arXiv subjects

M. Schramm

Publications and source records attributed to M. Schramm.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Counterpart identification and classification for eRASS1 and characterisation of the AGN content

[abridged] Accurately accounting for the AGN phase in galaxy evolution requires a large, clean AGN sample. This is now possible with SRG/eROSITA. The public Data Release 1 (DR1, Jan 31, 2024) includes 930,203 sources from the Western Galactic Hemisphere. The data enable the selection of a large AGN sample and the discovery of rare sources. However, scientific return depends on accurate characterisation of the X-ray emitters, requiring high-quality multiwavelength data. This paper presents the identification and classification of optical and infrared counterparts to eRASS1 sources using Gaia DR3, CatWISE2020, and Legacy Survey DR10 (LS10) with the Bayesian NWAY algorithm and trained priors. Sources were classified as Galactic or extragalactic via a Machine Learning model combining optical/IR and X-ray properties, trained on a reference sample. For extragalactic LS10 sources, photometric redshifts were computed using Circlez. Within the LS10 footprint, all 656,614 eROSITA/DR1 sources have at least one possible optical counterpart; about 570,000 are extragalactic and likely AGN. Half are new detections compared to AllWISE, Gaia, and Quaia AGN catalogues. Gaia and CatWISE2020 counterparts are less reliable, due to the surveys shallowness and the limited amount of features available to assess the probability of being an X-ray emitter. In the Galactic Plane, where the overdensity of stellar sources also increases the chance of associations, using conservative reliability cuts, we identify approximately 18,000 Gaia and 55,000 CatWISE2020 extragalactic sources. We release three high-quality counterpart catalogues, plus the training and validation sets, as a benchmark for the field. These datasets have many applications, but in particular empower researchers to build AGN samples tailored for completeness and purity, accelerating the hunt for the Universes most energetic engines.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2025

Towards Provenance-Aware Earth Observation Workflows: the openEO Case Study

Capturing the history of operations and activities during a computational workflow is significantly important for Earth Observation (EO). The data provenance helps to collect the metadata that records the lineage of data products, providing information about how data are generated, transferred, manipulated, by whom all these operations are performed and through which processes, parameters, and datasets. This paper presents an approach to improve those aspects, by integrating the data provenance library yProv4WFs within openEO, a platform to let users connect to Earth Observation cloud back-ends in a simple and unified way. In addition, it is demonstrated how the integration of data provenance concepts across EO processing chains enables researchers and stakeholders to better understand the flow, the dependencies, and the transformations involved in analytical workflows.

cs.DC↗

arXiv2024

An X-ray flaring event and a variable soft X-ray excess in the Seyfert LCRS B040659.9-385922 as detected with eROSITA

Extreme continuum variability in AGNs can indicate extreme changes in accretion flows onto supermassive black holes. We explore the multiwavelength nature of a continuum flare in the Seyfert LCRS B040659.9$-$385922. The all-sky X-ray surveys conducted by the eROSITA showed that its X-ray flux increased by a factor of roughly five over six months, and concurrent optical photometric monitoring with the ATLAS showed a simultaneous increase. We triggered a multiwavelength follow-up monitoring program (XMM, NICER; optical spectroscopy) to study the evolution of the accretion disk, broad-line region, and X-ray corona. During the campaign, X-ray and optical continuum flux subsided over roughly six months. We detected a soft X-ray excess near the flare peak and after it subsided, both exhibiting a power-law (nonthermal) behavior. We modeled the broadband optical/UV/X-ray spectral energy distribution at both the flare peak and post-flare times with the AGNSED model, incorporating thermal disk emission into the optical/UV and warm thermal Comptonization in the soft X-rays. Additionally, we find that the broad Heii $\lambda$4686 emission line fades significantly as the optical/UV/X-ray continuum fades, which could indicate a substantial flare of disk emission above 54 eV. We also observed a redshifted broad component in the H${\beta}$ emission line that is present during the high flux state of the source and disappears in subsequent observations. We witnessed a likely sudden strong increase in local accretion rate, which manifested itself via an increase in accretion disk emission and thermal Comptonization emission in the soft X-rays, followed by a decrease in accretion and Comptonized luminosity. The physical processes leading to such substantial variations are still an open question, and future continuous monitoring along with multi-wavelength studies will shed some light on it.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2023

SUPER V. ALMA continuum observations of z~2 AGN and the elusive evidence of outflows influencing star formation

