Active Galactic Nuclei Bolometric Luminosity Research Articles

Ionised AGN outflows in the Goldfish galaxy : The illuminating and interacting red quasar eFEDSJ091157.4+014327 at z~0.6

Evolutionary models suggest that the initial growth phases of active galactic nuclei (AGN) and their central supermassive black holes (SMBHs) are dust-enshrouded and characterised by jet or wind outflows that should gradually clear the interstellar medium (ISM) in the host by heating and/or expelling the surrounding gas. eFEDSJ091157.4+014327 (zsim 0.6) was selected from X-ray samples of eROSITA (extended ROentgen Survey with an Imaging Telescope Array) for its characteristics: red colours, X--ray obscuration (N$ _H \,=\,$2.7times 1022 $) and luminous (L$_ X $=6.5times 1044\,$\; $), similar to those expected in quasars with outflows. It hosts an ionised outflow as revealed by a broad O III AA $ emission line in the SDSS integrated spectrum. For a proper characterisation of the outflow properties and their effects, we need spatially resolved information. We aim to explore the environment around the red quasar, morphology of the O III gas and characterise the kinematics, mass outflow rates and energetics within the system. We used spatially resolved spectroscopic data from Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) with an average seeing of 0.6" to construct flux, velocity and velocity dispersion maps. Thanks to the spatially resolved O III AA $ emission detected, we provide insights into the morphology and kinematics of the ionised gas and better estimates of the outflow properties. We find that the quasar is embedded in an interacting and merging system with three other galaxies sim 50 kpc from its nucleus. Spatially resolved kinematics reveal that the quasar has extended ionised outflows of up to 9.2$^ $ kpc with positive and negative velocities up to 1000\,$\; $ and $-$1200\,$\; $, respectively. The velocity dispersion (W$_ $) ranges from 600 $-$ 1800\,$\; $. We associate the presence of high-velocity components with the outflow. The total mass outflow rate is estimated to be sim 10 M$_ odot $ yr$^ $, a factor of sim 3 $-$ 7 higher than the previous findings for the same target and kinetic power of 2times 1042\,$\; $. Considering different AGN bolometric luminosities, the kinetic coupling efficiencies range from 0.01<!PCT!> $-$ 0.03<!PCT!> and the momentum boosts are sim 0.2. The kinetic coupling efficiency values are low, which indicates that the ionised outflow is not energetically relevant. These values don't align with the theoretical predictions of both radiation-pressure-driven outflows and energy-conserving mechanisms. However, note that our results are based only on the ionised phase while theoretical predictions are multi-phase. Moreover, the mass loading factor of sim 5 is an indication that these outflows are more likely AGN-driven than star formation-driven.

COSMOS2020: Investigating the AGN-obscured accretion phase at z ∼ 1 via [Ne V] selection

The black hole-and-galaxy (BH-galaxy) co-evolution paradigm predicts a phase where most of the star formation (SF) and BH accretion takes place in gas-rich environments, namely, in what are likely to be very obscured conditions. In the first phase of this growth, some of the galactic gas is funnelled toward the centre of the galaxy and is accreted into the supermassive BH, triggering active galactic nucleus (AGN) activity. The large quantity of gas and dust hides the emission and the AGN appears as an obscured (type 2) AGN. The degree of obscuration in type 2 AGNs may even reach values as high as NH > 1024 cm−2 (i.e., Compton-thick, CT). Population synthesis models of the X-ray background (XRB) suggest that a large population of CT-AGN is, in fact, needed to explain the still unresolved XRB emission at energy above 20 keV. In this work, we investigated the properties of 94 [Ne V]3426 Å-selected type 2 AGN in COSMOS at z = 0.6 − 1.2, performing optical-to-far-infrared (FIR) spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting of COSMOS2020 photometric data to estimate the AGN bolometric luminosity and stellar mass, star formation rate, age of the oldest stars, and molecular gas mass for their host-galaxy. In addition, we performed an X-ray spectral analysis of the 36 X-ray-detected sources to obtain reliable values of the AGN obscuration and intrinsic luminosity, as well as to constrain the AGN properties of the X-ray-undetected sources. We found that more than two-thirds of our sample is composed of very obscured sources (NH > 1023 cm−2), with about 20% of the sources being candidate CT-AGN and half being AGNs in a strong phase of accretion (λEdd > 0.1). We built a mass- and redshift-matched control sample and its comparison with the [Ne V] sample indicates that the latter has a higher fraction of sources within the main sequence of star-forming galaxies and shows little evidence for AGNs quenching the SF. As the two samples have similar amounts of cold gas available to fuel the SF, this difference points towards a higher efficiency in forming stars in the [Ne V]-selected sample. The comparison with the prediction from the in situ co-evolution model suggests that [Ne V] is an effective tool for selecting galaxies in the obscured growth phase of the BH-galaxy co-evolution paradigm. We find that the “quenching phase” is still to come for most of the sample and only few galaxies show evidence of quenched SF activity.

