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Local and Large-Scale Environment of Seyfert Galaxies
We present a three-dimensional study of the local (<=100h-1 kpc) and the large-scale (<=1 h-1 Mpc)environment of the two main types of Seyfert AGN galaxies. For thispurpose we use 48 Seyfert 1 galaxies (with redshifts in the range0.007<=z<=0.036) and 56 Seyfert 2 galaxies (with0.004<=z<=0.020), located at high galactic latitudes, as well astwo control samples of nonactive galaxies having the same morphological,redshift, and diameter size distributions as the corresponding Seyfertsamples. Using the Center for Astrophysics (CfA2) and Southern SkyRedshift Survey (SSRS) galaxy catalogs (mB~15.5) and our ownspectroscopic observations (mB~18.5), we find that within aprojected distance of 100 h-1 kpc and a radial velocityseparation of δv<~600 km s-1 around each of ourAGNs, the fraction of Seyfert 2 galaxies with a close neighbor issignificantly higher than that of their control (especially within 75h-1 kpc) and Seyfert 1 galaxy samples, confirming a previoustwo-dimensional analysis of Dultzin-Hacyan et al. We also find that thelarge-scale environment around the two types of Seyfert galaxies doesnot vary with respect to their control sample galaxies. However, theSeyfert 2 and control galaxy samples do differ significantly whencompared to the corresponding Seyfert 1 samples. Since the maindifference between these samples is their morphological typedistribution, we argue that the large-scale environmental differencecannot be attributed to differences in nuclear activity but rather totheir different type of host galaxies.
| The Host Galaxies of Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 Galaxies: Nuclear Dust Morphology and Starburst Rings
We present a study of the nuclear morphology of a sample of narrow- andbroad-line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLS1s and BLS1s, respectively) based onbroadband images in the Hubble Space Telescope archives. In our previousstudy we found that large-scale stellar bars at >1 kpc from thenucleus are more common in NLS1s than BLS1s. In this paper we find thatNLS1s preferentially have grand-design dust spirals within ~1 kpc oftheir centers. We also find that NLS1s have a higher fraction of nuclearstar-forming rings than BLS1s. We find that many of the morphologicaldifferences are due to the presence or absence of a large-scale stellarbar within the spiral host galaxy. In general, barred Seyfert 1 galaxiestend to have grand-design dust spirals at their centers, confirming theresults of other researchers. The high fraction of grand-design nucleardust spirals and stellar nuclear rings observed in NLS1s' host galaxiessuggests a means for efficient fueling of their nuclei to support theirhigh Eddington ratios.
| The SCUBA Local Universe Galaxy Survey - III. Dust along the Hubble sequence
We present new results from the Submillimetre Common-User BolometerArray (SCUBA) Local Universe Galaxy Survey (SLUGS), the first largesystematic submillimetre (submm) survey of the local Universe. Since ourinitial survey of a sample of 104 IRAS-selected galaxies we have nowcompleted a survey of a sample of 81 optically selected galaxies,observed with the SCUBA camera on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope.Since SCUBA is sensitive to the 90 per cent of dust too cold to radiatesignificantly in the IRAS bands our new sample represents the firstunbiased SCUBA survey of dust in galaxies along the whole length of theHubble sequence.We find little change in the properties of dust in galaxies along theHubble sequence, except a marginally significant trend for early-typegalaxies to be less-luminous submm sources than late types. Wenevertheless detected six out of 11 elliptical galaxies, although someof the emission may possibly be synchrotron rather than dust emission.As in our earlier work on IRAS galaxies we find that the IRAS and submmfluxes are well fitted by a two-component dust model with dustemissivity index β= 2. The major difference from our earlier workis that we find the ratio of the mass of cold dust to the mass of warmdust is much higher for our optically selected galaxies and can reachvalues of ~1000. Comparison of the results for the IRAS and opticallyselected samples shows that there is a population of galaxies containinga large proportion of cold dust that is unrepresented in the IRASsample.We derive local submm luminosity and dust mass functions, both directlyfrom our optically selected SLUGS sample, and by extrapolation from theIRAS Point Source Catalogue Redshift Survey (PSCz) survey using themethod of Serjeant and Harrison (by extrapolating the spectral energydistributions of the IRAS PSCz survey galaxies out to 850μm we probea wider range of luminosities than probed directly by the SLUGSsamples), and find excellent agreement between the two. We find them tobe well fitted by Schechter functions except at the highestluminosities. We find that as a consequence of the omission of coldgalaxies from the IRAS sample the luminosity function presented in ourearlier work is too low by a factor of 2, reducing the amount of cosmicevolution required between the low-z and high-z Universe.