We study the impact of AGN ionised outflows on star formation in high-redshift AGN hosts, by combining NIR IFS observations, mapping the H$α$ emission and [OIII] outflows, with matched-resolution observations of the rest-frame FIR emission. We present high-resolution ALMA Band 7 observations of eight X-ray selected AGN at z~2 from the SUPER sample, targeting the rest-frame ~260 um continuum at ~2 kpc (0.2'') resolution. We detected 6 out of 8 targets with S/N>10 in the ALMA maps, with continuum flux densities F = 0.27-2.58 mJy and FIR half-light radii Re = 0.8-2.1 kpc. The FIR Re of our sample are comparable to other AGN and star-forming galaxies at a similar redshift from the literature. However, we find that the mean FIR size in X-ray AGN (Re = 1.16+/- 0.11 kpc) is slightly smaller than in non-AGN (Re = 1.69+/-0.13 kpc). From SED fitting, we find that the main contribution to the 260 um flux density is dust heated by star formation, with < 4% contribution from AGN-heated dust and < 1% from synchrotron emission. The majority of our sample show different morphologies for the FIR (mostly due to reprocessed stellar emission) and the ionised gas emission (H$α$ and [OIII], mostly due to AGN emission). This could be due to the different locations of dust and ionised gas, the different sources of the emission (stars and AGN), or the effect of dust obscuration. We are unable to identify any residual H$α$ emission, above that dominated by AGN, that could be attributed to star formation. Under the assumption that the FIR emission is a reliable tracer of obscured star formation, we find that the obscured star formation activity in these AGN host galaxies is not clearly affected by the ionised outflows. However, we cannot rule out that star formation suppression is happening on smaller spatial scales than the ones we probe with our observations (< 2 kpc) or on different timescales.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2023

Discovery of the lensed quasar eRASS1 J050129.5-073309 with $\textit{SRG}/$eROSITA and ${\it Gaia}$

We report the discovery and spectroscopic identification of the bright doubly lensed quasar eRASS1 J050129.5-073309 at redshift $z=2.47$, selected from the first all-sky survey of the ${\it Spectrum\; Roentgen\; Gamma\; (SRG)}$ eROSITA telescope and the ${\it Gaia}$ EDR3 catalog. We systematically search for extragalactic sources with eROSITA X-ray positions having multiple ${\it Gaia}$ counterparts and have started spectroscopic follow-up of the most promising candidates using long-slit spectroscopy with NTT/EFOSC2 to confirm the lens nature. The two images are separated by $2.7''$ and their average ${\it Gaia}$ ${\it g}$-band magnitudes are 16.95 and 17.33. Legacy Survey DR10 imaging and image modeling reveal both the lensing galaxy and tentatively the lensed image of the quasar host galaxy. Archival optical light curves show evidence of a variability time delay with the fainter component lagging the brighter by about 100 days. The fainter image has also decreased its brightness by about 1 magnitude since 2019. This dimming was still obvious at the time of the spectroscopic observations and is probably caused by microlensing. The optical spectroscopic follow-up obtained from NTT/EFOSC2 and the evidence provided by the imaging and timing analysis allow us to confirm the lensed nature of eRASS1 J050129.5-073309.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2023

Discovery of the luminous X-ray ignition eRASSt J234402.9$-$352640; I. Tidal disruption event or a rapid increase in accretion in an active galactic nucleus?

In November 2020, a new, bright object, eRASSt J234402.9$-$352640, was discovered in the second all-sky survey of SRG/eROSITA. The object brightened by a factor of at least 150 in 0.2--2.0 keV flux compared to an upper limit found six months previous, reaching an observed peak of $1.76_{-0.24}^{+0.03} \times 10^{-11}$ erg cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$. The X-ray ignition is associated with a galaxy at $z=0.10$, making the peak luminosity log$_{10}(L_{\rm 0.2-2keV}/[\textrm{erg s}^{-1}])$=$44.7\pm0.1$. Around the time of the rise in X-ray flux, the nucleus of the galaxy brightened by approximately 3 mag. in optical photometry, after correcting for the host. We present data from Swift, XMM-Newton, and NICER, which reveal a very soft spectrum as well as strong 0.2--2.0 keV flux variability on multiple timescales. Optical spectra taken in the weeks after the ignition event show a blue continuum with broad, asymmetric Balmer emission lines, and high-ionisation ([OIII]$λλ$4959,5007) and low-ionisation ([NII]$λ$6585, [SII]$λλ$6716,6731) narrow emission lines. Following the peak in the optical light curve, the X-ray, UV, and optical photometry all show a rapid decline. The X-ray light curve shows a decrease in luminosity of $\sim$0.45 over 33 days and the UV shows a drop of $\sim$0.35. eRASSt J234402.9$-$352640 also shows a brightening in the mid-infrared, likely powered by a dust echo of the luminous ignition. We find no evidence in Fermi-LAT $γ$-ray data for jet-like emission. The event displays characteristics of a tidal disruption event (TDE) as well as of an active galactic nucleus (AGN), complicating its classification. Based on the softness of the X-ray spectrum, the presence of high-ionisation optical emission lines, and the likely infrared echo, we find that a TDE within a turned-off AGN best matches our observations.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2023

Deciphering the extreme X-ray variability of the nuclear transient eRASSt J045650.3-203750: A likely repeating partial tidal disruption event

