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NASA NTRS1993

Starburst models of merging galaxies

In the past decade, infrared observations have shown that interacting and merging galaxies have higher luminosities than isolated systems, with the luminosities in mergers as high as 10(exp 12) solar luminosity. However, the origin of the luminosity found in mergers is controversial, with two main competing theories. The first is the starburst scenario. As two gas rich galaxies start to merge, cloud-cloud collisions induce fast shocks in the molecular gas. This gas cools, collapses, and fragments, producing a blast of star formation. The main rival to this theory is that the infrared luminosity is produced by a dust embedded active nucleus, the merger of two gas rich galaxies providing the 'fuel to feed the monster'. There has even been speculation that there is an evolutionary link between starbursts and active nuclei, and that possibly active galactic nuclei (AGN's) and QSO's were formed from a starburst. Assuming that the infrared luminosity in merging galaxies is due to star formation, there should be ionizing photons produced from the high mass stars, giving rise to recombination line emission. The objective is to use a simple starburst model to test the hypothesis that the extreme infrared luminosity of merging galaxies is due to a starburst.

Prestwich, Andrea H.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Radio jets in colliding galaxies: Testing the interaction-activity connection

The idea that galaxy interactions and merging are related to the generation of starburst and AGN activity in galactic nuclei has been the subject of intensive investigations over the past several years and is still a matter of lively debate. Peculiar morphologies, indicative of tidal interactions, have been detected in high-luminosity radio galaxies, in quasars, and in ultraluminous IRAS galaxies. In addition, low-luminosity radio and active galaxies show similar evidence for a recent merger or for nearby companions. In a recent CCD optical study of galaxies selected on the basis that they all contain well defined radio jets, it was found that almost half of the sample consists of pairs of elliptical galaxies. Many of these low-luminosity radio galaxies with companions show a well defined distorted radio jet structure at the VLA scale with an S- or C-shaped morphology. We have developed a general numerical simulation algorithm for ballistic radio jets with the intention of applying this model to the study of the bent jets seen in colliding pairs of galaxies and with the hope of testing the well documented interaction-activity connection. In our model the morphological evolution of the jets is determined by their response to the simple mechanical forces (i.e., gravity and ram pressure) imposed on them from both the host and the companion galaxies. Radiative losses, jet precession, magnetic effects, relativistic terms, and hydrodynamic instabilities have all been ignored. Starting with a previously derived collision model for the interacting pair of elliptical galaxies NGC 4782/4783, we have used our algorithm to simulate the specific two-sided jet morphology seen in the radio source 3C 278, associated with NGC 4782. This is the first time that such jet simulations have been produced for a galaxy pair whose relative orbit was determined independently from the jet modeling.

Borne, Kirk D.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Infrared coronal emission lines and the possibility of their maser emission in Seyfert nuclei

Energetic emitting regions have traditionally been studied via x-ray, UV and optical emission lines of highly ionized intermediate mass elements. Such lines are often referred to as 'coronal lines' since the ions, when produced by collisional ionization, reach maximum abundance at electron temperatures of approx. 10(exp 5) - 10(exp 6) K typical of the sun's upper atmosphere. However, optical and UV coronal lines are also observed in a wide variety of Galactic and extragalactic sources including the Galactic interstellar medium, nova shells, supernova remnants, galaxies and QSOs. Infrared coronal lines are providing a new window for observation of energetic emitting regions in heavily dust obscured sources such as infrared bright merging galaxies and Seyfert nuclei and new opportunities for model constraints on physical conditions in these sources. Unlike their UV and optical counterparts, infrared coronal lines can be primary coolants of collisionally ionized plasmas with 10(exp 4) less than T(sub e)(K) less than 10(exp 6) which produce little or no optical or shorter wavelength coronal line emission. In addition, they provide a means to probe heavily dust obscured emitting regions which are often inaccessible to optical or UV line studies. In this poster, we provide results from new model calculations to support upcoming Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) and current ground-based observing programs involving infrared coronal emission lines in AGN. We present a complete list of infrared (lambda greater than 1 micron) lines due to transitions within the ground configurations 2s(2)2p(k) and 3s(2)3p(k) (k = 1 to 5) or the first excited configurations 2s2p and 3s3p of highly ionized (x greater than or equal to 100 eV) astrophysically abundant (n(X)/n(H) greater than or equal to 10(exp -6)) elements. Included are approximately 74 lines in ions of O, Ne, Na, Mg, Al, Si, S, Ar, Ca, Fe, and Ni spanning a wavelength range of approximately 1 - 280 microns. We present new results from detailed balance calculations, new critical densities for collisional de-excitation, intrinsic photon rates, branching ratios, and excitation temperatures for the majority of the compiled transitions. The temperature and density parameter space for dominant cooling via infrared coronal lines is presented, and the relationship of infrared to optical coronal lines is discussed.

