Active Galactic Nuclei Unification Research Articles

Chromatically modeling the parsec-scale dusty structure in the center of NGC 1068

Context. The Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) has been providing breakthrough images of the dust in the central parsecs of active galactic nuclei (AGNs), which is thought to be a key component of the AGN unification scheme and AGN host galaxy interaction. In single infrared bands, these images can enjoin multiple interpretations, some of which could challenge the unification scheme. This is the case for the archetypal type 2 AGN of NGC 1068, whereby the degeneracy is reduced by multi-band temperature maps that are hindered by an ambiguity in the alignment between different single-band images. Aims. We aim to solve this problem by creating a chromatic model capable of simultaneously explaining the VLTI GRAVITY+MATISSE 2 μm–13 μm observations of AGNs hosted by NGC 1068. Methods. We employed a simple disk and wind geometry populated by spherical black-body emitters and dust obscuration to create a versatile multi-wavelength modelling method for chromatic IR interferometric data of dusty objects. Results. This simple geometry is capable of reproducing the spectro-interferometric data of NGC 1068 from the K through N bands. It explains the complex single band images with obscuration and inclination effects, and it solves the alignment problem between bands. We find that the resulting model disk and wind geometry is consistent with previous studies of comparable and larger scales. For example, compared to molecular gas emission, our model wind position angle (PA) of 2322° is close to the mas-scale outflowing CO(6–5) PA of ∼33° seen with ALMA. The equivalent 90° offset model disk PA is also consistent with the CO(6–5) disk axis of 112° as well as the mas-scale disk axis from CO(2–1), CO(3–2), and HCO+(4–3) of 115 ± 5°. Furthermore, the resulting model images visually resemble the multiple achromatic image reconstructions of the same data when evaluated at the same wavelengths. We conclude that the IR emitting structure surrounding the AGN within NGC 1068 can indeed be explained by the clumpy disk+wind iteration of the AGN unification scheme. Within the scheme, we find that it is best explained as a type 2 AGN and the obscuring dust chemistry can be explained by a mix of olivine silicates and 16 ± 1% amorphous carbon.

The X-ray variability of active galactic nuclei: Power spectrum and variance analysis of the Swift/BAT light curves

Aims. We study the X-ray power spectrum of active galactic nuclei (AGN) in order to investigate whether Seyfert I and II power spectra are similar or not and whether AGN variability depends on the mass and accretion rate of black holes as well as to compare the power spectra of AGN with the power spectra of Galactic X-ray black hole binaries. Method. We used 14–195 keV band light curves from the 157-month Swift/BAT hard X-ray survey, and we computed the mean power spectrum and excess variance of AGN in narrow black hole mass and AGN luminosity bins. We fitted a power-law model to the AGN power spectra, and we investigated whether the power spectrum parameters and the excess variance depend on the black hole mass, luminosity, and accretion rate of AGN. Results. We found the Seyfert I and Seyfert II power spectra to be identical, in agreement with AGN unification models. The mean AGN X-ray power spectrum has the same power-law like shape, with a slope of −1 in all AGN irrespective of their luminosity and black hole mass. We did not detect any flattening to a slope of zero at frequencies as low as 10−9 Hz. We detected an anti-correlation between the power spectral density function (PSD) amplitude and the accretion rate, similar to what has been seen in the past in the 2–10 keV band. This implies that the variability amplitude in AGN decreases with an increasing accretion rate. The universal AGN power spectrum is consistent with the mean 2–9 keV band Cyg X-1 power spectrum in its soft state. We detected a small difference in amplitude, but this is probably due to the difference in energy. Conclusions. The mean low-frequency AGN X-ray power spectrum is consistent with the extension of the mean 0.01–25 Hz Cyg X-1 power spectrum in its soft state to lower frequencies. We cannot prove that the mean AGN PSD is analogous to the mean Cyg X-1 PSD in its soft state, as we do not know the location of the high-frequency break in the hard X-ray AGN PSDs. However, if this is the case, then the accretion disc in AGN probably extends to the radius of the innermost circular stable orbit (as is probably the case with the black hole binaries in their soft state). The X-ray corona will then be located on top, illuminating the disc and producing the X-ray reflection and disc reverberation phenomena commonly observed in these objects. Furthermore, the agreement between the PSD amplitude in AGN and the Cyg X-1 (either in the soft or the hard state) over many decades in frequency indicates that the X-ray variability process is probably the same in all accreting objects, irrespective of the mass of the compact object. We plan to investigate this issue further in the near future.

