Some Features of the X-Ray and Radio Emission from OH Megamaser Galaxies

The properties of OH megamaser galaxies in the x-ray and radio ranges are discussed. Based on a sample of OH megamaser galaxies it is shown that the x-ray emission and the width of the OH radio line are closely related. The line width is also related to the radio emission from megamasers, but it depends only weakly on the infrared emission and this relationship is statistically less significant. The OH line width and the radio and x-ray emissions depend on the central mass of megamasers. There is a weak correlation between the radio and x-ray emissions owing to multiple scattering of synchrotron photons and bursts from the galactic nucleus. These results indicate that an active nucleus can be dominant in OH megamaser galaxies.__________Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 48, No. 3, pp. 421–430 (August 2005).     

Properties of OH Megamaser Galaxies in the Radio Continuum. II. Data Analysis

The properties of OH megamaser galaxies in the radio continuum are discussed. Many radio sources in OH megamaser galaxies exhibit relatively flat (α ≥ −0.5) radio spectra between frequencies of 1.49 and 8.44 GHz along with high brightness temperatures (T_b ≥ 10⁴ K). In these galaxies the line and radio continuum fluxes are not correlated. The continuum radio emission of OH megamasers is predominantly nonthermal and is associated either with an active nucleus or with compact star formation. The thermal component of the radio emission from these galaxies can be neglected. The observed flat radio spectra and high brightness temperatures imply the existence of an active galactic nucleus, although some megamasers may be associated with compact star formation.__________Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 48, No. 2, pp. 281–290 (May 2005).     

河外星系OH超脉泽的观测和研究

自从首次发现河外星系OH超脉泽以来，30多年(特别是近10年)中对河外星系OH超脉泽的观测和研究取得了极大的进展。到目前为止已发现106个河外星系OH超脉泽，其中包括59个较高红移的源。对河外星系OH超脉泽的观测和研究，是探测和研究其所成协的活动星系核、星暴星系的中央源和拱核盘的有效工具。主要评述对河外星系OH超脉泽的搜索、观测和理论研究现状。     

First MERLIN Observations of Line Emission from the OH Megamaser toward IRAS 10173＋0828

Many galaxies are thought to contain massive black holes, with masses in excess of ten million solar masses, at their centres and warped circumnu-clear toruses. The best evidence comes from observing gas or masers rotating rapidly within a circumnuclear torus surrounding a central body. Here we report on the first MERLIN observations of line emission from the OH megamaser toward IRAS 10173+0828. The position of peak flux contours of the OH megamaser is consistent with that of the continuum in IRAS 10173+0828. This means that the OH megamaser is a diffuse unsaturated maser which could amplify the diffuse 18 cm continuum emission with an amplification factor of order unity.     

Extragalactic H<Subscript>2</Subscript>O maser sources and their properties

The properties of a sample of extragalactic H₂O maser sources over a wide spectral range are discussed. Based on a sample of 81 maser galaxies it is shown that mega- and kilomasers have completely different properties. In particular, for megamasers the strongest observed relationships are between the parameters of the H₂O line and the mass of the galactic nucleus, while the parameters of the line are uncorrelated with the x-ray, infrared, and radio emission. A weak correlation between megamaser emission and the surface (column) density of hydrogen is observed. As for kilomasers, their H₂O luminosity depends weakly on the x-ray emission, although in the case of soft x rays this dependence is significant. The H₂O luminosity of kilomasers is moderately correlated with the infrared and radio continuum luminosities, but the line parameters are independent of the mass of the nucleus and the surface density of hydrogen.     

A comprehensive search for extragalactic 6.7-GHz methanol masers

We have used the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) to search for 6.7-GHz methanol maser emission towards 87 galaxies. We chose the target sources using several criteria, including far-IR luminosities and the presence of known OH megamasers. In addition, we searched for methanol masers in the nearby starburst galaxy NGC 253, making a full spectral-line synthesis image. No emission was detected in any of the galaxies, with detection limits ranging from 25 to 75 mJy. This is surprising, given the close association of OH and methanol masers in Galactic star formation regions, and significantly constrains models of OH megamaser emission. This absence of maser emission may be a result of low methanol abundances in molecular clouds in starburst galaxies.     

