean stellar age and metallicity.We find that the gradients of mean stellar age(metallicity) of individual AGN-host dwarfs are diverse in 0-0.5 Re,0.5-1 Re and 0-1 Re.However,the overall behavior of the mean stellar age(metallicity) profiles tend to be flat,as the median values of the gradients are close to zero.We further study the overall behavior of the mean stellar age(metallicity) by plotting the co-added radial profiles for the AGN sample and compare with a control sample with similar stellar mass.We find that the median values of light-weighted mean stellar ages of the AGN sample are as old as 2-3 Gyr within 2 Re,which are about 4-7 times older than those of the control sample.Meanwhile,most of the AGN candidates are low-level AGNs,as only eight sources have L_([O)_(Ⅲ])10~(39.5) erg s~(-1).Hence,the AGNs in dwarf galaxies might accelerate the evolution of galaxies by accelerating the consumption of the gas,resulting in an overall quenching of the dwarf galaxies,and the AGNs also become weak due to the lack of gas.The median values of mass-weighted mean stellar age of both samples within 2 Re are similar and as old as about 10 Gyr,indicating that the stellar mass is mainly contributed by old stellar populations.The gradients of co-added mean stellar metallicity for both samples tend to be negative but close to zero,and the similar mean stellar metallicity profiles for both samples indicate that the chemical evolution of the host galaxy is not strongly influenced by the AGN.     

Probing the Variation of Reverberation Lags along with X-Ray Flux in the AGN Mrk 704

Understanding the variation of lags with respect to the X-ray flux is important to explore the geometry of the inner region of the accretion disk in AGNs. We performed frequency-lag, energy–lag and spectral studies for two sets of observations, in order to investigate the variations in lags with respect to X-ray flux in the AGN source Mrk 704 using the XMM-Newton observatory. We divided one of the light curves into two sections which were noticed to exhibit a flux variation. The frequency-lag sp...     

Stellar mass estimation based on IRAC photometry for Spitzer SWIRE-field galaxies

We analyze the feasibility of estimating the stellar mass of galaxies by mid-infrared luminosities based on a large sample of galaxies cross-identified from Spitzer SWIRE fields and the SDSS spectrographic survey.We derived the formulae to calculate the stellar mass by using IRAC 3.6 μm and 4.5 μm luminosities.The massto-luminosity ratios of IRAC 3.6 μm and 4.5 μm luminosities are more sensitive to the star formation history of galaxies than to other factors,such as the intrinsic extinction,metallicity and star formation rate.To remove the effect of star formation history,we used g-r color to recalibrate the formulae and obtain a better result.Researchers must be more careful when estimating the stellar mass of low metallicity galaxies using our formulae.Due to the emission from dust heated by the hottest young stars,luminous infrared galaxies present higher IRAC 4.5 μm luminosities compared to IRAC 3.6 μm luminosities.For most of type-Ⅱ AGNs,the nuclear activity cannot enhance 3.6 μm and 4.5 μm luminosities compared with normal galaxies.Star formation in our AGNhosting galaxies is also very weak,almost all of which are early-type galaxies.     

The relationship between the radio core-dominance parameter and spectral index in different classes of extragalactic radio sources(Ⅲ)

Active galactic nuclei(AGNs) can be divided into two major classes,namely radio-loud and radio-quiet AGNs.A small subset of the radio-loud AGNs is called blazars,which are believed to be unified with Fanaroff-Riley type Ⅰ and type Ⅱ(FRIⅡ) radio galaxies.Following our previous work,we present a latest sample of 966 sources with measured radio flux densities of the core and extended components.The sample includes 83 BL Lacs,473 flat spectrum radio quasars,101 Seyferts,245 galaxies,52 FRIsⅡs and12 unidentified sources.We then calculate the radio core-dominance parameters and spectral indices and study their relationship.Our analysis shows that the core-dominance parameters and spectral indices are quite different for different types of sources.We also confirm that the correlation between core-dominance parameter and radio spectral index extends over all the sources in a large sample presented.     

