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A Green Bank Telescope Search for Water Masers in Nearby Active Galactic Nuclei
Using the Green Bank Telescope, we have conducted a survey for 1.3 cmwater maser emission toward the nuclei of nearby active galaxies, themost sensitive large survey for H2O masers to date. Among 145galaxies observed, maser emission was newly detected in 11 sources andconfirmed in one other. Our survey targeted nearby (v<12,000 kms-1), mainly type 2 active galactic nuclei (AGNs) north ofδ=-20deg and includes a few additional sources as well.We find that more than one-third of Seyfert 2 galaxies have strong maseremission, although the detection rate declines beyond v~5000 kms-1 because of sensitivity limits. Two of the masersdiscovered during this survey are found in unexpected hosts: NGC 4151(Seyfert 1.5) and NGC 2782 (starburst). We discuss the possiblerelations between the large X-ray column to NGC 4151 and a possiblehidden AGN in NGC 2782 to the detected masers. Four of the masersdiscovered here, NGC 591, NGC 4388, NGC 5728, and NGC 6323, havehigh-velocity lines symmetrically spaced about the systemic velocity, alikely signature of molecular gas in a nuclear accretion disk. The masersource in NGC 6323, in particular, reveals the classic spectrum of a``disk maser'' represented by three distinct groups of Dopplercomponents. Future single-dish and VLBI observations of these fourgalaxies could provide a measurement of the distance to each galaxy andof the Hubble constant, independent of standard candle calibrations.
| Seyfert galaxies in UZC-Compact Groups
We present results concerning the occurrence of Seyfert galaxies in anew automatically selected sample of nearby Compact Groups of galaxies(UZC-CGs). Seventeen Seyferts are found, constituting 3% of theUZC-CG galaxy population. CGs hosting and non-hosting a Seyfert memberexhibit no significant differences, except that a relevant number of Sy2is found in unusual CGs, all presenting large velocity dispersion(σ>400 km s-1), many neighbours and a high number ofellipticals. We also find that the fraction of Seyferts in CGs is 3times as large as that among UZC-single-galaxies, and results from anexcess of Sy2s. CG-Seyferts are not more likely than other CG galaxiesto present major interaction patterns, nor to display a bar. Our resultsindirectly support the minor-merging fueling mechanism.
| 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
| 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.
| Iron Is Not Depleted in High-Ionization Nuclear Emission-Line Regions of Active Galactic Nuclei
To examine whether or not high-ionization nuclear emission-line regions(HINERs) in narrow-line regions of active galactic nuclei are dusty, wefocus on two high-ionization forbidden emission lines, [Fe VII]λ6087 and [Ne V] λ3426. We perform photoionization modelcalculations to investigate possible dependences of the flux ratio of[Fe VII] λ6087/[Ne V] λ3426 on various gas properties, inorder to investigate how useful this flux ratio is to explore the dustabundances in HINERs. Based on our photoionization model calculations,we show that the observed range of the flux ratio of [Fe VII]λ6087/[Ne V] λ3426 is consistent with the dust-freemodels, while it cannot easily be explained by the dusty models. Thissuggests that iron is not depleted in HINERs, which implies that theHINERs are not dusty. This result is consistent with the idea that theHINERs are located closer than the dust-sublimation radius (i.e., theinner radius of dusty tori) and thus can be hidden by dusty tori whenseen from a edge-on view toward the tori, which is also suggested by theAGN-type dependence of the visibility of high-ionization emission lines.
| 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 UZC-SSRS2 Group Catalog
We apply a friends-of-friends algorithm to the combined Updated ZwickyCatalog and Southern Sky Redshift Survey to construct a catalog of 1168groups of galaxies; 411 of these groups have five or more members withinthe redshift survey. The group catalog covers 4.69 sr, and all groupsexceed the number density contrast threshold, δρ/ρ=80. Wedemonstrate that the groups catalog is homogeneous across the twounderlying redshift surveys; the catalog of groups and their membersthus provides a basis for other statistical studies of the large-scaledistribution of groups and their physical properties. The medianphysical properties of the groups are similar to those for groupsderived from independent surveys, including the ESO Key Programme andthe Las Campanas Redshift Survey. We include tables of groups and theirmembers.
