The AGN/Starburst connection in luminous infrared galaxies

We are addressing the issue of whether there exists an evolutionaryconnection between starburst and AGN in luminous infrared galaxies. We are combining theoretical modelling with optical, radio and infrared data from IRAS for a large sample of 285 infrared galaxies with a range ofluminosities. In this paper, we present a comparison between the optical spectroscopic data with the incidence of compact radio cores for a subsample of these galaxies. We find 90% of AGN type galaxies contain compact radio cores, while 37% of starburst galaxies contain compact radio cores. The compact radio cores in the starburst galaxies have a minimum brightness temperature of 3 × 10⁵ K, higher than those of standard extended HII regions and may be obscured AGN or complexes of extremely luminous supernovae such as that seen in Arp 220.     

Measurements of the Ca II infrared triplet lines of young stellar objects

Equivalent widths and line widths of Ca II infrared triplet emission lines were measured in the high-resolution optical spectra of 39 young stellar objects.We found that the equivalent widths of the emission lines decrease with stellar evolution.It has often been claimed that strong chromospheric activity is generated by a dynamo process caused by fast rotation of the photosphere.However,we found no clear correlation between the strength of the Ca II lines and the stellar rotation velocity.Instead,we found that the objects with high mass accretion rates had stronger Ca II emission lines.This correlation supports the turbulent chromosphere model or the magnetic accretion theory for classical T Tauri stars.We also noticed that the equivalent widths of Ca II lines in transitional disk objects are one-tenth of those in classical T Tauri stars,even if the masses of the circumstellar disks are comparable.     

Ca II resonance lines in non-homogeneous chromospheres

Profiles of the K line of Caii are computed for a two component solar chromosphere, chosen to simulate with a simple geometry the chromospheric supergranular network. Each component rises above the BCA photosphere, the boundary component representing the bright network with a sharp temperature rise and the cell component representing the darker region with an extended temperature minimum. Theoretical intensity profiles of the Can K core, calculated as weighted averages over the projected areas of the components, are produced for = 0.6 and 0.3. The line source function and the optical depth are obtained from a self-consistent treatment of the steady state and radiative transfer equations, with complete redistribution assumed for scattering in the line. The atomic model consists of two bound levels and a continuum. It is found that a 4600 K minimum can lead to the successful theoretical prediction of the observed limb darkening and 4300 K radiation temperature of the K1 feature only when very large values of turbulent velocity are assumed to exist in the cell region.Publications of the Goethe Link Observatory, Indiana University, No. 95.     

Suzaku observations of iron lines and reflection in AGN

Initial results on the iron K‐shell line and reflection component in several AGN observed as part of the Suzaku Guaranteed Time program are reviewed. This paper discusses a small sample of Compton‐thin Seyferts observed to date with Suzaku; namely MCG‐5‐23‐16, MCG‐6‐30‐15, NGC4051, NGC3516, NGC2110, 3C 120 and NGC2992. The broad iron Kα emission line appears to be present in all but one of these Seyfert galaxies, while the narrow core of the line from distant matter is ubiquitous in all the observations. The iron line in MCG‐6‐30‐15 shows the most extreme relativistic blurring of all the objects, the red‐wing of the line requires the inner accretion disk to extend inwards to within 2.2R _g of the black hole, in agreement with the XMM‐Newton observations. Strong excess emission in the Hard X‐ray Detector (HXD) above 10 keV is observed in many of these Seyfert galaxies, consistent with the presence of a reflection component from reprocessing in Compton‐thick matter (e.g. the accretion disk). Only one Seyfert galaxy (NGC 2110) shows neither a broad iron line nor a reflection component. The spectral variability of MCG‐6‐30‐15, MCG‐5‐23‐16 and NGC 4051 is also discussed. In all 3 cases, the spectra appear harder when the source is fainter, while there is little variability of the iron line or reflection component with source flux. This agrees with a simple two component spectral model, whereby the variable emission is the primary power‐law, while the iron line and reflection component remain relatively constant. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Forbidden lines of Ca II in the photospheric spectrum

On scans obtained with the Oxford photoelectric spectrometer, the [Ca ii] transition 4s ²S_1/2-3d ²D_3/2; is identified with a weak Fraunhofer line. It is argued that the strength of the line is consistent with the abundance of calcium which is derived from the permitted lines of Ca i and Ca ii.     

Theoretical profiles of Ca II lines in supernova shell spectra

Leningrad State University. Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 32, No. 3, pp. 415–428, May–June, 1990.     