| The Link between Star Formation and Accretion in LINERs: A Comparison with Other Active Galactic Nucleus Subclasses
We present archival high-resolution X-ray imaging observations of 25nearby LINERs observed by ACIS on board Chandra. This sample builds onour previously published proprietary and archival X-ray observations andincludes the complete set of LINERs with published black hole masses andFIR luminosities that have been observed by Chandra. Of the 82 LINERsobserved by Chandra, 41 (50%) display hard nuclear cores consistent withan AGN. The nuclear 2-10 keV luminosities of these AGN-LINERs range from~2×1038 to ~1×1044 ergss-1. Reinforcing our previous work, we find a significantcorrelation between the Eddington ratio,Lbol/LEdd, and the FIR luminosity,LFIR, as well as the IR brightness ratio,LFIR/LB, in the host galaxy of AGN-LINERs thatextends over 7 orders of magnitude in Lbol/LEdd.Combining our AGN-LINER sample with galaxies from other AGN subclasses,we find that this correlation is reinforced in a sample of 129 AGNs,extending over almost 9 orders of magnitude inLbol/LEdd. Using archival and previously publishedobservations of the 6.2 μm PAH feature from ISO, we find that it isunlikely that dust heating by the AGN dominates the FIR luminosity inour sample of AGNs. Our results may therefore imply a fundamental linkbetween the mass accretion rate (M˙), as measured by the Eddingtonratio, and the star formation rate (SFR), as measured by the FIRluminosity. Apart from the overall correlation, we find that thedifferent AGN subclasses occupy distinct regions in the LFIRand Lbol/LEdd plane. Assuming a constant radiativeefficiency for accretion, our results may imply a variation in theSFR/M˙ ratio as a function of AGN activity level, a result that mayhave significant consequences for our understanding of galaxy formationand black hole growth.
| The Hubble Space Telescope View of LINER Nuclei: Evidence for a Dual Population?
We study a complete, distance-limited sample of 25 LINERs, 21 of whichhave been imaged with the Hubble Space Telescope. In nine objects wedetect an unresolved nucleus. To study their physical properties, wecompare the radio and optical properties of the nuclei of LINERs withthose of other samples of local active galactic nuclei (AGNs), namely,Seyfert galaxies and low-luminosity radio galaxies (LLRGs). Our resultsshow that the LINER population is not homogeneous, as there are twosubclasses: (1) the first class is similar to the LLRG class, as itextends the population of radio-loud nuclei to lower luminosities; (2)the second is similar to Seyfert galaxies and extends the properties ofradio-quiet nuclei toward the lowest luminosities. The objects areoptimally discriminated in the plane formed by the black hole massversus nuclear radio loudness: all radio-loud LINERs haveMBH>~108Msolar, while Seyfertgalaxies and radio-quiet LINERs haveMBH<~108Msolar. The different natureof the various classes of local AGNs are best understood when thefraction of the Eddington luminosity they irradiate,Lo/LEdd, is plotted against the nuclearradio-loudness parameter: Seyfert galaxies are associated withrelatively high radiative efficienciesLo/LEdd>~10-4 (and high accretionrates onto low-mass black holes); LLRGs are associated with lowradiative efficiencies (and low accretion rates onto high-mass blackholes); all LINERs have low radiative efficiency (and accretion rates)and can be radio-loud or radio-quiet, depending on their black holemass.Based on observations obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute,which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research inAstronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS5-26555.
| A Simple Test for the Existence of Two Accretion Modes in Active Galactic Nuclei
By analogy to the different accretion states observed in black holeX-ray binaries (BHXBs), it appears plausible that accretion disks inactive galactic nuclei (AGNs) undergo a state transition between aradiatively efficient and inefficient accretion flow. If the radiativeefficiency changes at some critical accretion rate, there will be achange in the distribution of black hole masses and bolometricluminosities at the corresponding transition luminosity. To test thisprediction, I consider the joint distribution of AGN black hole massesand bolometric luminosities for a sample taken from the literature. Thesmall number of objects with low Eddington-scaled accretion ratesm˙<0.01 and black hole massesMBH<109Msolar constitutes tentativeevidence for the existence of such a transition in AGNs. Selectioneffects, in particular those associated with flux-limited samples,systematically exclude objects in particular regions of the(MBH,Lbol) plane. Therefore, they requireparticular attention in the analysis of distributions of black holemass, bolometric luminosity, and derived quantities such as theaccretion rate. I suggest further observational tests of the BHXB-AGNunification scheme that are based on the jet domination of the energyoutput of BHXBs in the hard state, and of the possible equivalence ofBHXB in the very high (or steep power-law) state showing ejections andefficiently accreting quasars and radio galaxies with powerful radiojets.