| Compact groups in the UZC galaxy sample
Applying an automatic neighbour search algorithm to the 3D UZC galaxycatalogue (Falco et al. \cite{Falco}) we have identified 291 compactgroups (CGs) with radial velocity between 1000 and 10 000 kms-1. The sample is analysed to investigate whether Tripletsdisplay kinematical and morphological characteristics similar to higherorder CGs (Multiplets). It is found that Triplets constitute lowvelocity dispersion structures, have a gas-rich galaxy population andare typically retrieved in sparse environments. Conversely Multipletsshow higher velocity dispersion, include few gas-rich members and aregenerally embedded structures. Evidence hence emerges indicating thatTriplets and Multiplets, though sharing a common scale, correspond todifferent galaxy systems. Triplets are typically field structures whilstMultiplets are mainly subclumps (either temporarily projected orcollapsing) within larger structures. Simulations show that selectioneffects can only partially account for differences, but significantcontamination of Triplets by field galaxy interlopers could eventuallyinduce the observed dependences on multiplicity. Tables 1 and 2 are onlyavailable in electronic at the CDS via anonymous ftp tocdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.125.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/391/35
| X-ray luminosities of galaxies in groups
We have derived the X-ray luminosities of a sample of galaxies ingroups, making careful allowance for contaminating intragroup emission.The LX:LB and LX:LFIRrelations of spiral galaxies in groups appear to be indistinguishablefrom those in other environments, however the elliptical galaxies fallinto two distinct classes. The first class is central-dominant groupgalaxies, which are very X-ray luminous and may be the focus of groupcooling flows. All other early-type galaxies in groups belong to thesecond class, which populates an almost constant band ofLX/LB over the range9.8
| Jet Directions in Seyfert Galaxies: B and I Imaging Data
We present the results of broadband B and I imaging observations for asample of 88 Seyfert galaxies (29 Seyfert 1s and 59 Seyfert 2s),selected from a mostly isotropic property, the flux at 60 μm. We alsopresent the B and I imaging results for an additional sample of 20Seyfert galaxies (7 Seyfert 1s and 13 Seyfert 2s), selected from theliterature and known to have extended radio emission. The I-band imagesare fitted with ellipses to determine the position angle and ellipticityof the host galaxy major axis. This information will be used in a futurepaper, combined with information from radio observations, to study theorientation of radio jets relative to the planes of their host galaxies.Here we present surface brightness profiles and magnitudes in the B andI bands, as well as mean ellipticities and major axis position angles.
| 1.65 μm (H-band) surface photometry of galaxies. III. observations of 558 galaxies with the TIRGO 1.5 m telescope
We present near-infrared H-band (1.65 μm ) surface photometry of 558galaxies in the Coma Supercluster and in the Virgo cluster. This dataset, obtained with the Arcetri NICMOS3 camera ARNICA mounted on theGornergrat Infrared Telescope, is aimed at complementing, withobservations of mostly early-type objects, our NIR survey of spiralgalaxies in these regions, presented in previous papers of this series.Magnitudes at the optical radius, total magnitudes, isophotal radii andlight concentration indices are derived. We confirm the existence of apositive correlation between the near-infrared concentration index andthe galaxy H-band luminosity Based on observations taken at TIRGO(Gornergrat, Switzerland). TIRGO is operated by CAISMI-CNR, Arcetri,Firenze, Italy. Tables 1 and 2 are only available in electronic form atthe CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/Abstract.html
| 1.65 μm (H-band) surface photometry of galaxies. V. Profile decomposition of 1157 galaxies