Heavily obscured AGN detection: A radio versus X-ray challenge

In the supermassive black hole (SMBH)-galaxy coevolution scenario, heavily obscured active galactic nuclei (AGN) represent a fundamental phase of SMBH growth during which most of the BH mass is accreted and the scaling relations with the host galaxy are set. Obscured nuclei are thought to constitute a major fraction of the whole AGN population, but their statistics and evolution across cosmic time are still highly uncertain. Therefore, it is pivotal to identify new ways to detect this vast and hidden population of growing SMBHs. A promising way to select heavily obscured AGN is through radio emission, which is largely unaffected by obscuration and can be used as a proxy for nuclear activity. In this work, we study the AGN radio detection effectiveness in the major deep extragalactic surveys, considering different AGN obscuration levels, redshift, and AGN bolometric luminosities. We particularly focus on comparing their radio and X-ray detectability, making predictions for present and future radio surveys. We extrapolated the predictions of the AGN population synthesis model of the cosmic X-ray background (CXB) to the radio band, by deriving the 1.4 GHz luminosity functions of unobscured (i.e., with hydrogen column densities $ H <22$), obscured ($22< H <24$), and Compton-thick (CTK, $ H >24$) AGN. We then used these functions to forecast the number of detectable AGN based on the area, flux limit, and completeness of a given radio survey and compare it with the AGN number resulting from X-ray predictions. When applied to deep extragalactic fields covered both by radio and X-ray observations, we show that, while X-ray selection is generally more effective in detecting unobscured AGN, the surface density of CTK AGN radio detected is on average ten times larger than the X-ray one, and even greater at high redshifts, considering the current surveys and facilities. Our results suggest that thousands of CTK AGN are already present in current radio catalogs, but most of them escaped any detection in the corresponding X-ray observations. We also present expectations for the number of AGN to be detected by the Square Kilometer Array Observatory (SKAO) in its future deep and wide radio continuum surveys, finding that it will be able to detect more than 2000 AGN at $z>6$ and tens of them at $z>10$, more than half of which are expected to be CTK.

A novel Bayesian approach for decomposing the radio emission of quasars: I. Modelling the radio excess in red quasars

ABSTRACT Studies show that both radio jets from the active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and the star formation (SF) activity in quasar host galaxies contribute to the quasar radio emission; yet their relative contributions across the population remain unclear. Here, we present an improved parametric model that allows us to statistically separate the SF and AGN components in observed quasar radio flux density distributions, and investigate how their relative contributions evolve with AGN bolometric luminosity ($L_\mathrm{bol}$) and redshift (z) using a fully Bayesian method. Based on the newest data from LOw-Frequency ARray Two-metre Sky Survey data release 2, our model gives robust fitting results out to $z\sim 4$, showing a quasar host galaxy SF rate (SFR) evolution that increases with bolometric luminosity and with redshift out to $z\sim 4$. This differs from the global cosmic SFR density, perhaps due to the importance of galaxy mergers. The prevalence of radio AGN emissions increases with quasar luminosity, but has little dependence on redshift. Furthermore, our new methodology and large sample size allow us to subdivide our data set to investigate the role of other parameters. Specifically, in this paper, we explore quasar colour and demonstrate that the radio excess in red quasars is due to an enhancement in AGN-related emission, since the host galaxy SF contribution to the total radio emission is independent of quasar colour. We also find evidence that this radio enhancement occurs mostly in quasars with weak or intermediate radio power.