The high energy X-ray probe (HEX-P): probing the physics of the X-ray corona in active galactic nuclei

The hard X-ray emission in active galactic nuclei (AGN) and black hole X-ray binaries is thought to be produced by a hot cloud of electrons referred to as the corona. This emission, commonly described by a power law with a high-energy cutoff, is suggestive of Comptonization by thermal electrons. While several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the origin, geometry, and composition of the corona, we still lack a clear understanding of this fundamental component. NuSTAR has been playing a key role improving our knowledge of X-ray coronæ thanks to its unprecedented sensitivity above 10 keV. However, these constraints are limited to bright, nearby sources. The High Energy X-ray Probe (HEX-P) is a probe-class mission concept combining high spatial resolution X-ray imaging and broad spectral coverage (0.2–80 keV) with a sensitivity superior to current facilities. In this paper, we highlight the major role that HEX-P will play in further advancing our insights of X-ray coronæ notably in AGN. We demonstrate how HEX-P will measure key properties and track the temporal evolution of coronæ in unobscured AGN. This will allow us to determine their electron distribution and test the dominant emission mechanisms. Furthermore, we show how HEX-P will accurately estimate the coronal properties of obscured AGN in the local Universe, helping address fundamental questions about AGN unification. In addition, HEX-P will characterize coronæ in a large sample of luminous quasars at cosmological redshifts for the first time and track the evolution of coronæ in transient systems in real time. We also demonstrate how HEX-P will enable estimating the coronal geometry using spectral-timing techniques. HEX-P will thus be essential to understand the evolution and growth of black holes over a broad range of mass, distance, and luminosity, and will help uncover the black holes’ role in shaping the Universe.

The Structure Function of Mid-infrared Variability in Low-redshift Active Galactic Nuclei

Using the multi-epoch mid-infrared (MIR) photometry from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer spanning a baseline of ∼10 yr, we extensively investigate the MIR variability of nearby active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at 0.15 < z < 0.4. We find that the ensemble structure function in the W1 band (3.4 μm) can be modeled with a broken power law. Type 1 AGNs tend to exhibit larger variability amplitudes than type 2 AGNs, possibly due to the extinction by the torus. The variability amplitude is inversely correlated with the AGN luminosity, consistent with a similar relation known in the optical. Meanwhile, the slope of the power law increases with AGN luminosity. This trend can be attributed to the fact that the inner radius of the torus is proportional to the AGN luminosity, as expected from the size−luminosity relation of the torus. Interestingly, low-luminosity type 2 AGNs, unlike low-luminosity type 1 AGNs, tend to exhibit smaller variability amplitude than do high-luminosity AGNs. We argue that either low-luminosity type 2 AGNs have distinctive central structures due to their low luminosity or their MIR brightness is contaminated by emission from the cold dust in the host galaxy. Our findings suggest that the AGN unification scheme may need to be revised. We find that the variability amplitude of dust-deficient AGNs is systematically larger than that of normal AGNs, supporting the notion that the hot and warm dust in dust-deficient AGNs may be destroyed and reformed according to the strength of the ultraviolet radiation from the accretion disk.

Large-scale clustering of buried X-ray AGN: Trends in AGN obscuration and redshift evolution