Empirical calibration of the near-infrared Ca ii triplet – II. The stellar atmospheric parameters

We present a homogeneous set of stellar atmospheric parameters ( T _eff, log  g , [Fe/H]) for a sample of about 700 field and cluster stars which constitute a new stellar library in the near-IR developed for stellar population synthesis in this spectral region ( λ 8350–9020) . Having compiled the available atmospheric data in the literature for field stars, we have found systematic deviations between the atmospheric parameters from different bibliographic references. The Soubiran, Katz & Cayrel sample of stars with very well determined fundamental parameters has been taken as our standard reference system, and other papers have been calibrated and bootstrapped against it. The obtained transformations are provided in this paper. Once most of the data sets were on the same system, final parameters were derived by performing error weighted means. Atmospheric parameters for cluster stars have also been revised and updated according to recent metallicity scales and colour–temperature relations.     

The Fossil Starburst in M82

We present high-resolution optical and near-infrared HST observations of two adjacent regions in the fossil starburst region inM82, M82 B1 and B2. The presence of both the active and the fossil starburst in M82 provides a unique physical environment to study the stellar and dynamical evolution of star cluster systems. The cluster population in B2 is more heavily affected by internal extinction than that in B1, amounting to an excess extinction in B2 of A_V,excess≃1.1±0.3 mag. Preliminary age estimates date the cluster population in the fossil starburst between ∼2× 10⁸ and ∼ 10⁹ years. The radial luminosity profiles of the brightest clusters are more closely approximated by power laws than by a Gaussian model, in particular in their wings, which favours a slow star formation scenario. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The Ca ii emission lines in quiescent prominences

Observations of the Ca ii H, K, and infrared triplet lines are compared with theoretical predictions from the slab models of Heasley and Milkey (1976). While the theoretical models describe the hydrogen and helium emission spectra of quiescent prominences satisfactorily the predicted Ca ii lines are systematically too bright. The most likely reason for the discrepancy is the inapplicability of the symmetric slab prominence model for lines which become even moderately optically thick in prominences.Operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under contract with the National Science Foundation.Visiting scientist at Kitt Peak National Observatory.     

An XMM‐Newton survey of broad iron lines in AGN

We report on the iron Kα line properties of a sample of Seyfert galaxies observed with the XMM‐Newton EPIC pn instrument. Using a systematic and uniform analysis, we find that complexity at iron‐K is extremely common in the XMM‐Newton spectra. Once appropriate soft X‐ray absorption, narrow 6.4 keV emission and associated Compton reflection are accounted for, ∼75% of the sample show an improvement when a further component is introduced. The typical properties of the broad emission are both qualitatively and quantitatively consistent with previous results from ASCA. The complexity is in general very well described by relativistic accretion disk models. In most cases the characteristic emission radius is constrained to be within ∼50R _g, where strong gravitational effects become important. We find in about 1/3 of the sample the accretion disk interpretation is strongly favoured over competing models. In a few objects no broad line is apparent. We find evidence for emission within 6R _g in only two cases, both of which exhibit highly complex absorption. Evidence for black hole spin based on the X‐ray spectra therefore remains tentative. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

The Extreme Compact Starburst in Markarian 273

Images of neutral hydrogen 21 cm absorption and radio continuum emission at 1.4 GHz from Mrk 273 were made using the Very Long Baseline Array and Very Large Array. These images reveal a gas disk associated with the northern nuclear region with a diameter 0&farcs;5 (370 pc) at an inclination angle of 53 degrees. The radio continuum emission is composed of a diffuse component plus a number of compact sources. This morphology resembles those of nearby, lower luminosity starburst galaxies. These images provide strong support for the hypothesis that the luminosity of the northern source is dominated by an extreme compact starburst. The H i 21 cm absorption shows an east-west gradient in velocity of 450 km s-1 across 0&farcs;3 (220 pc), which implies an enclosed mass of 2x109 M middle dot in circle, comparable to the molecular gas mass. The brightest of the compact sources may indicate radio emission from an active nucleus, but this source contributes only 3.8% to the total flux density of the northern nuclear regions. The H i 21 cm absorption toward the southeast radio nucleus suggests infall at 200 km s-1 on scales 相似文献   

Circumstellar Na I and Ca II lines in type IIP supernovae and SN 1998S

We investigate the possibility of detecting the circumstellar Na I D_1,2 and Ca II H, K absorption lines in the spectra of type IIP supernovae at the photospheric phase. Our modeling shows that the Na I doublet lines will not be seen in the spectra of type IIP supernovae at moderate stellar wind densities, for example, characteristic of SN 1999em, while the rather intense Ca II lines with P Cyg profiles should be detectable. The same model is used to describe the circumstellar Na I and Ca II lines in the spectrum of SN 1998S, a type IIL supernova with a dense wind. We show that the circumstellar line intensities in this supernova are reproduced only if there is an ultraviolet excess that is mainly attributable to the Comptonization of supernova radiation in the shock wave.