scholarly journals The Evolution of QSO Spectra: Evidence for Microlensing?

1996 ◽  
Vol 173 ◽  
pp. 289-290
Author(s):  
Paul J. Francis ◽  
Anuradha Koratkar

We find that the spectra of QSOs evolve: high redshift QSOs (z > 1.5) have lower equivalent width emission lines than low redshift QSOs (z < 0.5) with the same luminosities and radio properties.We propose that microlensing by compact objects may account for the apparent evolution. If Ω ∼ 0.05 in compact objects, the continuum emission from many high redshift QSOs will be amplified, but not the line emission, leading to the observed decrease in the apparent equivalent widths.

2021 ◽  
Vol 922 (2) ◽  
pp. 139
Author(s):  
Richard Teague ◽  
Charles L. H. Hull ◽  
Stéphane Guilloteau ◽  
Edwin A. Bergin ◽  
Anne Dutrey ◽  
...  

Abstract We report observations of polarized line and continuum emission from the disk of TW Hya using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array. We target three emission lines, 12CO (3–2), 13CO (3–2), and CS (7–6), to search for linear polarization due to the Goldreich–Kylafis effect, while simultaneously tracing the continuum polarization morphology at 332 GHz (900 μm), achieving a spatial resolution of 0.″5 (30 au). We detect linear polarization in the dust continuum emission; the polarization position angles show an azimuthal morphology, and the median polarization fraction is ∼0.2%, comparable to previous, lower frequency observations. Adopting a “shift-and-stack” technique to boost the sensitivity of the data, combined with a linear combination of the Q and U components to account for their azimuthal dependence, we detect weak linear polarization of 12CO and 13CO line emission at a ∼10σ and ∼5σ significance, respectively. The polarization was detected in the line wings, reaching a peak polarization fraction of ∼5% and ∼3% for the two molecules between disk radii of 0.″5 and 1″. The sign of the polarization was found to flip from the blueshifted side of the emission to the redshifted side, suggesting a complex, asymmetric polarization morphology. Polarization is not robustly detected for the CS emission; however, a tentative signal, comparable in morphology to that found for the 12CO and 13CO emission, is found at a ≲3σ significance. We are able to reconstruct a polarization morphology, consistent with the azimuthally averaged profiles, under the assumption that this is also azimuthally symmetric, which can be compared with future higher-sensitivity observations.


2007 ◽  
Vol 3 (S242) ◽  
pp. 180-181
Author(s):  
M. A. Trinidad ◽  
S. Curiel ◽  
J. M. Torrelles ◽  
L. F. Rodríguez ◽  
V. Migenes ◽  
...  

AbstractWe present simultaneous observations of continuum (3.5 and 1.3cm) and water maser line emission (1.3cm) carried out with the VLA-A toward the high-mass object IRAS 23139+5939. We detected two radio continuum sources at 3.5cm separated by 0”5 (~2400 AU), I23139 and I23139S. Based on the observed continuum flux density and the spectral index, we suggest that I23139 is a thermal radio jet associated with a high-mass YSO. On the other hand, based on the spatio-kinematical distribution of the water masers, together with the continuum emission information, we speculate that I23139S is also a jet source powering some of the masers detected in the region.


1996 ◽  
Vol 171 ◽  
pp. 442-442
Author(s):  
T. Schmutzler ◽  
D. Breitschwerdt

The most puzzling observations concerning the LISM (distance < 100 pc) can be explained by a fast adiabatically cooled gas in the cavity of an old superbubble. The ultrasoft X-ray background and contributions to the C- and M-bands are due to the continuum emission of delayed recombination [1]. In contrast to collisional ionization equilibrium (CIE) models, but consistent with recent observations [2], our model predicts a lack of emission lines and a low emissivity in the EUV range. In the figure below we compare the emissivities resulting from CIE at T = 106 K and those from our model at T = 4.2 × 104 K. The basic feature of our model is a thermally self-consistent approach of the time-dependent evolution.


