On the nature of the X-ray absorption in the Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 4507

We present results of the ASCA observation of the Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 4507. The 0.5–10 keV spectrum is rather complex and consists of several components: (i) a hard X-ray power law heavily absorbed by a column density of about 3-10²³ cm⁻², (ii) a narrow Fe Kα line at 6.4 keV, (iii) soft continuum emission well above the extrapolation of the absorbed hard power law and (iv) a narrow emission line at ∼0.9 keV. The line energy, consistent with highly ionized neon (Ne IX ), may indicate that the soft X-ray emission is derived from a combination of resonant scattering and fluorescence in a photoionized gas. Some contribution to the soft X-ray spectrum from thermal emission, as a blend of Fe L lines, by a starburst component in the host galaxy cannot be ruled out with the present data.     

The unified model and the Seyfert 2 infrared dichotomy

We present X-ray imaging spectroscopy of the extremely luminous infrared galaxy IRAS 09104+4109     obtained with the Chandra X-ray Observatory. With the arcsec resolution of Chandra , an unresolved source at the nucleus is separated from the surrounding cluster emission. A strong iron K line at 6.4 keV on a very hard continuum is detected from the nuclear source, rendering IRAS 09104+4109 the most distant reflection-dominated X-ray source known. Combined with the BeppoSAX detection of the excess hard X-ray emission, it provides further strong support for the presence of a hidden X-ray source of quasar luminosity in this infrared galaxy. Also seen is a faint linear structure to the north, which coincides with the main radio jet. An X-ray deficit in the corresponding region suggests an interaction between the cluster medium and the jet driven by the active nucleus.     

The S2N2 metallicity calibrator and the abundance gradient of M 33

We introduce the log(Hα/[S  ii ]λλ6717+6731) versus log(Hα/[N  ii ]λ6583) (S2N2) diagnostic diagram as a metallicity and ionization parameter indicator for H  ii regions in external galaxies. The location of H  ii regions in the S2N2 diagram was studied both empirically and theoretically. We found that, for a wide range of metallicities, the S2N2 diagram gives single-valued results in the metallicity–ionization parameter plane. We demonstrate that the S2N2 diagram is a powerful tool to estimate metallicities of high-redshift  ( z ∼ 2)  H  ii galaxies. Finally, we derive the metallicity for 76 H  ii regions in M 33 from the S2N2 diagram and calculate an O/H abundance gradient for this galaxy of −0.05 (±0.01) dex kpc⁻¹.     

Nuclear Starburst Activity in the Seyfert 2 Galaxy NGC 2273

We present spectrophotometric results of the Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 2273. The presence of high-order Balmer absorption lines (H8, H9, H10) and weak equivalent widths of Call K A3933, CN A4200, G-band A4300 and MgIb 5173 clearly indicate recent star-forming activity in the nuclear region. Using a simple stellar population synthesis model, we find that for the best fit, the contributions of a power-law featureless continuum, an intermediate-age (~ 108 yr) and an old (> 109yr) stellar population to the total light at the reference normalization wavelength are 10.0%, 33.4% and 56.6%, respectively. The existence of recent starburst activity is also consistent with its high far-infrared luminosity (log LFIR/L = 9.9), its infrared color indexes [a(25,60) = -1.81 and a(60,100) = -0.79, typical values for Seyfert galaxies with circumnuclear starburst], and its q-value (2.23, ratio of infrared to radio flux, very similar to that of normal spirals and starburst galaxies). Byrd et al. have suggested that NGC 2273 mig     

Simulating the formation of a protocluster at z∼ 2

We present results from two high-resolution hydrodynamical simulations of protocluster regions at   z ≃ 2.1  . The simulations have been compared to observational results for the so-called Spiderweb galaxy system, the core of a putative protocluster region at   z = 2.16  , found around a radio galaxy. The simulated regions have been chosen so as to form a poor cluster with   M ₂₀₀≃ 10¹⁴  h ⁻¹ M_⊙  (C1) and a rich cluster with   M ₂₀₀≃ 2 × 10¹⁵  h ⁻¹ M_⊙  (C2) at   z = 0  . The simulated protoclusters show evidence of ongoing assembly of a dominating central galaxy. The stellar mass of the brightest cluster galaxy of the C2 system is in excess with respect to observational estimates for the Spiderweb galaxy, with a total star formation rate which is also larger than indicated by observations. We find that the projected velocities of galaxies in the C2 cluster are consistent with observations, while those measured for the poorer cluster C1 are too low compared with the observed velocities. We argue that the Spiderweb complex resembles the high-redshift progenitor of a rich galaxy cluster. Our results indicate that the included supernovae feedback is not enough to suppress star formation in these systems, supporting the need of introducing active galactic nuclei feedback. According to our simulations, a diffuse atmosphere of hot gas in hydrostatic equilibrium should already be present at this redshift, and enriched at a level comparable to that of nearby galaxy clusters. The presence of this gas should be detectable with future deep X-ray observations.     