A new discovery space opened by eROSITA

Context.In the context of an evolutionary model, the outflow phase of an active galactic nucleus (AGN) occurs at the peak of its activity, once the central supermassive black hole (SMBH) is massive enough to generate sufficient power to counterbalance the potential well of the host galaxy. This outflow feedback phase plays a vital role in galaxy evolution.Aims.Our aim in this paper is to apply various selection methods to isolate powerful AGNs in the feedback phase, trace and characterise outflows in these AGNs, and explore the link between AGN luminosity and outflow properties.Methods.We applied a combination of methods to the Spectrum Roentgen Gamma (SRG) eROSITA Final Equatorial Depth survey (eFEDS) catalogue and isolated ∼1400 candidates atz > 0.5 out of ∼11 750 AGNs (∼12%). Furthermore, we narrowed down our selection to 427 sources that have 0.5 < z < 1. We tested the robustness of our selection on the small subsample of 50 sources with available good quality SDSS spectra at 0.5 < z < 1 and, for which we fitted the [OIII] emission line complex and searched for the presence of ionised gas outflow signatures.Results.Out of the 50 good quality SDSS spectra, we identified 23 quasars (∼45%) with evidence of ionised outflows based on the presence of significant broad and/or shifted components in [OIII]λ5007 Å. They are on average more luminous (logLbol ∼ 45.2 erg s−1) and more obscured (NH ∼ 1022cm−2) than the parent sample of ∼427 candidates, although this may be ascribed to selection effects affecting the good quality SDSS spectra sample. By adding 118 quasars at 0.5 < z < 3.5 with evidence of outflows reported in the literature, we find a weak correlation between the maximum outflow velocity and the AGN bolometric luminosity. On the contrary, we recovered strong correlations between the mass outflow rate and outflow kinetic power with the AGN bolometric luminosity.Conclusions.About 30% of our sample have kinetic coupling efficiencies,Ė/Lbol> 1%, suggesting that the outflows could have a significant effect on their host galaxies. We find that the majority of the outflows have momentum flux ratios lower than 20 which rules out an energy-conserving nature. Our present work points to the unequivocal existence of a rather short AGN outflow phase, paving the way towards a new avenue to dissect AGN outflows in large samples within eROSITA and beyond.

GAMA/DEVILS: cosmic star formation and AGN activity over 12.5 billion years

ABSTRACT We use the Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA) and the Deep Extragalactic Visible Legacy Survey (DEVILS) observational data sets to calculate the cosmic star formation rate (SFR) and active galactic nuclei (AGN) bolometric luminosity history (CSFH/CAGNH) over the last 12.5 billion years. SFRs and AGN bolometric luminosities were derived using the spectral energy distribution fitting code ProSpect, which includes an AGN prescription to self-consistently model the contribution from both AGN and stellar emission to the observed rest-frame ultra-violet to far-infrared photometry. We find that both the CSFH and CAGNH evolve similarly, rising in the early Universe up to a peak at look-back time ≈10 Gyr (z ≈ 2), before declining towards the present day. The key result of this work is that we find the ratio of CAGNH to CSFH has been flat ($\approx 10^{42.5}\, \mathrm{erg \, s^{-1}\, {\rm M}_{\odot }^{-1}\, yr}$) for 11 Gyr up to the present day, indicating that star formation and AGN activity have been coeval over this time period. We find that the stellar masses of the galaxies that contribute most to the CSFH and CAGNH are similar, implying a common cause, which is likely gas inflow. The depletion of the gas supply suppresses cosmic star formation and AGN activity equivalently to ensure that they have experienced similar declines over the last 10 Gyr. These results are an important milestone for reconciling the role of star formation and AGN activity in the life cycle of galaxies.

Is the star-formation rate in z ∼ 6 quasars overestimated?