1996 ◽  
Vol 152 ◽  
pp. 105-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy S. Brickhouse

Extreme ultraviolet spectra of Capella, obtained at various orbital phases over the past two years by the EUVE satellite, show strong emission lines from a continuous distribution of temperatures (~ 105 − 107.3 K). In addition to the strong He II λ303.8, the spectra are dominated by emission lines of highly ionized iron. Strong lines of Fe IX, XV, XVI, and XVIII–XXIV are used to construct emission measure distributions for the individual pointings, which show several striking features, including a minimum near 106 K and a local maximum at 106.8 K. Furthermore, intensities of the highest temperature lines (Te > 107 K) show variations (factors of 2–3) at different orbital phases, while the lower temperature Fe lines show variations of about 30% or less. The low variability of most of the strong low temperature features motivates a detailed analysis of the summed spectrum. With ~ 280 ks of total exposure time, we have measured over 200 emission features with S/N ≥ 3.0 in the summed spectrum. We report here initial results from the analysis of this spectrum. We can now identify lines of Fe VIII and X–XIV, as well as a number of electron density and abundance diagnostic lines.We also report here the first direct measurement of the continuum flux around ~ 100 Å in a cool star atmosphere with EUVE. The continuum flux can be predicted from the emission measure model based on Fe line emission, and demonstrates that the Fe/H abundance ratio is close to the solar photospheric value.


2019 ◽  
Vol 621 ◽  
pp. A62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoko Okada ◽  
Rolf Güsten ◽  
Miguel Angel Requena-Torres ◽  
Markus Röllig ◽  
Jürgen Stutzki ◽  
...  

Aims. The aim of our study is to investigate the physical properties of the star-forming interstellar medium (ISM) in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) by separating the origin of the emission lines spatially and spectrally. The LMC provides a unique local template to bridge studies in the Galaxy and high redshift galaxies because of its low metallicity and proximity, enabling us to study the detailed physics of the ISM in spatially resolved individual star-forming regions. Following Okada et al. (Okada, Y., Requena-Torres, M. A., Güsten, R., et al. 2015, A&A, 580, A54), we investigate different phases of the ISM traced by carbon-bearing species in four star-forming regions in the LMC, and model the physical properties using the KOSMA-τ PDR model. Methods. We mapped 3–13 arcmin2 areas in 30 Dor, N158, N160, and N159 along the molecular ridge of the LMC in [C II] 158 μm with GREAT on board SOFIA. We also observed the same area with CO(2-1) to (6-5), 13CO(2-1) and (3-2), [C I] 3P1–3P0 and 3P2–3P1 with APEX. For selected positions in N159 and 30 Dor, we observed [O I] 145 μm and [O I] 63 μm with upGREAT. All spectra are velocity resolved. Results. In all four star-forming regions, the line profiles of CO, 13CO, and [C I] emission are similar, being reproduced by a combination of Gaussian profiles defined by CO(3-2), whereas [C II] typically shows wider line profiles or an additional velocity component. At several positions in N159 and 30 Dor, we observed the velocity-resolved [O I] 145 and 63 μm lines for the first time. At some positions, the [O I] line profiles match those of CO, at other positions they are more similar to the [C II] profiles. We interpret the different line profiles of CO, [C II] and [O I] as contributions from spatially separated clouds and/or clouds in different physical phases, which give different line ratios depending on their physical properties. We modeled the emission from the CO, [C I], [C II], and [O I] lines and the far-infrared continuum emission using the latest KOSMA-τ PDR model, which treats the dust-related physics consistently and computes the dust continuum SED together with the line emission of the chemical species. We find that the line and continuum emissions are not well-reproduced by a single clump ensemble. Toward the CO peak at N159 W, we propose a scenario that the CO, [C II], and [O I] 63 μm emission are weaker than expected because of mutual shielding among clumps.


1989 ◽  
Vol 134 ◽  
pp. 167-172
Author(s):  
Katsuji Koyama

X-ray emission in the 2–10 keV energy range was observed with the Ginga satellite from the Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC1068. The continuum spectrum can be described by a power-law of photon index about 1.5. An intense iron line at 6.5 keV with an equivalent width of 1.3 keV was clearly noticed. The X-ray flux was about 6 × 10 −12 erg/sec/cm2 or 3 × 1041 erg/sec, assuming a distance of 22 Mpc. The observed spectrum is consistent with the scattering and reprocessing of X-rays by the gas surrounding the central engine. With this picture we estimate that the X-ray flux of the central engine is about 1043 - 1044 erg/sec, a typical value for a Seyfert 1 galaxy.