Greenhouse, Matthew A.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Infrared fine-structure line diagnostics of shrouded active galactic nuclei

Far-infrared spectroscopy of celestial objects will improve dramatically in the coming decade, allowing astronomers to use fine-structure line emission to probe photoionized regions obscured in the optical band by thick clouds of dust. The ultraluminous far-IR galaxies revealed by IRAS, quasar-like in luminosity but smothered in molecular gas, probably conceal either immense starbursts or luminous active nuclei. In both scenarios, these objects ought to produce copious infrared fine-structure emission with several lines comparable to H(beta) in luminosity. This paper shows how these lines, if detected, can be used to determine the electron densities and far-IR obscurations of shrouded photoionized regions and to constrain the shape and ionization parameter of the ionizing spectra. The presence of (Ne V) emission in particular will distinguish shrouded AGN's from shrouded starbursts. Since all active galaxies photoionize at least some surrounding material, these diagnostics can also be applied to active galaxies in general and will aid in studying how an active nucleus interacts with the interstellar medium of its host galaxy.

Voit, G. M.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Radio and optical observations of 0218+357 - The smallest Einstein ring?

VLA radio observations and optical imaging and spectroscopy of the Einstein radio ring 0218+357 are presented. The ring is detected at 22.4 GHz and shows a basically similar structure at 5, 15, and 22.4 GHz. The B component has varied and was about 15 percent brighter in the 8.4 GHz data than in the data of Patnaik et al. (1992). The ring is highly polarized. A weak jetlike feature extending out roughly 2 arcsec to the southeast of component A is detected at 6 cm. The source has amorphous radio structure extending out to about 11 arcsec from the core. For an adopted redshift of 0.68, the extended radio emission is very powerful. The optical spectrum is rather red and shows no strong features. A redshift of about 0.68 is obtained. The identification is a faint compact m(r) about 20 galaxy which extends to about 4.5 arcsec (about 27 kpc). As much as 50 percent of the total light may be due to a central AGN. The observed double core and ring may be produced by an off-center radio core with extended radio structure.

O'Dea, Christopher P.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Destruction and survival of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in active galaxies

Infrared spectra of dusty galactic environments often contain emission features attributed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or PAHs, which can be considered to be very small grains or very large molecules. Although IR spectra of starburst galaxies almost always show these emission features, similar spectra of active galaxies are usually featureless. Even in those active galaxies that do exhibit PAH emission, the PAHs still appear to be eradicated from the nuclear region. This dichotomy suggests that PAHs are destroyed by the intense hard radiation field from an AGN. Laboratory experiments show that certain PAHs are, in fact, so effectively destroyed by individual EUV and X-ray photons that they cannot survive even at kiloparsec distances from active nuclei. Regions within active galaxies that do show PAH emission must therefore be shielded from the central X-ray source by a substantial column density of X-ray absorbing gas.

Voit, G. M.↗
NASA NTRS1992

An ionized accretion disk in Cygnus X-1

Results of an analysis of archival Exosat and HEAO 1-A2 observations of Cyg X-1 are presented. It is found, in agreement with Ebisawa (1991), that the X-ray spectrum of Cyg X-1 exhibits a 'high-energy excess' above 8 keV, similar to that seen in Ginga spectra of AGN. It is shown, on the basis of a likelihood ratio test, that the data are significantly better fit by a Compton reflection model than by a partial covering model. Even with the energy resolution of the Exosat GSPC, it is found that the derived iron line energy and shape are very dependent on the continuum model used. The best-fit temperature for a Suniaev-Titarchuk Comptonization model is found to be significantly larger than that found in previous analyses based primarily on data in the 30-140 keV band. This suggests that the 5-50 keV continuum is not well fit by the same spectrum form applicable at high energies and that a multiple temperature thermal Compton model is necessary to fit the broadband data.

