Radio-selected Active Galactic Nuclei Research Articles

Mapping AGN winds: A connection between radio-mode AGNs and the AGN feedback cycle

We present a kinematic analysis based on the large integral field spectroscopy (IFS) dataset of SDSS-IV MaNGA (Sloan Digital Sky Survey/Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory; ∼10 000 galaxies). We have compiled a diverse sample of 594 unique active galactic nuclei (AGNs), identified through a variety of independent selection techniques, encompassing radio (1.4 GHz) observations, optical emission-line diagnostics (BPT), broad Balmer emission lines, mid-infrared colors, and hard X-ray emission. We investigated how ionized gas kinematics behave in these different AGN populations through stacked radial profiles of the [O III] 5007 emission-line width across each AGN population. We contrasted AGN populations against each other (and non-AGN galaxies) by matching samples by stellar mass, [O III] 5007 luminosity, morphology, and redshift. We find similar kinematics between AGNs selected by BPT diagnostics compared to broad-line-selected AGNs. We also identify a population of non-AGNs with similar radial profiles as AGNs, indicative of the presence of remnant outflows (or fossil outflows) of past AGN activity. We find that purely radio-selected AGNs display enhanced ionized gas line widths across all radii. This suggests that our radio-selection technique is sensitive to a population in which AGN-driven kinematic perturbations have been active for longer durations (potentially due to recurrent activity) than in purely optically selected AGNs. This connection between radio activity and extended ionized gas outflow signatures is consistent with recent evidence that suggests radio emission (expected to be diffuse) originated due to shocks from outflows. We conclude that different selection techniques can trace different AGN populations not only in terms of energetics but also in terms of AGN evolutionary stages. Our results are important in the context of the AGN duty cycle and highlight integral field unit data’s potential to deepen our knowledge of AGNs and galaxy evolution.

AGN number fraction in galaxy groups and clusters atz< 1.4 from the Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam survey

AbstractOne of the key questions on active galactic nuclei (AGN) in galaxy clusters is how AGN could affect the formation and evolution of member galaxies and galaxy clusters in the history of the Universe. To address this issue, we investigate the dependence of AGN number fraction (fAGN) on cluster redshift (zcl) and distance from the cluster center (R$/$R200). We focus on more than 27000 galaxy groups and clusters at 0.1 < zcl < 1.4 with more than 1 million member galaxies selected from the Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam. By combining various AGN selection methods based on infrared (IR), radio, and X-ray data, we identify 2688 AGN. We find that (i) fAGN increases with zcl and (ii) fAGN decreases with R$/$R200. The main contributors to the rapid increase of fAGN towards high-z and cluster center are IR- and radio-selected AGN, respectively. These results indicate that the emergence of the AGN population depends on the environment and redshift, and galaxy groups and clusters at high z play an important role in AGN evolution. We also find that cluster–cluster mergers may not drive AGN activity in at least the cluster center, while we have tentative evidence that cluster–cluster mergers could enhance AGN activity in the outskirts of (particularly massive) galaxy clusters.

Identifying AGN Host Galaxies by Machine Learning with HSC+WISE

Abstract We investigate the performance of machine-learning techniques in classifying active galactic nuclei (AGNs), including X-ray-selected AGNs (XAGNs), infrared-selected AGNs (IRAGNs), and radio-selected AGNs (RAGNs). Using the known physical parameters in the Cosmic Evolution Survey (COSMOS) field, we are able to create quality training samples in the region of the Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) survey. We compare several Python packages (e.g., scikit-learn, Keras, and XGBoost) and use XGBoost to identify AGNs and show the performance (e.g., accuracy, precision, recall, F1 score, and AUROC). Our results indicate that the performance is high for bright XAGN and IRAGN host galaxies. The combination of the HSC (optical) information with the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer band 1 and band 2 (near-infrared) information performs well to identify AGN hosts. For both type 1 (broad-line) XAGNs and type 1 (unobscured) IRAGNs, the performance is very good by using optical-to-infrared information. These results can apply to the five-band data from the wide regions of the HSC survey and future all-sky surveys.