ABSTRACT The large total infrared (TIR) luminosities (LTIR; ≳1012 L⊙) observed in z ∼ 6 quasars are generally converted into high star-formation rates (SFRs; $\gtrsim\!{10}^2~{\rm M}_{\odot }\, {\rm yr}^{-1}$) of their host galaxies. However, these estimates rely on the assumption that dust heating is dominated by stellar radiation, neglecting the contribution from the central active galactic nucleus (AGN). We test the validity of this assumption by combining cosmological hydrodynamic simulations with radiative transfer calculations. We find that, when AGN radiation is included in the simulations, the mass (luminosity)-weighted dust temperature in the host galaxies increases from T ≈ 50 K (T ≈ 70 K) to T ≈ 80 K (T ≈ 200 K), suggesting that AGN effectively heats the bulk of dust in the host galaxy. We compute the AGN-host galaxy SFR from the synthetic spectral energy distribution by using standard SFR – LTIR relations, and compare the results with the ‘true’ values in the simulations. We find that the SFR is overestimated by a factor of ≈3 (≳10) for AGN bolometric luminosities of Lbol ≈ 1012 L⊙ (≳1013 L⊙), implying that the SFRs of z ∼ 6 quasars can be overestimated by over an order of magnitude.

BASS. XXI. The Data Release 2 Overview

The BAT AGN Spectroscopic Survey (BASS) is designed to provide a highly complete census of the key physical parameters of the supermassive black holes (SMBHs) that power local active galactic nuclei (AGNs) (z ≲ 0.3), including their bolometric luminosity (L bol), black hole (BH) mass (M BH), accretion rates (L bol/L Edd), line-of-sight gas obscuration (N H), and the distinctive properties of their host galaxies (e.g., star formation rates, masses, and gas fractions). We present an overview of the second data release of BASS (DR2), an unprecedented spectroscopic AGN survey in spectral range, resolution, and sensitivity, including 1449 optical (∼3200 Å–1 μm) and 233 near-IR (1–2.5 μm) spectra for the brightest 858 ultrahard X-ray (14–195 keV) selected AGNs across the entire sky and essentially all levels of obscuration. This release provides a highly complete set of key measurements (emission-line measurements and central velocity dispersions), with 99.9% measured redshifts and 98% BH masses estimated (for unbeamed AGNs outside the Galactic plane). The BASS DR2 AGN sample represents a unique census of nearby powerful AGNs, spanning over 5 orders of magnitude in AGN bolometric luminosity (L bol ∼ 1040–1047 erg s−1), BH mass (M BH ∼ 105–1010 M ⊙), Eddington ratio (L bol/L Edd ≳ 10−5), and obscuration (N H ∼ 1020–1025 cm−2). The public BASS DR2 sample and measurements can thus be used to answer fundamental questions about SMBH growth and its links to host galaxy evolution and feedback in the local universe, as well as open questions concerning SMBH physics. Here we provide a brief overview of the survey strategy, the key BASS DR2 measurements, data sets and catalogs, and scientific highlights from a series of DR2-based works pursued by the BASS team.

BASS. XXII. The BASS DR2 AGN Catalog and Data

We present the active galactic nucleus (AGN) catalog and optical spectroscopy for the second data release of the Swift BAT AGN Spectroscopic Survey (BASS DR2). With this DR2 release we provide 1449 optical spectra, of which 1182 are released for the first time, for the 858 hard-X-ray-selected AGNs in the Swift BAT 70-month sample. The majority of the spectra (801/1449, 55%) are newly obtained from Very Large Telescope (VLT)/X-shooter or Palomar/Doublespec. Many of the spectra have both higher resolution (R > 2500, N ∼ 450) and/or very wide wavelength coverage (3200–10000 Å, N ∼ 600) that are important for a variety of AGN and host galaxy studies. We include newly revised AGN counterparts for the full sample and review important issues for population studies, with 47 AGN redshifts determined for the first time and 790 black hole mass and accretion rate estimates. This release is spectroscopically complete for all AGNs (100%, 858/858), with 99.8% having redshift measurements (857/858) and 96% completion in black hole mass estimates of unbeamed AGNs (722/752). This AGN sample represents a unique census of the brightest hard-X-ray-selected AGNs in the sky, spanning many orders of magnitude in Eddington ratio (L/L Edd = 10−5–100), black hole mass (M BH = 105–1010 M ⊙), and AGN bolometric luminosity (L bol = 1040–1047 erg s−1 ).

