Search NASA⌕ Search

Engineering topics

Woo, Jong-Hak

Publications and source records attributed to Woo, Jong-Hak.

At least 19 records

The Lick AGN Monitoring Project 2016: Dynamical Modeling of Velocity-resolved H β Lags in Luminous Seyfert Galaxies

We have modeled the velocity-resolved reverberation response of the Hβ broad emission line in nine Seyfert 1 galaxies from the Lick Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN) Monitoring Project 2016 sample, drawing inferences on the geometry and structure of the low-ionization broad-line region (BLR) and the mass of the central supermassive black hole. Overall, we find that the Hβ BLR is generally a thick disk viewed at low to moderate inclination angles. We combine our sample with prior studies and investigate line-profile shape dependence, such as ${\mathrm{log}}_{10}(\mathrm{FWHM}/\sigma )$, on BLR structure and kinematics and search for any BLR luminosity-dependent trends. We find marginal evidence for an anticorrelation between the profile shape of the broad Hβ emission line and the Eddington ratio, when using the rms spectrum. However, we do not find any luminosity-dependent trends, and conclude that AGNs have diverse BLR structure and kinematics, consistent with the hypothesis of transient AGN/BLR conditions rather than systematic trends.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

The Lick AGN Monitoring Project 2016: Velocity-resolved Hβ Lags in Luminous Seyfert Galaxies

We carried out spectroscopic monitoring of 21 low-redshift Seyfert 1 galaxies using the Kast double spectrograph on the 3 m Shane telescope at Lick Observatory from 2016 April to 2017 May. Targeting active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with luminosities of λL$_{λ}$(5100 Å) ≈ 10$^{44}$ erg s$^{-1}$ and predicted Hβ lags of ~20–30 days or black hole masses of 10$^{7}$–10$^{8.5}$M$_{⊙}$, our campaign probes luminosity-dependent trends in broad-line region (BLR) structure and dynamics as well as to improve calibrations for single-epoch estimates of quasar black hole masses. Here we present the first results from the campaign, including Hβ emission-line light curves, integrated Hβ lag times (8–30 days) measured against V-band continuum light curves, velocity-resolved reverberation lags, line widths of the broad Hβ components, and virial black hole mass estimates (10$^{7.1}$–10$^{8.1}$M$_{⊙}$). Our results add significantly to the number of existing velocity-resolved lag measurements and reveal a diversity of BLR gas kinematics at moderately high AGN luminosities. AGN continuum luminosity appears not to be correlated with the type of kinematics that its BLR gas may exhibit. Follow-up direct modeling of this data set will elucidate the detailed kinematics and provide robust dynamical black hole masses for several objects in this sample.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Gaia17biu/SN 2017egm in NGC 3191: The Closest Hydrogen-poor Superluminous Supernova to Date Is in a “Normal,” Massive, Metal-rich Spiral Galaxy

Hydrogen-poor superluminous supernovae (SLSNe-I) have been mainly found in low-metallicity, star-forming dwarf galaxies. Here we identify Gaia17biu/SN 2017egm as an SLSN-I occurring in a "normal" spiral galaxy (NGC 3191) in terms of stellar mass (several times 10 10 M ⊙ ) and metallicity (roughly solar). At redshift z = 0.031, Gaia17biu is also the lowest-redshift SLSN-I to date, and the absence of a larger population of SLSNe-I in dwarf galaxies of similar redshift suggests that metallicity is likely less important to the production of SLSNe-I than previously believed. With the smallest distance and highest apparent brightness for an SLSN-I, we are able to study Gaia17biu in unprecedented detail. Its pre-peak near-ultraviolet to optical color is similar to that of Gaia16apd and among the bluest observed for an SLSN-I, while its peak luminosity (M g = –21 mag) is substantially lower than that of Gaia16apd. Due to the high signal-to-noise ratios of our spectra, we identify several new spectroscopic features that may help to probe the properties of these enigmatic explosions. We detect polarization at the ~0.5% level that is not strongly dependent on wavelength, suggesting a modest, global departure from spherical symmetry. Furthermore, we put the tightest upper limit yet on the radio luminosity of an SLSN-I with <5.4 × 10 26 erg s –1 Hz –1 at 10 GHz, which is almost a factor of 40 better than previous upper limits and one of the few measured at an early stage in the evolution of an SLSN-I. This limit largely rules out an association of this SLSN-I with known populations of gamma-ray-burst-like central engines.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Reverberation Mapping of PG 0934+013 with the Southern African Large Telescope