The LOFAR Two-meter Sky Survey: Deep Fields Data Release 1

We present the source associations, cross-identifications, and multi-wavelength properties of the faint radio source population detected in the deep tier of the LOFAR Two Metre Sky Survey (LoTSS): the LoTSS Deep Fields. The first LoTSS Deep Fields data release consists of deep radio imaging at 150 MHz of the ELAIS-N1, Lockman Hole, and Boötes fields, down to RMS sensitives of around 20, 22, and 32 μJy beam−1, respectively. These fields are some of the best studied extra-galactic fields in the northern sky, with existing deep, wide-area panchromatic photometry from X-ray to infrared wavelengths, covering a total of ≈26 deg2. We first generated improved multi-wavelength catalogues in ELAIS-N1 and Lockman Hole; combined with the existing catalogue for Boötes, we present forced, matched aperture photometry for over 7.2 million sources across the three fields. We identified multi-wavelength counterparts to the radio detected sources, using a combination of the Likelihood Ratio method and visual classification, which greatly enhances the scientific potential of radio surveys and allows for the characterisation of the photometric redshifts and the physical properties of the host galaxies. The final radio-optical cross-matched catalogue consists of 81 951 radio-detected sources, with counterparts identified and multi-wavelength properties presented for 79 820 (>97%) sources. We also examine the properties of the host galaxies, and through stacking analysis find that the radio population with no identified counterpart is likely dominated by active galactic nuclei (AGN) atz~ 3−4. This dataset contains one of the largest samples of radio-selected star-forming galaxies and AGN at these depths, making it ideal for studying the history of star-formation, and the evolution of galaxies and AGN across cosmic time.

The M *–M halo Relation at 0.08 < z < 1.53 in COSMOS: The Role of Active Galactic Nucleus Radio-mode Feedback

Abstract In the current picture of cosmology and astrophysics, the formation and evolution of galaxies is closely linked to that of their dark matter haloes. The best representation of this galaxy-dark matter halo co-evolution is the M * – M halo relation. In this study we investigate how the radio-mode feedback from active galactic nuclei (AGN) affects the M * – M halo relation at redshifts 0.08 < z < 1.53. We use a set of 111 radio-selected AGN at 3 GHz VLA-COSMOS within the X-ray galaxy groups in the COSMOS field. We compare these results to those for 171 star-forming galaxies (SFGs), using the theoretical relation of Moster et al. We find that AGN agree within 1% with the Moster et al. relation, SFGs show an offset of 37%, suggesting that the radio-mode feedback from AGN at a median redshift of ∼0.5 still plays a significant role in the M * – M halo relation.

Outflows, Shocks, and Coronal Line Emission in a Radio-selected AGN in a Dwarf Galaxy

Abstract Massive black holes (BHs) in dwarf galaxies can provide strong constraints on BH seeds; however, reliably detecting them is notoriously difficult. High-resolution radio observations were recently used to identify accreting massive BHs in nearby dwarf galaxies, with a significant fraction found to be non-nuclear. Here we present the first results of our optical follow-up of these radio-selected active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in dwarf galaxies using integral field unit (IFU) data from Gemini-North. We focus on the dwarf galaxy J1220+3020, which shows no clear optical AGN signatures in its nuclear Sloan Digital Sky Survey spectrum covering the radio source. With our new IFU data, we confirm the presence of an active BH via the AGN coronal line [Fe x] and enhanced [O i] emission coincident with the radio source. Furthermore, we detect broad Hα emission and estimate a BH mass of M BH = 104.9 M ⊙. We compare the narrow emission line ratios to standard BPT diagnostics and shock models. Spatially resolved BPT diagrams show some AGN signatures, particularly in [O i]/Hα, but overall do not unambiguously identify the AGN. A comparison of our data to shock models clearly indicates shocked emission surrounding the AGN. The physical model most consistent with the data is an active BH with a radiatively inefficient accretion flow that both photoionizes and shock-excites the surrounding gas. We conclude that feedback is important in radio-selected BHs in dwarf galaxies and that radio surveys may probe a population of low accretion rate BHs in dwarf galaxies that cannot be detected through optical surveys alone.