Aims. In order to test active galactic nucleus (AGN) unification and evolutionary models, we measured the AGN clustering properties as a function of AGN obscuration defined in terms of hydrogen column density, NH. In addition to measuring the clustering of unobscured (NH &lt; 1022 cm−2) and moderately obscured (1022 ≤ NH &lt; 1023.5) AGNs, we also targeted highly obscured sources (NH ≥ 1023.5) up to redshifts of z = 3. Methods. We have compiled one of the largest samples of X-ray-selected AGNs from a total of eight deep XMM/Chandra and multiwavelength surveys. We measured the clustering as a function of both AGN obscuration and redshift using the projected two-point correlation function, wp(rp). We modeled the large-scale clustering signal, measured the AGN bias, b(z, NH), and interpreted it in terms of the typical AGN host dark matter halo, Mhalo(z, NH). Results. We find no significant dependence of AGN clustering on obscuration, suggesting similar typical masses of the hosting halos as a function of NH. This result matches expectations of AGN unification models, in which AGN obscuration depends mainly on the viewing angle of the obscuring torus. We measured, for the first time, the clustering of highly obscured AGNs and find that these objects reside in halos with typical mass log Mhalo = 12.98−0.22+0.17[h−1 M⊙] (12.28−0.19+0.13) at low z ∼ 0.7 (high z ∼ 1.8) redshifts. We find that irrespective of obscuration, an increase in AGN bias with redshift is slower than the expectation for a constant halo mass and instead follows the growth rate of halos, known as the passive evolution track. This implies that for those AGNs the clustering is mainly driven by the mass growth rate of the hosting halos and galaxies across cosmic time.

Relation between AGN type and host galaxy properties

We use 3213 active galactic nuclei (AGNs) from the XMM-XXL northern field to investigate the relation of AGN type with host galaxy properties. Applying a Bayesian method, we derive the hardness ratios, and through these the hydrogen column density (NH) for each source. We consider those with NH &gt; 1021.5 cm−2 as absorbed sources (type 2). We examine the star formation rate (SFR) and the stellar mass (M*) distributions for both absorbed and unabsorbed sources. Our work indicates that there is no significant link between AGN type and these host galaxy properties. Next, we investigate whether the AGN power, as represented by its X-ray luminosity (LX) correlates with any deviation of the host galaxy’s place from the so-called main sequence of galaxies, and we examine this separately for the obscured and the unobscured AGN populations. To take into account the effect of M* and redshift on SFR, we use the normalised SFR (SFRnorm). We find that the correlation between LX and SFRnorm follows approximately the same trend for both absorbed and unabsorbed sources, a result that favours the standard AGN unification models. Finally, we explore the connection between the obscuration (NH) and the SFR. We find that there is no relation between them, suggesting that obscuration is not related to the large-scale SFR in the galaxy.

Searching for Nuclear Obscuration in the Infrared Spectra of Nearby FR I Radio Galaxies

Abstract How do active galactic nuclei with low optical luminosities produce powerful radio emission? Recent studies of active galactic nuclei with moderate radio and low optical luminosities (Fanaroff &amp; Riley class I, FR I) searching for broad nuclear emission lines in polarized light, as predicted by some active galactic nucleus unification models, have found heterogeneous results. These models typically consist of a central engine surrounded by a torus of discrete dusty clouds. These clouds would absorb and scatter optical emission, blocking broad nuclear emission lines, and reradiate in mid-infrared. Some scattered broad-line emission may be observable, depending on geometry, which would be polarized. We present a wide-band infrared spectroscopic analysis of 10 nearby FR I radio galaxies to determine whether there is significant emission from a dusty obscuring structure. We used Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithms to decompose Spitzer/IRS spectra of our sample. We constrained the wide-band behavior of our models with photometry from the Two Micron All Sky Survey, Spitzer/IRAC, Spitzer/MIPS, and Herschel/SPIRE. We find that one galaxy is best fit by a clumpy torus and three others show some thermal mid-infrared component. This suggests that in those three there is likely some obscuring dust structure that is inconsistent with our torus models and there must be some source of photons heating the dust. We conclude that 40% of our FR I radio galaxies show evidence of obscuring dusty material, possibly some other form of hidden broad-line nucleus, but only 10% favor the clumpy torus model specifically.

ALMA 0.″02 Resolution Observations Reveal HCN-abundance-enhanced Counter-rotating and Outflowing Dense Molecular Gas at the NGC 1068 Nucleus