| Comparison of Nuclear Starburst Luminosities between Seyfert 1 and 2 Galaxies Based on Near-Infrared Spectroscopy
We report on infrared K- (2-2.5 μm) and L-band (2.8-4.1 μm) slitspectroscopy of 23 Seyfert 1 galaxies in the CfA and 12 μm samples. Apolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission feature at 3.3 μm inthe L band is primarily used to investigate nuclear star-formingactivity in these galaxies. The 3.3 μm PAH emission is detected in 10sources (=43%), demonstrating that detection of nuclear star formationin a significant fraction of Seyfert 1 galaxies is now feasible. For thePAH-detected nuclei, the surface brightness values of the PAH emissionare as high as those of typical starbursts, suggesting that the PAHemission probes the putative nuclear starbursts in the dusty tori aroundthe central active galactic nuclei (AGNs). The magnitudes of the nuclearstarbursts are quantitatively estimated from the observed 3.3 μm PAHemission luminosities. The estimated starburst luminosities relative tosome indicators of AGN powers in these Seyfert 1 galaxies are comparedwith 32 Seyfert 2 galaxies in the same samples that we have previouslyobserved. We find that there is no significant difference in nuclearstarburst to AGN luminosity ratios of Seyfert 1 and 2 galaxies and thatnuclear starburst luminosity positively correlates with AGN power inboth types. Our results favor a slightly modified AGN unification model,which predicts that nuclear starbursts occurring in the dusty tori ofSeyfert galaxies are physically connected to the central AGNs, ratherthan the classical unification paradigm, in which the dusty tori simplyhide the central AGNs of Seyfert 2 galaxies and reprocess AGN radiationas infrared dust emission in Seyfert galaxies. No significantdifferences in nuclear star formation properties are recognizablebetween Seyfert 1 galaxies in the CfA and 12 μm samples.
| Circumnuclear Structure and Black Hole Fueling: Hubble Space Telescope NICMOS Imaging of 250 Active and Normal Galaxies
Why are the nuclei of some galaxies more active than others? If mostgalaxies harbor a central massive black hole, the main difference isprobably in how well it is fueled by its surroundings. We investigatethe hypothesis that such a difference can be seen in the detailedcircumnuclear morphologies of galaxies using several quantitativelydefined features, including bars, isophotal twists, boxy and diskyisophotes, and strong nonaxisymmetric features in unsharp-masked images.These diagnostics are applied to 250 high-resolution images of galaxycenters obtained in the near-infrared with NICMOS on the Hubble SpaceTelescope. To guard against the influence of possible biases andselection effects, we have carefully matched samples of Seyfert 1,Seyfert 2, LINER, starburst, and normal galaxies in their basicproperties, taking particular care to ensure that each was observed witha similar average scale (10-15 pc pixel-1). Severalmorphological differences among our five different spectroscopicclassifications emerge from the analysis. The H II/starburst galaxiesshow the strongest deviations from smooth elliptical isophotes, whilethe normal galaxies and LINERs have the least disturbed morphology. TheSeyfert 2s have significantly more twisted isophotes than any othercategory, and the early-type Seyfert 2s are significantly more disturbedthan the early-type Seyfert 1s. The morphological differences betweenSeyfert 1s and Seyfert 2s suggest that more is at work than simply theviewing angle of the central engine. They may correspond to differentevolutionary stages.
| Radio emission from AGN detected by the VLA FIRST survey
Using the most recent (April 2003) version of the VLA FIRST survey radiocatalog, we have searched for radio emission from >2800 AGN takenfrom the most recent (2001) version of the Veron-Cetty and Veron AGNcatalog. These AGN lie in the 9033 square degrees of sky alreadycovered by the VLA FIRST survey. Our work has resulted in positivedetection of radio emission from 775 AGN of which 214 are new detectionsat radio wavelengths.Tables 3 and 4 are only available in electronic form at the CDS viaanonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/416/35
| Classifications of the Host Galaxies of Supernovae, Set II
Classifications on the DDO system are given for an additional 231 hostgalaxies of supernovae that have been discovered during the course ofthe Lick Observatory Supernova Search with the Katzman Automatic ImagingTelescope (KAIT). This brings the total number of hosts of supernovae(SNe) discovered (or independently rediscovered) by KAIT, which have sofar been classified on a homogeneous system, to 408. The probabilitythat SNe Ia and SNe II have a different distribution of host-galaxyHubble types is found to be 99.7%. A significant difference is alsofound between the distributions of the host galaxies of SNe Ia and ofSNe Ibc (defined here to include SNe Ib, Ib/c, and Ic). However, nosignificant difference is detected between the frequency distributionsof the host galaxies of SNe II and SNe IIn. This suggests that SNe IInare generally not SNe Ia embedded in circumstellar material that aremasquerading as SNe II. Furthermore, no significant difference is foundbetween the distribution of the Hubble types of the hosts of SNe Ibc andof SNe II. Additionally, SNe II-P and SNe II-L are found to occur amongsimilar stellar populations. The ratio of the number of SNe Ia-pec tonormal SNe Ia appears to be higher in early-type galaxies than it is ingalaxies of later morphological types. This suggests that the ancestorsof SNe Ia-pec may differ systematically in age or composition from theprogenitors of normal SNe Ia. Unexpectedly, five SNe of Types Ib/c, II,and IIn (all of which are thought to have massive progenitors) are foundin host galaxies that are nominally classified as types E and S0.However, in each case the galaxy classification is uncertain, or newlyinspected images show evidence suggesting a later classification. Amongthese five objects, NGC 3720, the host galaxy of SN 2002at, wasapparently misidentified in the Carnegie Atlas of Galaxies.