We present near-infrared H-band (1.65 μm) surface brightness profiledecomposition for 1157 galaxies in five nearby clusters of galaxies:Coma, A1367, Virgo, A262 and Cancer, and in the bridge between Coma andA1367 in the ``Great Wall". The optically selected (mpg≤16.0) sample is representative of all Hubble types, from E to Irr+BCD,except dE and of significantly different environments, spanning fromisolated regions to rich clusters of galaxies. We model the surfacebrightness profiles with a de Vaucouleurs r1/4 law (dV), withan exponential disk law (E), or with a combination of the two (B+D).From the fitted quantities we derive the H band effective surfacebrightness (μe) and radius (re) of each component, theasymptotic magnitude HT and the light concentration indexC31. We find that: i) Less than 50% of the Ellipticalgalaxies have pure dV profiles. The majority of E to Sb galaxies is bestrepresented by a B+D profile. All Scd to BCD galaxies have pureexponential profiles. ii) The type of decomposition is a strong functionof the total H band luminosity (mass), independent of the Hubbleclassification: the fraction of pure exponential decompositionsdecreases with increasing luminosity, that of B+D increases withluminosity. Pure dV profiles are absent in the low luminosity rangeLH<1010 L\odot and become dominantabove 1011 L\odot . Based on observations taken atTIRGO, Gornergrat, Switzerland (operated by CAISMI-CNR, Arcetri,Firenze, Italy) and at the Calar Alto Observatory (operated by theMax-Planck-Institut für Astronomie (Heidelberg) jointly with theSpanish National Commission for Astronomy). Table 2 and Figs. 2, 3, 4are available in their entirety only in electronic form at the CDS viaanonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/Abstract.html
| Radio Structures of Seyfert Galaxies. VIII. A Distance- and Magnitude-Limited Sample of Early-Type Galaxies
The VLA has been used at 3.6 and 20 cm to image a sample of about 50early-type Seyfert galaxies with recessional velocities less than 7000km s^-1 and total visual magnitude less than 14.5. Emission-line ([OIII] and Hα+[N II]) and continuum (green and red) imaging of thissample has been presented in a previous paper. In this paper, we presentthe radio results, discuss statistical relationships between the radioand other properties, and investigate these relationships within thecontext of unified models of Seyferts. The mean radio luminosities ofearly-type Seyfert 1's (i.e., Seyfert 1.0's, 1.2's, and 1.5's) and 2.0'sare found to be similar (consistent with the unified scheme), and theradio luminosity is independent of morphological type within thissample. The fraction of resolved radio sources is larger in the Seyfert2.0's (93%) than in the Seyfert 1's (64%). However, the mean radioextents of Seyfert 2.0's and 1's are not significantly different,although this result is limited by the small number of resolved Seyfert1's. The nuclear radio structures of Seyfert 2.0's in the early-typesample tend to be aligned with the [O III] and Hα+[N II]structures, even though the radio extents are smaller than the [O III]and Hα+[N II] extents by a factor of ~2 to more than 5. Thisalignment, previously known for individual Seyferts with ``linear''radio sources, is here shown to be characteristic of early-type Seyfertgalaxies as a class. Seyfert 2.0's in the early-type sample also show asignificant alignment between the emission-line ([O III] and Hα+[NII]) axes and the major axis of the host galaxy. These alignments areconsistent with a picture in which the ionized gas represents ambientgas predominantly coplanar with the galaxy stellar disk. This ambientgas is ionized by nuclear radiation that may escape preferentially alongand around the radio axis, and is compressed in shocks driven by theradio ejecta. We use this alignment to constrain the product of thevelocity of the radio ejecta and the period of any large-angleprecession of the inner accretion disk and jet: V_ejectaxP>=2 kpc. Aninvestigation of a larger sample of Seyferts reveals the unexpectedresult that the Seyfert 1's with the largest radio extent (>=1.5 kpc)are all of type Seyfert 1.2. It appears that classification as this typeof intermediate Seyfert depends on some factor other than the relativeorientation of the nuclear-obscuring torus to the line of sight. Amongall the other Seyferts, the distribution of radio extent with Seyfertintermediate type is consistent with the expectations of the unifiedscheme.
