arXiv subjects

E. F. Kerrison

Publications and source records attributed to E. F. Kerrison.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

SDSSJ110546.07+145202.4: The first long-duration radio changing-look NLS1 galaxy

SDSSJ110546.07+145202.4 stands out as a unique radio changing-look Narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) galaxy that has brightened dramatically and shows an exceptionally long duration of its "on" phase. We present the first high-frequency radio observations, the first simultaneous radio spectral energy distributions (SEDs), the first optical--UV--X-ray SEDs, and the first X-ray monitoring and spectroscopy of this recently discovered event. Importantly for understanding the nature of the outburst, we show that the X-ray spectrum is soft with a photon index Gamma_X=2.5; line-of-sight absorption and extinction are low or absent; the radio SED is peaked at low frequencies ~2 GHz; and the radio outburst emission is very long-lived (t > 8 yr) and roughly constant. The softness of the X-ray spectrum, low supermassive black hole (SMBH) mass, and high Eddington ratio all corroborate the optical NLS1 classification. We discuss multiple outburst scenarios, including lensing, absorption, a binary SMBH merger, a long-duration giant-star tidal disruption, a newly ignited active galactic nucleus (AGN), and an accretion-rate change. While most of them can be either excluded or are deemed too rare and lack positive evidence so far, most or all types of these transients are expected to be detected in ongoing VLA and upcoming SKA surveys. SDSSJ110546.07+145202.4 itself is well explained by an accretion rate change that triggered the powerful radio jet emission. The low redshift and SMBH mass of this system offer a unique perspective of the physical processes of radio-jet ignition that are expected to operate in the early Universe around growing SMBHs.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2026

One sightline, many systems: a FLASH discovery of HI towards scintillating quasar PKS 0405-385

We report the discovery of an intervening 21\,cm absorption line at z = 0.882 towards the z = 1.284 quasar PKS 0405-385, identified in the First Large Absorption Survey in HI (FLASH). This quasar once displayed the most rapid known intraday variability at radio frequencies, from which it earned the title of `the smallest radio quasar'. Although its size was revised upwards soon after based on updated scattering theory, PKS 0405-385 remains an important probe of Galactic plasma, and now also of intervening gas discovered through HI absorption. We present new long-slit spectroscopy spanning both PKS 0405-385 and the candidate host of the intervening HI gas. We identify MgII and FeII absorption lines in this spectrum consistent with the redshift of the intervening HI, as well as two additional, independent metal-line systems at z = 0.907 and z = 0.966, but we cannot accurately pinpoint the host(s) of this intervening gas in current data. We revisit the radio variability of PKS 0405-385 in light of advances in scintillation theory, as well as extended monitoring with the Australia Telescope Compact Array and the Australian SKA Pathfinder, and find a revised linear size >0.3 pc, but no new evidence of repeating intraday variability.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

RadioSED II: discovering the peaked spectrum radio sources in Stripe 82

This paper is the second in a series presenting \textsc{RadioSED}, a Bayesian inference framework for constructing, modelling and classifying radio spectral energy distributions from publicly-available surveys. We focus here on the application of our framework to SDSS Stripe 82. Not only do we recover all eleven previously-published peaked spectrum sources from the literature within this region, but we increase the number of known peaked spectrum sources here by more than an order of magnitude. We investigate the variability properties of our peaked spectrum sample, and find that overall they exhibit a low degree of variability, consistent with previous samples of peaked spectrum active galactic nuclei. The multiwavelength properties of these sources reveal that we have selected a population comprising largely distant ($z \geq 1$), powerful active galaxies. We find that the most compact jets are located preferentially in quasar-type hosts, with galaxy-type hosts home to slightly more extended radio structures. We discuss these findings in the context of current and forthcoming large area radio surveys.

astro-ph.GA↗