The study of the angular and spatial distribution of radio-selected AGNs and star-forming galaxies in the ELAIS N1 field

ABSTRACT The cosmic evolution of bias of different source populations with underlying dark matter density field in post-reionization era can shed light on large-scale structures. Studying the angular and spatial distribution of different compact sources using deep radio catalogue at low frequency is essential to understand the matter distribution of the present Universe. Here, we investigate the relationship of luminous matter with their host dark matter haloes by measuring the angular and spatial clustering of sources (two-point statistics), using deep radio observation of ELAIS N1 (EN1) field with upgraded Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (uGMRT) at 300–500 MHz. We also analyse the 612 MHz GMRT archival data of the same field to understand the cosmic evolution of clustering of different source populations. We classify the sources as star-forming galaxies (SFGs) and active galactic nuclei (AGNs) based on their radio luminosity. We find that the spatial clustering length and bias to the dark matter density field of SFGs are smaller than AGNs at both frequencies. This proves that AGNs are mainly hosted by massive haloes and hence strongly clustered. However, a small decrease in the bias for both kind of sources at higher frequency indicates that we are most likely tracing the faint objects residing in less-massive haloes at higher frequencies. Our results are in excellent agreement with previous findings at radio and multifrequency surveys. However, comparison with SKADS simulation suggests that the halo mass for different populations used in the simulation is systematically lower. This work quantifies the spatial distribution of extragalactic compact objects in EN1 field and bridges the gap between shallow and deep surveys.

The role of galaxy mass on AGN emission: a view from the VANDELS survey

ABSTRACT We present a comparative analysis of the properties of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) emitting at radio and X-ray wavelengths. The study is performed on 907 X-ray AGNs and 100 radio AGNs selected on the CDFS and UDS fields and makes use of new and ancillary data available to the VANDELS collaboration. Our results indicate that the mass of the host galaxy is a fundamental quantity that determines the level of AGN activity at the various wavelengths. Indeed, large stellar masses are found to be connected with AGN radio emission, as virtually all radio-active AGNs reside within galaxies of M* > 1010 M⊙. Large stellar masses also seem to favour AGN activity in the X-ray, even though X-ray AGNs present a mass distribution that is more spread out and with a non-negligible tail at M* ≲ 109 M⊙. Stellar mass alone is also observed to play a fundamental role in simultaneous radio and X-ray emission: the percentage of AGNs active at both wavelengths increases from around 1 per cent of all X-ray AGNs residing within hosts of M* < 1011 M⊙ to ∼13 per cent in more massive galaxies. In the case of radio-selected AGNs, such a percentage moves from ∼15 per cent to ∼45 per cent (but up to ∼80 per cent in the deepest fields). Neither cosmic epoch, nor radio luminosity, X-ray luminosity, Eddington ratio or star formation rate of the hosts are found to be connected to an enhanced probability for joint radio + X-ray emission of AGN origin. Furthermore, only a loose relation is observed between X-ray and radio luminosity in those AGNs that are simultaneously active at both frequencies.

Interstellar scintillation, ISS, and intrinsic variability of radio AGN

We investigate the relationship between the 5 GHz interstellar scintillation (ISS) and the 15 GHz intrinsic variability of the compact, radio-selected active galactic nuclei (AGN) common to the Microarcsecond Scintillation-Induced Variability (MASIV) Survey and the Owens Valley Radio Observatory blazar flux density monitoring program. As part of this investigation, we also re-examine the reported intrinsic nature of the February 1990 VLA observations of the blazar S5 0716+714. We are also examining the presence of IDV/ISS in the Owens Valley 15 GHz flux density monitoring data. We find a significant relationship between the Owens Valley 15 GHz modulation index and the MASIV modulation index. We also discuss the implications of these findings for RadioAstron.

The Massive and Distant Clusters of WISE Survey. IV. The Distribution of Active Galactic Nuclei in Galaxy Clusters at z ∼ 1

Abstract We present an analysis of the radial distribution of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in 2300 galaxy clusters from the Massive and Distant Clusters of Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer Survey (MaDCoWS). MaDCoWS provides the largest coverage of the extragalactic sky for a cluster sample at z ∼ 1. We use literature catalogs of AGNs selected via optical, midinfrared (MIR), and radio data, and by optical-to-MIR (OIR) color. Stacking the radial distribution of AGNs within the 6′ of the centers of MaDCoWS galaxy clusters, we find a distinct overdensity of AGNs within 1′ of the galaxy cluster center for AGNs of all selection methods. The fraction of red galaxies that host AGNs as a function of clustercentric distance is, however, dependent on the AGN selection. The fraction of red galaxies in cluster environments that host AGNs selected by optical signatures or blue OIR color is at a deficit compared to the field, whereas MIR-selected and red OIR color AGNs are enhanced in the centers of clusters when compared to field levels. The radio-selected AGN fraction is more than 2.5 times that of the field, implying that the centers of clusters are conducive to the triggering of radio emission in AGNs. We do not find a statistically significant change in the AGN fraction as a function of cluster richness. We also investigate the correlation of central radio activity with other AGNs in galaxy clusters. Clusters with radio activity have more central AGNs than do radio-inactive clusters, implying that central cluster radio activity and AGN triggering may be linked.

