arXiv subjects

Jonathon C. S. Pierce

Publications and source records attributed to Jonathon C. S. Pierce.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

The dependence of triggering mechanisms on radio AGN sub-types: the role of galaxy mergers

Powerful, radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGN) are associated with one of the most important forms of AGN feedback, and understanding how they are triggered is key to properly incorporating them into models of galaxy evolution. Here, we present the results of a deep Isaac Newton Telescope/Wide Field Camera imaging survey which, when combined with Gemini/Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph South images, gives a 98 per cent complete sample of 112 3CR radio galaxies with redshifts $z$ < 0.3, alongside a stellar mass matched control sample. Our results provide strong evidence for significant differences ($\sim$3$σ$) between the triggering mechanisms of the different sub-types of powerful radio AGN. The high-excitation radio galaxies (HERGs) show a high rate of morphological disturbance (62$^{+6}_{-7}$ per cent) -- an excess of $\sim$4$σ$ compared with the control sample -- consistent with them being predominantly triggered in galaxy mergers and interactions. In contrast, the low-excitation radio galaxies (LERGs) show a much lower rate of morphological disturbance (36$^{+7}_{-6}$ per cent), consistent with the control sample, and suggesting a different dominant triggering mechanism, such as the accretion of gas from the hot X-ray haloes of the host galaxies or galaxy clusters. We also demonstrate that, when considering the radio morphology, the FRII HERG sources preferentially reside in disturbed morphologies, a difference of $\sim$3$σ$ to the FRII LERG objects. This suggests that the FRII LERG sources do not solely represent a `switched-off' phase in the HERG lifecycle of the same parent galaxy population as the FRII HERGs.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

Unified models revisited I: modelling the effect of source geometry on radio galaxy/quasar unification

The orientation-based unification model proposes that radio-loud quasars and radio galaxies are the same objects observed at different angles. A key prediction of this model is that the quasars are seen at smaller angles to the line of sight and so should be more affected by projection, and hence apparently physically smaller, than corresponding radio galaxies, but this has not always been found in earlier studies. We argue that the interpretation of observations requires a less simplistic model for the effects of projection, which takes into account radio sources' finite width and their intrinsic axial ratio distribution. Using this cylindrical configuration as a basis for the simulation of radio galaxies and quasars, we simulate the distribution of the linear size ratio of quasars to radio galaxies for different sample sizes and critical angles. Our simulations that predict the ratio of observed lengths in the presence of a distribution of intrinsic physical sizes and axial ratios that we derive from observation. We conclude that to test the unified scheme, samples should be completely optically identified, sizes should be measurable for all targets, and the sample size should be greater than $\sim 800$ sources. Such large samples with uniform optical identification and accurate size measurements have not been available in previous work, but should become available from wide-area sky surveys in the near future.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

The Merging Galaxy Cluster Environment Affects the Morphology of Radio-AGN

It has previously been found that the galaxy cluster environment can affect the fueling and evolution of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). This work examines the effect of the merging cluster environment on the properties of radio-AGN by comparing the radio morphology of cluster members in a sample of four merging and eight relaxed galaxy clusters at low redshift (z<0.2). Using 144-MHz data from the LOFAR Two-metre Sky Survey (LoTSS) and Zooniverse, we classify the radio morphology of the radio-detected cluster members using the following morphology classes: compact, compact extended, extended, jetted, and disturbed. We find that the merging cluster environment has a statistically significant, higher population proportion of disturbed (bent and head tail) sources, indicating that the merging environment can affect the morphology of cluster radio-AGN. We also investigate the number of AGN that are detected in the radio data only, and the number that are detected in both the radio and optical data in mergers and non-mergers. We find that the merging cluster environment has a higher population proportion of AGN that are identified only as radio-AGN compared to AGN that are identified as both radio and optical AGN. Overall, we find that the merging environment affects certain radio-AGN (disturbed and only radio identified AGN), but not all.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2023

Identifying anomalous radio sources in the EMU Pilot Survey using a complexity-based approach

The Evolutionary Map of the Universe (EMU) large-area radio continuum survey will detect tens of millions of radio galaxies, giving an opportunity for the detection of previously unknown classes of objects. To maximise the scientific value and make new discoveries, the analysis of this data will need to go beyond simple visual inspection. We propose the coarse-grained complexity, a simple scalar quantity relating to the minimum description length of an image, that can be used to identify unusual structures. The complexity can be computed without reference to the broader sample or existing catalogue data, making the computation efficient on new surveys at very large scales (such as the full EMU survey). We apply our coarse-grained complexity measure to data from the EMU Pilot Survey to detect and confirm anomalous objects in this data set and produce an anomaly catalogue. Rather than work with existing catalogue data using a specific source detection algorithm, we perform a blind scan of the area, computing the complexity using a sliding square aperture. The effectiveness of the complexity measure for identifying anomalous objects is evaluated using crowd-sourced labels generated via the Zooniverse.org platform. We find that the complexity scan identifies unusual sources, such as odd radio circles, by partitioning on complexity. We achieve partitions where 5\% of the data is estimated to be 86\% complete, and 0.5\% is estimated to be 94\% pure, with respect to anomalies and use this to produce an anomaly catalogue.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2020

