arXiv subjects

Brent A. Groves

Publications and source records attributed to Brent A. Groves.

28 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2016

A physically-based model of the ionizing radiation from active galaxies for photoionization modeling

We present a simplified model of Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN) continuum emission designed for photoionization modeling. The new model {\sc oxaf} reproduces the diversity of spectral shapes that arise in physically-based models. We identify and explain degeneracies in the effects of AGN parameters on model spectral shapes, with a focus on the complete degeneracy between the black hole mass and AGN luminosity. Our re-parametrized model {\sc oxaf} removes these degeneracies and accepts three parameters which directly describe the output spectral shape: the energy of the peak of the accretion disk emission $E_\mathrm{peak}$, the photon power-law index of the non-thermal emission $Γ$, and the proportion of the total flux which is emitted in the non-thermal component $p_\mathrm{NT}$. The parameter $E_\mathrm{peak}$ is presented as a function of the black hole mass, AGN luminosity, and `coronal radius' of the {\sc optxagnf} model upon which {\sc oxaf} is based. We show that the soft X-ray excess does not significantly affect photoionization modeling predictions of strong emission lines in Seyfert narrow-line regions. Despite its simplicity, {\sc oxaf} accounts for opacity effects where the accretion disk is ionized because it inherits the `color correction' of {\sc optxagnf}. We use a grid of {\sc mappings} photoionization models with {\sc oxaf} ionizing spectra to demonstrate how predicted emission-line ratios on standard optical diagnostic diagrams are sensitive to each of the three {\sc oxaf} parameters. The {\sc oxaf} code is publicly available in the Astrophysics Source Code Library.

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arXiv2016

The Discovery of Raman Scattering in HII Regions

We report here on the discovery of faint extended wings of Hα observed out to an apparent velocity of ~ 7600 km/s in the Orion Nebula (M42) and in five HII regions in the Large and the Small Magellanic Clouds. We show that, these wings are caused by Raman scattering of both the O I and Si II resonance lines and stellar continuum UV photons with H I followed by radiative decay to the H I n=2 level. The broad wings also seen in Hβ and in Hγ result from Raman scattering of the UV continuum in the H I n=4 and n=5 levels respectively.The Raman scattering fluorescence is correlated with the intensity of the narrow permitted lines of O I and Si II. In the case of Si II, this is explained by radiative pumping of the same 1023.7Å resonance line involved in the Raman scattering by the Lyβ radiation field. The subsequent radiative cascade produces enhanced Si II 5978.9, 6347.1$ and 6371.4Å permitted transitions. Finally we show that in O I, radiative pumping of the 1025.76Å resonance line by the Lyman series radiation field is also the cause of the enhancement in the permitted lines of this species lying near Hα in wavelength, but here the process is a little more complex. We argue that all these processes are active in the zone of the HII region near the ionisation front

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arXiv2016

High-Resolution Mapping of Dust via Extinction in the M31 Bulge

We map the dust distribution in the central 180" (~680 pc) region of the M31 bulge, based on HST/WFC3 and ACS observations in ten bands from near-ultraviolet (2700 A) to near-infrared (1.5 micron). This large wavelength coverage gives us great leverage to detect not only dense dusty clumps, but also diffuse dusty molecular gas. We fit a pixel-by-pixel spectral energy distributions to construct a high-dynamic-range extinction map with unparalleled angular resolution (~0.5" , i.e., ~2 pc) and sensitivity (the extinction uncertainty, δA_V~0.05). In particular, the data allow to directly fit the fractions of starlight obscured by individual dusty clumps, and hence their radial distances in the bulge. Most of these clumps seem to be located in a thin plane, which is tilted with respect to the M31 disk and appears face-on. We convert the extinction map into a dust mass surface density map and compare it with that derived from the dust emission as observed by Herschel . The dust masses in these two maps are consistent with each other, except in the low-extinction regions, where the mass inferred from the extinction tends to be underestimated. Further, we use simulations to show that our method can be used to measure the masses of dusty clumps in Virgo cluster early-type galaxies to an accuracy within a factor of ~2.