Termination Shocks and the Extended X-Ray Emission in Mrk 78

Subarcsecond imaging of the X-ray emission in the type 2 active galactic nucleus (AGN) Mrk 78 with Chandra shows complex structure with spectral variations on scales from ∼200 pc to ∼2 kpc. Overall the X-ray emission is aligned E–W with the radio (3.6 cm) and narrow emission line region as mapped in [O iii], with a marked E–W asymmetry. The eastern X-ray emission is mostly in a compact knot coincident with the location where the radio source is deflected, while the western X-ray emission forms a loop or shell ∼2 kpc from the nucleus with radius ∼0.7 kpc. There is suggestive evidence of shocks in both the eastern knot and the western arc. Both these positions coincide with large changes in the velocities of the [O iii] outflow. We discuss possible reasons why the X-ray shocks on the western side occur ∼1 kpc farther out than on the eastern side. We estimate that the thermal energy injected by the shocks into the interstellar medium corresponds to 0.05%–0.6% of the AGN bolometric luminosity.

Mid-infrared Variability of Low-redshift Active Galactic Nuclei: Constraints on a Hot Dust Component with a Variable Covering Factor

Abstract We utilize mid-infrared multiepoch data from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer over a ∼10 yr period in the W1 (3.4 μm) and W2 (4.6 μm) bands to investigate the structure of dusty torus in low-redshift (0.15 < z ≤ 0.4) active galactic nuclei (AGNs). We calculate a Spearman correlation coefficient (r 12) between the W1 magnitude and W1 − W2 color based on the light curve in individual objects. Interestingly, r 12 spans a broad range from −1 to 1 and is detected to be correlated with mean W1 − W2 color and AGN bolometric luminosity, in the sense that objects with a blue W1 − W2 color and low AGN luminosity tend to become redder (bluer) with increasing (decreasing) W1 brightness in the light curve (i.e., r 12 < 0), although the correlation of r 12 with the bolometric luminosity is relatively weak. The fit for the spectral energy distribution reveals a significant contribution from the host galaxy in the W1 and W2 bands. However, the dependencies of r 12 on the W1 − W2 color and AGN luminosity still persist even after careful elimination of the host light contribution. We propose that this result can be explained if the covering factor of the hot dust component decreases as the AGN luminosity increases.

The Close AGN Reference Survey (CARS)

Context.The strong asymmetry in the optical [O III]λ5007 emission line is one of the best signatures of active galactic nuclei (AGN) driven warm (∼104K) ionized gas outflows on host galaxy scales. While large spectroscopic surveys such as the sloan digital sky survey (SDSS) have characterized the kinematics of [O III] for large samples of AGN, estimating the associated energetics requires spatially resolving these outflows with, for example, integral field unit (IFU) studies.Aims.As part of the Close AGN Reference Survey, we obtained spatially resolved IFU spectroscopy for a representative sample of 39 luminous type 1 AGN at 0.01 < z < 0.06 with the multi unit spectroscopic explorer and the visible multi object spectrograph IFUs at the very large telescope to infer the spatial location of the ionized gas outflows.Methods.We compared the 2D light distributions of the [O III] wing to that of the Hβbroad emission line region, a classical point source (PSF). We then used the PSF to distinguish between the unresolved and resolved [O III] wing emission. We further determined its location using spectro-astrometry for the point-like sources.Results.The [O III] wing is spatially unresolved in 23 out of the 36 AGN with > 80% of the flux associated with a point-like source. We measured < 100 pc offsets in the spatial location of the outflow from the AGN nucleus using the spectro-astrometry technique for these sources. For the other 13 AGN, the [O III] wing emission is resolved and possibly extended on several kiloparsec scales.Conclusions.We conclude that [O III] wing emission can be compact or extended in an unbiased luminous AGN sample, where both cases are likely to appear. Electron density in the compact [O III] wing regions (medianne ∼ 1900 cm−3) is nearly a magnitude higher than in the extended ones (medianne ∼ 500 cm−3). The presence of spatially extended and compact [O III] wing emission is unrelated to the AGN bolometric luminosity and to inclination effects, which means other features such as time delays, or mechanical feedback (radio jets) may shape the ionized gas outflow properties.

