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Abigail García-Pérez

Publications and source records attributed to Abigail García-Pérez.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

Powerful Radio Sources in the Southern Sky. IV. Observations of the G4Jy-3CRE Catalog with the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder

A recent 2023 paper by Massaro et al. introduced the G4Jy-3CRE, a new catalog of the brightest radio sources in the southern hemisphere that serve as a southern equivalent to the Third Cambridge Catalog Revised (3CR). The G4Jy-3CRE catalog selected 264 sources from the GLEAM-4Jy survey based on the same criteria used to select the sources in the 3CR. In this paper, we present new Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) continuuum imaging of the G4Jy-3CRE catalog. We use the three most recent data releases from the Rapid ASKAP Continuum Survey (RACS), covering the sky south of +30°decl.: RACS-low1, RACS-mid, and RACS-high. Together, these data releases cover a range of frequencies from 600 to 1800 MHz. The RACS surveys have improved spatial resolution and sensitivity over archival surveys at the same frequency, enabling us to classify 173 sources (66% of the sample) with morphologies indicative of the presence of jets, 37 of which did not show jet activity on archival radio maps. We were able to effectively classify FRI/FRII galaxies up to a redshift of z = 1.35. Moreover, we identified six optical counterparts for sources that were either previously unidentified or ambiguous.

astro-ph.GA↗

NOCTURNE. III. Unidentified variable emission in the nuclear regions of PKS 2153-69

Historically, the study of the central regions of Type 1 AGN has been limited by the combination of the host galaxy spectrum with strong emission from the accretion disk and NLR/BLR, which prevented us from accurately probing the galactic and AGN properties in the central regions. Integral field spectroscopy allows us to correct for this effect and study both the unobscured cores of AGN host galaxies as well as the uncontaminated spectra of their central engines with unprecedented precision. Using MUSE WFM observations, in this work, we present a combined method for modelling and subtracting QSO light in type-1 AGN alongside results for one such source, PKS 2153-68 (z=0.028), both jetted and gamma-ray emitting. After separating the host galaxy and AGN spectra, we discuss the discovery of an unresolved and yet-to-be-identified high-velocity ($\sim$25000 km/s) short timescale ($\leq$1 yr) variable emission, unlike anything observed in other variable AGN.

astro-ph.GA↗

Unveiling the Emission Mechanisms of Blazar PKS 1510-089: I. Multi-Wavelength Variability

The flat spectrum radio quasar PKS 1510-089 is one of the most active blazars in $γ$-rays, exhibiting phases of very high activity. This study investigates its variability over a decade across a wide range of wavelengths, from radio to $γ$-rays. Utilizing the non-thermal dominance parameter, we analyze the H$β$, H$γ$, and $\lambda5100\text{ Å}$ continuum light curves to discern the primary source of continuum emission, either from the accretion disk or the jet, during different activity phases. Our findings underscore the dominance of jet emission in the continuum during flare-like events. We observed an approximately 80-day delay between the H$β$ and continuum emissions, which we attribute to the spatial separation between the optical emission zone and the broad-line region. Near-zero delays between optical and near-infrared emissions suggest that the emitting regions within the jet are co-spatial. Synchrotron self-Compton was identified as the primary mechanism for $γ$-ray emission during flares, supported by the minimal delay observed between optical/near-infrared emissions and $γ$-rays. Additionally, we found a delay of about 60 days between the leading optical/near-infrared emissions and X-rays, indicating that inverse Compton scattering within the jet predominantly drives X-ray emission. However, distinguishing between synchrotron self-Compton and external inverse Compton mechanism was not feasible. Shifts in the spectral index across the 15-230 GHz range corresponded with ejections from the radio core, suggesting changes in the physical conditions of the jet.

astro-ph.HE↗

AGN on the move: A search for off-nuclear AGN from recoiling SMBHs and ongoing galaxy mergers with the Zwicky Transient Facility

A supermassive black hole (SMBH) ejected from the potential well of its host galaxy via gravitational wave recoil carries important information about the mass ratio and spin alignment of the pre-merger SMBH binary. Such a recoiling SMBH may be detectable as an active galactic nucleus (AGN) broad line region offset by up to 10\,kpc from a disturbed host galaxy. We describe a novel methodology using forward modeling with \texttt{The Tractor} to search for such offset AGN in a sample of 5493 optically variable AGN detected with the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF). We present the discovery of 9 AGN which may be spatially offset from their host galaxies and are candidates for recoiling SMBHs. Five of these offset AGN exhibit double-peaked broad Balmer lines which may arise from unobscured accretion disk emission and four show radio emission indicative of a relativistic jet. The fraction of double-peaked emitters in our spatially offset AGN sample is significantly larger than the 16\% double-peaked emitter fraction observed for ZTF AGN overall. In our sample of variable AGN we also identified 52 merging galaxies, including a new spectroscopically confirmed dual AGN. Finally, we detected the dramatic rebrightening of SDSS1133, a previously discovered variable object and recoiling SMBH candidate, in ZTF. The flare was accompanied by the re-emergence of strong P-Cygni line features indicating that it may be an outbursting luminous blue variable star.

astro-ph.GA↗