Abstract We present ALMA ∼0.″02 resolution observations of the nucleus of the nearby (∼14 Mpc) type 2 active galactic nucleus NGC 1068 at HCN/HCO+/HNC J = 3–2 lines, as well as at their 13C isotopologue and vibrationally excited lines, to scrutinize the morphological, dynamical, chemical, and physical properties of dense molecular gas in the putative dusty molecular torus around a mass-accreting supermassive black hole. We confirm almost east–west-oriented dense molecular gas emission both morphologically and dynamically, which we regard as coming from the torus. Bright emission is compact (≲3 pc), and low-surface-brightness emission extends out to 5–7 pc. These dense molecular gas properties are not symmetric between the eastern and western torus. The HCN J = 3–2 emission is stronger than the HCO+ J = 3–2 emission within the ∼7 pc torus region, with an estimated dense molecular mass of (0.4–1.0) × 106 M ⊙. We interpret that HCN abundance is enhanced in the torus. We detect signatures of outflowing dense molecular gas and a vibrationally excited HCN J = 3–2 line. Finally, we find that in the innermost (≲1 pc) part of the torus, the dense molecular line rotation velocity, relative to the systemic velocity, is the opposite of that in the outer (≳2 pc) part, in both the eastern and western torus. We prefer a scenario of counter-rotating dense molecular gas with innermost almost Keplerian rotation and outer slowly rotating (far below Keplerian) components. Our high-spatial-resolution dense molecular line data reveal that torus properties of NGC 1068 are much more complicated than the simple axisymmetrically rotating torus picture in the classical active galactic nucleus unification paradigm.

Probing the AGN unification model at redshift z ∼ 3 with MUSE observations of giant Ly α nebulae

ABSTRACT A prediction of the classic active galactic nucleus (AGN) unification model is the presence of ionization cones with different orientations depending on the AGN type. Confirmations of this model exist for present times, but it is less clear in the early Universe. Here, we use the morphology of giant Ly α nebulae around AGNs at redshift z ∼ 3 to probe AGN emission and therefore the validity of the AGN unification model at this redshift. We compare the spatial morphology of 19 nebulae previously found around type I AGNs with a new sample of four Ly α nebulae detected around type II AGNs. Using two independent techniques, we find that nebulae around type II AGNs are more asymmetric than around type I, at least at radial distances r &amp;gt; 30 physical kpc (pkpc) from the ionizing source. We conclude that the type I and type II AGNs in our sample show evidence of different surrounding ionizing geometries. This suggests that the classical AGN unification model is also valid for high-redshift sources. Finally, we discuss how the lack of asymmetry in the inner parts (r ≲ 30 pkpc) and the associated high values of the He ii to Ly α ratios in these regions could indicate additional sources of (hard) ionizing radiation originating within or in proximity of the AGN host galaxies. This work demonstrates that the morphologies of giant Ly α nebulae can be used to understand and study the geometry of high-redshift AGNs on circumnuclear scales and it lays the foundation for future studies using much larger statistical samples.

Spectral Classification and Ionized Gas Outflows in z ∼ 2 WISE-selected Hot Dust-obscured Galaxies

Abstract We present Very Large Telescope/XSHOOTER rest-frame UV–optical spectra of 10 hot dust-obscured galaxies (Hot DOGs) at z ∼ 2 to investigate active galactic nucleus (AGN) diagnostics and assess the presence and effect of ionized gas outflows. Most Hot DOGs in this sample are narrow-line-dominated AGNs (type 1.8 or higher) and have higher Balmer decrements than typical type 2 quasars. Almost all (8/9) sources show evidence for ionized gas outflows in the form of broad and blueshifted [O iii] profiles, and some sources have such profiles in Hα (5/7) or [O ii] (3/6). Combined with the literature, these results support additional sources of obscuration beyond the simple torus invoked by AGN unification models. Outflow rates derived from the broad [O iii] line (≳103 M ⊙ yr−1) are greater than the black hole accretion and star formation rates, with feedback efficiencies (∼0.1%–1%) consistent with negative feedback to the host galaxy’s star formation in merger-driven quasar activity scenarios. We find that the broad emission lines in luminous, obscured quasars are often better explained by outflows within the narrow-line region and caution that black hole mass estimates for such sources in the literature may have substantial uncertainty. Regardless, we find lower bounds on the Eddington ratio for Hot DOGs near unity.