Toward measuring the spin of obscured supermassive black holes

Context. Mass and spin are two fundamental properties of astrophysical black holes. While some established indirect methods are adopted to measure both these properties of active galactic nuclei (AGN) when viewed relatively face-on, very few suggested methods exist to measure these properties when AGN are highly inclined and potentially obscured by large amounts of gas. Aims. In this context we explore the accuracy and performance of a recently proposed method to estimate the spin of AGN by fitting the accretion disk spectral energy distribution, when adapted for highly inclined and obscured systems, and in particular to a sample of six local water megamasers. For these sources the accretion rate and inclination angle are both known, allowing us to rely only on the AGN bolometric luminosity to infer their spin. Methods. Using the bolometric luminosity as a proxy for the accretion disk peak luminosity, we derived the expected bolometric luminosity as a function of spin. Then, we measured the bolometric luminosity of each source through X-ray spectroscopy, and compared it with the expected value to constrain the spin of the AGN. Results. The quality of the constraints depend critically on the accuracy of the measured bolometric luminosity, which is difficult to estimate in heavily obscured systems. Three out of six sources do not show consistency between the expected and measured bolometric luminosities, while the other three (four, when considering the [OIII] line as tracer of the bolometric luminosity) are formally consistent with high spin values. Conclusions. Our results suggest that this method, although promising (and possibly considered as a future calibrator for other methods) needs better observational data and further theoretical modeling to be successfully applied to obscured AGN and to infer robust results.

BASS XXXI: Outflow scaling relations in low redshift X-ray AGN host galaxies with MUSE

ABSTRACT Ionized gas kinematics provide crucial evidence of the impact that active galactic nuclei (AGNs) have in regulating star formation in their host galaxies. Although the presence of outflows in AGN host galaxies has been firmly established, the calculation of outflow properties such as mass outflow rates and kinetic energy remains challenging. We present the [O iii]λ5007 ionized gas outflow properties of 22 z<0.1 X-ray AGN, derived from the BAT AGN Spectroscopic Survey using MUSE/VLT. With an average spatial resolution of 1 arcsec (0.1–1.2 kpc), the observations resolve the ionized gas clouds down to sub-kiloparsec scales. Resolved maps show that the [O iii] velocity dispersion is, on average, higher in regions ionized by the AGN, compared to star formation. We calculate the instantaneous outflow rates in individual MUSE spaxels by constructing resolved mass outflow rate maps, incorporating variable outflow density and velocity. We compare the instantaneous values with time-averaged outflow rates by placing mock fibres and slits on the MUSE field-of-view, a method often used in the literature. The instantaneous outflow rates (0.2–275 M⊙ yr−1) tend to be two orders of magnitude higher than the time-averaged outflow rates (0.001–40 M⊙ yr−1). The outflow rates correlate with the AGN bolometric luminosity (Lbol ∼ 1042.71–1045.62 erg s−1) but we find no correlations with black hole mass (106.1–108.9 M⊙), Eddington ratio (0.002–1.1), and radio luminosity (1021–1026 W Hz−1). We find the median coupling between the kinetic energy and Lbol to be 1 per cent, consistent with the theoretical predictions for an AGN-driven outflow.

