scholarly journals 11.4. Demographics of nuclear activity in nearby galaxies

1998 ◽  
Vol 184 ◽  
pp. 463-464
Author(s):  
Luis C. Ho ◽  
Alexei V. Filippenko ◽  
Wallace L. W. Sargent
Keyword(s):  
Active Galactic Nuclei ◽  
Luminosity Function ◽  
Galactic Nuclei ◽  
Optical Spectra ◽  
Complete Sample ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Nuclear Activity ◽  
Moderate Resolution ◽  
Nearby Galaxies ◽  
Scientific Results

Between 1984 and 1990 we conducted a survey at Palomar Observatory (Filippenko and Sargent 1985) to quantify the luminosity function of nearby active galactic nuclei (AGNs). The Hale 5 m telescope was used to obtain high-quality, moderate-resolution optical spectra of a nearly statistically complete sample of about 500 bright (BT ≤ 12.5 mag), northern (δ > 0°) galaxies (see Ho et al. 1995 for details). The survey has now been completed, and the first scientific results are reported in a series of papers by Ho et al. (1997a, b, c).

scholarly journals Radio Nuclei in Nearby Galaxies

1984 ◽  
Vol 110 ◽  
pp. 251-256
Author(s):  
E. Preuss
Keyword(s):  
Active Galactic Nuclei ◽  
Galactic Nuclei ◽  
Seyfert Galaxies ◽  
Instrumental Performance ◽  
Nuclear Activity ◽  
Normal Galaxies ◽  
Nearby Galaxies ◽  
The Subject ◽  
5 Ghz ◽  
Work Done

This review is an attempt to summarize VLBI continuum observations at cm- and dm-wavelengths of active galactic nuclei at distances ≲ 100 Mpc (Ho = 50 km s−1 Mpc−1). ‘Nearby galaxies’, thus defined, are close enough for achieving the highest possible spatial resolution. Galaxies at these distances, however, typically do not show extreme and rare forms of nuclear activity such as powerful radio sources, the cores of which are relatively easy to map with VLBI, and which are therefore the subject of most of the VLBI work done so far (see e.g. Preuss, 1983). Nearby active galaxies show rather more ‘ordinary’ forms of nuclear activity; they include a few of the weaker classical ‘radio galaxies’, but most of them are Seyfert galaxies and mildly active ‘normal galaxies’. Their total radio emission is typically weak (P(5 GHz) ≲ 1031 erg s−1 Hz−1) and so are their compact radio nuclei (if any). The highest available sensitivity is therefore required for their study and the current instrumental performance is just becoming sufficient to tackle the strongest of them in the hope of obtaining maps.

scholarly journals Infrared-detected AGNs in the local Universe

2020 ◽  
Vol 640 ◽  
pp. A68
Author(s):  
T. İkiz ◽  
R. F. Peletier ◽  
P. D. Barthel ◽  
C. Yeşilyaprak
Keyword(s):  
Active Galactic Nuclei ◽  
Infrared Imaging ◽  
Galactic Nuclei ◽  
Morphological Type ◽  
Selection Method ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Promising Technique ◽  
Nuclear Activity ◽  
Color Selection ◽  
Nearby Galaxies

Context. Spitzer/IRAC color selection is a promising technique to identify hot accreting nuclei, that is, active galactic nuclei (AGN), in galaxies. We demonstrate this using a small sample of SAURON galaxies and then explore this technique further. Aims. The goal of this study is to find a simple and efficient way to reveal optically obscured nuclear accretion in (nearby) galaxies. Methods. We applied an infrared selection method to the Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structures in Galaxies (S4G) sample of more than 2500 galaxies, together with its extension sample of more than 400 galaxies. We used the Spitzer colors to find galaxies in the S4G survey containing a hot core, suggesting the presence of a strong AGN, and we studied the detection fraction as a function of morphological type. We tested this infrared color selection method by examining the radio properties of the galaxies via the VLA NVSS and FIRST surveys. Results. Using the radio data, we demonstrate that galaxies displaying hot mid-infrared nuclei stand out as (candidate) active galaxies. We reproduce these results when using colors from the lower spatial resolution WISE mission instead of Spitzer. Hence multiband infrared imaging represents a useful tool to uncover optically obscured nuclear activity in galaxies.

scholarly journals The Palomar Observatory Dwarf Seyfert Survey

1994 ◽  
Vol 159 ◽  
pp. 275-278
Author(s):  
Luis C. Ho ◽  
Alexei V. Filippenko ◽  
Wallace L. W. Sargent
Keyword(s):  
Active Galactic Nuclei ◽  
Luminosity Function ◽  
Galactic Nuclei ◽  
Statistical Properties ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Preliminary Results ◽  
Methods Of Analysis ◽  
Nearby Galaxies ◽  
X Ray Background

We describe an optical, spectroscopic survey of the nuclei of the 500 brightest galaxies in the northern sky. The primary goal is to search for low-luminosity active galactic nuclei (LLAGNs) in the centers of nearby galaxies. The results of this survey will have many astrophysical applications, including quantifying the faint end of the local AGN luminosity function and estimating the contribution of LLAGNs to the X-ray background. We summarize the statistical properties of the survey, describe our methods of analysis, and present some preliminary results based on ∼ 60% of the sample.