The XXL Survey

We present the 25 square-degree GMRT-XXL-N 610 MHz radio continuum survey, conducted at 50 cm wavelength with the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) towards the XXL Northern field (XXL-N). We combined previously published observations of the XMM-Large Scale Structure (XMM-LSS) field, located in the central part of XXL-N, with newly conducted observations towards the remaining XXL-N area, and imaged the combined data-set using the Source Peeling and Atmospheric Modeling (SPAM) pipeline. The final mosaic encompasses a total area of 30.4 square degrees, with rms <150 μJy beam−1 over 60% of the area. The rms achieved in the inner 9.6 square degree area, enclosing the XMM-LSS field, is about 200 μJy beam−1, while that over the outer 12.66 square degree area (which excludes the noisy edges) is about 45 μJy beam−1. The resolution of the final mosaic is 6.5 arcsec. We present a catalogue of 5434 sources detected at ≥7 ×rms. We verify, and correct the reliability of, the catalog in terms of astrometry, flux, and false detection rate. Making use of the (to date) deepest radio continuum survey over a relatively large (2 square degree) field, complete at the flux levels probed by the GMRT-XXL-N survey, we also assess the survey’s incompleteness as a function of flux density. The radio continuum sensitivity reached over a large field with a wealth of multi-wavelength data available makes the GMRT-XXL-N 610 MHz survey an important asset for studying the physical properties, environments and cosmic evolution of radio sources, in particular radio-selected active galactic nuclei (AGN).

Linear radio size evolution of μJy populations

We investigate the linear radio size properties of the μJy populations of radio-selected active galactic nuclei (AGN) and star-forming galaxies (SFGs) using a multi-resolution catalog based on the original VLA-COSMOS 3 GHz 0.″75 resolution mosaic and its convolved images (up to a resolution of 2.″2). The final catalog contains 6399 radio sources above a 3 GHz total flux density of ST > 20 μJy (median ⟨ST⟩=37 μJy), with redshift information (median ⟨z⟩=1.0), and multi-wavelength classification as SFGs, radio-excess AGN (RX-AGN), or non-radio-excess AGN (NRX-AGN). RX-AGN are those whose radio emission exceeds the star formation rate derived by fitting the global spectral energy distribution. We derive the evolution with redshift and luminosity of the median linear sizes of each class of objects. We find that RX-AGN are compact, with median sizes of ∼1–2 kpc and increasing with redshift, corresponding to an almost constant angular size of 0.″25. NRX-AGN typically have radio sizes a factor of 2 larger than the RX-AGN. The median radio size of SFGs is about 5 kpc up to z ∼ 0.7, and it decreases beyond this redshift. Using luminosity-complete subsamples of objects, we separately investigate the effect of redshift and luminosity dependance. We compare the radio sizes of SFGs with those derived in the rest-frame far-infrared (FIR) and UV bands. We find that SFGs have comparable sizes (within 15%) in the radio and rest-frame FIR, while the sizes measured in the UV-band are systematically larger than the radio sizes.

SMBH accretion properties of radio-selected AGN out to z ∼ 4

Exploring how radio-emitting active galactic nuclei (AGN) behave and evolve with time is critical for understanding how AGN feedback impacts galaxy evolution. In this work, we investigate the relationship between 1.4 GHz radio continuum AGN luminosity ($L^{\rm AGN}_{\rm 1.4}$), specific black hole accretion rate (s-BHAR, defined as the accretion luminosity relative to the galaxy stellar mass) and redshift, for a luminosity-complete sample of radio-selected AGN in the VLA COSMOS 3 GHz Large Project. The sample was originally selected from radio-continuum observations at 3 GHz, and includes about 1800 radio AGN identified via ($>2\sigma$) radio-excess relative to the infrared-radio correlation of star-forming galaxies. We further select a subsample of over 1200 radio AGN that is complete in $L^{\rm AGN}_{\rm 1.4}$ over different redshift ranges, out to z~4, and use X-ray stacking to calculate the average s-BHAR in each $L^{\rm AGN}_{\rm 1.4}$-$z$ bin. We find that the average s-BHAR is independent of $L^{\rm AGN}_{\rm 1.4}$, at all redshifts. However, we see a strong increase of s-BHAR with redshift, at fixed $L^{\rm AGN}_{\rm 1.4}$. This trend resembles the strong increase in the fraction of star-forming host galaxies (based on the $(NUV-r)$ / $(r-J)$ colours) with redshift, at fixed $L^{\rm AGN}_{\rm 1.4}$. A possible explanation for this similarity might imply a link between average AGN radiative power and availability of cold gas supply within the host galaxy. This study corroborates the idea that radio-selected AGN become more radiatively efficient towards earlier epochs, independently of their radio power.