We present the variability and time-lag measurements of PG 0934+013 based on a photometric and spectroscopic monitoring campaign over a two year period. We obtained 46 epochs of data from the spectroscopic campaign, which was carried out using the Southern African Large Telescope with ∼1 week cadence over two sets of four month-long observing period, while we obtained 80 epochs of B-band imaging data using a few 1 m class telescopes. Due to the seven month gap between the two observing periods, we separately measured the time lags of broad emission lines, including Hβ, by comparing the emission line light curve with the B-band continuum light curve using the cross-correlation function techniques. We determined the Hβ lag, τ{sub cent}=8.46{sub −2.14}{sup +2.08} days in the observed frame based on Year 2 data, while the time lag from Year 1 data was not reliably determined. Using the rms spectrum of Year 2 data, we measured the Hβ line dispersion σ{sub line} = 668 ± 44 km s{sup −1} after correcting for the spectral resolution. Adopting a virial factor f = 4.47 from Woo et al. (2015), we determined the black hole mass M {sub BH} = 3.13{sub −0.93}{sup +0.91}×10{sup 6} M {sub ⊙,} based on the Hβ time lag and velocity.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Outflow Kinematics Manifested by the Hα Line: Gas Outflows in Type 2 AGNs. IV

Energetic ionized gas outflows driven by active galactic nuclei (AGNs) have been studied as a key phenomenon related to AGN feedback. To probe the kinematics of the gas in the narrow-line region, [O iii] λ 5007 has been utilized in a number of studies showing nonvirial kinematic properties due to AGN outflows. In this paper, we statistically investigate whether the H α emission line is influenced by AGN-driven outflows by measuring the kinematic properties based on the H α line profile and comparing them with those of [O iii]. Using the spatially integrated spectra of ∼37,000 Type 2 AGNs at z < 0.3 selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey DR7, we find a nonlinear correlation between H α velocity dispersion and stellar velocity dispersion that reveals the presence of the nongravitational component, especially for AGNs with a wing component in H α . The large H α velocity dispersion and velocity shift of luminous AGNs are clear evidence of AGN outflow impacts on hydrogen gas, while relatively smaller kinematic properties compared to those of [O iii] imply that the observed outflow effect on the H α line is weaker than the case of [O iii].

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

A Systematic Search for Hidden Type 1 AGNs: Gas Kinematics and Scaling Relations

We search type 1 active galactic nuclei (AGNs) among emission-line galaxies, that are typically classified as type 2 AGNs based on emission line flux ratios if a broad component in the Hα line profile is not properly investigated. Using ∼24,000 type 2 AGNs at z < 0.1, initially selected from Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7 by Bae and Woo, we identify a sample of 611 type 1 AGNs based on the spectral fitting results and visual inspection. These hidden type 1 AGNs have relatively low luminosity with a mean broad Hα luminosity, log L{sub Hα}=40.73 ±0.32 erg s{sup −1} and low Eddington ratio with a mean log L {sub bol}/L {sub Edd} = −2.04 ± 0.34, while they do follow the black hole mass–stellar velocity dispersion relation defined by the inactive galaxies and the reverberation-mapped type 1 AGNs. We investigate ionized gas outflows based on the [O III] λ5007 kinematics, which show relatively high velocity dispersion and velocity shift, indicating that the line-of-sight velocity and velocity dispersion of the ionized gas in type 1 AGNs is, on average, larger than that of type 2 AGNs.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Delayed or No Feedback? Gas Outflows in Type 2 AGNs. III