| The Relative Orientation of Nuclear Accretion and Galaxy Stellar Disks in Seyfert Galaxies
We use the difference (delta) between the position angles of the nuclearradio emission and the host galaxy major axis to investigate thedistribution of the angle (beta) between the axes of the nuclearaccretion disk and the host galaxy disk in Seyfert galaxies. We providea critical appraisal of the quality of all measurements, and find thatthe data are limited by observational uncertainties and biases, such asthe well known deficiency of Seyfert galaxies of high inclination. Thereis weak evidence that the distribution of delta for Seyfert 2 galaxiesmay be different (at the 90% confidence level) from a uniformdistribution, while the Seyfert 1 delta distribution is notsignificantly different from a uniform distribution or from the Seyfert2 delta distribution. The cause of the possible nonuniformity in thedistribution of delta for Seyfert 2 galaxies is discussed. Seyfertnuclei in late-type spiral galaxies may favor large values of delta (atthe ~96% confidence level), while those in early-type galaxies show amore or less random distribution of delta. This may imply that thenuclear accretion disk in noninteracting late-type spirals tends toalign with the stellar disk, while that in early-type galaxies is morerandomly oriented, perhaps as a result of accretion following a galaxymerger. We point out that biases in the distribution of inclinationtranslate to biased estimates of beta in the context of the unifiedscheme. When this effect is taken into account, the distributions ofbeta for all Seyferts together, and of Seyfert 1s and 2s separately,agree with the hypothesis that the radio jets are randomly oriented withrespect to the galaxy disk. The data are consistent with theexpectations of the unified scheme, but do not demand it.
| On the local radio luminosity function of galaxies. II. Environmental dependences among late-type galaxies
Using new extensive radio continuum surveys at 1.4 GHz (FIRST and NVSS),we derive the distribution of the radio/optical and radio/NIR luminosity(RLF) of late-type (Sa-Irr) galaxies (m_p<15.7) in 5 nearby clustersof galaxies: A262, Cancer, A1367, Coma and Virgo. With the aim ofdiscussing possible environmental dependences of the radio properties,we compare these results with those obtained for relatively isolatedobjects in the Coma supercluster. We find that the RLF of Cancer, A262and Virgo are consistent with that of isolated galaxies. Conversely weconfirm earlier claims that galaxies in A1367 and Coma have their radioemissivity enhanced by a factor ~ 5 with respect to isolated objects. Wediscuss this result in the framework of the dynamical pressure sufferedby galaxies in motion through the intra-cluster gas (ram-pressure). Wefind that the radio excess is statistically larger for galaxies in fasttransit motion. This is coherent with the idea that enhanced radiocontinuum activity is associated with magnetic field compression. TheX-ray luminosities and temperatures of Coma and A1367 imply that thesetwo clusters have significantly larger intracluster gas density than theremaining three studied ones, providing a clue for explaining the higherradio continuum luminosities of their galaxies. Multiple systems in theComa supercluster bridge (with projected separations smaller than 300kpc) have radio luminosities significantly larger than isolatedgalaxies. Table~1 is 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/Abstract.html}
| The Difference between the Narrow-Line Regions of Seyfert 1 and Seyfert 2 Galaxies
This paper presents a comparative study of emission-line ratios of thenarrow-line regions (NLRs) of Seyfert 1 and Seyfert 2 galaxies. Itincludes a literature compilation of the emission-line fluxes [O II]lambda3727, [Ne III] lambda3869, [O III] lambda5007, and [Ne V]lambda3426 as well as 60 μm continuum flux, for a sample of 52Seyfert 1 and 68 Seyfert 2 galaxies. The distribution of theemission-line ratios [O II]/[Ne III] and [O II]/[Ne V] shows thatSeyfert 1 and Seyfert 2 galaxies are statistically different: Seyfert 1galaxies have smaller values than Seyfert 2 galaxies, indicating ahigher excitation spectrum. These and other emission-line ratios arecompared with sequences of models that combine different proportions ofmatter and ionization-bounded clouds and also with sequences of modelsthat vary only the ionization parameter. This comparison shows that theformer models better reproduce the overall distribution of emission-lineratios, indicating that Seyfert 1 galaxies have a smaller number ofionization-bounded clouds than Seyfert 2 galaxies. This difference,together with other results available in the literature, are interpretedfrom the point of view of four different scenarios. The most likelyscenario assumes that Seyfert 1 galaxies have smaller NLRs than Seyfert2 galaxies, possibly due to a preferential alignment of the torus axisclose to the host galaxy plane axis in Seyfert 1 galaxies.