Done, C.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Infrared fine-structure line diagnostics of shrouded active galactic nuclei

The ultraluminous far-IR galaxies revealed by IRAS, quasar-like in luminosity but smothered in molecular gas, probably conceal either immense starbursts or luminous active nuclei. In both scenarios, these objects ought to produce copious infrared fine-structure emission with several lines comparable to H-beta in luminosity. We show how these lines, if detected, can be used to determine the electron densities and far-IR obscurations of shrouded photoionized regions and to constrain the shape and ionization parameter of the ionizing spectra. The presence of Ne v emission in particular will distinguish shrouded AGNs from shrouded starbursts. Since all active galaxies photoionize at least some surrounding material, these diagnostics can also be applied to active galaxies in general and will aid in studying how an active nucleus interacts with the interstellar medium of its host galaxy.

Voit, G. M.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Infrared line diagnostics of active galactic nuclei

The CLOUDY photoionization code of Ferland (1991) is employed to predict intensities and ratios of the near-, mid-, and far-IR ionic fine-structure lines from AGN of the LINER and Seyfert types, and starbursts. The depths of varying the important model parameters, including ionization parameter, density, and optical depth, are investigated. The way in which detailed IR spectroscopy can reveal the presence of density inhomogeneities and abundance anomalies is shown, and the slope of the ionizing continuum and the amount of reddening and the reddening law are determined. The predictions of the present model and others are compared to the observed line ratios of the starburst galaxy M82 and of the Galactic center. No single-zone model adequately predicted all of the observed lines, but a simple combination of a starburst plus photodissociation region of higher density have a good fit for M82. The present model predictions are used to estimate the detectability of IR fine-structure lines in various active galaxies.

Spinoglio, Luigi↗
NASA NTRS1992

Search for partial systemic Lyman edges in nearby quasars

IUE archival spectra of nearby quasars with redshifts in the range 0.4-2.3 were searched for changes in the continuum at the systemic Lyman edge positions. Thirty-nine percent of the sample do not show any discontinuities. Twenty-nine percent of the sample show complete Lyman edges at redshifts less than the quasar redshift. These objects have associated narrow absorption lines; hence the intervening gas responsible for the absorption is extrinsic to the quasar and its environment. Twenty-two percent of the sample show Lyman edges at the quasar redshift with associated narrow absorption lines. In these objects the gas is associated with the AGN or its host galaxy. Ten percent of the sample have Lyman edges with no known associated absorption lines. If Lyman edge discontinuities are due to optically thick, geometrically thin accretion disks, which are randomly oriented to the line of sight, these results indicate that the Lyman edge discontinuity, either in emission or absorption, has to be not more than 15 percent in most quasars.

Koratkar, A. P.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Broad Band X-Ray Telescope observations of NGC 4151 - Iron line diagnostics

The Fe K-alpha emission line is a potentially powerful diagnostic tool in the X-ray spectra of AGNs, however, this feature has previously been observed with relatively poor spectral resolution. The Broad Band X-Ray Telescope has provided us with the first high-quality, medium-resolution X-ray spectral data. We are able to constrain the width of the 6.4 keV Fe K-alpha line in NGC 4151 to be less than 160 eV FWHM (7,500 km/s), in contrast with former measurements of the line width. Also, we have limited information on the shape of the line profile. In addition to the strong narrow Fe K-alpha feature, we detect weaker broad residuals between 5-8 keV.

Weaver, K. A.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Infrared spectra of obscuring dust tori around active galactic nuclei. I - Calculational method and basic trends

Using a new 2D radiative transfer algorithm, we have calculated the thermally reradiated infrared spectra of the compact dust tori which are thought to surround many AGN. These tori radiate anisotropically. Face-on tori may be from one-half to a few orders of magnitude brighter than edge-on tori throughout the infrared. Their spectra at nearly all viewing angles are basically 'bumps' which are about 50 percent wider than blackbodies and peak in the mid-infrared at a wavelength determined mainly by the flux of nuclear radiation on the inner edge of the torus. The infrared color temperatures are hotter for face-on tori than edge-on tori by about 100 K. The 10 micron silicate feature often associated with dust can appear in absorption, emission, or not at all. There is a rough tendency for absorption features to be more prominent for edge-on tori than for face-on tori.