We present gas kinematics based on the [O iii] λ 5007 line and their connection to galaxy gravitational potential, active galactic nucleus (AGN) energetics, and star formation, using a large sample of ∼110,000 AGNs and star-forming (SF) galaxies at z < 0.3. Gas and stellar velocity dispersions are comparable to each other in SF galaxies, indicating that the ionized gas kinematics can be accounted by the gravitational potential of host galaxies. In contrast, AGNs clearly show non-gravitational kinematics, which is comparable to or stronger than the virial motion caused by the gravitational potential. The [O iii] velocity–velocity dispersion (VVD) diagram dramatically expands toward high values as a function of AGN luminosity, implying that the outflows are AGN-driven, while SF galaxies do not show such a trend. We find that the fraction of AGNs with a signature of outflow kinematics, steeply increases with AGN luminosity and Eddington ratio. In particular, the majority of luminous AGNs presents strong non-gravitational kinematics in the [O iii] profile. AGNs with strong outflow signatures show on average similar specific star formation rates (sSFRs) to those of star-forming galaxies. In contrast, AGNs with weak or no outflows have an order of magnitude lower sSFRs, suggesting that AGNs with current strong outflows do now show any negative AGN feedback and that it may take dynamical time to impact on star formation over galactic scales.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

The Limited Impact of Outflows: Integral-field Spectroscopy of 20 Local AGNs

To investigate active galactic nucleus (AGN) outflows as a tracer of AGN feedback on star formation, we perform integral-field spectroscopy of 20 type 2 AGNs at z < 0.1, which are luminous AGNs with [O iii] luminosity > 10{sup 41.5} erg s{sup −1} that exhibit strong outflow signatures in the [O iii] kinematics. By decomposing the emission-line profile, we obtain the maps of the narrow and broad components of the [O iii] and Hα lines, respectively. The broad components in both [O iii] and Hα represent the nongravitational kinematics, that is, gas outflows, while the narrow components, especially in Hα, represent the gravitational kinematics, that is, the rotational disk. By using the integrated spectra within the flux-weighted size of the narrow-line region, we estimate the energetics of the gas outflows. The ionized gas mass is 1.0–38.5 × 10{sup 5}M{sub ⊙}, and the mean mass outflow rate is 4.6 ± 4.3 M {sub ⊙} yr{sup −1}, which is a factor of ∼260 higher than the mean mass accretion rate of 0.02 ± 0.01 M{sub ⊙} yr{sup −1}. The mean energy injection rate of the sample is 0.8% ± 0.6% of the AGN bolometric luminosity L{sub bol}, while the momentum flux is (5.4 ± 3.6) × L{sub bol}/c on average, except for the two most kinematically energetic AGNs with low L{sub bol}, which are possibly due to the dynamical timescale of the outflows. The estimated outflow energetics are consistent with the theoretical expectations for energy-conserving outflows from AGNs, yet we find no supporting evidence of instantaneous quenching of star formation due to the outflows.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

OUTFLOW AND METALLICITY IN THE BROAD-LINE REGION OF LOW-REDSHIFT ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI

Outflows in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are crucial to understand in investigating the co-evolution of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) and their host galaxies since outflows may play an important role as an AGN feedback mechanism. Based on archival UV spectra obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope and IUE , we investigate outflows in the broad-line region (BLR) in low-redshift AGNs ( z < 0.4) through detailed analysis of the velocity profile of the C iv emission line. We find a dependence of the outflow strength on the Eddington ratio and the BLR metallicity in our low-redshift AGN sample, which is consistent with earlier results obtained for high-redshift quasars. These results suggest that BLR outflows, gas accretion onto SMBHs, and past star formation activity in host galaxies are physically related in low-redshift AGNs as in powerful high-redshift quasars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