| Total magnitude, radius, colour indices, colour gradients and photometric type of galaxies
We present a catalogue of aperture photometry of galaxies, in UBVRI,assembled from three different origins: (i) an update of the catalogueof Buta et al. (1995) (ii) published photometric profiles and (iii)aperture photometry performed on CCD images. We explored different setsof growth curves to fit these data: (i) The Sersic law, (ii) The net ofgrowth curves used for the preparation of the RC3 and (iii) A linearinterpolation between the de Vaucouleurs (r(1/4) ) and exponential laws.Finally we adopted the latter solution. Fitting these growth curves, wederive (1) the total magnitude, (2) the effective radius, (3) the colourindices and (4) gradients and (5) the photometric type of 5169 galaxies.The photometric type is defined to statistically match the revisedmorphologic type and parametrizes the shape of the growth curve. It iscoded from -9, for very concentrated galaxies, to +10, for diffusegalaxies. Based in part on observations collected at the Haute-ProvenceObservatory.
| A Survey for H 2O Megamasers in Active Galactic Nuclei. II. A Comparison of Detected and Undetected Galaxies
A survey for H2O megamaser emission from 354 active galaxies hasresulted in the detection of 10 new sources, making 16 known altogether.The galaxies surveyed include a distance-limited sample (coveringSeyferts and LINERs with recession velocities less than 7000 km s-1) anda magnitude-limited sample (covering Seyferts and LINERs with mB <=14.5). In order to determine whether the H2O-detected galaxies are"typical" active galactic nuclei (AGNs) or have special properties thatfacilitate the production of powerful masers, we have accumulated adatabase of physical, morphological, and spectroscopic properties of theobserved galaxies. The most significant finding is that H2O megamasersare detected only in Seyfert 2 and LINER galaxies, not Seyfert 1's. Thislack of detection in Seyfert 1's indicates either that they do not havemolecular gas in their nuclei with physical conditions appropriate toproduce 1.3 cm H2O masers or that the masers are beamed away from Earth,presumably in the plane of the putative molecular torus that hides theSeyfert 1 nucleus in Seyfert 2's. LINERs are detected at a similar rateto Seyfert 2's, which constitutes a strong argument that at least somenuclear LINERs are AGNs rather than starbursts, since starbursts havenot been detected as H2O megamasers. We preferentially detect H2Oemission from the nearer galaxies and from those that are apparentlybrighter at mid- and far-infrared and centimeter radio wavelengths.There is also a possible trend for the H2O-detected galaxies to be moreintrinsically luminous in nuclear 6 cm radio emission than theundetected ones, though these data are incomplete. We find evidence thatSeyfert 2's with very high (NH > 1024 cm-2) X-ray--absorbing columnsof gas are more often detected as H2O maser emitters than Seyfert 2'swith lower columns. It may be that the probability of detecting H2Omaser emission in Seyfert galaxies increases with increasing column ofcool gas to the nucleus, from Seyfert 1's through narrow-line X-raygalaxies to Seyfert 2's.
| A Multiwavelength Catalog of Seyfert 2 Galaxies Observed in the 2--10 keV Energy Band
This paper is a catalog of Seyfert 2 galaxies observed in the 2-10 keVband (339 flux entries). In total, it contains data on 150 objects; for76 objects, a positive detection is reported, while for the remainingsources, 2 σ upper limits to the X-ray emission are given. Most ofthe data have been collected from the literature over a period startingfrom 1974 up to the middle of 1995. Accurate searches of literature anddatabases were performed for all objects, and frequently spectral fitswere reevaluated in order to make the data in the catalog uniform andcomplete. Some unpublished data are also included. For six objects,EXOSAT/ME date have been extracted from the satellite database andanalyzed; the 13 fluxes obtained have been added to the present catalog.The compilation of hard X-ray data has been complemented with data inthe soft (0.1-3 keV) X-ray band, as well as in ultraviolet (1450 A),optical (5500 A), infrared (3.5, 12, 25, 60, 100 micron), and radio (6cm) bands. Fluxes of the [O II] λ5007 and Hβ emission linesas well as the Balmer decrement Hα/Hβ, and axial ratio a/bare also given. The present database is meant to be a useful tool forthe study of the Seyfert 2 phenomenon in its various aspects.