The clustering and bias of radio-selected AGN and star-forming galaxies in the COSMOS field

Dark matter haloes in which galaxies reside are likely to have a significant impact on their evolution. We investigate the link between dark matter haloes and their constituent galaxies by measuring the angular two-point correlation function of radio sources, using recently released 3 GHz imaging over $\sim 2 \ \mathrm{deg}^2$ of the COSMOS field. We split the radio source population into Star Forming Galaxies (SFGs) and Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN), and further separate the AGN into radiatively efficient and inefficient accreters. Restricting our analysis to $z<1$, we find SFGs have a bias, $b = 1.5 ^{+0.1}_{-0.2}$, at a median redshift of $z=0.62$. On the other hand, AGN are significantly more strongly clustered with $b = 2.1\pm 0.2$ at a median redshift of 0.7. This supports the idea that AGN are hosted by more massive haloes than SFGs. We also find low-accretion rate AGN are more clustered ($b = 2.9 \pm 0.3$) than high-accretion rate AGN ($b = 1.8^{+0.4}_{-0.5}$) at the same redshift ($z \sim 0.7$), suggesting that low-accretion rate AGN reside in higher mass haloes. This supports previous evidence that the relatively hot gas that inhabits the most massive haloes is unable to be easily accreted by the central AGN, causing them to be inefficient. We also find evidence that low-accretion rate AGN appear to reside in halo masses of $M_{h} \sim 3-4 \times 10^{13}h^{-1}$M$_{\odot}$ at all redshifts. On the other hand, the efficient accreters reside in haloes of $M_{h} \sim 1-2 \times 10^{13}h^{-1}$M$_{\odot}$ at low redshift but can reside in relatively lower mass haloes at higher redshifts. This could be due to the increased prevalence of cold gas in lower mass haloes at $z \ge 1$ compared to $z<1$.

