Discovery of Five Narrow－Line Seyfert 1 Galaxies and Implications on the NLS1 Model

We report the discovery of five Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLSls) identified from the ROSAT All-Sky Survey bright sources. One of them has a quasarlike luminosity and two, including the quasar-like one, have close companions and/or show interacting features. We calculate the central black hole masses and Eddington ratios for the five NLSls. In combination with the objects of Kaspi et al., we find that NLSls have smaller central black hole masses and higher accretion rate than normal Seyfert ls.     

Discovery of Five Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 Galaxies and Im- plications on the NLS1 Model

We report the discovery of five Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLSls) identified from the ROSAT All-Sky Survey bright sources. One of them has a quasar-like luminosity and two, including the quasar-like one, have close companions and/or show interacting features. We calculate the central black hole masses and Eddington ratios for the five NLSls. In combination with the objects of Kaspi et al., we find that NLSls have smaller central black hole masses and higher accretion rate than normal Seyfert 1s.     

The ROSAT Bright Survey: I. Identification of an AGN sample with hard ROSAT X-ray spectra

The ROSAT Bright Survey (RBS) aims to completely optically identify the more than 2000 brightest sources detected in the ROSAT all-sky survey at galactic latitudes |b| > 30° (excluding LMC, SMC, Virgo cluster). This paper presents a subsample of 66 bright point-like ROSAT survey sources with almost hard PSPC spectra, the hardness ratio HR1 is > 0.5 for most of the sources. Teh subsample could be nearly completely identified by low-resolution optical spectroscopy with the following breakdown into object classes: 31 Seyfert galaxies, 22 BL Lac candidates, 5 clusters of galaxies, 1 cataclysmic variable, and 5 bright stars. Only one object remained unidentified and one X-ray source was a spurious detection. The redshift distrbution peaks around 0.06 for the Seyferts and around 0.13 for the BL Lac candidates. Observations with medium spectral resolution were obtained for most of the new Seyfert galaxies. A large fraction (20 objects) are type 1 Seyfert galaxies, the other fraction includes Seyfert galaxies of type 1.5 – 1.8 (5 objects), two LINERs, and 4 possible narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLS1). About one third of the new Seyfert's have nearby companion galaxies displaying either emission or absorption lines at the same redshift. Among them are a couple of systems showing direct morphological evidence for interaction. The large fraction of interacting galaxies among our sample suggests a scenario where interaction is the main trigger of AGN activity.     

The X-ray Emission of NGC 1068

This paper summarises the X-ray properties of NGC 1068 from the observers perspective and reports new observations with the ROSAT HRI. Below ? 2 keV, the spectrum is steep and probably represents thermal emission from gas with temperature kT ? 0.1 - 0.6 keV. Above ? 2 keV, the spectrum is much flatter and may be described by a power-law with energy index α ? 0.3. Images with the ROSAT HRI reveal that about half the X-ray flux in the 0.1 - 2.4 keV band is extended on scales > 5″ (360 pc). Recent ROSAT PSPC observations of starburst galaxies show integrated soft X-ray spectra which are very similar to that of NGC 1068 below 2 keV. The spatially extended, steep, soft X-ray emission of NGC 1068 probably originates through thermal emission from a hot wind driven by the disk starburst, the Seyfert nucleus or a combination of the two. On the other hand, the hard emission above 2 keV is almost certainly dominated by the Seyfert nucleus.     

NLS1 galaxies and estimation of their central black hole masses from the X-ray excess variance method

Black hole mass determination in active galaxies is a key issue in understanding various luminosity states. In the present paper, we try to generalize the mass determination method based on the X-ray excess variance, successfully used for typical broad line Seyfert 1 galaxies (BLS1) to narrow line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) galaxies. NLS1 galaxies differ from BLS1 with respect to several properties. They are generally more variable in 2–10 keV energy band so the natural expectation is the need to use a different scaling coefficient between the mass and the variance in these two types of sources. However, we find that such a simple approach is not enough. Although for majority of the 21 NLS1 galaxies in our sample a single scaling coefficient (larger by a factor 20) provided us with a satisfactory method of mass determination, in a small subset of NLS1 galaxies this approach failed. Variability of those objects appeared to be at the intermediate level between NLS1 and BLS1 galaxies. These exceptional NLS1 galaxies have much harder soft X-ray spectra than majority of NLS1 galaxies. We thus postulate that the division of Seyfert 1 galaxies into BLS1 and NLS1 according to the widths of the  Hβ  line is less generic than according to the soft X-ray slope.     