| A Survey for H 2O Megamasers in Active Galactic Nuclei. I. Observations
We report an extensive search for 22 GHz H_2_O maser emission fromnearby active galaxies. Our sample includes all Seyfert and LINERgalaxies listed in the Huchra catalog or the Veron-Cetty & Veroncatalog with recessional velocities less than 7000 km s^-1^, and allSeyfert galaxies and LINERs in Huchra's catalog with m_b_ <= 14. Inaddition to these distance- and magnitude-limited samples, we have alsoobserved a number of active galaxies, including radio galaxies, athigher redshift; In all, some 354 galaxies have been surveyed. Ten newH_2_O megamaser sources have been detected, resulting in 16 galaxiesthat are currently known to contain H_2_O masers with isotropicluminosities greater than 20 L_sun_. Of the observed active galaxieswith cz < 7000 km s^-1^, 5.4% have detectable H_2_O megamaseremission. This fraction increases to 11% for those sources with cz <2000 km s^-1^. The newly discovered megamaser sources were monitored onsubsequent observing runs. The strength of the maser features varies forthese sources, as they do for Galactic masers. Three of the galaxieshave sufficient data to test for velocity changes of narrow masercomponents comparable in magnitude to those of the well-studied systemicfeatures in NGC 4258. The maser line in one of these galaxies-NGC2639-is found to have a systematic redward velocity drift of 6.6 +/- 0.4km s^-1^ yr^-1^. No systematic velocity drifts are found for the othertwo sources. We also report large apparent velocity changes in theunusual broad H_2_O emission feature in NGC 1052.
| An Emission-Line Imaging Survey of Early-Type Seyfert Galaxies. I. The Observations
Flux-calibrated images in the lines of [O III] λ5007 and Hα+ [N II] λλ6548, 6583 and the nearby continuum arepresented for 57 Seyfert galaxies of early morphological type. Thissample includes all known Seyfert galaxies with apparent magnitude m_v_<= 14.5 and recessional velocity cz < 7000 km s^-1^ in Hubbletypes E, S0, and S0/a. Images are also presented for an additional 26galaxies with m_v_ > 14.5, cz > 7000 km s^-1^, and/or an uncertainclassification as a Seyfert galaxy. The ratio of the [O III]λ5007 to the Hα + [N II] image has been obtained for eachgalaxy with extended emission to study the spatial variation of thegaseous excitation. Maps of the V - R color distributions over thegalaxies are also presented.
| Seyfert Galaxies. IV. Nuclear Profiles of Markarian Seyfert Galaxies from Hubble Space Telescope Images
We have examined the nuclear profiles of the Seyfert and non-SeyfertMarkarian galaxies in our near-infrared Hubble Space Telescope WF/PC-1snapshot survey. We find that nuclei of types 1-1.5 Seyfert galaxies aredominated by strong point sources, while those of Seyfert 2 and non-Seyfert Markarian galaxies tend to be resolved, less distinguished, andsimilar in shape to normal galaxy luminosity profiles. Two possibleinterpretations of this result for type 2 Seyfert galaxies are thattheir nuclear continuum sources are undetected in our bandpass,contributing less than 10% of the nuclear light (within 0.5 radius) inall cases or that their nuclear components are resolved and blend insmoothly with the brightness profile of the host galaxy's bulge. Sincespectroscopic studies support typical nuclear continuum fractionsdistinctly greater than 10%, the latter conclusion is clearlypreferable. If the continua observed in Seyfert 2 galaxies originate asnuclear light that is redirected into the line of sight by scattering,as predicted by unified models of active galactic nuclei, then thescattering regions must be extended. Simple simulations suggest thatthese regions must cover several tens of parsecs or more, in agreementwith estimates of the sizes of the scattering "mirrors" in other Seyfert2 galaxies. However, the similarity of the profiles of non-SeyfertMarkarian and type 2 Seyfert nuclei suggests that circumnuclear starformation may also be an important component in the nuclear profiles ofthe latter.