Dust Formation in AGN Winds

Abstract Infrared observations of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) reveal emission from the putative dusty circumnuclear “torus” invoked by AGN unification, which is heated up by radiation from the central accreting black hole (BH). The strong 9.7 and 18 μm silicate features observed in the AGN spectra, in both emission and absorption, further indicate the presence of such dusty environments. We present detailed calculations of the chemistry of silicate dust formation in AGN accretion disk winds. The winds considered herein are magnetohydrodynamic winds driven off the entire accretion disk domain that extends from the BH vicinity to the radius of BH influence, of order ∼1–100 pc depending on the mass of the resident BH. Our results indicate that these winds provide conditions conducive to the formation of significant amounts of dust, especially for objects accreting close to their Eddington limit, making AGNs a significant source of dust in the universe, especially for luminous quasars. Our models justify the importance of an r −1 density law in the winds for efficient formation and survival of dust grains. The dust production rate scales linearly with the mass of the central BH and varies as a power law of index between 2 and 2.5 with the dimensionless mass accretion rate. The resultant distribution of the dense dusty gas resembles a toroidal shape, with high column density and optical depths along the equatorial viewing angles, in agreement with the AGN unification picture.

Redefining the Torus: A Unifying View of AGNs in the Infrared and Submillimeter

Abstract The advent of high-angular-resolution IR and submillimeter interferometry allows for spatially resolved observations of the parsec-scale environment of active galactic nuclei (AGNs), commonly referred to as the “torus.” While molecular lines show the presence of large, massive disks, the IR observations appear to be dominated by a strong polar component that has been interpreted as a dusty wind. This paper aims at using characteristics shared by AGNs in each of the wavebands and a set of simple physical principles to form a unifying view of these seemingly contradictory observations: dusty molecular gas flows in from galactic scales of ∼100 pc to the subparsec environment via a disk with small to moderate scale height. The hot, inner part of the disk puffs up due to IR radiation pressure and unbinds a large amount of the inflowing gas from the black hole’s gravitational potential, providing the conditions to launch a wind driven by the radiation pressure from the AGN. The dusty wind feeds back mass into the galaxy at a rate of the order of ∼0.1–100 M ⊙ yr−1, depending on the AGN luminosity and Eddington ratio. Angle-dependent obscuration as required by AGN unification is provided by a combination of disk, wind, and wind-launching region.

AGN types and unification model

AbstractThe motivation of the “unified model” is to explain the main properties of the large zoo of active galactic nuclei with a single physical object. The discovery of broad permitted lines in the polarized spectrum of type 2 Seyfert galaxies in the mid 80’s led to the idea of an obscuring torus, whose orientation with respect to our line of sight was the reason of the different optical spectra. However, after many years of observations with different techniques, including IR and mm interferometry, the resulting properties of the observed dust structures differ from the torus model that would be needed to explain the type 1 vs type 2 dichotomy. Moreover, in the last years, multi-frequency monitoring of active galactic nuclei has shown an increasing number of transitions from one type to the other one, which cannot be explained in terms of the simple orientation of the dusty structure surrounding the active galactic nucleus (AGN). The interrelations between the AGN and the host galaxy, as also shown in the Magorrian relation, suggest that the evolution of the host galaxy may also have an important role in the observed manifestation of the nuclei. As an example, the observed delay between the maximum star formation activity and the onset of the AGN activity, and the higher occurrence of type 2 nuclei in star forming galaxies, have suggested the possible evolutionary path from, e.g., H II → AGN2 → AGN1. In the next years the models of unification need to also consider this observational framework and not only simple orientation effects.

Jet Power of Jetted Active Galactic Nuclei: Implications for Evolution and Unification

Abstract We construct samples of jetted active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with low-frequency radio data from the recently released TGSS AD1 catalog at 150 MHz. With these samples, we compare the properties of jet power for blazars, radio-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies (RL-NLS1s), young radio sources (YRSs), and radio galaxies. The jet–disk connection, and the unification of jetted AGNs are explored. On the Eddington ratio–Eddington-scaled jet power plane, jetted AGNs can generally be divided into two populations. Low power radio galaxies, low excitation FR IIs (LEG/FR IIs), and most YRSs show larger jet power than accretion power, while on the contrary FSRQs, RL-NLS1s, and high excitation FR IIs (HEG/FR IIs) show larger accretion power than jet power. LEG/FR IIs share similar jet power properties with HEG/FR IIs, while their accretion properties are different from the latter. These facts suggest an evolutional sequence from HEG/FR IIs, LEG/FR IIs to FR Is, where the accretion and jet activities get dimmed gradually. LEG/FR IIs are the transitional objects that accretion processes have switched off, while jets are still active. After correcting the contribution from the radio core of blazars, the unification between blazars and radio galaxies is confirmed with the jet power distributions. The unification that involved RL-NLS1s is more complicated than the simple scenarios of black hole growth or orientation effect. In addition, our results manifest that low synchrotron peaked BL Lac objects (LBLs) contain two distinct groups regarding the distribution of jet power, with one group being similar to FSRQs and the other similar to intermediate synchrotron peaked BL Lac objects. The LBLs with higher jet powers might be the aligned counterparts of LEG/FR IIs.