WHAT MAKES A RADIO-AGN TICK? TRIGGERING AND FEEDING OF ACTIVE GALAXIES WITH STRONG RADIO JETS

Although the link between activity in the nuclei of galaxy and galactic mergers has been under scrutinyfor several years, it is still unclear to what extent and for which populations of active galaxies merger-triggered activity is relevant. The environments of AGN allow an indirect probe of the past merger historyand future merger probability of these systems, su ering less from sensitivity issues when extended tohigher redshifts than traditional morphological studies of AGN host galaxies. Here we present results fromour investigation of the environment of radio selected sources out to a redshift z=2. We employ the rstdata release J-band catalog of the new near-IR Infrared Medium-Deep Survey (IMS), 1.4 GHz radio datafrom the Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-cm (FIRST) survey and a deep dedicated VLA survey ofthe VIMOS eld, covering a combined total of 20 sq. degrees. At a ux limit of the combined radio catalogof 0.1 mJy, we probe over 8 orders of magnitude of radio luminosity. Using the second closest neighbordensity parameters, we test whether active galaxies inhabit denser environments. We nd evidence for asub-population of radio-selected AGN that reside in signi cantly overdense environments at small scales,although we do not nd signi cant overdensities for the bulk of our sample. We show that radio-AGN inthe most underdense environments have vigorous ongoing star formation. We interpret these results interms of the triggering and fuelling mechanism of radio-AGN.Key words: galaxies: active { galaxies: jets { galaxies: star formation { galaxies: evolution1. THE TRIGGERING OF RADIO-AGNThe recent decades have revolutionized our understand-ing of how galaxies and the supermassive black holes attheir centers evolve (e.g., Springel et al. 2005, Hopkinset al. 2006). However, an ongoing debate concerns theway that active galactic nuclei (AGN) in galaxies aretriggered and sustained. The temporal coincidence ofthe peak of cosmic nuclear and star-formation activity(e.g., Richards et al. 2006, Aird et al. 2010), as well asthe predominantly very luminous AGN discovered be-yond our local universe, have led to the merger-drivenparadigm of AGN triggering (e.g., Sanders et al. 1988).However, with the advent of deeper extragalactic sur-veys this paradigm has come in question. Moderateluminosity X-ray AGN at intermediate redshifts werenot found to be preferentially associated with merg-ers (e.g., Cisternas et al. 2011), nor to inhabit denserenvironments than their non-active counterparts (e.g.,Karouzos et al. 2014a). While undoubtedly a fractionof AGN are triggered by mergers, the question still re-mains: how are di erent species of AGN triggered?Here we use the population of radio-AGN as a case studyto address this question. We present results about thehttp://pkas.kas.orgenvironments and host galaxy properties of radio-AGNthat help elucidate the di erent AGN feeding mecha-nisms within the broader context of galaxy evolution.2. THE SA22 FIELD AND THE RADIO-AGN WITHIN ITWe use data from the Infrared Medium-Deep Survey(IMS; see this proceedings) at J band and the Deep eX-tragalactic Survey (DXS; Lawrence et al. 2007). In ad-dition, we utilize radio data at 1.4 GHz from the FIRSTsurvey (Becker et al. 1995) and a deep VLA survey ofpart of SA22 (Chapman et al. 2004a). The combined ra-dio ux density limit of our sample is 0.1 mJy. Finally,we also employ the full coverage of the WISE telescope(Wright et al. 2010). In total we select 913 radio-AGNover the ˘ 20 deg

Radio-faint AGN: a tale of two populations

We study the Extended Chandra Deep Field South (E-CDFS) Very Large Array sample, which reaches a flux density limit at 1.4 GHz of 32.5 microJy at the field centre and redshift ~ 4, and covers ~ 0.3 deg^2. Number counts are presented for the whole sample while the evolutionary properties and luminosity functions are derived for active galactic nuclei (AGN). The faint radio sky contains two totally distinct AGN populations, characterised by very different evolutions, luminosity functions, and Eddington ratios: radio-quiet (RQ)/radiative-mode, and radio-loud/jet-mode AGN. The radio power of RQ AGN evolves ~ (1+z)^2.5, similarly to star-forming galaxies, while the number density of radio-loud ones has a peak at ~ 0.5 and then declines at higher redshifts. The number density of radio-selected RQ AGN is consistent with that of X-ray selected AGN, which shows that we are sampling the same population. The unbiased fraction of radiative-mode RL AGN, derived from our own and previously published data, is a strong function of radio power, decreasing from ~ 0.5 at P_1.4GHz ~ 10^24 W/Hz to ~ 0.04$ at P_1.4GHz ~ 10^22 W/Hz. Thanks to our enlarged sample, which now includes ~ 700 radio sources, we also confirm and strengthen our previous results on the source population of the faint radio sky: star-forming galaxies start to dominate the radio sky only below ~ 0.1 mJy, which is also where radio-quiet AGN overtake radio-loud ones.

RADIO-SELECTED BINARY ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI FROM THE VERY LARGE ARRAY STRIPE 82 SURVEY

Galaxy mergers play an important role in the growth of galaxies and their supermassive black holes. Simulations suggest that tidal interactions could enhance black hole accretion, which can be tested by the fraction of binary active galactic nuclei (AGNs) among galaxy mergers. But determining the fraction requires a statistical sample of binaries. We have identified kpc-scale binary AGNs directly from high-resolution radio imaging. Inside the 92 square deg covered by the high-resolution Very Large Array survey of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Stripe 82 field, we identified 22 grade A and 30 grade B candidates of binary radio AGNs with angular separations less than 5" (10 kpc at z = 0.1). Eight of the candidates have optical spectra for both components from the SDSS spectroscopic surveys and our Keck program. Two grade B candidates are projected pairs, but the remaining six candidates are all compelling cases of binary AGNs based on either emission line ratios or the excess in radio power compared to the H-alpha-traced star formation rate. Only two of the six binaries were previously discovered by an optical spectroscopic search. Based on these results, we estimate that ~60% of our binary candidates would be confirmed once we obtain complete spectroscopic information. We conclude that wide-area high-resolution radio surveys offer an efficient method to identify large samples of binary AGNs. These radio-selected binary AGNs complement binaries identified at other wavelengths and are useful for understanding the triggering mechanisms of black hole accretion.