scholarly journals A Search for Low-Level Seyfert Activity in the 500 Brightest Northern Galaxies

1987 ◽  
Vol 121 ◽  
pp. 451-460
Author(s):  
Alexei V. Filippenko ◽  
Wallace L. W. Sargent
Keyword(s):  
Active Galactic Nuclei ◽  
Luminosity Function ◽  
Galactic Nuclei ◽  
Emission Lines ◽  
Full Width ◽  
Line Region ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Hα Emission ◽  
Nearby Galaxies ◽  
Narrow Line Region

A sensitive search for intrinsically faint Seyfert nuclei in the 500 brightest northern galaxies is being conducted with the Hale 5.08 m telescope. The primary aim is to extend the luminosity function of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) to lower luminosities. Thus far, we have detected Hα emission having full-width near zero-intensity (FWZI) ≳ 4000 km s−1 in a significant fraction (≳10%) of nearby galaxies. Moreover, the narrow emission lines in a given nucleus often have markedly different widths, as shown in detail for M81. Those associated with high critical densities are generally the broadest, indicating that a very wide range of densities is present in the narrow-line region. The relative intensities of the lines can readily be explained with models in which clouds of gas having ne ≈ 102 to 107 cm−3 are photoionized by nonstellar radiation such as that produced by QSOs and luminous Seyfert 1 galaxies.

scholarly journals Statistical Effects of Doppler Beaming and Malmquist Bias on Flux-Limited Samples of Compact Radio Sources

1998 ◽  
Vol 164 ◽  
pp. 137-138
Author(s):  
Matthew L. Lister ◽  
Alan P. Marscher
Keyword(s):  
Active Galactic Nuclei ◽  
Luminosity Function ◽  
Galactic Nuclei ◽  
Lorentz Factor ◽  
Radio Sources ◽  
Apparent Velocity ◽  
Parent Population ◽  
Relativistic Jet ◽  
Spectrum Radio ◽  
Statistical Effects

AbstractWe examine the effects of Doppler beaming on flux-limited samples of compact extragalactic radio sources using Monte Carlo simulations. We incorporate a luminosity function and z-distribution for the parent population, and investigate models in which the unbeamed synchrotron luminosity L of a relativistic jet is related to its bulk Lorentz factor Γ. The predicted flux density, redshift, monochromatic luminosity, and apparent velocity distributions of our simulated flux-limited samples are compared to the Caltech-Jodrell Bank (CJF) sample of flat-spectrum, radio core-dominated active galactic nuclei (AGNs).We find that a relation between L and Γ is not needed to reproduce the characteristics of the CJF sample. Introducing a positive correlation between these quantities results in an underabundance of objects with high viewing angles, while a negative correlation gives generally poor fits to the data.

scholarly journals Evolution of the AGN UV luminosity function from redshift 7.5

2019 ◽  
Vol 488 (1) ◽  
pp. 1035-1065 ◽  
Author(s):  
Girish Kulkarni ◽  
Gábor Worseck ◽  
Joseph F Hennawi
Keyword(s):  
Active Galactic Nuclei ◽  
Luminosity Function ◽  
Galactic Nuclei ◽  
Systematic Errors ◽  
Selection Function ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Multiple Data ◽  
Luminosity Functions ◽  
Multiple Data Sets ◽  
Photoionization Rate

ABSTRACTDeterminations of the ultraviolet (UV) luminosity function of active galactic nuclei (AGN) at high redshifts are important for constraining the AGN contribution to reionization and understanding the growth of supermassive black holes. Recent inferences of the luminosity function suffer from inconsistencies arising from inhomogeneous selection and analysis of data. We address this problem by constructing a sample of more than 80 000 colour-selected AGN from redshift $z$ = 0 to 7.5 using multiple data sets homogenized to identical cosmologies, intrinsic AGN spectra, and magnitude systems. Using this sample, we derive the AGN UV luminosity function from redshift $z$ = 0 to 7.5. The luminosity function has a double power-law form at all redshifts. The break magnitude M* shows a steep brightening from M* ∼ −24 at $z$ = 0.7 to M* ∼ −29 at $z$ = 6. The faint-end slope β significantly steepens from −1.9 at $z$ < 2.2 to −2.4 at $z$ ≃ 6. In spite of this steepening, the contribution of AGN to the hydrogen photoionization rate at $z$ ∼ 6 is subdominant (<3 per cent), although it can be non-negligible (∼10 per cent) if these luminosity functions hold down to M1450 = −18. Under reasonable assumptions, AGN can reionize He ii by redshift $z$ = 2.9. At low redshifts ($z$ < 0.5), AGN can produce about half of the hydrogen photoionization rate inferred from the statistics of H i absorption lines in the intergalactic medium. Our analysis also reveals important systematic errors in the data, which need to be addressed and incorporated in the AGN selection function in future in order to improve our results. We make various fitting functions, codes, and data publicly available.

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