Spectral energy distribution of OH megamaser galaxies

The properties of OH megamaser galaxies are analyzed. Using the linear dependence of L _OH on L _FIR and the luminosity function for IR galaxies, the expected number of megamasers is estimated. From observational data at many frequencies (from radio waves to x rays), the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of 16 objects have been plotted and studied. The SEDs of megamasers have the same form from the radio to the x ray range. Considerable emission is observed in the 3 μm range, which evidently indicates the presence of red giants and supergiants in these objects. Possible reasons for the departure of the slope of the dependence of L _OH on L _FIR from unity are considered. The assumption that collisional pumping may play an important role in the inversion of ground levels of the OH molecule and the saturated gain mechanism in megamasers is confirmed. Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 42, No. 1, pp. 23–36, January–March, 1999.     

OH megamaser的光度和它们的宿主星系的红外光度之间的相关关系

利用66个OH megamaser的光度和它们的宿主星系的红外光度之间的相关关系,得到log L(OH)=1.71log L(IR)-17.67,即L(OH)α[L(IR)]1。71.这个结果介于Baan所得到的L(OH)α[L(IR)]2和Kandalian所得到的L(OH)α[L(IR)]1.38的结果之间.由于统计时所取的样本数最多,因此结果更能反映实际情况.进一步,可把这66个OH megamaser分为两类;第一类为L(OH)<102L(?)的小光度OH megamaser,小光度OH megamaser包含了14个OH megamaser;第二类为L(OH)≥102L的大光度OH megamaser,大光度OH megamaser包含了52个OHmegamaser.研究结果表明,小光度OH megamaser的光度和它们的宿主星系的红外光度之间相关关系为L(OH)α[L(IR)]1.43,与Kandalia所得到的结果相接近.大光度OH megamaser的光度和它们的宿主星系的红外光度之间的相关关系为L(OH)α[L(IR)]2,与Baan所得到的结果相一致.     

Oh Megamasers: Circumnuclear Gas in Starbursts

OH megamaser emission is known to be associated with the most central 100 parsecs of ultra-luminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs). The masers are probing dense concentrations of gas, which presumably have accumulated during the merger event forming the ULIRG. Here we summarize the results from primarily high resolution observations of the 18 cm OH lines in a few OH megamaser galaxies. The maser emission is commonly distributed in disks or tori, but there is also some evidence for other components such as outflows. The appearance of the observed emission strongly depends on the observing resolution, and new theoretical modeling has made important steps toward understanding the observed emission. The radio continuum in OH megamaser galaxies is generally starburst related, and detailed studies of the continuum could perhaps be used to date the merger.     

Physical Conditions in OH Megamaser Galaxies

The expected x-ray luminosity of megamaser OH galaxies lies between 22.5 and 24.5 erg s^-1 Hz^-1, with an average of 23.6 erg s^-1 Hz^-1. This range of luminosities is typical of galaxies with active nuclei and galaxies with active star formation. X-ray heating ( _X 10^-22-10^-18 erg s^-1) and collisional pumping may be responsible for the maser emission in megamaser galaxies.     

Properties of OH megamaser galaxies in the radio continuum. I. Observational data

Radio observations with the VLA-A radio telescope of 30 OH megamaser galaxies at a frequency of 1.49 GHz are discussed. Radio emission was detected from all 30 of these galaxies. Radio emission was detected from 5 of the 30 objects for the first time. Important results were obtained for 12 galaxies that had previously been little studied in the radio continuum. Additional data at 1.49 GHz were obtained for the remaining 13 objects. The core component of the continuum radio emission predominates in the OH megamaser galaxies.Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 48, No. 1, pp. 125–138 (February 2005).     

Megamaser galaxies

An analysis of a sample of OH megamaser galaxies is presented. It is shown that the dependence of L_OH on L_FIR (far infrared) is not quadratic, as previously assumed, but closer to linear. In megamaser galaxies, L_C (radio continuum) L_FIR1. Analysis of the data also shows that as the OH emission line width decreases, the absolute values of the pumping efficiency and maser amplification coefficient increase. The radio luminosity of the central component in these galaxies increases with a decrease in the ratio L_FIR/L_C, whereas the FIR luminosity remains constant. These results will, in all probability, force a reexamination of the questions of pumping and maser emission mechanisms in megamaser galaxies.Translated fromAstrofizika, Vol. 39, No. 3, pp. 417–429, July–September, 1996.     

IRAS 10173+0828的翘曲拱核环中的 OH超脉泽

对IRAS 10173+0828的拱核环中的OH超脉泽进行MERLIN§高分辨观测,得到了拱核环为翘曲的证据,同时得到了10个速度通道中OH超脉泽的等强度轮廓线向东西方向延伸的角尺寸与其相应速度通道中峰束流量密度成正相关关系.     