Soft X—ray Properties of Ultraluminous IRAS Galaxies

We report on the results of cross-correlation of a sample of 903 Utraluminous IRAS galaxies (ULIRGs) with the ROSAT-All Sky Survey Bright Source Catalogue and the ROSAT archived pointing observations. The sample of ULIRGs has been compiled from the recently released PSCz redshift survey. In total,35 ULIRGs are securely detected by the ROSAT All-Sky Survey and pointing observations, five of which are blazars. The statistical properties of these sources in the soft X-ray band are determined and compared with their properties on other wavebands. We find that the ratio of the soft X-ray to the far-infrared flux spans about five orders of magnitude and reaches values of about unity. This ratio is a good indicator of the main energy source of ULIRGs. Those with soft X-ray to far-infrared flux exceeding 0.01 are probably powered by accretion onto central supermassive black holes while those with ratios smaller than 0.001 are probably powered by starbursts or other heating processes, or are Compton thick sources. Some ULIRGs have energy contributions from both. This ratio is low for most ULIRGs and hyperluminous infrared galaxies, which explains their low detection rate by ROSAT and ASCA.We also find that some ULIRGs have a similar soft X-ray luminosity vs. temperature relation to that for groups of galaxies and elliptical galaxies,suggesting a common origin of these systems. Our study also reveals a tight correlation between the hardness ratio and the soft X-ray luminosity for Seyfert 1s/QSOs.     

Limits on the X-ray emission from several hyperluminous IRAS galaxies

We report long, pointed ROSAT HRI observations of the hyperluminous galaxies IRAS F00235+1024, F12514+1027, F14481+4454 and F14537+1950. Two of them are optically classified as Seyfert-like. No X-ray sources are detected at the positions of any of the objects, with a mean upper limit L _X/ L _Bol ≃ 2.3 × 10⁻⁴. This indicates that any active nuclei are either atypically weak at X-ray wavelengths or obscured by column densities N _H > 10²³ cm⁻². They differ markedly from 'ordinary' Seyfert 2 galaxies, bearing a closer resemblance in the soft X-ray band to composite Seyfert 2 galaxies or to some types of starburst.     

Variability of Soft X—ray Spectral Shape in Blazars Observed by ROSAT

1 INTRODUCTION Blazars, including BL Lac objects, highly polarized and optically violently variable quasars,and flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs), are characterized by highly variable non-thermalemission which dominates their characteristics from radio to y-ray bands. The mechanismbelieved to be responsible for their broadband emission is synchrotron radiation followed by in-verse Compton (IC) scattering at higher energies (e.g. Blandford & Konigl 1979). Relativisticbeaming of a jet…     

X-ray continuum slope and X-ray spectral features in NLS1 galaxies

The idea that some of the unusual features in the X-ray spectra of Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLS1s) are due to the steep X-ray continuum is tested by comparing photoionization model calculations with various observed properties of Seyfert 1 galaxies. A meaningful comparison must involve the careful use of the “right” X-ray ionization parameter, designated here U(oxygen). When this is done, it is found that the strength of the continuum absorption features is insensitive to the exact slope of the 0.1–50 keV continuum. It is also shown that the complex of iron L-shell lines near 1 keV can produce strong absorption and emission features, depending on the gas distribution and line widths. While this may explain some unusual X-ray features in AGN, the predicted intensity of the features do not distinguish NLS1s from broader line sources. Finally, acceleration of highly ionized gas, by X-ray radiation pressure, is also not sensitive to the exact slope of the X-ray continuum.     

Interacting Galaxies — the X-ray View

We have selected a complete, flux-limited sample of bright point-like sources with absorbed X-ray spectra from the ROSAT All-Sky survey, the ROSAT Hard Survey (RHS). The sample is drawn from the high-galactic latitude sky, |b^II| > ±30°, and avoids the general direction of the Magellanic Clouds and the Virgo Cluster. It comprises a total of 182 objects of which 118 were previosly catalogued objects and 64 were new AGN candidates. Through optical follow-up studies at La Silla, Calar Alto and the 6m Zelentchuk telescope we could identify 56 of the new objects, thus achieving a spectrscopic completeness of 96% of the sample. The selection strategy turned out to be extremely useful. Out of the new identifications, 84% are indeed active galaxies or emission line galaxies. While 14 objects are new BL Lac candidates 33 of the new AGN are Seyfert galaxies with a redshift distribution in the range 0.021–0.63, peaking at around 0.06, i.e. relatively local. Surprisingly, about 40% of the X-ray selected Seyfert galaxies seem to reside in interacting systems. With smaller selection uncertainties this fraction exceeds the number of paired galaxies in optically selected samples and therefore gives strong support to the idea that AGN activity is triggered by interaction.     