UNRAVELLING THE COMPLEX STRUCTURE OF AGN-DRIVEN OUTFLOWS. II. PHOTOIONIZATION AND ENERGETICS

Outflows have been shown to be prevalent in galaxies hosting luminous active galactic nuclei (AGNs); they present a physically plausible way to couple the AGN energy output with the interstellar medium of their hosts. Despite their prevalence, accurate characterization of these outflows has been challenging. In the second of a series of papers, we use Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph integral field unit (IFU) data of six local ( z < 0.1) and moderate-luminosity Type 2 AGNs to study the ionization properties and energetics of AGN-driven outflows. We find strong evidence connecting the extreme kinematics of the ionized gas to the AGN photoionization. The kinematic component related to the AGN-driven outflow is clearly separated from other kinematic components, such as virial motions or rotation, on the velocity and velocity dispersion diagram. Our spatially resolved kinematic analysis reveals that 30 to 90% of the total mass and kinetic energy of the outflow is contained within the central kpc of the galaxy. The spatially integrated mass and kinetic energy of the gas entrained in the outflow correlate well with the AGN bolometric luminosity and results in energy conversion efficiencies between 0.01% and 1%. Intriguingly, we detect ubiquitous signs of ongoing circumnuclear star formation. Their small size, the centrally contained mass and energy, and the universally detected circumnuclear star formation cast doubts on the potency of these AGN-driven outflows as agents of galaxy-scale negative feedback.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

A SYSTEMATIC SEARCH FOR X-RAY CAVITIES IN GALAXY CLUSTERS, GROUPS, AND ELLIPTICAL GALAXIES

We perform a comprehensive study of X-ray cavities using a large sample of X-ray targets selected from the Chandra archive. The sample is selected to cover a large dynamic range including galaxy clusters, groups, and individual galaxies. Using β -modeling and unsharp masking techniques, we investigate the presence of X-ray cavities for 133 targets that have sufficient X-ray photons for analysis. We detect 148 X-ray cavities from 69 targets and measure their properties, including cavity size, angle, and distance from the center of the diffuse X-ray gas. We confirm the strong correlation between cavity size and distance from the X-ray center similar to previous studies. We find that the detection rates of X-ray cavities are similar among galaxy clusters, groups and individual galaxies, suggesting that the formation mechanism of X-ray cavities is independent of environment.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

THE PREVALENCE OF GAS OUTFLOWS IN TYPE 2 AGNs. II. 3D BICONICAL OUTFLOW MODELS

We present 3D models of biconical outflows combined with a thin dust plane for investigating the physical properties of the ionized gas outflows and their effect on the observed gas kinematics in type 2 active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Using a set of input parameters, we construct a number of models in 3D and calculate the spatially integrated velocity and velocity dispersion for each model. We find that three primary parameters, i.e., intrinsic velocity, bicone inclination, and the amount of dust extinction, mainly determine the simulated velocity and velocity dispersion. Velocity dispersion increases as the intrinsic velocity or the bicone inclination increases, while velocity (i.e., velocity shifts with respect to systemic velocity) increases as the amount of dust extinction increases. Simulated emission-line profiles well reproduce the observed [O iii] line profiles, e.g., narrow core and broad wing components. By comparing model grids and Monte Carlo simulations with the observed [O iii] velocity–velocity dispersion distribution of ∼39,000 type 2 AGNs, we constrain the intrinsic velocity of gas outflows ranging from ∼500 to ∼1000 km s{sup −1} for the majority of AGNs, and up to ∼1500–2000 km s{sup −1} for extreme cases. The Monte Carlo simulations show that the number ratio of AGNs with negative [O iii] velocity to AGNs with positive [O iii] velocity correlates with the outflow opening angle, suggesting that outflows with higher intrinsic velocity tend to have wider opening angles. These results demonstrate the potential of our 3D models for studying the physical properties of gas outflows, applicable to various observations, including spatially integrated and resolved gas kinematics.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Unraveling the complex structure of AGN-driven outflows. I. Kinematics and sizes