2018 ◽  
Vol 609 ◽  
pp. A101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Á. Sánchez-Monge ◽  
P. Schilke ◽  
A. Ginsburg ◽  
R. Cesaroni ◽  
A. Schmiedeke

STATCONT is a python-based tool designed to determine the continuum emission level in spectral data, in particular for sources with a line-rich spectrum. The tool inspects the intensity distribution of a given spectrum and automatically determines the continuum level by using different statistical approaches. The different methods included in STATCONT are tested against synthetic data. We conclude that the sigma-clipping algorithm provides the most accurate continuum level determination, together with information on the uncertainty in its determination. This uncertainty can be used to correct the final continuum emission level, resulting in the here called ‘corrected sigma-clipping method’ or c-SCM. The c-SCM has been tested against more than 750 different synthetic spectra reproducing typical conditions found towards astronomical sources. The continuum level is determined with a discrepancy of less than 1% in 50% of the cases, and less than 5% in 90% of the cases, provided at least 10% of the channels are line free. The main products of STATCONT are the continuum emission level, together with a conservative value of its uncertainty, and datacubes containing only spectral line emission, i.e., continuum-subtracted datacubes. STATCONT also includes the option to estimate the spectral index, when different files covering different frequency ranges are provided.


2020 ◽  
Vol 496 (4) ◽  
pp. 5160-5175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Lupi ◽  
Andrea Pallottini ◽  
Andrea Ferrara ◽  
Stefano Bovino ◽  
Stefano Carniani ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Far-infrared (FIR) emission lines are a powerful tool to investigate the properties of the interstellar medium, especially in high-redshift galaxies, where ALMA observations have provided unprecedented information. Interpreting such data with state-of-the-art cosmological simulations post-processed with cloudy, has provided insights on the internal structure and gas dynamics of these systems. However, no detailed investigation of the consistency and uncertainties of this kind of analysis has been performed to date. Here, we compare different approaches to estimate FIR line emission from state-of-the-art cosmological simulations, either with cloudy or with on-the-fly non-equilibrium chemistry. We find that [C ii]158μ predictions are robust to the model variations we explored. [O i] emission lines, that typically trace colder and denser gas relative to [C ii]158μ, are instead model dependent, as these lines are strongly affected by the thermodynamic state of the gas and non-equilibrium photoionization effects. For the same reasons, [O i] lines represent an excellent tool to constrain emission models, hence future observations targeting these lines will be crucial.


2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (S284) ◽  
pp. 494-495
Author(s):  
George J. Bendo ◽  

AbstractThe Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is a telescope comprising 66 antennas that is located in the Atacama Desert in Chile, one of the driest locations on Earth. When the telescope is fully operational, it will perform observations over ten receiver bands at wavelengths from 9.5-0.32 mm (31-950 GHz) with unprecedented sensitivities to continuum emission from cold (<20 K) dust, Bremsstrahlung, and synchrotron emission as well as submillimetre and millimetre molecular lines. With baselines out to 16km and dynamic reconfiguration, ALMA will achieve spatial resolutions ranging from 3″ to 0.010″, allowing for detailed imaging of continuum or molecular line emission from 0.1-1 kpc scale gas and dust discs in high-redshift sources or 10-100 pc scale molecular clouds and substructures within nearby galaxies. Science observations started on 30 September 2011 with 16 antennas and four receiver bands on baselines up to 400 m. The telescope's capabilities will steadily improve until full operations begin in 2013.


Author(s):  
Giovanni P Rosotti ◽  
John D Ilee ◽  
Stefano Facchini ◽  
Marco Tazzari ◽  
Richard A Booth ◽  
...  

Abstract Recent observations have revealed that most proto-planetary discs show a pattern of bright rings and dark gaps. However, most of the high-resolution observations have focused only on the continuum emission. In this Paper we present high-resolution ALMA band 7 (0.89mm) observations of the disc around the star CI Tau in the 12CO & 13CO J = 3–2 and CS J = 7–6 emission lines. Our recent work demonstrated that the disc around CI Tau contains three gaps and rings in continuum emission, and we look for their counterparts in the gas emission. While we find no counterpart of the third gap and ring in 13CO, the disc has a gap in emission at the location of the second continuum ring (rather than gap). We demonstrate that this is mostly an artefact of the continuum subtraction, although a residual gap still remains after accounting for this effect. Through radiative transfer modelling we propose this is due to the inner disc shadowing the outer parts of the disc and making them colder. This raises a note of caution in mapping high-resolution gas emission lines observations to the gas surface density – while possible, this needs to be done carefully. In contrast to 13CO, CS emission shows instead a ring morphology, most likely due to chemical effects. Finally, we note that 12CO is heavily absorbed by the foreground preventing any morphological study using this line.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document