Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
M. Giustini, P. Rodriguez Hidalgo, J. N. Reeves, G. Matzeu, V. Braito, M. Eracleous, G. Chartas, N. Schartel, C. Vignali, P. B. Hall, T. Waters, G. Ponti, D. Proga, M. Dadina, M. Cappi, G. Miniutti, L. de Vries
Summary: This study aims to characterize the X-ray properties of the inner accretion disk wind of the nearby active galactic nucleus PG 1126-041 and study its connection with the UV-absorbing wind. The X-ray spectra of PG 1126-041 are complex and absorbed by ionized material, with highly variable absorption from partially covering gas and blueshifted C IV troughs. The line of sight toward PG 1126-041 offers a privileged view through a highly dynamic nuclear wind, making it a promising candidate for future detailed studies of the physics of accretion disk winds around SMBHs.
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Raj Prince, Michal Zajacek, Bozena Czerny, Piotr Trzcionkowski, Mateusz Bronikowski, Catalina Sobrino Figaredo, Swayamtrupta Panda, Mary Loli Martinez-Aldama, Krzysztof Hryniewicz, Vikram Kumar Jaiswal, Marzena Sniegowska, Mohammad-Hassan Naddaf, Maciej Bilicki, Martin Haas, Marek Jacek Sarna, Vladimir Karas, Aleksandra Olejak, Robert Przyluski, Mateusz Ralowski, Andrzej Udalski, Ramotholo R. Sefako, Anja Genade, Hannah L. Worters
Summary: In this study, the reverberation monitoring of the Mg II broad line and Fe II pseudocontinuum for the luminous quasar CTS C30.10 was conducted. The measurements of UV Fe II time delay for a distant quasar were obtained for the first time. The results suggest a possible radius-luminosity relation for UV Fe II, with a slope consistent with 0.5 within the uncertainties. The study also found that the line-delay measurement is biased toward the part of the broad line region (BLR) facing the observer.
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
E. Quintin, N. A. Webb, S. Guillot, G. Miniutti, E. S. Kammoun, M. Giustini, R. Arcodia, G. Soucail, N. Clerc, R. Amato, C. B. Markwardt
Summary: Researchers have discovered a new candidate quasi-periodic eruption (QPE) source, AT 2019vcb, with X-ray properties indicative of QPE. Observations showed significant changes in temperature and luminosity, strengthening the observational link between transient events and QPEs.
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Raj Prince, Michal Zajacek, Swayamtrupta Panda, Krzysztof Hryniewicz, Vikram Kumar Jaiswal, Bozena Czerny, Piotr Trzcionkowski, Mateusz Bronikowski, Mateusz Ralowski, Catalina Sobrino Figaredo, Mary Loli Martinez-Aldama, Marzena Sniegowska, Justyna Sredzinska, Maciej Bilicki, Mohammad-Hassan Naddaf, Ashwani Pandey, Martin Haas, Marek Jacek Sarna, Grzegorz Pietrzynski, Vladimir Karas, Aleksandra Olejak, Robert Przyluski, Ramotholo R. Sefako, Anja Genade, Hannah L. Worters, Szymon Kozlowski, Andrzej Udalski
Summary: In this study, the combined Mg II and UV Fe II broad-line emissions of two luminous quasars at intermediate redshifts were investigated using wavelength-resolved reverberation mapping. The aim was to understand the emission regions and establish a radius-luminosity relation for UV Fe II emission. The results showed that the emission regions of Mg II and Fe II are co-spatial in one quasar, while in the other quasar, Fe II emission originates from greater distances. The comparison with optical Fe II emission suggested that the UV Fe II region is located further. This study has important implications for understanding the structure and characteristics of quasars.
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Vikram Kumar Jaiswal, Raj Prince, Swayamtrupta Panda, Bozena Czerny
Summary: In this paper, the authors modeled the time delays caused by the reprocessing of incident X-ray flux by the accretion disk and further reprocessing by the broad line region (BLR) in active galactic nuclei (AGNs). They found that the effect of BLR scattering on the predicted time delay is similar to the effect of the height of the X-ray source, which poses a challenge for separating the two effects. However, both effects modify the slope of the delay-versus-wavelength curve, which provides a way to obtain the bare disk time delay needed for cosmology.
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
I. E. Papadakis, M. Dovciak, E. S. Kammoun
Summary: This study explores the relationships between the half-light radius and black hole mass, as well as the luminosity and black hole mass in AGN when the disc is illuminated by the X-ray corona. The results show that the half-light radius of X-ray illuminated discs can be significantly larger than that of standard discs, and non-illuminated discs are only consistent with observations at a certain level. Furthermore, X-ray illuminated discs can explain the observed relations between the half-light radius and black hole mass, as well as the luminosity and black hole mass in AGN, especially for gravitationally lensed quasars observed face-on.