The Host-galaxy Properties of Type 1 versus Type 2 Active Galactic Nuclei

Abstract The unified model of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) proposes that different AGN optical spectral types are caused by different viewing angles with respect to an obscuring “torus.” Therefore, this model predicts that type 1 and type 2 AGNs should have similar host-galaxy properties. We investigate this prediction with 2463 X-ray-selected AGNs in the COSMOS field. We divide our sample into type 1 and type 2 AGNs based on their spectra, morphologies, and variability. We derive their host-galaxy stellar masses (M ⋆) through spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting, and we find that the hosts M ⋆ of type 1 AGNs tend to be slightly smaller than those of type 2 AGNs by (≈4σ significance). Besides deriving star formation rates (SFRs) from SED fitting, we also utilize far-infrared (FIR) photometry and a stacking method to obtain FIR-based SFRs. We find that the SFRs of type 1 and type 2 sources are similar once their redshifts and X-ray luminosities are controlled. We also investigate the cosmic environment, and we find that the surface number densities (sub-Mpc) and cosmic-web environments (≈1–10 Mpc) are similar for both populations. In summary, our analyses show that the host galaxies of type 1 and type 2 AGNs have similar SFRs and cosmic environments in general, but the former tend to have a lower M ⋆ than the latter. The difference in M ⋆ indicates that the AGN unification model is not strictly correct, and both host galaxy and torus may contribute to the optical obscuration of AGNs.

The evolving X-ray spectrum of active galactic nuclei: evidence for an increasing reflection fraction with redshift

The cosmic X-ray background (XRB) spectrum and active galaxy number counts encode essential information about the spectral evolution of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and have been successfully modeled by XRB synthesis models for many years. Recent measurements of the $8$--$24$ keV AGN number counts by NuSTAR and Swift-BAT are unable to be simultaneously described by existing XRB synthesis models, indicating a fundamental breakdown in our understanding of AGN evolution. Here we show that the $8$--$24$ keV AGN number counts can be successfully modeled with an XRB synthesis model in which the reflection strength ($R$) in the spectral model increases with redshift. We show that an increase in reflection strength with redshift is a natural outcome of (1) connecting $R$ to the incidence of high column density gas around AGNs, and (2) the growth in the AGN obscured fraction to higher redshifts. In addition to the redshift evolution of $R$, we also find tentative evidence that an increasing Compton-thick fraction with $z$ is necessary to describe the $8$--$24$ keV AGN number counts determined by NuSTAR. These results show that, in contrast to the traditional orientation-based AGN unification model, the nature and covering factor of the absorbing gas and dust around AGNs evolve over time and must be connected to physical processes in the AGN environment. Future XRB synthesis models must allow for the redshift evolution of AGN spectral parameters. This approach may reveal fundamental connections between AGNs and their host galaxies.

The Halo Occupation Distribution of obscured quasars: revisiting the unification model

We model the projected angular two-point correlation function (2PCF) of obscured and unobscured quasars selected using the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), at a median redshift of $z \sim 1$ using a five-parameter Halo Occupation Distribution (HOD) parameterization, derived from a cosmological hydrodynamic simulation by Chatterjee et al. The HOD parameterization was previously used to model the 2PCF of optically selected quasars and X-ray bright active galactic nuclei (AGN) at $z \sim 1$. The current work shows that a single HOD parameterization can be used to model the population of different kinds of AGN in dark matter halos suggesting the universality of the relationship between AGN and their host dark matter halos. Our results show that the median halo mass of central quasar hosts increases from optically selected ($4.1^{+0.3}_{-0.4} \times 10^{12} \; h^{-1} \; {M_{sun}}$) and infra-red (IR) bright unobscured populations ($6.3^{+6.2}_{-2.3} \times 10^{12} \; h^{-1} \; {M_{sun}}$) to obscured quasars ($10.0^{+2.6}_{-3.7} \times 10^{12} \; h^{-1} \; {M_{sun}}$), signifying an increase in the degree of clustering. The projected satellite fractions also increase from optically bright to obscured quasars and tend to disfavor a simple `orientation only' theory of active galactic nuclei unification. Our results also show that future measurements of the small-scale clustering of obscured quasars can constrain current theories of galaxy evolution where quasars evolve from an IR- bright obscured phase to the optically bright unobscured phase.