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arXiv2014

Dust continuum emission as a tracer of gas mass in galaxies

We use a sample of 36 galaxies from the KINGFISH (Herschel IR), HERACLES (IRAM CO), and THINGS (VLA HI) surveys to study empirical relations between Herschel infrared (IR) luminosities and the total mass of the interstellar gas (H2+HI). Such a comparison provides a simple empirical relationship without introducing the uncertainty of dust model fitting. We find tight correlations, and provide fits to these relations, between Herschel luminosities and the total gas mass integrated over entire galaxies, with the tightest, almost linear, correlation found for the longest wavelength data (SPIRE500). However, we find that accounting for the gas-phase metallicity (affecting the dust-to-gas ratio) is crucial when applying these relations to low-mass, and presumably high-redshift, galaxies. The molecular (H2) gas mass is found to be better correlated with the peak of the IR emission (e.g. PACS160), driven mostly by the correlation of stellar mass and mean dust temperature. When examining these relations as a function of galactocentric radius we find the same correlations, albeit with a larger scatter, up to a radius of 0.7 r_25 (within which most of the galaxy's baryonic mass resides). However, beyond this radius the same correlations no longer hold, with the gas mass (predominantly HI) increasing relative to the infrared emission. The tight relations found for the bulk of the galaxy's baryonic content suggest that the total gas masses of disk-like (non-merging) galaxies can be inferred from far-infrared continuum measurements in situations where only the latter are available, e.g. in ALMA continuum observations of high-redshift galaxies.

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arXiv2008

The MAPPINGS III Library of Fast Radiative Shock Models

We present a new library of fully-radiative shock models calculated with the MAPPINGS III shock and photoionization code. The library consists of grids of models with shock velocities in the range v=100-1000 km/s and magnetic parameters B/sqrt(n) of 10^-4 - 10 muG cm^(3/2) for five different atomic abundance sets, and for a pre-shock density of 1.0 cm^(-3). Additionally, Solar abundance model grids have been calculated for densities of 0.01, 0.1, 10, 100, and 1000 cm^(-3) with the same range in v and B/sqrt(n). Each model includes components of both the radiative shock and its photoionized precursor, ionized by the EUV and soft X-ray radiation generated in the radiative gas. We present the details of the ionization structure, the column densities, and the luminosities of the shock and its precursor. Emission line ratio predictions are separately given for the shock and its precursor as well as for the composite shock+precursor structure to facilitate comparison with observations in cases where the shock and its precursor are not resolved. Emission line ratio grids for shock and shock+precursor are presented on standard line ratio diagnostic diagrams, and we compare these grids to observations of radio galaxies and a sample of AGN and star forming galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. This library is available online, along with a suite of tools to enable the analysis of the shocks and the easy creation of emission line ratio diagnostic diagrams. These models represent a significant increase in parameter space coverage over previously available models, and therefore provide a unique tool in the diagnosis of emission by shocks.

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arXiv2006

Modelling the Pan-Spectral Energy Distribution of Starburst Galaxies: III. Emission Line Diagnostics of Ensembles of Evolving HII Regions

We build, as far as theory will permit, self consistent model HII regions around central clusters of aging stars. These produce strong emission line diagnostics applicable to either individual HII regions in galaxies, or to the integrated emission line spectra of disk or starburst galaxies. The models assume that the expansion and internal pressure of individual HII regions is driven by the net input of mechanical energy from the central cluster, be it through winds or supernova events. This eliminates the ionization parameter as a free variable, replacing it with a parameter which depends on the ratio of the cluster mass to the pressure in the surrounding interstellar medium. These models explain why HII regions with low abundances have high excitation, and demonstrate that at least part of the warm ionized medium is the result of overlapping faint, old, large, and low pressure HII regions. We present line ratios (at both optical and IR wavelengths) which provide reliable abundance diagnostics for both single HII regions or for integrated galaxy spectra, and we find a number that can be used to estimate the mean age of the cluster stars exciting individual HII regions.