RE J2248−511: not all variable, ultrasoft, X-ray AGN have narrow Balmer lines

We present ASCA data on RE J2248−511, extending existing optical and soft X-ray coverage to 10 keV, and monitoring the soft component. These data show that, despite a very strong ultrasoft X-ray excess below 0.3 keV and a soft 0.3–2 keV spectral index in earlier ROSAT data, the hard X-ray spectrum ( α ∼−0.8; 0.6–10 keV) is typical of type 1 active galactic nuclei (AGN), and the soft component has since disappeared. Optical data taken at two different epochs show that the big blue bump is also highly variable. The strength of the ultrasoft X-ray component and the extreme variability in RE J2248−511 are reminiscent of the behaviour observed in many narrow line Seyfert 1s (NLS1s). However, the high-energy end of the ROSAT spectrum, the ASCA spectrum and the Balmer line full widths at half maximum of ∼3000 km s⁻¹ in RE J2248−511 are typical of normal Seyfert 1 AGN.
The change in the soft X-ray spectrum as observed in the ROSAT and ASCA data is consistent with the behaviour of Galactic Black Hole Candidates (GBHCs) as they move from a high to a low state, i.e. a fall in the ultrasoft component and a hardening of the X-ray continuum. This GBHC analogy has also been proposed for NLS1s. Alternatively, the variability may be caused by opacity changes in a hot, optically thin corona which surrounds a cold, dense accretion disc; this was first suggested by Guainazzi et al. for 1H 0419−577, an object which shows remarkably similar properties to RE J2248−511.     

Seyfert 2型星系中的星暴活动

星暴和活动星系核之间的联系是活动星系研究领域最重要、最活跃的研究课题之一。Seyfert星系由于距离较近、数目较多和相对低的核活动,已成为研究星暴和活动星系核之间联系的理想天体。综述了活动星系核中存在星暴的观测证据和Seyflert2型星系核区星暴活动的最新研究结果,着重讨论了存在两类Seyflert2型星系(一类是被遮挡的Seyfert1型星系,另一类是“真正”的Seyfert2型星系即不存在宽线区的Seyfert2型星系)的可能性．通过比较具有和不具有偏振宽线的Seyflert2型星系在红外、射电、光学和X射线光谱性质的差别,发现具有偏振宽线的Seyfert2型星系在本质上和Seyflert1型星系是同一类天体,差别只在于观测者视线方向的不同;而不具有偏振宽线的Seyfert2型星系是一些星系核活动较弱而星暴活动占主导的天体,这些星系从射电、红外、光学到硬X射线,都具有和星暴星系相似的性质。由于这些星系中核的吸积率将比Seyflert1型星系低近两个量级,因而它们很有可能是一些没有宽发射线区的Seyfert2型星系,即所谓的“真正”Seyflert2型星系。     

Optical Identifications of X—ray Selected AGNs

During the ROSAT All-Sky Survey (RASS; Voges 1992, 1997) about 80,000 X-ray sourceswith a detection likelihood 2 10 were detected, from which 18,811 sources having a PSPC countrate larger than 0.05 ets s--1 and detection likelihood 3 15 were compiled in the RASS-BSC(VOges et al. 1996a). More than 65% RASS sources remain unidentified (Voges et al. 1996b).The optical spectroscopic study of these RASS sources is essential for understanding them moreclearly.The idelltification of X-…     

X-ray absorption in the strong Fe ii narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy Markarian 507