| Stellar and Gaseous Kinematics of Seyfert Galaxies. I. Spectroscopic Data
In order to study the relationship between the gravitational potentialand the properties of active galaxies, we have measured nuclear stellarand gaseous kinematics for a large sample of Seyfert galaxies. In thispaper we present moderate-resolution data (80-230 km s^-1^ FWHM) fromtwo spectral regions, one in the near-infrared containing the Ca IItriplet absorption features at ~8550 A and the [S III] 9069 A emissionline, and the other in the visual including the Mg b absorption lines at~5175 A and the [O III] 5007 A emission line. Nuclear stellarvelocities, V_*_,and velocity dispersions, σ_*_, were measuredusing the cross- correlation method. Complications for the kinematicanalysis associated with the featureless continua and strong emissionlines in Seyfert galaxies are briefly discussed. Emission-linevelocities and widths were also measured from our spectra. The finalsample contains 85 objects (22 type 1 Seyfert galaxies, 51 type 2Seyferts, nine LINERs, and three normal galaxies). We provide asupplement to the database of narrow-line region and host galaxyproperties compiled by Whittle (1992a) for 20 Seyfert galaxies notoriginally included. We plan to use our measurements in conjunction withthis database to investigate the relationship between the nucleargravitational potential and other properties of Seyfert galaxies.
| ROSAT Observations of Five Poor Galaxy Clusters with Extended Radio Sources
We present the results of deep ROSAT PSPC observations of the poorclusters MKW2, N79-299A, S49-128, S49-132, and S49-140. These poorclusters all contain extended radio sources, generally with a bent,head- tail (HT) morphology. It had been previously thought that HTsshould only be found in rich clusters, which have sufficiently highintracluster medium (ICM) densities and velocity dispersions foreffective ram pressure bending of the radio jets. We have found that theX-ray emission associated with these poor clusters is generally quiteclumpy and asymmetrical. Often, the clumps are associated with subgroupsor individual galaxies, as well as with extended regions around theradio sources. Our results also indicate that there is a continuum ofX-ray properties from poor to rich clusters. In many respects, poorclusters seem to be a low-mass extension of rich clusters. We find thatthese poor clusters have baryon fractions ranging from 1% to 25%. Also,the radio sources within these clusters are probably thermally confinedby the ICM. Although four of our clusters have central X-ray luminosityexcesses, the implied cooling times are longer than a Hubble time. Weinterpret the central X-ray luminosity excesses as unresolved galaxyemission. We hypothesize that these poor clusters have recentlycollapsed out of large, loose clouds of galaxies. We believe that manyof the poor cluster properties are understandable in light of thishypothesis. First, four of these five clusters are embedded withinlarger Zwicky clusters. This may indicate that these large Zwickyclusters act as "incubators" of poor clusters. Second, the observedflat, broad velocity distributions may reflect the velocities associatedwith the larger-scale systems from which we believe that these poorclusters have collapsed. Third, some of these galaxies (such as NGC4061, within N79-299A) show signs of interactions with neighboringgalaxies with large relative velocities (~850 km/s). Fourth, theobserved ICM densities, coupled with velocity distributions which aresuggestive of unrelaxed systems, and the peculiar velocities of theradio galaxies may explain the ram pressure bending of the radio jets inthe HTs.
| Environments of Seyfert galaxies. I. Construction of the sample and selection effects.
In order to build a satisfactory picture of Seyferts in relation tonormal galaxies we have started a series of papers first establishingsome of their basic environmental properties, especially the differencein the number of close companions between Seyfert 1 and Seyfert 2galaxies. Here we report sample selections and discuss selection effectsinvolved for the samples of 104 Seyferts and 138 control galaxies. Theresults of the statistical analyses are presented by Laurikainen &Salo (1994, Paper II). The neighbouring galaxies are counted on thePalomar Sky Survey Plates to the limiting magnitude =~19m_pg_ within thecircles of 1.5Mpc in diameter (H_0_=100km/s/Mpc), large measuringcircles enabling good elimination of the background galaxies. Subsamplesare selected in order to test the methods by Dahari (1984) and byFuentes-Williams & Stocke (1988). Elimination of background galaxiesand problems related to comparison galaxy sample selection arediscussed. The most important problem in our control galaxy sampleselection is that the redshifts for most of the control galaxies areunknown. The size of this uncertainty is estimated by determining theredshifts by two ways: (1) by assuming that the selected comparisongalaxy has the same redshift as the nearby Seyfert and (2) byMonte-Carlo simulations for Holmberg (1975) galaxy size distribution inspace, taking into account the Malmquist bias. The mean redshifts of thecomparison sample are estimated with these methods to be 0.028 and0.029, respectively, compared with 0.026 for the Seyfert sample.Distribution of Seyferts in Zwicky's clusters is also addressed, andcompared with previous studies. Taking into account optical projections,about 3/4 of the Seyferts are found to be field galaxies. Galaxies inclusters lie preferentially at the cluster borders.