Spatial clustering and halo occupation distribution modelling of local AGN via cross-correlation measurements with 2MASS galaxies

We present the clustering properties and halo occupation distribution (HOD) modelling of very low redshift, hard X-ray-detected active galactic nuclei (AGN) using cross-correlation function measurements with Two-Micron All Sky Survey galaxies. Spanning a redshift range of $0.007 < z < 0.037$, with a median $z=0.024$, we present a precise AGN clustering study of the most local AGN in the Universe. The AGN sample is drawn from the SWIFT/BAT 70-month and INTEGRAL/IBIS eight year all-sky X-ray surveys and contains both type I and type II AGN. We find a large-scale bias for the full AGN sample of $b=1.04^{+0.10}_{-0.11}$, which corresponds to a typical host dark matter halo mass of $M_{\rm h}^{\rm typ}=12.84^{+0.22}_{-0.30}\,h^{-1} M_{\odot}$. When split into low and high X-ray luminosity and type I and type II AGN subsamples, we detect no statistically significant differences in the large-scale bias parameters. However, there are differences in the small-scale clustering which are reflected in the full HOD model results. We find that low and high X-ray luminosity AGN, as well as type I and type II AGN, occupy dark matter haloes differently, with 3.4$\sigma$ and 4.0$\sigma$ differences in their mean halo masses, respectively, when split by luminosity and type. The latter finding contradicts a simple orientation-based AGN unification model. As a by-product of our cross-correlation approach, we also present the first HOD model of 2MASS galaxies.

Dissecting the active galactic nucleus in Circinus – I. Peculiar mid-IR morphology explained by a dusty hollow cone

Recent high angular resolution observations resolved for the first time the mid-infrared (MIR) structure of nearby active galactic nuclei (AGN). Surprisingly, they revealed that a major fraction of their MIR emission comes from the polar regions. This is at odds with the expectation based on AGN unification, which postulates a dusty torus in the equatorial region. The nearby, archetypical AGN in the Circinus galaxy offers one of the best opportunities to study the MIR emission in greater detail. New, high quality MIR images obtained with the upgraded VISIR instrument at the Very Large Telescope show that the previously detected bar-like structure extends up to at least 40 pc on both sides of the nucleus along the edges of the ionization cone. Motivated by observations across a wide wavelength range and on different spatial scales, we propose a phenomenological dust emission model for the AGN in the Circinus galaxy consisting of a compact dusty disk and a large-scale dusty cone shell, illuminated by a tilted accretion disk with an anisotropic emission pattern. Undertaking detailed radiative transfer simulations, we demonstrate that such a model is able to explain the peculiar MIR morphology and account for the entire IR spectral energy distribution. Our results call for caution when attributing dust emission of unresolved sources entirely to the torus and warrant further investigation of the MIR emission in the polar regions of AGN.

An Orientation-Based Unification of Young Jetted AGN: The Case of 3C 286

In recent years, the old paradigm according to which only high-mass black holes can launch powerful relativistic jets in active galactic nuclei (AGN) has begun to crumble. The discovery of $\gamma$-rays coming from narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLS1s), usually considered young and growing AGN harboring a central black hole with mass typically lower than 10$^8$ M$_\odot$, indicated that also these low-mass AGN can produce powerful relativistic jets. The search for parent population of $\gamma$-ray emitting NLS1s revealed their connection with compact steep-spectrum sources (CSS). In this proceeding we present a review of the current knowledge of these sources, we present the new important case of 3C 286, classified here for the fist time as NLS1, and we finally provide a tentative orientation based unification of NLS1s and CSS sources.