We present results from spectral analysis of ASCA data on the strong Fe  ii narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy Mrk 507. This galaxy was found to have an exceptionally flat ROSAT spectrum among the narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLS1s) studied by Boller, Brandt & Fink. The ASCA spectrum, however, shows a clear absorption feature in the energy band below 2 keV, which partly accounts for the flat spectrum observed with the ROSAT Position Sensitive Proportional Counter (PSPC). Such absorption is rarely observed in other NLS1s. The absorption is mainly the result of cold (neutral or slightly ionized) gas with a column density of (2–3) × 10²¹ cm⁻². A reanalysis of the PSPC data shows that an extrapolation of the best-fitting model for the ASCA spectrum underpredicts the X-ray emission observed with the PSPC below 0.4 keV if the absorber is neutral (which indicates that the absorber is slightly ionized), covers only part of the central source, or there is extra soft thermal emission from an extended region. There is also evidence that the X-ray absorption is complex; an additional edge feature marginally detected at 0.84 keV suggests the presence of an additional high-ionization absorber, which imposes a strong O  viii edge on the spectrum. After correction for the absorption, the photon index of the intrinsic continuum, Γ ≃ 1.8, obtained from the ASCA data is quite similar to that of ordinary Seyfert 1 galaxies. Mrk 507 still has one of the flattest continuum slopes among the NLS1s, but is no longer exceptional. The strong optical Fe  ii emission remains unusual in the light of the correlation between Fe  ii strengths and steepness of soft X-ray slope.     

Properties of Broad Band Continuum of Narrow Line Seyfert 1 Galaxies

We have performed a statistical study of the properties of the broadband continuum of Narrow Line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLS1s) by collecting ratio,infrared, optical and X-ray continuum data from various databases and comparedthe results with control samples of Broad Line Seyfert 1 galaxies (BLSls). We findthat the fraction (～ 6%) of Radio Loud (RL) NLSls is significantly less than thatof BLS1s (～ 13%), which is caused by the lack of radio-very-loud sources in theformer. The rarity of RL NLS1s, especially radio-very-loud ones, is consistent withthe scenario of small black hole and high accretion rate for NLSls. Six new radio loudNLSls are found and five RL NLS1 candidates are presented. In comparison withthe BLS1s, the NLS1s tend to have stronger far infrared emission, cooler infraredcolors and redder B- K color, which suggests that NLS1s are hosted by dust-richernuclei. The NLS1s also show steeper soft X-ray spectrum and large soft X-rayto optical flux ratio, while a significant fraction show fiat soft X-ray spectra. Atleast two factors can account for this, absorption and spectral variability. We alsoperform a correlation analysis between various broad band data. It is found thatmost correlations identified for NLS1s are also valid for radio quiet BLS1s: (1) theoptical colors are anti-correlated with X-ray spectral index; (2) higher optical, X-ray and NIR luminosity objects show bluer optical colors and red H - K color; (3)higher luminosity objects show warmer IRAS color; (4) the radio loudness correlateswith B - K and X-ray to optical flux ratio. Radio loud objects behave somewhatdifferently in a few correlations.     

Black hole masses from power density spectra: determinations and consequences

We analyse the scaling of the X-ray power density spectra with the mass of the black hole in the examples of Cyg X-1 and the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 5548. We show that the high-frequency tail of the power density spectrum can be successfully used for the determination of the black hole mass. We determine the masses of the black holes in six broad-line Seyfert 1 galaxies, five narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies and two quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) using the available power density spectra. The proposed scaling is clearly appropriate for other Seyfert galaxies and QSOs. In all but one of the normal Seyferts, the resulting luminosity to Eddington luminosity ratio is smaller than 0.15, with the source MCG -6-15-30 being an exception. The applicability of the same scaling to a narrow-line Seyfert 1 is less clear and there may be a systematic shift between the power spectra of NLS1 and S1 galaxies of the same mass, leading to underestimation of the black hole mass. However, both the method based on variability and the method based on spectral fitting show that those galaxies have relatively low masses and a high luminosity to Eddington luminosity ratio, supporting the view of those objects as analogues of galactic sources in their high, soft or very high state, based on the overall spectral shape. The bulge masses of their host galaxies are similar to that of normal Seyfert galaxies, so they do not follow the black hole mass–bulge mass relation for Seyfert galaxies, being evolutionarily less advanced, as suggested by Mathur. The bulge mass–black hole mass relation in our sample is consistent with being linear, with the black hole to bulge ratio ∼0.03 per cent, similar to Wandel and Laor for low-mass objects, but significantly shifted from the relation of Magorrian et al. and McLure & Dunlop.     