Machine learning classification of Gaia Data Release 2

Machine learning has increasingly gained more popularity with its incredibly powerful ability to make predictions or calculate suggestions for large amounts of data. We apply machine learning classification to 85 613 922 objects in the Gaia Data Release 2, based on a combination of Pan-STARRS 1 and AllWISE data. The classification results are cross-matched with the Simbad database, and the total accuracy is 91.9%. Our sample is dominated by stars,～98%, and galaxies make up 2%. For the objects with negative parallaxes, about 2.5% are galaxies and QSOs, while about 99.9% are stars if the relative parallax uncertainties are smaller than 0.2. Our result implies that using the threshold of 0 σ_π/π 0.2 could yield a very clean stellar sample.     

A Multiwavelength Study of the Jets in FR-I Radio Galaxies： I. Data and Analysis

We compile a sample of 11 Fanaroff-Riley type I Radio Galaxies(FR-I RGs)with multi-wavelength observations to address the dynamic behavior of jets in these objects.Optical images acquired by the Hubble Space Telescope(HST)are carefully analyzed.The method and reduction procedure are described in detail. Unresolved optical cores emerge after having properly removed starlight from the host galaxies in eight of the FR-I RGs,of which five are new identifications.Broad band spectral properties of these newly identified compact cores are compared with that previously found in FR-I RGs,as well as the low-energy-peaked BL Lac objects. The similarity between them argues for the same non-thermal synchrotron origin. Well-resolved optical jets with knotty morphologies are found in three FR-I RGs in our sample,namely 3C 15,3C 66B and B20755 37.The optical counterparts to the inner radio/X-ray jets are identified and a clear one-to-one correspondence between the optical,radio and X-ray knots is found.The structure and information on the optical jets are discussed.Physical parameters such as the knots position,flux and size are also presented.Detailed comparison between the multi-wavelength data and radiative and dynamic models of jet will be made in a forthcoming paper.     

X-ray activity from different types of stars

X-ray emission is an important indicator of stellar activity. In this paper, we study stellar Xray activity using the XMM-Newton and LAMOST data for different types of stars. We provide a sample including 1259 X-ray-emitting stars, of which 1090 have accurate stellar parameter estimations. Our sample size is much larger than those used in previous works. We find a bimodal distribution of the X-ray to optical flux ratio(log(fX/fV)) for G and K stars. We interpret that this bimodality is due to two subpopulations with different coronal heating rates. Furthermore, using the full widths at half maxima calculated from Hα and Hβ lines, we show that these stars in the inactive peaks have smaller rotational velocities. This is consistent with the magnetic dynamo theory that presumes stars with low rotational velocities have low levels of stellar activity. We also examine the correlation between log(fX/fV) and luminosity of the excess emission in the Hα line, and find a tight relation between the coronal and chromospheric activity indicators.     

The relationship between the radio core-dominance parameter and spectral index in different classes of extragalactic radio sources(Ⅱ)

Active galactic nuclei(AGNs) can be divided into two major classes, namely radio-loud and radio-quiet AGNs. A small subset of the radio-loud AGNs is called blazars, which are believed to be unified with Fanaroff-Riley type Ⅰ/Ⅱ(FRI/Ⅱ) radio galaxies. Following our previous work(Fan et al.), we present a sample of 2400 sources with measured radio flux densities of the core and extended components. The sample contains 250 BL Lacs, 520 quasars, 175 Seyferts, 1178 galaxies, 153 FRI or FRⅡ galaxies and 104 unidentified sources. We then calculate the radio core-dominance parameters and spectral indices, and study their relationship. Our analysis shows that the core-dominance parameters and spectral indices are quite different for different types of sources. We also confirm that the correlation between core-dominance parameter and spectral index exists for a large sample presented in this work.