| A Possible Signature of Connection between Blazars and Seyfert Galaxies
The accretion rates (dot{M}) and their correlation with cosmologicalredshifts for a sample of blazars and Seyfert galaxies are presented.The sample includes 77 blazars (28 FSRQs, 26 LBLs, and 23 HBLs) and 60Seyfert galaxies, of which the extended spectral energy distributioninformation and redshifts are available. Within the framework ofaccreting black holes, the accretion rates for these sources wereestimated based on their bolometric luminosities. The result shows thatthe accretion rates are significantly different for each subclass of theblazars and Seyfert galaxies. Their averages are, respectively, 50.2,17.0, 1.0, 0.1Modot yr-1 for the FSRQs, LBLs, HBLs, and theSeyfert galaxies, exhibiting a well descending sequence ofFSRQs-LBLs-HBLs-Seyfert galaxies. They are strongly correlated with theredshifts for both blazars and Seyfert galaxies. The linear correlationcoefficients are 0.81 and 0.68 with a chance probab ility of p <0.0001, respectively. A plot of dot{M} - z shows that the blazars andthe Seyfert galaxies distribute in a distinguishable regions with aconnection at z 0.7 and almost all the sources lie in a narrowregion of z1.40 ≤ dot{M} ≤ 250 z1.40,illustrating a strong correlation between the two quantities for thewhole sample. The regression line is dot{M} = (14.5 ± 1.2)z1.40±0.06 Modot yr-1 with a linearcoefficient of 0.93 and a chance probability of p < 0.0001,suggesting a connection between blazars and Seyfert galaxies. Thisconnection might imply that the two classes are on the same evolutionarysequence. Although the correlations of the data are formally solid, theconclusion may be affected by one source of considerable uncertainty atthe data level, which is also discussed.
| The Unified Model and Evolution of Active Galaxies: Implications from a Spectropolarimetric Study
We extend the analysis presented in Paper I of a spectropolarimetricsurvey of the CfA and 12 μm samples of Seyfert 2 galaxies (S2s). Weconfirm that polarized (hidden) broad-line region (HBLR) S2s tend tohave hotter circumnuclear dust temperatures, show mid-IR spectra morecharacteristic of Seyfert 1 galaxies (S1s), and are intrinsically moreluminous than non-HBLR S2s. The levels of obscuration and circumnuclearstar formation, however, appear to be similar between HBLR and non-HBLRS2 galaxies, based on an examination of various observationalindicators. HBLR S2s, on average, share many similar large-scale,presumably isotropic, characteristics with S1s, as would be expected ifthe unified model is correct, while non-HBLR S2s generally do not. Theactive nuclear engines of non-HBLR S2s, then, appear to be truly weakerthan HBLR S2s, which in turn are fully consistent with being S1s viewedfrom another direction. There is also evidence that the fraction ofdetected HBLRs increases with the radio power of the active galacticnucleus. Thus, all S2 galaxies may not be intrinsically similar innature, and we speculate that evolutionary processes may be at work.
| The Host Galaxies of Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 Galaxies: Evidence for Bar-Driven Fueling
We present a study of the host galaxy morphologies of narrow- andbroad-line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLS1's and BLS1's) based on broadbandoptical images from the Hubble Space Telescope archives. We find thatlarge-scale stellar bars, starting at ~1 kpc from the nucleus, are muchmore common in NLS1's than BLS1's. Furthermore, the fraction of NLS1spirals that have bars increases with decreasing full width athalf-maximum of the broad component of Hβ. These results suggest alink between the large-scale bars, which can support high fueling ratesto the inner kiloparsecs, and the high mass accretion rates associatedwith the supermassive black holes in NLS1's.
| Spectral Energy Distributions of Seyfert Nuclei
We present nuclear spectral energy distributions (SEDs) in the range0.4-16 μm for an expanded CfA sample of Seyfert galaxies. Thespectral indexes (fν~ν-αIR)from 1 to 16 μm range from αIR~0.9 to 3.8. Theshapes of the spectra are correlated with Seyfert type in the sense thatsteeper nuclear SEDs (νfν increasing with increasingwavelength) tend to be found in Seyfert 2's, and flatter SEDs(νfν is constant) in Seyfert 1-1.5's. The galaxiesoptically classified as Seyferts 1.8's and 1.9's display values ofαIR as in type 1 objects, or values intermediatebetween those of Seyfert 1's and Seyfert 2's. The intermediate SEDs ofmany Seyfert 1.8-1.9's may be consistent with the presence of a pureSeyfert 1 viewed through a moderate amount (AV<~5 mag) offoreground galaxy extinction. We find, however, that between 10% and 20%of galaxies with broad optical line components have steep infrared SEDs.Torus models usually adopt high equatorial opacities to reproduce theinfrared properties of Seyfert 1's and 2's, resulting in a dichotomy ofinfrared SEDs (flat for type 1's, and steep for type 2's). Such adichotomy, however, is not observed in our sample. The wide range ofspectral indexes observed in the type 2 objects, the lack of extremelysteep SEDs, and the large numbers of objects with intermediate spectralindexes cannot be reconciled with predictions from existing opticallythick torus models. We discuss possible modifications to improve torusmodels, including low optical depth tori, clumpy dusty tori, and highoptical depth tori with an extended optically thin component.Based on observations with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtainedat the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by theAssociation of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASAcontract NAS 5-26555.