Outflows driven by active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are often invoked as agents of the long-sought AGN feedback. Yet, characterizing and quantifying the impact on their host galaxies has been challenging. We present Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph integral field unit data of six local (z < 0.1) and luminous (L{sub [OIII]}>10{sup 42} erg s{sup −1}) type 2 AGNs. In the first of a series of papers, we investigate the kinematics and constrain the size of the outflows. The ionized gas kinematics can be described as a superposition of a gravitational component that follows the stellar motion and an outflow-driven component that shows large velocity (up to 600 km s{sup −1}) and large velocity dispersion (up to 800 km s{sup −1}). Using the spatially resolved measurements of the gas, we kinematically measure the size of the outflow, which is found to be between 1.3 and 2.1 kpc. Owing to the lack of a detailed kinematic analysis, previous outflow studies likely overestimate their size by up to more than a factor of two, depending on how the size is estimated and whether the [O iii] or Hα emission line is used. The relatively small size of the outflows for all six of our objects casts doubts on their potency as a mechanism for negative AGN feedback.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

The prevalence of gas outflows in type 2 AGNs

To constrain the nature and fraction of the ionized gas outflows in active galactic nuclei (AGNs), we perform a detailed analysis on gas kinematics as manifested by the velocity dispersion and shift of the [O III] λ5007 emission line, using a large sample of ∼39,000 type 2 AGNs at z < 0.3. First, we confirm a broad correlation between [O III] and stellar velocity dispersions, indicating that the bulge gravitational potential plays a main role in determining the [O III] kinematics. However, [O III] velocity dispersion is on average larger than stellar velocity dispersion by a factor of 1.3–1.4 for AGNs with double Gaussian [O III], suggesting that the non-gravitational component, i.e., outflows, is almost comparable to the gravitational component. Second, the increase of the [O III] velocity dispersion (after normalized by stellar velocity dispersion) with both AGN luminosity and Eddington ratio suggests that non-gravitational kinematics are clearly linked to AGN accretion. The distribution in the [O III] velocity–velocity dispersion diagram dramatically expands toward large values with increasing AGN luminosity, implying that the launching velocity of gas outflows increases with AGN luminosity. Third, the majority of luminous AGNs present the non-gravitational kinematics in the [O III] profile. These results suggest that ionized gas outflows are prevalent among type 2 AGNs. On the other hand, we find no strong trend of the [O III] kinematics with radio luminosity, once we remove the effect of the bulge gravitational potential, indicating that ionized gas outflows are not directly related to radio activity for the majority of type 2 AGNs.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Rest-frame UV single-epoch black hole mass estimates of low-luminosity AGNs at intermediate redshifts

The ability to accurately derive black hole (BH) masses at progressively higher redshifts and over a wide range of continuum luminosities has become indispensable in the era of large-area extragalactic spectroscopic surveys. In this paper, we present an extension of existing comparisons between rest-frame UV and optical virial BH mass estimators to intermediate redshifts and luminosities comparable to the local Hβ reverberation-mapped active galactic nuclei (AGNs). We focus on the Mg ii, C iv, and C iii] broad emission lines and compare them to both Hα and Hβ. We use newly acquired near-infrared spectra from the Fiber-fed Multi-object Spectrograph instrument on the Subaru telescope for 89 broad-lined AGNs at redshifts between 0.3 and 3.5, complemented by data from the AGES survey. We employ two different prescriptions for measuring the emission line widths and compare the results. We confirm that Mg ii shows a tight correlation with Hα and Hβ, with a scatter of ∼0.25 dex. The C iv and C iii] estimators, while showing larger scatter, are viable virial mass estimators after accounting for a trend with the UV-to-optical luminosity ratio. We find an intrinsic scatter of ∼0.37 dex between Balmer and carbon virial estimators by combining our data set with previous high redshift measurements. This updated comparison spans a total of three decades in BH mass. We calculate a virial factor for C iv/C iii] logf{sub CIV/CIII]}=0.87 with an estimated systematic uncertainty of ∼0.4 dex and find excellent agreement between the local reverberation mapped AGN sample and our high-z sample.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