The radio properties of HERGs with intermediate radio powers

In the past decade, high sensitivity radio surveys have revealed that the local radio AGN population is dominated by moderate-to-low power sources with emission that is compact on galaxy scales. High-excitation radio galaxies (HERGs) with intermediate radio powers (22.5 $<$ log(L$_{\rm 1.4GHz}$) $<$ 25.0 W Hz$^{-1}$) form an important sub-group of this population, since there is strong evidence that they also drive multi-phase outflows on the scales of galaxy bulges. Here, we present high-resolution VLA observations at 1.5, 4.5 and 7.5 GHz of a sample of 16 such HERGs in the local universe ($z<0.1$), conducted in order to investigate the morphology, extent and spectra of their radio emission in detail, down to sub-kpc scales. We find that the majority (56 per cent) have unresolved structures at the limiting angular resolution of the observations ($\sim$0.3"). Although similar in the compactness of their radio structures, these sources have steep radio spectra and host galaxy properties that distinguish them from local low-excitation radio galaxies (LERGs) that are unresolved on similar scales. The remaining sources exhibit extended radio structures with projected diameters $\sim$1.4$-$19.0 kpc and a variety of morphologies: three double-lobed; two large-scale diffuse; one jetted and `S-shaped'; one undetermined. Only 19 per cent of the sample therefore exhibit the double-lobed/edge-brightened structures often associated with their counterparts at high and low radio powers: radio-powerful HERGs and Seyfert galaxies, respectively. Additional high-resolution observations are required to investigate this further, and to probe the $\lesssim$300 pc scales on which some Seyfert galaxies show extended structures.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2019

Do AGN triggering mechanisms vary with radio power? I.Optical morphologies of radio-intermediate HERGs

Radio AGNs with intermediate radio powers are capable of driving multi-phase outflows in galaxy bulges, and are also more common than their high-radio-power counterparts. In-depth characterisation of the typical host galaxies and likely triggering mechanisms for this population is therefore required in order to better understand the role of radio AGN feedback in galaxy evolution. Here, we use deep optical imaging data to study the detailed host morphologies of a complete sample of 30 local radio AGNs with high-excitation optical emission (HERG) spectra and intermediate radio powers (z $<$ 0.1; 22.5 $<$ log(L$_{\rm 1.4GHz}$) $<$ 24.0 WHz$^{-1}$). The fraction of hosts with morphological signatures of mergers and interactions is greatly reduced compared to the 2 Jy radio-powerful galaxies (log(L$_{\rm 1.4GHz}$) $>$ 25.0 WHz$^{-1}$) with strong optical emission lines: 53 $\pm$ 9 per cent and 94 $\pm$ 4 per cent, respectively. In addition, the most radio-powerful half of the sample has a higher frequency of morphological disturbance than the least radio-powerful half (67 $\pm$ 12 per cent and 40 $\pm$ 13 per cent, respectively), including the eight most highly-disturbed galaxies. This suggests that the importance of triggering nuclear activity in HERGs through mergers and interactions reduces with radio power. Both visual inspection and detailed light profile modelling reveal a mixed population of early-type and late-type morphologies, contrary to the massive elliptical galaxy hosts of radio-powerful AGNs. The prevalence of late-type hosts could suggest that triggering via secular, disk-based processes has increased importance for HERGs with lower radio powers (e.g. disk instabilities, large scale bars).

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2019

The Effect of Minor and Major Mergers on the Evolution of Low Excitation Radio Galaxies

We use deep, $μ_{r} \lesssim 28\,\text{mag}\,\text{arcsec}^{-2}$, $r$-band imaging from the Dark Energy Camera Legacy Survey (DECaLS) to search for past, or ongoing, merger activity in a sample of $282$ Low Excitation Radio Galaxies (LERGs) at $z<0.07$. Our principle aim is to assess the the role of mergers in the evolution of LERGs. Exploiting the imaging depth, we classify tidal remnants around galaxies as both minor and major morphological disturbances for our LERG sample and $1,622$ control galaxies matched in redshift, stellar mass, and environment. In groups and in the field, the LERG minor merger fraction is consistent with the control population. In galaxy clusters, $8.8 \pm 2.9\,$ % of LERGs show evidence of recent minor mergers in contrast to $23.0\pm 2.0\,$ % of controls. This $\sim 4 σ$ deficit of minor mergers in cluster LERGs suggests these events may inhibit this type of nuclear activity for galaxies within the cluster environment. We observe a $> 4σ$ excess of major mergers in the LERGs with $M_{*} \lesssim 10^{11}\,\text{M}_{\odot}$, with $10 \pm 1.5\,$ % of these AGN involved in such large-scale interactions compared to $3.2 \pm 0.4\,$% of control galaxies. This excess of major mergers in LERGs decreases with increasing stellar mass, vanishing by $M_{*} > 10^{11.3}\,\text{M}_{\odot}$. These observations show that minor mergers do not fuel LERGs, and are consistent with typical LERGs being powered by accretion of matter from their halo. Where LERGs are associated with major mergers, these objects may evolve into more efficiently accreting active galactic nuclei as the merger progresses and more gas falls on to the central engine.

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