Pier, Edward A.↗
NASA NTRS1992

High-energy particle acceleration by explosive electromagnetic interaction in an accretion disk

By examining electromagnetic field evolution occurring in an accretion disk around a compact object, we arrive at an explosive mechanism of particle acceleration. Flux-freezing in the differentially rotating disk causes the seed and/or generated magnetic field to wrap up tightly, becoming highly sheared and locally predominantly azimuthal in orientation. We show how asymptotically nonlinear solutions for the electromagnetic fields may arise in isolated plasma blobs as a result of the driving of the fluid equations by the accretion flow. These fields are capable of rapidly accelerating charged particles from the disk. Acceleration through the present mechanism from AGN can give rise to energies beyond 10 exp 20 eV. Such a mechanism may present an explanation for the extragalactic origin of the most energetic observed cosmic rays.

Haswell, C. A.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Numerical simulation of X-ray-heated winds in Seyfert galaxies. I - The case of zero angular momentum

Numerical hydrodynamics simulations are presented of X-ray heated winds believed to form the 'mirrors' which reflect light from obscured Seyfert galaxy nuclei into our line of sight. Above a likely range of parameters, it is shown that steady state flows are created when a cool torus surrounds an AGN. Some of the mass evaporated off the inner edge of the torus is captured by the central gravitational well, while the rest is driven off in a warm wind. When the central gravity is strong relative to the radiative heating rate, i.e., L/L(E) is small, nearly all the injected matter is captured. When the gravity is weaker, a given combination of heating rate and injected pressure leads to a maximum mass loss rate; when the rate at which mass is injected exceeds this amount, the excess is captured. The dividing line between these two cases comes at L/L(E) = about 0.08.

Balsara, Dinshaw S.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Dense clouds near the central engine of active galactic nuclei

A model is presented which assumes the existence of cold dense clouds near the central engine of active galactic nuclei (AGNs). The effects of such clouds on the observed spectrum are explored. It is shown that this model is consistent with the complicated observed spectra and variability behavior of most extensively studied Seyfert nuclei. The results are compared with other proposed models. The existing observational evidence appears to support the 'cloud-model'.

Sivron, R.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Implications of Lyman-alpha equivalent widths in active galactic nuclei

Results of photoionization calculations that examine the sensitivity of Ly-alpha emission to parameters describing the broadline clouds and incident radiation field are reported. The case of the Seyfert I galaxy NGC 5548 is considered, and good consistency is found with observed properties of the Ly-alpha zone for a cloud density of about 10 exp 11/cu cm and ratio of ionizing photon to hydrogen density near 0.2. Estimation of the cloud covering factor depends on the extrapolation of the EUV continuum. EUV cutoffs at 20 and 60 eV correspond to a range of covering factors between 0.8 and 0.5, which is larger than typically assumed in the past for luminous Seyferts. Equivalent width observations of Fairall 9 show that its continuum cannot be as soft as suggested by previous line ratio analyses and imply that its EUV continuum persists to 20 eV or more before cutting off. A method by which variability measurements can be combined with the present calculations to measure the distances to AGN, and hence the Hubble constant, is outlined.

Shields, Joseph C.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Simultaneous Ginga and IUE observations of the Seyfert galaxy NGC 3516

A possible connection between the variable X-ray and UV absorption features in NGC 3516 is presently investigated in view of simultaneous X-ray and UV observations. A common origin of the UV and X-ray absorption could not be established, due to the absence of variability in either the X-ray or UV absorption. On the basis of the absorbing properties of a low-luminosity AGN, in the framework of broad absorption-line (BAL) theories, it is suggested that NGC 3516 is consistent with a low-luminosity equivalent of a BAL QSO.

Kolman, Michiel↗
NASA NTRS1991

The cosmological evolution of BL Lacertae objects

Using a complete, X-ray selected sample of BL Lacertae Objects (XBLs), we find that V sub e/V sub a = 0.34 +/- 0.06 implying that the cosmological evolution of this type of AGN is 'negative'; i.e., fewer or less luminous BL Lacs in the past compared to the current epoch. In the process of deriving this result, the selection criteria and observational properties of XBLs are described.

Stocke, John T.↗