| A New Empirical Method for Estimating the Far-Infrared Flux of Galaxies
We propose a new empirical method to estimate the total far-infraredflux of galaxies from the spectral energy distribution (SED) atwavelengths of λ <= 100 μm. It is difficult to derive thetotal far-infrared luminosity from only the IRAS data, though it is oneof the most important properties of galaxies. Observations by InfraredTelescope in Space (IRTS) indicate that the SED of the diffuse emissionfrom the Galactic plane in this wavelength region can be derived fromthe 60 μm to 100 μm color. This empirical SED relation wasimproved in order to obtain a better fit to the Galactic plane data forIν(60 μm) / Iν(100 μm) > 0.6, andapplied to 96 IRAS galaxies for which ISOPHOT and KAO data are availableat λ > 100 μm. As a result, the empirical relation welldescribes the far-infrared (FIR) SED for a majority of galaxies.Additionally, the total FIR flux for λ >= 40 μm was derivedfrom the flux densities at 60 and 100 μm by using this model. For the96 IRAS galaxies, the uncertainty in the total far-infrared flux of thepresent method is 26%. The present method is more accurate than theprevious one widely used to derive the total infrared flux from the IRAS60 and 100 μm data.
| A spectropolarimetric atlas of Seyfert 1 galaxies
We present optical spectropolarimetry of the nuclei of 36 Seyfert 1galaxies, obtained with the William Herschel and the Anglo-AustralianTelescopes from 1996 to 1999. In 20 of these, the optical emission fromthe active nucleus is intrinsically polarized. We have measured asignificant level of polarization in a further seven objects but thesemay be heavily contaminated by Galactic interstellar polarization. Theintrinsically polarized Seyfert 1 galaxies exhibit a variety ofcharacteristics, with the average polarization ranging from <0.5 to 5per cent and with many showing variations in both the degree andposition angle of polarization across the broad Hα emission line.We identify a small group of Seyfert 1 galaxies that exhibitpolarization properties similar to those of Seyfert 2 galaxies in whichpolarized broad lines have been discovered. These objects representdirect observational evidence that a Seyfert 2-like far-field polarscattering region is also present in Seyfert 1 galaxies. Several otherobjects have features that can be explained in terms of equatorialscattering of line emission from a rotating disc. We propose that muchof the diversity in the polarization properties of Seyfert galaxies canbe understood in terms of a model involving both equatorial and polarscattering, the relative importance of the two geometries as sources ofpolarized light being determined principally by the inclination of thesystem axis to the line of sight.
| Supernova 2002de in NGC 6104
IAUC 7915 available at Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams.
| Supernova 2002de in NGC 6104
IAUC 7914 available at Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams.
| Active Galactic Nucleus Black Hole Masses and Bolometric Luminosities
Black hole mass, along with mass accretion rate, is a fundamentalproperty of active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Black hole mass sets anapproximate upper limit to AGN energetics via the Eddington limit. Wecollect and compare all AGN black hole mass estimates from theliterature; these 177 masses are mostly based on the virial assumptionfor the broad emission lines, with the broad-line region size determinedfrom either reverberation mapping or optical luminosity. We introduce200 additional black hole mass estimates based on properties of the hostgalaxy bulges, using either the observed stellar velocity dispersion orthe fundamental plane relation to infer σ these methods assumethat AGN hosts are normal galaxies. We compare 36 cases for which blackhole mass has been generated by different methods and find, forindividual objects, a scatter as high as a couple of orders ofmagnitude. The less direct the method, the larger the discrepancy withother estimates, probably due to the large scatter in the underlyingcorrelations assumed. Using published fluxes, we calculate bolometricluminosities for 234 AGNs and investigate the relation between blackhole mass and luminosity. In contrast to other studies, we find nosignificant correlation of black hole mass with luminosity, other thanthose induced by circular reasoning in the estimation of black holemass. The Eddington limit defines an approximate upper envelope to thedistribution of luminosities, but the lower envelope depends entirely onthe sample of AGNs included. For any given black hole mass, there is arange in Eddington ratio of up to 3 orders of magnitude.
| The Relation between Mid-Infrared Emission and Black Hole Mass in Active Galactic Nuclei: A Direct Way to Probe Black Hole Growth?