AGN Selection Methods Have Profound Impacts on the Distributions of Host-galaxy Properties

Abstract We present a comparative study of X-ray and IR active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at z ≈ 2 to highlight the important AGN selection effects on the distributions of host-galaxy properties. Compared with non-AGN star-forming galaxies (SFGs) on the main sequence, X-ray AGNs have similar median star formation (SF) properties, but their incidence (q AGN) is higher among galaxies with either enhanced or suppressed SF, and among galaxies with a larger stellar-mass surface density, regardless if it is measured within the half-light radius (Σ e ) or central 1 kpc (Σ1kpc). Unlike X-ray AGNs, IR AGNs are less massive and have enhanced SF and similar distributions of colors, Σ e and Σ1kpc, relative to non-AGN SFGs. Given that Σ e and Σ1kpc strongly correlate with M *, we introduce the fractional mass within the central 1 kpc ( M 1 kpc / M ∗ ), which only weakly depends on M *, to quantify galaxy compactness. Both AGN populations have similar M 1 kpc / M ∗ distributions compared to non-AGN SFGs’. While q AGN increases with Σ e and Σ1kpc, it remains constant with M 1 kpc / M ∗ , indicating that the trend of increasing q AGN with Σ is driven by M * more than morphology. While our findings are not in conflict with the scenario of AGN quenching, they do not imply it either, because the incidence of AGNs hosted in transitional galaxies depends crucially on AGN selections. Additionally, despite the relatively large uncertainty of AGN bolometric luminosities, their very weak correlation, if any, with SF activities, regardless of AGN selections, also argues against a direct causal link between the presence of AGNs and the quenching of massive galaxies at z ∼ 2.

A Catalog of Host Galaxies for WISE-selected AGN: Connecting Host Properties with Nuclear Activity and Identifying Contaminants

Abstract We present a catalog of physical properties for galaxies hosting active galactic nuclei (AGN) detected by the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). By fitting broadband spectral energy distributions of sources in the WISE AGN Catalog with empirical galaxy and AGN templates, we derive photometric redshifts, AGN bolometric luminosities, measures of AGN obscuration, host galaxy stellar masses, and host galaxy star formation rates (SFRs) for 695,273 WISE AGN. The wide-area nature of this catalog significantly augments the known number of obscured AGN out to redshifts z ∼ 3 and will be useful for studies focused on AGN or their host galaxy physical properties. We first show that the most likely non-AGN contaminants are galaxies at redshifts z = 0.2–0.3, with relatively blue W1–W2 colors, and with high specific SFRs for which the dust continuum emission is elevated in the W2 filter. Toward increasingly lower redshifts, WISE AGN host galaxies have systematically lower specific SFRs relative to those of normal star-forming galaxies, likely due to decreased cold gas fractions and the time delay between global star formation and AGN triggering. Finally, WISE AGN obscuration is not strongly correlated with AGN bolometric luminosity but shows a significant negative correlation with the Eddington ratio. This result is consistent with a version of the receding torus model in which the obscuring material is located within the supermassive black hole gravitational sphere of influence and the dust inner radius increases due to radiation pressure.

Gamma Rays from Fast Black-hole Winds

Abstract Massive black holes at the centers of galaxies can launch powerful wide-angle winds that, if sustained over time, can unbind the gas from the stellar bulges of galaxies. These winds may be responsible for the observed scaling relation between the masses of the central black holes and the velocity dispersion of stars in galactic bulges. Propagating through the galaxy, the wind should interact with the interstellar medium creating a strong shock, similar to those observed in supernovae explosions, which is able to accelerate charged particles to high energies. In this work we use data from the Fermi Large Area Telescope to search for the γ-ray emission from galaxies with an ultrafast outflow (UFO): a fast (v ∼ 0.1 c), highly ionized outflow, detected in absorption at hard X-rays in several nearby active galactic nuclei (AGN). Adopting a sensitive stacking analysis we are able to detect the average γ-ray emission from these galaxies and exclude that it is due to processes other than UFOs. Moreover, our analysis shows that the γ-ray luminosity scales with the AGN bolometric luminosity and that these outflows transfer ∼0.04% of their mechanical power to γ-rays. Interpreting the observed γ-ray emission as produced by cosmic rays (CRs) accelerated at the shock front, we find that the γ-ray emission may attest to the onset of the wind–host interaction and that these outflows can energize charged particles up to the transition region between galactic and extragalactic CRs.

How Does the Polar Dust Affect the Correlation between Dust Covering Factor and Eddington Ratio in Type 1 Quasars Selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 16?