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
C. Fian, D. Chelouche, S. Kaspi, C. Sobrino Figaredo, S. Catalan, T. Lewis
Summary: In this study, we conducted an intensive optical continuum reverberation mapping campaign to measure the time lags and size-wavelength relation of the Seyfert 1 galaxy PG 2130+099 at redshift z = 0.063. The results show correlated variability across the optical range and indicate a relation between size and wavelength.
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
E. Bertola, C. Vignali, G. Lanzuisi, M. Dadina, M. Cappi, R. Gilli, G. A. Matzeu, G. Chartas, E. Piconcelli, A. Comastri
Summary: We present new joint XMM-Newton and NuSTAR observations of the gravitationally-lensed broad-absorption line quasar APM 08279+5255 (z = 3.91). The latest X-ray exposures show a fainter state and a prominent Fe K alpha emission line without significant absorption. This allows us to measure X-ray reflection and the high-energy cutoff in this source for the first time.
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Bartolomeo Trefoloni, Elisabeta Lusso, Emanuele Nardini, Guido Risaliti, Giada Bargiacchi, Susanna Bisogni, Francesca M. Civano, Martin Elvis, Giuseppina Fabbiano, Roberto Gilli, Alessandro Marconi, Gordon T. Richards, Andrea Sacchi, Francesco Salvestrini, Matilde Signorini, Cristian Vignali
Summary: This study analyzes the rest frame ultraviolet and optical spectra of 30 bright blue quasars at z similar to 3 and explores the differences between X-ray weak and X-ray normal quasars. The results show that X-ray weak quasars have a flatter UV continuum and a broader and fainter C iv profile compared to their X-ray normal counterparts. Additionally, X-ray weak quasars display higher Fe ii/Mg ii ratios and weaker [O III] emission.
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
J. N. Reeves, D. Porquet, V. Braito, N. Grosso, A. Lobban
Summary: Six XMM-Newton observations of Mrk 110 from 2004-2020 show a broad component of the OVII line that can be modeled with a face-on accretion disk profile. The derived inclination angle of about 10 degrees is consistent with optical Broad Line Region studies. A significant correlation is measured between the OVII flux and continuum flux, with the line responding to changes in the continuum flux. The density of the line emitting gas is estimated to be n(e)similar to 10^(14) cm(-3), indicating an origin in the accretion disk.
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
(2021)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
E. Lopez-Navas, P. Arevalo, S. Bernal, Matthew J. Graham, L. Hernandez-Garcia, P. Lira, P. Sanchez-Saez
Summary: This study explores different variability features to distinguish between obscured Type 2 AGNs and variable Type 1s. By analyzing the Zwicky Transient Facility light curves of 15000 AGNs, it is found that weak Type 1s exhibit larger variances than Type 2s. Approximately 11% of Type 2 sources show evidence for optical variations when limiting the variability features.
MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
D. Porquet, J. N. Reeves, N. Grosso, V Braito, A. Lobban
Summary: This study aimed to characterize the X-ray spectral properties of the bright bare broad-line Seyfert 1 AGN Mrk 110 and the physical processes in its disc-corona system. Results revealed that a combination of soft and hard Comptonisation, along with mildly relativistic disc reflection, effectively reproduced the X-ray continuum, with characteristics of a warm corona and a hot corona. The inferred temperatures of the warm and hot coronae were found to be similar to values in other sub-Eddington AGN, with the hot corona temperature falling within the lower range of those measured in AGN.
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
(2021)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
T. Wevers, M. Nicholl, M. Guolo, P. Charalampopoulos, M. Gromadzki, T. M. Reynolds, E. Kankare, G. Leloudas, J. P. Anderson, I Arcavi, G. Cannizzaro, T-W Chen, N. Ihanec, C. Inserra, C. P. Gutierrez, P. G. Jonker, A. Lawrence, M. R. Magee, T. E. Muller-Bravo, F. Onori, E. Ridley, S. Schulze, P. Short, D. Hiramatsu, M. Newsome, J. H. Terwel, S. Yang, D. Young
Summary: This study examines the spectroscopic observations of the transient event AT 2020zso hosted by an active galactic nucleus, aiming to characterize the properties of its newly formed accretion flow. The results show a highly elliptical geometry for the new accretion flow, with implications for the high inclination nature and eccentricity of the system. Additionally, constraints on the black hole spin and disk viscosity were obtained through optical spectroscopy analysis.