We use a large, heterogeneous sample of local active galactic nuclei(AGNs) that includes Seyfert 1 galaxies, Seyfert 2 galaxies, andPalomar-Green quasars to investigate for the first time the relationbetween black hole mass (MBH) and mid-infrared nuclearemission. We find a clear relation between MBH and 10 μmnuclear luminosity for these local AGNs. There are no significantdifferences between type 1 and type 2 objects, implying that thereprocessing of the 10 μm nuclear emission is not severely affectedby geometric and optical depth effects. We also confirm thatMBH is related to the 2-10 keV X-ray luminosity, but only forCompton-thin galaxies. We present a theoretical basis for theseempirical relations and discuss possible reasons for the observedscatter. Our results show that rest-frame 10 μm and hard X-rayluminosities (especially the former, which is applicable to all AGNtypes) can be powerful tools for conducting a census of BH masses athigh redshift and for probing their cosmological evolution.
| Hubble Space Telescope Imaging of the Circumnuclear Environments of the CfA Seyfert Galaxies: Nuclear Spirals and Fueling
We present archival Hubble Space Telescope (HST) images of the nuclearregions of 43 of the 46 Seyfert galaxies found in the volume-limited,spectroscopically complete CfA Redshift Survey sample. Using an improvedmethod of image contrast enhancement, we create detailed high-quality``structure maps'' that allow us to study the distributions of dust,star clusters, and emission-line gas in the circumnuclear regions(100-1000 pc scales) and in the associated host galaxy. Essentially allof these Seyfert galaxies have circumnuclear dust structures withmorphologies ranging from grand-design two-armed spirals to chaoticdusty disks. In most Seyfert galaxies there is a clear physicalconnection between the nuclear dust spirals on hundreds of parsec scalesand large-scale bars and spiral arms in the host galaxies proper. Theseconnections are particularly striking in the interacting and barredgalaxies. Such structures are predicted by numerical simulations of gasflows in barred and interacting galaxies and may be related to thefueling of active galactic nuclei by matter inflow from the host galaxydisks. We see no significant differences in the circumnuclear dustmorphologies of Seyfert 1s and 2s, and very few Seyfert 2 nuclei areobscured by large-scale dust structures in the host galaxies. If Seyfert2s are obscured Seyfert 1s, then the obscuration must occur on smallerscales than those probed by HST. Based on observations made with theNASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained from the data archive at theSpace Telescope Science Institute. STScI is operated by the Associationof Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under the NASA contractNAS 5-26555.
| Far-Infrared Census of Starburst-Seyfert Connection
Far-infrared flux densities are newly extracted from the IRAS databasefor the Revised Shapley-Ames and CfA complete samples of Seyfertgalaxies. These data are used to classify the Seyfert galaxies intothose where the far-infrared continuum emission is dominated by theactive galactic nucleus (AGN), circumnuclear starburst, or host galaxy.While AGN-dominant objects consist of comparable numbers of Seyfert 1and 2 galaxies, starburst- and host-dominant objects consistpreferentially of Seyfert 2 galaxies. Thus, in addition to the dustytorus, the circumnuclear starburst region and host galaxy are importantin hiding the broad-line region. Morphologically, starburst-dominantSeyfert galaxies are of later types and more strongly interacting thanAGN-dominant Seyfert galaxies. In a later type galaxy, the AGN centralengine has a lower Eddington luminosity, and the gaseous content ishigher. The gas is efficiently supplied to the starburst via agalaxy-galaxy interaction. Morphologies of host-dominant Seyfertgalaxies are of various types. Since starbursts in Seyfert galaxies areolder than those in classical starburst galaxies, we propose anevolution from starburst to starburst-dominant Seyfert to host-dominantSeyfert for a late-type galaxy. An evolution from AGN-dominant Seyfertto host-dominant Seyfert is proposed for an early-type galaxy. Thesesequences have durations of a few times 108 yr and occurrepeatedly within a galaxy during its evolution from a late type to anearly type.
| Mass Profile of the Infall Region of the Abell 2199 Supercluster
Using a redshift survey of 1323 galaxies (1092 new or remeasured) in aregion of 95 deg2 centered on the nearby galaxy cluster Abell2199, we analyze the supercluster containing A2199, A2197, and an X-raygroup. The caustic technique accurately reproduces the true massprofiles of simulated simple superclusters (i.e., superclusters forwhich the virial mass of one cluster is 2-10 times the virial mass ofall other clusters in the supercluster). We calculate the masses of thetwo main components of A2197 (A2197W and A2197E) by using archival X-rayobservations and demonstrate that the A2199 supercluster is simple (themass of A2199 is 5 and 12 times larger than A2197W and A2197E,respectively) and thus that the caustic technique should yield anaccurate mass profile. The masses of A2199, A2197W, and A2197E withinr500 (the radius within which the enclosed density is 500times the critical density) are 22.0, 3.8, and 1.7 times 1013h-1 Msolar, respectively. The mass profile isuncertain by ~30% within 3 h-1 Mpc and by a factor of 2within 8 h-1 Mpc and is one of only a few for a superclusteron such large scale. Independent X-ray mass estimates agree with ourresults at all radii where they overlap. The mass profile stronglydisagrees with an isothermal sphere profile but agrees with profilessuggested by simulations. We discuss the interplay of the superclusterdynamics and the dynamics of the bound subclusters. The agreementbetween the infall mass profile and other techniques shows that thecaustic technique is surprisingly robust for simple superclusters.