| Virial and jet-induced velocities in Seyfert galaxies. I - A compilation of narrow line region and host galaxy properties
Data for a sample of 140 Seyfert galaxies have been compiled with theaim of studying the dependence of nuclear gas velocities on propertiesof the host galaxy and properties of the nuclear activity. Parameterswhich characterize these three basic qualities include (1) forbidden OIII 5007 emission line widths measured at various levels in the profile,(2) galaxy luminosity, morphology, inclination, disturbance, androtation amplitude, and (3) H-beta luminosity, forbidden III 5007luminosity, radio luminosity, radio morphology, and Seyfert type.Because compilations of this type draw on a wide range of data quality,each value has been assigned a simple yet well-defined quality rating(a, b, c, r = reject). These indicate the relative data reliability andmake it possible to monitor the influence of poor data on correlationanalyses. Simple descriptions of the parameter distributions are given.
| An optical catalog of extragalactic emission-line objects similar to quasi-stellar objects
A catalog of 935 galaxies which have optical properties similar to thoseof QSOs is given. A subsidiary table of cross-identifications enablesthe reader to relate the name of a given object to its coordinate name.Most of the objects appear to be nonstellar. The majority, more than700, have redshifts z = 0.2 or less, and have mostly been classified asSeyfert galaxies, N systems, or radio galaxies. The Hubble diagram forall of the objects with z = 0.2 or less is shown. The redshiftdistribution peaks at z = 0.025, but there are about 200 powerful radiogalaxies in the extended tail of the distribution which have z greaterthan 0.2. There is a separate and distinct peak in the redshiftdistribution at z = 0.06.
| Objective prism survey of emission-line galaxies. IV
The results of an objective prism survey of emission-line galaxies usingthe Beijing Observatory 60-cm Schmidt are given. The survey includes 100emission-line objects, of which 96 are emission-line galaxies, 3 areplanetary nebulae and 1 is an emission-line star. Of the emission-linegalaxies, 69-72 percent are of types s or sd; 27-28 percent are of typesd and ds. In addition to 4 known Seyfert galaxies, there are at least 5probable Seyferts. Twenty-three of the objects are IRAS sourcescharacterized by strong emission phenomena.
| Seyfert galaxies. I - Morphologies, magnitudes, and disks
CCD images of a volume- and luminosity-limited sample of 51 Markarianand NGC Seyfert galaxies show that Seyfert galaxies nearly alwayspossess mechanisms for transporting material into their nuclei. A subsetof Seyfert galaxies with amorphous morphologies, some of which may beremnants of past interactions, constitutes approximately one-fifth ofthe sample. The colors and exponential disk parameters of Seyfertgalaxies are generally similar to those of spiral galaxies withoutactive nuclei. Images of the galaxies are presented along with aperturemagnitudes.
| Bowen fluorescence in a sample of Seyfert nuclei
New observations of the O III and N III Bowen fluorescence lines in asample of two Seyfert 2 nuclei and six Seyfert 1 nuclei with relativelynarrow permitted lines are discussed. Included are new measurements of OIII 3133, 3444 A, which are the two strongest cascades produced in theBowen process, and possible detections of O III 3341A, a secondarycascade expected to be produced following emission of a 3133 A photon.Measurements of the forbidden S II and forbidden O III lines are used toestimate densities for the program objects. The flux-calibrated spectraand the Bowen yields, together with the derived electron densities, areused to construct a model spherical Bowen-emitting region.
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