ACCRETION RATES OF RED QUASARS FROM THE HYDROGEN Pβ LINE

Red quasars are thought to be an intermediate population between merger-driven star-forming galaxies in dust-enshrouded phase and normal quasars. If so, they are expected to have high accretion ratios, but their intrinsic dust extinction hampers reliable determination of Eddington ratios. Here, we compare the accretion rates of 16 red quasars at z ∼ 0.7 to those of normal type 1 quasars at the same redshift range. The red quasars are selected by their red colors in optical through near-infrared (NIR) and radio detection. The accretion rates of the red quasars are derived from the Pβ line in NIR spectra, which is obtained by the SpeX on the Infrared Telescope Facility in order to avoid the effects of dust extinction. We find that the measured Eddington ratios (L{sub bol}/L{sub Edd} ≃ 0.69) of red quasars are significantly higher than those of normal type 1 quasars, which is consistent with a scenario in which red quasars are the intermediate population and the black holes of red quasars grow very rapidly during such a stage.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

A local baseline of the black hole mass scaling relations for active galaxies. III. The M{sub BH}–σ relation

We create a baseline of the black hole (BH) mass (M{sub BH})—stellar-velocity dispersion (σ) relation for active galaxies, using a sample of 66 local (0.02<z<0.09) Seyfert-1 galaxies, selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). Analysis of SDSS images yields AGN luminosities free of host-galaxy contamination, and morphological classification. 51/66 galaxies have spiral morphology. Out of these, 28 bulges have Sérsic index n<2 and are considered candidate pseudo-bulges, with eight being definite pseudo-bulges based on multiple classification criteria met. Only 4/66 galaxies show signs of interaction/merging. High signal-to-noise ratio Keck spectra provide the width of the broad Hβ emission line free of Fe ii emission and stellar absorption. AGN luminosity and Hβ line widths are used to estimate M{sub BH}. The Keck-based spatially resolved kinematics is used to determine stellar-velocity dispersion within the spheroid effective radius (σ{sub spat,reff}). We find that σ can vary on average by up to 40% across definitions commonly used in the literature, emphasizing the importance of using self-consistent definitions in comparisons and evolutionary studies. The M{sub BH}–σ relation for our Seyfert-1 galaxy sample has the same intercept and scatter as that of reverberation-mapped AGNs as well as that of quiescent galaxies, consistent with the hypothesis that our single epoch M{sub BH} estimator and sample selection function do not introduce significant biases. Barred galaxies, merging galaxies, and those hosting pseudo-bulges do not represent outliers in the M{sub BH}–σ relation. This is in contrast with previous work, although no firm conclusion can be drawn on this matter due to the small sample size and limited resolution of the SDSS images.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Far-infrared and accretion luminosities of the present-day active galactic nuclei

We investigate the relation between star formation (SF) and black hole accretion luminosities, using a sample of 492 type-2 active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at z<0.22, which are detected in the far-infrared (FIR) surveys with AKARI and Herschel. We adopt FIR luminosities at 90 and 100 μm as SF luminosities, assuming the proposed linear proportionality of star formation rate with FIR luminosities. By estimating AGN luminosities from [O iii]λ5007 and [O i]λ6300 emission lines, we find a positive linear trend between FIR and AGN luminosities over a wide dynamical range. This result appears to be inconsistent with the recent reports that low-luminosity AGNs show essentially no correlation between FIR and X-ray luminosities, while the discrepancy is likely due to the Malmquist and sample selection biases. By analyzing the spectral energy distribution, we find that pure-AGN candidates, of which FIR radiation is thought to be AGN-dominated, show significantly low-SF activities. These AGNs hosted by low-SF galaxies are rare in our sample (∼1%). However, the low fraction of low-SF AGNs is possibly due to observational limitations since the recent FIR surveys are insufficient to examine the population of high-luminosity AGNs hosted by low-SF galaxies.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