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arXiv2006

Modelling the Pan-Spectral Energy Distribution of Starburst Galaxies: II. Control of the \HII Region Parameters

We examine, from a theoretical viewpoint, how the physical parameters of HII regions are controlled in both normal galaxies and in starburst environments. These parameters are the HII region luminosity function, the time-dependent size, the covering fraction of molecular clouds, the pressure in the ionized gas and the ionization parameter. The factors which control them are the initial mass function of the exciting stars, the cluster mass function, the metallicity and the mean pressure in the surrounding interstellar medium. We investigate the sensitivity of the H$α$ luminosity to the IMF, and find that this can translate to more than a factor two variation in derived star formation rates. The molecular cloud dissipation timescale is estimated from a case study of M17 to be $\sim1$ Myr for this object. Based upon HII luminosity function fitting for nearby galaxies, we suggest that the \HII region cluster mass function is fitted by a log-normal form peaking at $\sim 100 M_{\odot}$. The cluster mass function continues the stellar IMF to higher mass. The pressure in the HII regions is controlled by the mechanical luminosity flux from the central cluster. Since this is closely related to the ionizing photon flux, we show that the ionization parameter is not a free variable, and that the diffuse ionized medium may be composed of many large, faint and old HII regions. Finally, we derive theoretical probability distributions for the ionization parameter as a function of metallicity and compare these to those derived for SDSS galaxies.

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arXiv2004

Dusty, Radiation Pressure Dominated Photoionization. I. Model Description, Structure And Grids

We present the implementation of dusty, radiation pressure dominated photoionization models applicable to the Narrow Line Regions (NLRs) of Active Galactic Nuclei, using the \mapiii code. We give a grid of the predicted intensities of the most commonly used diagnostic spectral lines in the UV, optical and IR, covering a wide range of density, metallicity, the power-law index characterizing the photoionizing source and photoionization parameter, for use in the diagnosis of NLRs. We examine the temperature, density and ionization structure of these models, investigating the effect of variation of these parameters in order to gain a better understanding of NLR clouds themselves.

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arXiv2004

Dusty, Radiation Pressure Dominated Photoionization. II. Multi-Wavelength Emission Line Diagnostics for Narrow Line Regions

Seyfert narrow line region (NLR) emission line ratios are remarkably uniform, displaying only ~0.5 dex variation between galaxies, and even less within an individual object. Previous photoionization and shock models of this region were unable to explain this observation without the introduction of arbitrary assumptions or additional parameters. Dusty, radiation pressure dominated photoionization models provide a simple physical mechanism which can reproduce this spectral uniformity between different objects. In the first paper of this series we described this model and its implementation in detail, as well as presenting grids of model emission lines and examining the model structures. Here we explore these models further, demonstrating their ability to reproduce the observed Seyfert line ratios on standard line diagnostic diagrams in both the optical and UV. We also investigate the effects that the variation of metallicity, density and ionizing spectrum have upon both the new paradigm and the standard photoionization models used hitherto. Along with the standard diagnostic diagrams we provide several new diagnostic diagrams in the UV, Optical and IR. These new diagrams can provide further tests of the dusty, radiation pressure photoionization paradigm as well as being used as diagnostics of the metallicity, density and ionizing spectrum of the emission line clouds.

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arXiv2002

The Internal Extinction Curve of NGC 6302 and its Extraordinary Spectrum

In this paper we present a new method for obtaining the optical wavelength-dependent reddening function of planetary nebulae, using the nebular and stellar continuum. The data used was a spectrum of NGC 6302 obtained with a mean signal to noise of >10^2 A^-1 in the nebular continuum. With such a high S/N the continuum can be accurately compared with a theoretical model nebular plus stellar continuum. The nebular electron temperature and density used in the model are determined using ratios of prominent emission lines. The reddening function can then be obtained from the ratio of the theoretical and the observed continuum. We find that for NGC 6302, the visible to IR extinction law is indistinguishable from `standard' interstellar reddening, but that the UV extinction curve is much steeper than normal, suggesting that more small dust grains had been ejected into the nebula by the PN central star. Finally, using the extinction law that we have determined, we present a complete de--reddened line list of nearly 600 emission lines, and report on the detection of the He(2-10) and He(2-8) Raman Features at 4331 A and 4852 A, and the detection of Raman-Scattered OVI features at 6830 and 7087 AA.

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