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Th Boller, T. Liu, P. Weber, R. Arcodia, T. Dauser, J. Wilms, K. Nandra, J. Buchner, A. Merloni, M. J. Freyberg, M. Krumpe, S. G. H. Waddell
Summary: The ultra-soft narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy 1H 0707-495 exhibits significant variability in the soft X-ray band, with a flux decrease by a factor of 58, while the hard X-ray band shows less extreme variability. A model involving relativistic reflection and a variable partial covering absorber is able to explain the extreme light-curve behavior observed in this galaxy, suggesting that the variability may be attributed to leaking soft X-rays due to an ionized absorber.
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
(2021)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
J. Alonso-Hernandez, F. Furst, P. Kretschmar, I Caballero, A. M. Joyce
Summary: This study focuses on energy-resolved pulse profiles of a sample of X-ray pulsars and aims to classify them based on their observed pulse profiles and explore the correlations between this classification and their physical observables. The results show that despite the large variety of pulse profiles, clear categories emerged with the approach used. However, no conclusive correlation was found between the pulse profile shapes or groups and other parameters of the systems.
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
M. Laurenti, E. Piconcelli, L. Zappacosta, F. Tombesi, C. Vignali, S. Bianchi, P. Marziani, F. Vagnetti, A. Bongiorno, M. Bischetti, A. del Olmo, G. Lanzuisi, A. Luminari, R. Middei, M. Perri, C. Ricci, G. Vietri
Summary: In this study, the X-ray spectral analysis of 14 high-Eddington-ratio AGN reveals that despite the homogeneous optical and supermassive black hole accretion properties, the X-ray properties of these AGN are quite heterogeneous. Interestingly, some sources exhibit much fainter X-ray emission compared to typical AGN.
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Nicolas Trueba, J. M. Miller, A. C. Fabian, J. Kaastra, T. Kallman, A. Lohfink, R. M. Ludlam, D. Proga, J. Raymond, C. Reynolds, M. Reynolds, A. Zoghbi
Summary: This study demonstrates how the velocity-broadening effect of the absorbing gas in X-ray binary systems can be used to constrain the sizes of central engines. The method is applied to specific systems, and the results show significant evidence of redshifted absorption, inconsistent with previous velocity estimates.
ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Jinyi Yang, Xiaohui Fan, Feige Wang, Giorgio Lanzuisi, Riccardo Nanni, Massimo Cappi, George Chartas, Mauro Dadina, Roberto Decarli, Xiangyu Jin, Charles R. Keeton, Bram P. Venemans, Fabian Walter, Ran Wang, Xue-Bing Wu, Minghao Yue, Ann Zabludoff
Summary: This report presents X-ray observations of the most distant gravitationally lensed quasar known as J0439+1634, and analyzes its X-ray intensity and intrinsic absorption. It is the first time that an X-ray weak broad absorption line quasar at redshift greater than 6 has been observed spectroscopically, and its X-ray weakness is consistent with similar quasars at lower redshifts.
ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Federico Esposito, Livia Vallini, Francesca Pozzi, Viviana Casasola, Matilde Mingozzi, Cristian Vignali, Carlotta Gruppioni, Francesco Salvestrini
Summary: We conducted a detailed analysis of X-ray, infrared, and CO emission from 35 local, active galaxies. Our goal was to understand the contributions of star formation and active galactic nuclei radiation to the heating of molecular gas. We found weak correlations between CO line ratios and FUV or X-ray fluxes, suggesting that neither star formation nor AGN radiation dominates gas excitation at small scales. Our results indicate that a mix of PDRs and XDRs is necessary to explain the observed CO excitation in active galaxies.
MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
E. Bertola, C. Vignali, G. Lanzuisi, M. Dadina, M. Cappi, R. Gilli, G. A. Matzeu, G. Chartas, E. Piconcelli, A. Comastri
Summary: We present new joint XMM-Newton and NuSTAR observations of the gravitationally-lensed broad-absorption line quasar APM 08279+5255 (z = 3.91). The latest X-ray exposures show a fainter state and a prominent Fe K alpha emission line without significant absorption. This allows us to measure X-ray reflection and the high-energy cutoff in this source for the first time.
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Aysegul Tumer, Daniel R. Wik, Massimo Gaspari, Hiroki Akamatsu, Niels J. Westergaard, Francesco Tombesi, E. Nihal Ercan
Summary: This study investigates the interaction between galaxy clusters and cosmic filaments using NuSTAR, XMM-Newton, and Suzaku data. The results indicate that the interface between the cluster and the intercluster filament does not show signs of heated plasma, but rather has low temperature, high density, and low entropy, suggesting gas cooling. Furthermore, the temperature analysis using different data sources is consistent.
ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Tim Waters, Daniel Proga, Randall Dannen, Sergei Dyda
Summary: The study suggests that the most favorable conditions for dynamical thermal instability in highly supersonic outflows are found at radii beyond the acceleration zone, implying that even mildly relativistic outflows can become clumpy. Using the continuity and heat equations, researchers can understand the factors that restrict the irregularity of outflows and find that time variability in the radiation field is an effective means.
ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Daniel Proga, Tim Waters, Sergei Dyda, Zhaohuan Zhu
Summary: Local thermal instability can explain the formation of multiphase gas in various astrophysical environments, and this study lays the groundwork for transitioning from the optically thin limit to a full radiation hydrodynamics treatment in the presence of gray opacity. The authors analyze the thermal instability caused by the hardening of the radiation field and demonstrate the importance of considering attenuation in assessing the stability of irradiated gas columns.
ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
M. Marzi, F. Tombesi, A. Luminari, K. Fukumura, D. Kazanas
Summary: This article investigates the properties of ionized plasma layers ejected from supermassive black holes and explores the impact of special relativistic corrections on their dynamics. The results demonstrate that the P-R effect plays an important role in determining the velocity profile of high-velocity, photoionized outflows.
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Alessandra De Rosa, Cristian Vignali, Paola Severgnini, Stefano Bianchi, Tamara Bogdanovic, Maria Charisi, Matteo Guainazzi, Zoltan Haiman, S. Komossa, Zsolt Paragi, Miguel Perez-Torres, Enrico Piconcelli, Lorenzo Ducci, Manali Parvatikar, Roberto Serafinelli
Summary: This study investigates optically selected dual Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) and compares them with isolated systems. The analysis reveals that mergers may trigger more luminous AGN. X-ray spectral analysis and comparison with observed X-ray luminosity confirm higher obscuration in AGN pairs. The absorbing material is likely associated with the torus or broad-line regions.
MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
E. Quintin, N. A. Webb, S. Guillot, G. Miniutti, E. S. Kammoun, M. Giustini, R. Arcodia, G. Soucail, N. Clerc, R. Amato, C. B. Markwardt
Summary: Researchers have discovered a new candidate quasi-periodic eruption (QPE) source, AT 2019vcb, with X-ray properties indicative of QPE. Observations showed significant changes in temperature and luminosity, strengthening the observational link between transient events and QPEs.
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Alessia Franchini, Matteo Bonetti, Alessandro Lupi, Giovanni Miniutti, Elisa Bortolas, Margherita Giustini, Massimo Dotti, Alberto Sesana, Riccardo Arcodia, Taeho Ryu
Summary: X-ray quasi-periodic eruptions (QPEs) are a new discovery associated with supermassive black holes, characterized by high-amplitude bursts recurring every few hours. A semi-analytical model based on an extreme mass-ratio inspiral (EMRI) system is proposed to explain the physical origin of QPEs. Synthetic X-ray light curves produced by the model accurately reproduce the diversity of QPE properties in different sources and account for the varying recurrence times and amplitudes. This model has implications for understanding the nature of the secondary object and the larger EMRI population.
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Fan Zou, W. N. Brandt, Qingling Ni, Shifu Zhu, David M. Alexander, Franz E. Bauer, Chien-Ting J. Chen, Bin Luo, Mouyuan Sun, Cristian Vignali, Fabio Vito, Yongquan Xue, Wei Yan
Summary: In this study, active dwarf galaxies were searched for using X-ray observations. A total of 73 active dwarf galaxies were identified beyond the local universe, making it the largest sample to date. These galaxies were found to have similar environments as inactive dwarf galaxies, and the accretion distribution was negatively correlated with X-ray luminosity.
ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Meriem Behiri, Margherita Talia, Andrea Cimatti, Andrea Lapi, Marcella Massardi, Andrea Enia, Cristian Vignali, Matthieu Bethermin, Andreas Faisst, Fabrizio Gentile, Marika Giulietti, Carlotta Gruppioni, Francesca Pozzi, Vernesa Smolcic, Gianni Zamorani
Summary: This study aims to fill the knowledge gap of radio-selected NIR-dark sources and investigate their contribution through visual inspection of the sources' environment and calibration of photometric procedures. The research estimates that RS-NIRdark sources contribute approximately 10%-25% to the star formation rate density in the early universe.
ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
(2023)