HerMES: SPIRE emission from radio-selected active galactic nuclei★

We examine the rest-frame far-infrared emission from powerful radio sources with 1.4GHz luminosity densities of 25<=log(L_1.4/WHz^-1)<=26.5 in the extragalactic Spitzer First Look Survey field. We combine Herschel/SPIRE flux densities with Spitzer/IRAC and MIPS infrared data to obtain total (8-1000um) infrared luminosities for these radio sources. We separate our sources into a moderate, 0.4<z<0.9, and a high, 1.2<z<3.0, redshift sub-sample and we use Spitzer observations of a z<0.1 3CRR sample as a local comparison. By comparison to numbers from the SKA Simulated Skies we find that our moderate redshift sample is complete and our high redshift sample is 14per cent complete. We constrain the ranges of mean star formation rates (SFRs) to be 3.4-4.2, 18-41 and 80-581Msun/yr for the local, moderate and high redshift samples respectively. Hence, we observe an increase in the mean SFR with increasing redshift which we can parameterise as ~(1+z)^Q, where Q=4.2+/-0.8. However we observe no trends of mean SFR with radio luminosity within the moderate or high redshift bins. We estimate that radio-loud AGN in the high redshift sample contribute 0.1-0.5per cent to the total SFR density at that epoch. Hence, if all luminous starbursts host radio-loud AGN we infer a radio-loud phase duty cycle of 0.001-0.005.

The dependence of X-ray AGN activity on host galaxy properties and environment

There is mounting evidence that active galactic nuclei (AGN) selected through optical emission lines or radio luminosities comprise two distinct AGN populations, whose activity is triggered by different processes. In two previous papers, we studied the host galaxies and environment of radio-loud AGN. In this third paper we study the properties of a sample of Type-2 AGN that were selected on the basis of their [2-10] keV X-ray luminosity. We find that the X-ray luminosity function is in good agreement with previous studies and that the fraction of galaxies hosting an X-ray AGN is a strong function of the stellar mass of the host galaxy. The shape of this fraction-mass relation is similar to the fraction of galaxies that are emission-line AGN, while it differs significantly from the relation observed for radio-selected AGN. The AGN in our sample tend to be located in underdense environments where galaxy mergers and interactions are likely to occur. For all host galaxy masses, the Type-2 AGN display a strong infrared excess at short (∼3.5 μm) wavelengths, suggesting the presence of hot dust possibly associated with a hot dusty torus. These results add weight to the belief that the X-ray selection criteria identifies a population of AGN similar to the emission-line selected population but distinct from the radio population at high masses.

The star formation history of the Universe as revealed by deep radio observations

Discerning the exact nature of the sub-mJy radio population has been historically difficult due to the low luminosity of these sources at most wavelengths. Using deep ground based optical follow-up and observations from the Spitzer Space Telescope we are able to disentangle the radio-selected Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) and Star Forming Galaxy (SFG) populations for the first time in a deep multi-frequency VLA/MERLIN Survey of the 13^H XMM-Newton/Chandra Deep Field. The discrimination diagnostics include radio morphology, radio spectral index, radio/near-IR and mid-IR/radio flux density ratios. We are now able to calculate the extragalactic Euclidean normalised source counts separately for AGN and SFGs. We find that while SFGs dominate at the faintest flux densities and account for the majority of the up-turn in the counts, AGN still make up around one quarter of the counts at ~5 uJy (1.4 GHz). Using radio luminosity as an unobscured star formation rate (SFR) measure we are then able to examine the comoving SFR density of the Universe up to z=3 which agrees well with measures at other wavelengths. We find a rough correlation of SFR with stellar mass for both the sample presented here and a sample of local radio-selected SFGs from the 6df-NVSS survey. This work also confirms the existence of, and provides alternative evidence for, the evolution of distribution of star formation by galaxy mass: ``downsizing''. As both these samples are SFR-selected, this result suggests that there is a maximum SFR for a given galaxy that depends linearly on its stellar mass. The low ``characteristic times'' (inverse specific SFR) of the SFGs in our sample are similar to those of the 6dF-NVSS sample, implying that most of these sources are in a current phase of enhanced star formation.