Chemical abundances for Hf 2-2, a planetary nebula with the strongest-known heavy-element recombination lines

We present high-quality optical spectroscopic observations of the planetary nebula (PN) Hf 2-2. The spectrum exhibits many prominent optical recombination lines (ORLs) from heavy-element ions. Analysis of the H  i and He  i recombination spectrum yields an electron temperature of ∼900 K, a factor of 10 lower than given by the collisionally excited [O  iii ] forbidden lines. The ionic abundances of heavy elements relative to hydrogen derived from ORLs are about a factor of 70 higher than those deduced from collisionally excited lines (CELs) from the same ions, the largest abundance discrepancy factor (adf) ever measured for a PN. By comparing the observed O  ii λ4089/λ4649 ORL ratio to theoretical value as a function of electron temperature, we show that the O  ii ORLs arise from ionized regions with an electron temperature of only ∼630 K. The current observations thus provide the strongest evidence that the nebula contains another previously unknown component of cold, high-metallicity gas, which is too cool to excite any significant optical or ultraviolet CELs and is thus invisible via such lines. The existence of such a plasma component in PNe provides a natural solution to the long-standing dichotomy between nebular plasma diagnostics and abundance determinations using CELs on the one hand and ORLs on the other.     

Clues about the star formation history of the M31 disc from WFPC2 photometry

Over the past several years, the Hubble Space Telescope ( HST ) has acquired many broad-band images of various regions in the M31 disc. I have obtained 27 such fields from the HST data archive in order to produce colour–magnitude diagrams (CMDs) of the stellar populations contained within these areas of the disc. I have attempted to reproduce these CMDs using theoretical stellar evolution models in conjunction with statistical tools for determining the star formation history that best fits the observations. The wide range of extinction values within any given field makes the data difficult to reproduce accurately; nevertheless, I have managed to find star formation histories that roughly reproduce the data. These statistically determined star formation histories reveal that, like the disc of the Galaxy, the disc of M31 contains very few old metal-poor stars. The histories also suggest that the star formation rate of the disc as a whole has been low over the past ∼1 Gyr.     

The X-ray spectrum and variability of the Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 7172

We present evidence of flux variability, on both short (hours) and long (months) time-scales, of the Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 7172. These results are based on the ASCA observation of NGC 7172 performed in 1996 May. The source was detected at a rather low flux level, about 3 times fainter than its usual state (including 1 yr before, when it was also observed by ASCA ).   The source also varied by about 30 per cent during the observation, confirming the presence of a type 1 nucleus in its centre. However, its spectrum appears to be flatter than the typical Seyfert 1 spectrum (in agreement with findings on other Seyfert 2s), posing problems for the unification model unless complex absorption is invoked.     

HST/WFPC2 imaging of the QDOT ultraluminous infrared galaxy sample

We present HST WFPC2 V -band imaging for 23 ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) taken from the QDOT redshift survey. The fraction of sources observed to be interacting is 87 per cent. Most of the merging systems show a number of compact 'knots', whose colour and brightness differ substantially from their immediate surroundings. Colour maps for nine of the objects show a non-uniform colour structure. Features include blue regions located towards the centres of merging systems which are likely to be areas of enhanced star formation, and compact red regions which are likely to be dust shrouded starbursts or active galactic nuclei. The host galaxies of the quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) in the sample were found to be either interacting systems or ellipticals. Our data show no evidence that ULIRGs are a simple transition stage between galaxy mergers and QSOs. We propose an alternative model for ULIRGs based on the morphologies in our sample and previous N -body simulations. Under this model ULIRGs as a class are much more diverse than a simple transition between galaxy merger and QSO. The evolution of IR power source and merger morphology in ULIRGs is driven solely by the local environment and the morphologies of the merger progenitors.