| A Far-Infrared Study of the CfA Seyfert Sample. I. The Data
We present mid- and far-IR Infrared Space Observatory data of the CfASeyfert galaxy sample. These data allow a detailed study of the far-IRspectral energy distribution (SED) of these galaxies. A Bayesianinversion method has been used to invert the SED of these objects and toidentify three characteristic temperature ranges of dust emission. Themethod yields two fundamental results, namely, (1) that the mid- andfar-IR SED of Seyfert galaxies can be explained solely through thermalreradiation of higher energy photons by dust; and (2) that this thermalemission is made up of three different components, a warm, a cold, and avery cold dust component. These components are characterized by a peaktemperature and their emission dominated in each case by a singleastrophysical mechanism. These mechanisms have been readily explained asproduced, respectively, by warm dust heated by either the active nucleusor circumnuclear starbursts, cold dust heated by a star-forming regionin the galaxy disk, and very cold dust heated by the generalinterstellar radiation field. Comparisons between the parametersobtained from the analysis of the IR SEDs (fluxes, temperatures,luminosities) have been made. Our results suggest that the emission inthe mid-IR is anisotropic and the differences found between Seyfert 1and Seyfert 2 galaxies could be explained with thin molecular torimodels. Based on observations with the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO),an ESA project with instruments funded by ESA Member States (especiallythe PI countries: France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the UnitedKingdom) and with the participation of ISAS and NASA.
| Nuclear Luminosities and Radio Loudness of Seyfert Nuclei
Historically, Seyfert nuclei have been considered to be radio-quietactive galactic nuclei (AGNs). We question this widely held assumptionby showing that the distribution of the radio-to-optical luminosityratio, R≡Lν(6 cm)/Lν(B), when properlymeasured for the nuclear component, places the majority of type 1Seyfert nuclei in the category of radio-loud AGNs, defined here asobjects with R>=10. This result is further strengthened by strongcorrelations found between radio power and optical continuum andemission-line luminosities, as has been established previously for morepowerful AGNs. We also present a new calibration of the relation betweenoptical continuum and Balmer emission-line luminosities valid in theregime of low-luminosity AGNs.
| The Multitude of Unresolved Continuum Sources at 1.6 Microns in Hubble Space Telescope Images of Seyfert Galaxies
We examine 112 Seyfert galaxies observed by the Hubble Space Telescopeat 1.6 μm. We find that ~50% of the Seyfert 2.0 galaxies which arepart of the Revised Shapely-Ames (RSA) Catalog or the CfA redshiftsample contain unresolved continuum sources at 1.6 μm. All but acouple of the Seyfert 1.0-1.9 galaxies display unresolved continuumsources. The unresolved sources have fluxes of order 1 mJy,near-infrared luminosities of order 1041 ergs s-1,and absolute magnitudes MH~-16. Comparison non-Seyfertgalaxies from the RSA Catalog display significantly fewer (~20%),somewhat lower luminosity nuclear sources, which could be due to compactstar clusters. We find that the luminosities of the unresolved Seyfert1.0-1.9 sources at 1.6 μm are correlated with [O III] λ5007and hard X-ray luminosities, implying that these sources are nonstellar.Assuming a spectral energy distribution similar to that of a Seyfert 2galaxy, we estimate that a few percent of local spiral galaxies containblack holes emitting as Seyferts at a moderate fraction,~10-1-10-4, of their Eddington luminosities. Wefind no strong correlation between 1.6 μm fluxes and hard X-ray or [OIII] λ5007 fluxes for the pure Seyfert 2.0 galaxies. Thesegalaxies also tend to have lower 1.6 μm luminosities compared to theSeyfert 1.0-1.9 galaxies of similar [O III] luminosity. Either largeextinctions (AV~20-40) are present toward theircontinuum-emitting regions or some fraction of the unresolved sources at1.6 μm are compact star clusters. With increasing Seyfert type thefraction of unresolved sources detected at 1.6 μm and the ratio of1.6 μm to [O III] fluxes tend to decrease. These trends areconsistent with the unification model for Seyfert 1 and 2 galaxies.