Abstract We revisit the dependence of the covering factor (CF) of dust torus on physical properties of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) by taking into account an AGN polar dust emission. The CF is converted from a ratio of infrared (IR) luminosity contributed from AGN dust torus ( ) and AGN bolometric luminosity (L bol), by assuming a nonlinear relation between luminosity ratio and intrinsic CF. We select 37,181 type 1 quasars at z < 0.7 from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 16 quasar catalog. Their L bol, black hole mass (M BH), and Eddington ratio (λ Edd) are derived by spectral fitting with QSFit. We conduct spectral energy distribution decomposition by using X-CIGALE with a clumpy torus and polar dust model to estimate without being affected by the contribution of stellar and AGN polar dust to IR emission. For 5752 quasars whose physical quantities are securely determined, we perform a correlation analysis on CF and (i) L bol, (ii) M BH, and (iii) λ Edd. As a result, anticorrelations for CF–L bol, CF–M BH, and CF–λ Edd are confirmed. We find that incorporating the AGN polar dust emission makes those anticorrelations stronger compared to those without considering it. This indicates that polar dust wind probably driven by AGN radiative pressure is one of the key components to regulate obscuring material of AGNs.

Relics of Supermassive Black Hole Seeds: The Discovery of an Accreting Black Hole in an Optically Normal, Low Metallicity Dwarf Galaxy

Abstract The detection and characterization of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in local low mass galaxies is crucial to our understanding of the origins of SMBHs. This statement assumes that low mass galaxies have had a relatively quiet cosmic history, so that their black holes have not undergone significant growth and therefore can be treated as relics of the original SMBH seeds. While recent studies have found optical signatures of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in a growing population of dwarf galaxies, these studies are biased against low metallicity and relatively merger-free galaxies, thus missing precisely the demographic in which to search for the relics of SMBH seeds. Here, we report the detection of the [Si vi]1.963 μm coronal line (CL), a robust indicator of an AGN in the galaxy SDSS J160135.95+311353.7, a nearby (z = 0.031) low metallicity galaxy with a stellar mass approximately an order of magnitude lower than the LMC (M * ≈ 108.56 M ⊙) and no optical evidence for an AGN. The AGN bolometric luminosity implied by the CL detection is ≈1042 erg s−1, precisely what is predicted from its near-infrared continuum emission based on well-studied AGNs. Our results are consistent with a black hole of mass ≈105 M ⊙, in line with expectations based on its stellar mass. This is the first time a near-infrared CL has been detected in a low mass, low metallicity galaxy with no optical evidence for AGN activity, providing confirmation of the utility of infrared CLs in finding AGNs in low mass galaxies when optical diagnostics fail. These observations highlight a powerful avenue of investigation to hunt for low mass black holes in the James Webb Space Telescope era.

Black Hole and Galaxy Coevolution in Moderately Luminous Active Galactic Nuclei at z ∼ 1.4 in SXDF

Abstract We investigate the relation of black hole mass versus host stellar mass and that of mass accretion rate versus star formation rate (SFR) in moderately luminous ( ), X-ray selected broad-line active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at z = 1.18–1.68 in the Subaru/XMM-Newton Deep Field. The far-infrared to far-ultraviolet spectral energy distributions of 85 AGNs are reproduced with the latest version of Code Investigating GALaxy Emission (CIGALE), where the AGN clumpy torus model SKIRTOR is implemented. Most of their hosts are confirmed to be main-sequence star-forming galaxies. We find that the mean ratio of the black hole mass (M BH) to the total stellar mass (M stellar) is , which is similar to the local black hole–to–bulge mass ratio. This suggests that if the host galaxies of these moderately luminous AGNs at z ∼ 1.4 are dominated by bulges, they already established the local black hole mass–bulge mass relation; if they are disk dominant, their black holes are overmassive relative to the bulges. The AGN bolometric luminosities and SFR show a good correlation with ratios higher than that expected from the local black hole-to-bulge mass relation, suggesting that these AGNs are in a SMBH-growth dominant phase.