Extragalactic H2O Megamaser Sources： Central Black Holes, Nuclear X-ray and Maser Emissions

Extragalactic H2O megamasers are typically found within the innermost few parsecs of active galaxy nuclei (AGN) and the maser emission is considered to be excited most likely by the X-ray irradiation of the AGN.We investigate a comprehensive sample of extragalactic H2O masers in a sample of 38 maser host AGN to check potential correlations of the megamaser emission with parameters of the AGN,such as X-ray luminosity and black hole (BH) masses.We find a relation between the maser luminosities and BH masses,LH2O∝ M3.64-0.4 BH,which supports basically the theoretical prediction.The relation between the maser emission and X-ray emission is also confirmed.     

星系的IRAS颜色

本文以369个在四个波段上都被探测到了的IRAS亮星系为依据,讨论了星系的IRAS颜色。根据IRAS颜色对它们做了分类,用简单的双黑体模型,可以很好拟合绝大多数IRAS亮星系的辐射。     

The infrared luminosity of the torus and the visibility of scattered broad line emission in Seyfert 2 galaxies

A number of studies have shown that the visibility of scattered broad emission lines in Seyfert 2 galaxies is strongly dependent on the IRAS     flux ratio, where those Seyfert 2 galaxies with 'warm' IRAS colours show polarized broad line emission. It is now clear that this effect is owing to the increasing dominance of the galactic rather than the active galactic nucleus (AGN) emission at 60 μm in less-luminous 'cool' Seyfert 2 galaxies. However, we present evidence that the 25-μm emission is a good measure of the AGN luminosity for most Seyfert 2 galaxies. Using this result, we show that the visibility of scattered broad line emission has a dependence on the AGN luminosity. The observations can be interpreted self-consistently if the scaleheight of the scattering zone varies with central source luminosity whilst the scaleheight of the obscuring torus is approximately constant.     

Study of Main Line Intensity Ratio of Extragalactic OH Megamasers

An important observational parameter of the OH megamasers is their 18 cm main line intensity ratio R(H)=T ₁₆₆₇ /T ₁₆₆₅. The R(H) of only 56OH megamasers from the 90 extragalactic objects is found. We have found, log R(H) is correlated with log L(OH). Using (Henkel and Wilson,1990)'s model the optical depths of 1667 MHz maser line of 56 OHmegamasers have been obtained. Here we test the hypothesis that the opacity of a maser should be related to its luminosity, for which data from the 56 OH megamaser sources can be taken. We have also found that log (-τ) is correlated with log L(OH). This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

On the lack of cold dust in IRAS P09104+4109 and IRAS F15307+3252: their spectral energy distributions and implications for finding dusty AGNs at high redshift

We present upper limits on the 850-μm and 450-μm fluxes of the warm hyperluminous (bolometric luminosity     galaxies IRAS P09104+4109     and IRAS F15307+3252     , derived from measurements using the SCUBA bolometer array on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope. Hot luminous infrared sources like these are thought to differ from more normal cold ultraluminous infrared     galaxies in that they derive most of their bolometric luminosities from dusty active galactic nuclei (AGNs) as opposed to starbursts. Such hot, dusty AGNs at high redshift are thought to be responsible for much of the mass accretion of the Universe that is in turn responsible for the formation of the supermassive black holes seen in the centres of local galaxies. The galaxy IRAS P09104+4109 is also unusual in that it is a cD galaxy in the centre of a substantial cooling-flow cluster, not an isolated interacting galaxy like most ultraluminous infrared galaxies. Previously it was known to have large amounts of hot     dust from IRAS observations. We now show that the contribution of cold dust to the bolometric luminosity is less than 3 per cent. Most ultraluminous infrared galaxies possess large amounts of cold dust, and it is now known that some cooling-flow cluster cD galaxies do as well. Yet this object, which is an extreme example of both, does not have enough cold gas to contribute significantly to the bolometric luminosity. We outline physical reasons why this could have happened. We then provide a discussion of strategies for finding hot dusty AGNs, given the limitations on submillimetre surveys implied by this work.     

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.     

Radio emission in active galaxies: the starburst scenario

The origin of the radio emission in active galaxies ranging from LINERS to ultraluminous IRAS galaxies is considered under the scenario of a violent nuclear or circumnuclear starburst. The radio luminosity is explained as non-thermal radio emission generated in supernova remnants (SNRs). Implications of this scenario in terms of the radio brightness of SNRs, the supernovae rates, and their detectability are discussed.