Soft X-ray properties of Ultraluminous IRAS Galaxies

A sample of 323 Ultraluminous IRAS galaxies (ULIRGs) has been correlatedwith the ROSAT All-Sky Survey and ROSAT public pointed observations.22 objects are detected in ROSAT survey observations, and 6 ULIRGs aredetected in addition in ROSAT public pointed observations. The detection is basedon a visual inspection of the X-ray contour maps overlaid on optical imagesof ULIRGs taken from the Digitized Sky Survey.Simple power law fits were used to compute the absorption-correctedfluxes of the ROSAT detected ULIRGs. The ratio of the soft X-ray flux to thefar-infrared luminosity is used to estimate the contributionfrom starburst and AGN emitting processes. These results are comparedwith the ISO SWS ULIRG diagnostic diagram.     

The broad-band X-ray spectrum of Mrk 3

We use non-simultaneous Ginga ASCA ROSAT observations to investigate the complex X-ray spectrum of the Seyfert 2 galaxy Mrk 3. We find that the composite spectrum can be well described in terms of a heavily cut-off hard X-ray continuum, iron Kα emission and a soft X-ray excess, with spectral variability confined to changes in the continuum normalization and the flux in the iron line. Previous studies have suggested that the power-law continuum in Mrk 3 is unusually hard. We obtain a canonical value for the energy index of the continuum (i.e., α ≈ 0.7) when a warm absorber (responsible for an absorption edge observed near 8 keV) is included in the spectral model. Alternatively, the inclusion of a reflection component yields a comparable power-law index. The soft-excess flux cannot be modelled solely in terms of pure electron scattering of the underlying power-law continuum. However, a better fit to the spectral data is obtained if we include the effects of both emission and absorption in a partially photoionized scattering medium. In particular, the spectral feature prominent at ∼ 0.9 keV could represent O VIII recombination radiation produced in a hot photoionized medium. We discuss our results in the context of other recent studies of the soft X-ray spectra of Seyfert 2 galaxies.     

A survey of hard spectrum ROSAT sources – II. Optical identification of hard sources

We have surveyed 188 ROSAT Position Sensitive Proportional Counter (PSPC) fields for X-ray sources with hard spectra ( α <0.5); such sources must be major contributors to the X-ray background at faint fluxes. In this paper we present optical identifications for 62 of these sources: 28 active galactic nuclei (AGN) which show broad lines in their optical spectra (BLAGN), 13 narrow emission line galaxies (NELGs), five galaxies with no visible emission lines, eight clusters and eight Galactic stars.
The BLAGN, NELGs and galaxies have similar distributions of X-ray flux and spectra. Their ROSAT spectra are consistent with their being AGN obscured by columns of 20.5< log( N _H/cm⁻²)<23 . The hard spectrum BLAGN have a distribution of X-ray to optical ratios which is similar to that found for AGN from soft X-ray surveys (1< α _OX<2) . However, a relatively large proportion (15 per cent) of the BLAGN, NELGs and galaxies are radio loud. This could be because the radio jets in these objects produce intrinsically hard X-ray emission, or if their hardness is caused by absorption, it could be because radio-loud objects are more X-ray luminous than radio-quiet objects. The eight hard sources identified as clusters of galaxies are the brightest, and softest group of sources and hence clusters are unlikely to be an important component of the hard, faint population.
We propose that BLAGN are likely to constitute a significant fraction of the faint, hard, 0.5–2 keV population and could be important to reproducing the shape of the X-ray background, because they are the most numerous type of object in our sample (comprising almost half the identified sources), and because all our high redshift ( z >1) identified hard sources have broad lines.     

Identification of four X-ray sources from the INTEGRAL and Swift catalogs

Four hard X-ray sources from the INTEGRAL and Swift catalogs have been identified. X-ray and optical spectra have been obtained for each of the objects being studied by using data from the INTEGRAL, Swift, ROSAT, and Chandra X-ray observatories as well as observations with the RTT-150 and AZT-33IK optical telescopes. Two sources (SWIFT J1553.6+2606 and SWIFT J1852.2+8424) are shown to be extragalactic in nature: the first is a quasar, while the recordedX-ray flux from the second is the total emission from two Seyfert 1 galaxies at redshifts 0.1828 and 0.2249. The source IGR J22534+6243 resides in our Galaxy and is an X-ray pulsar with a period of ～46.674 s that is a member of a high-mass X-ray binary with a Be star. The nature of yet another Galactic source, SWIFT J1852.8+3002, is not completely clear and infrared spectroscopy is needed to establish it.