| On black hole masses, radio-loudness and bulge luminosities of Seyfert galaxies
We estimated black hole masses for 9 Seyfert 1 and 13 Seyfert 2 galaxiesin the Palomar and CfA bright Seyfert samples using the tightcorrelation between black hole mass and bulge velocity dispersion.Combining other 13 Seyfert 1s and 2 Seyfert 2s in these samples but withblack hole masses measured recently by reverberation mapping andstellar/gas dynamics, we studied the correlations of black hole masseswith radio-loudness and bulge luminosities for a sample of 37 Seyfertgalaxies. We found that if radio-loudness is measured using the opticaland radio luminosities of the nuclear components, the black hole massesof radio-loud Seyfert 1s tend to increase with the radio-loudness. Theblack hole masses of all Seyfert galaxies increase with the radio power,but Seyfert galaxies have larger radio powers than nearby galaxies withthe same black hole masses. In addition, the correlation between blackhole masses and bulge V-band luminosities for Seyfert galaxies isconsistent with that found for quasars and normal galaxies. The combinedsample of 37 Seyfert galaxies, 15 quasars and 30 normal galaxiessuggests a possible universal nonlinear relation between black hole andbulge masses, MBH ~ Mbulge{1.74 +/-0.14, which is slightly steeper than that found recently by Laor(\cite{Laor01}) for a smaller sample. This nonlinear relation issupported by a larger sample including 65 Seyfert galaxies. Thedifferent MBH/Mbulge ratio for galaxies withdifferent bulge luminosities or different black hole masses may beexplained by this relation. These results are consistent with sometheoretical implications and are important for understanding the natureof radio emissions and the formation and evolution of supermassive blackholes and galaxies.
| Soft X-ray properties of a spectroscopically selected sample of interacting and isolated Seyfert galaxies
We present a catalogue of ROSAT detected sources in the sample ofspectroscopically selected Seyfert 1 and Seyfert 2 galaxies of Rafanelliet al. (\cite{Rafanelli95}). The catalogue contains 102 Seyfert 1 and 36Seyfert 2 galaxies. The identification is based on X-ray contour mapsoverlaid on optical images taken from the Digitized Sky Survey. We havederived the basic spectral and timing properties of the X-ray detectedSeyfert galaxies. For Seyfert 1 galaxies a strong correlation betweenphoton index and X-ray luminosity is detected. We confirm the presenceof generally steeper X-ray continua in narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies(NLS1s) compared to broad-line Seyfert 1 galaxies. Seyfert 2 galaxiesshow photon indices similar to those of NLS1s. Whereas a tendency for anincreasing X-ray luminosity with increasing interaction strength isfound for Seyfert 1 galaxies, such a correlation is not found forSeyfert 2 galaxies. For Seyfert 1 galaxies we found also a strongcorrelation for increasing far-infrared luminosity with increasinginteraction strength. Both NLS1s and Seyfert 2 galaxies show the highestvalues of far-infrared luminosity compared to Seyfert 1 galaxies,suggesting that NLS1s and Seyfert 2 galaxies host strong (circumnuclear)star formation. For variable Seyfert galaxies we present the X-ray lightcurves obtained from the ROSAT All-Sky Survey and from ROSAT PSPC andHRI pointed observations. Besides the expected strong short- andlong-term X-ray variability in Seyfert 1 galaxies, we find indicationsfor X-ray flux variations in Seyfert 2 galaxies. All overlays can beretrieved via CDS anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5)}or via http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/368/797
| Stellar indices and kinematics in Seyfert 1 nuclei
We present spectra of six type 1 and two type 2 Seyfert galaxies, astarburst galaxy and a compact narrow-line radio galaxy, taken in twospectral ranges centred around the near-infrared Caii triplet(~8600Å), and the Mgb stellar feature at 5180Å. We measuredthe equivalent widths (EWs) of these features and the Fe52and Fe53 spectral indices. We found that the strength of theinfrared Caii triplet (CaT) in type 1 Seyfert galaxies with prominentcentral point sources is larger than what would be expected from theobserved strength of the blue indices. This could be explained by thepresence of red supergiants in the nuclei of Seyfert 1 galaxies. On theother hand, the blue indices of these galaxies could also be diluted bythe strong Feii multiplets that can be seen in their spectra. We havealso measured the stellar- and gas-velocity dispersions of the galaxiesin the sample. The stellar velocity dispersions were measured using boththe Mgb and CaT stellar features. The velocity dispersion of the gas inthe narrow-line region (NLR) was measured using the strong emissionlines [Oiii] λλ5007, 4959 and [Siii] λ9069. Wecompare the gas- and star-velocity dispersions and find that themagnitudes of both are correlated in Seyfert galaxies. Most of theSeyfert 1 galaxies that we observe have stellar-velocity dispersionssomewhat greater than that of the gas in the NLR.
| Testing the AGN-Starburst Connection in Seyfert Galaxies
We use the CO band at 2.3 μm to constrain the populations of youngstars in the central regions of Seyfert galaxies. We report new CO bandspectroscopy of 46 Seyfert galaxies. In most cases, the observed COindices appear diluted by the presence of a nonstellar component (mostlikely, warm dust surrounding the active nucleus). We used JHKL aperturephotometry to estimate the nonstellar contribution at 2.3 μm. Wesuccessfully corrected the CO band for the dilution for 16 galaxieswhich were not dominated by the nonstellar component. Comparing with COindices measured in elliptical and purely starbursting galaxies, we findno evidence for strong starbursts in the majority of these galaxies.
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