(Abridged) In this paper, we present the results of an exceptional repeating X-ray nuclear transient, eRASSt J045650.3-203750 (hereafter J0456-20), uncovered by SRG/eROSITA in a quiescent galaxy at redshift of z~0.077. The main results are: 1) J0456-20 cycles through four distinctive phases: an X-ray rising phase leading into an X-ray plateau phase which lasts for ~2 months. This is terminated by a rapid X-ray flux drop phase during which the X-ray flux can drastically drop by more than a factor of 100 within 1 week followed by an X-ray faint state for about two months before it starts the X-ray rising phase again; 2) the X-ray spectra are generally soft in the rising phase with a photon index >3.0, and become harder as the X-ray flux increases. There is evidence of a multi-colour disk with inner region temperature of $T_\text{in}=70$ eV at the beginning of the X-ray rising phase. The high quality XMM-Newton data suggest that a warm and hot corona could be responsible for the X-ray emission, through inverse Comptonisation of soft disk seed photons, during the plateau phase and at the bright end of the rising phase; 3) J0456-20 shows only moderate UV variability and no significant optical variability; 4) radio emission is only detected (as yet) in the X-ray plateau phase, and shows a rapid decline on a time-scale of 2 weeks. We conclude that J0456-20 is likely a repeating nuclear transient with a tentative recurrence time of ~223 days. We discuss several possibilities to explain J0456-20's observational properties, and currently favour a repeating partial tidal disruption event (TDE) as the most likely scenario. The long-term X-ray evolution is explained as a transition between a thermal disk-dominated soft state and a steep power-law state, implying that the corona can be formed within a few months and destroyed within a few weeks.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2023

A broad-line quasar with unexplained extreme velocity offsets: post-shock outflow?

The quasar SDSS 0956+5128 exhibits three distinct velocity components with large offsets in emission: the systemic velocity of [O II], [O III] and [Ne III] narrow lines have redshift $z=0.7142$; broad Mg II line is shifted by $-1200$ km s$^{-1}$ with respect to the narrow lines; broad H$α$, H$β$ lines are at $-4100$ km s$^{-1}$. We present new Hubble Space Telescope spectra of Ly$α$ and C IV emission lines and high-resolution images of the quasar. The offsets of these lines are consistent with the velocity component of the Balmer emission, and the photometry in optical and near-infrared wavelengths does not show any signs of recent mergers in the host galaxy or irregularities in the location of the quasar. The data do not confirm predictions of the previous most-likely hypotheses involving a special orientation and morphology of the quasar disk, such as in the recoiling black hole scenario, neither it is consistent with accretion disk winds. Instead, based on the cumulative evidence, we propose a new scenario, in which the broad line region is in the state of outflow caused by a strong shock wave, with a supernova as a possible event for producing the shock ejecta.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2021

The eROSITA Final Equatorial-Depth Survey (eFEDS): The first archetypal Quasar in the feedback phase discovered by eROSITA

Theoretical models of galaxy-AGN co-evolution ascribe an important role for the feedback process to a short, luminous, obscured, and dust-enshrouded phase during which the accretion rate of the SMBH is expected to be at its maximum and the associated AGN-driven winds are also predicted to be maximally developed. To test this scenario, we have isolated a text-book candidate from the eROSITA Final Equatorial-Depth Survey (eFEDS) obtained within the Performance and Verification program of the eROSITA telescope on board Spectrum Roentgen Gamma. From an initial catalog of 246 hard X-ray selected sources matched with the photometric and spectroscopic information available within the eROSITA and Hyper Suprime-Cam consortia, three candidates Quasars in the feedback phase have been isolated applying the diagnostic proposed in Brusa et al. (2015). Only one source (eFEDSU J091157.5+014327) has a spectrum already available (from SDSS-DR16, z=0.603) and it unambiguously shows the presence of a broad component (FWHM~1650 km/s) in the [OIII]5007 line. The associated observed L_[OIII] is ~2.6x10^{42} erg/s, one to two orders of magnitude larger than that observed in local Seyferts and comparable to those observed in a sample of z~0.5 Type 1 Quasars. From the multiwavelength data available we derive an Eddington Ratio (L_bol/L_Edd) of ~0.25, and a bolometric correction in the hard X-ray of k_bol~10, lower than those observed for objects at similar bolometric luminosity. The presence of an outflow, the high X-ray luminosity and moderate X-ray obscuration (L_X~10^44.8 erg/s, N_H~2.7x10^22 cm^-2) and the red optical color, all match the prediction of quasars in the feedback phase from merger driven models. Forecasting to the full eROSITA all-sky survey with its spectroscopic follow-up, we predict that by the end of 2024 we will have a sample of few hundreds such objects at z=0.5-2.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2021

X-ray Quasi-Periodic Eruptions from two previously quiescent galaxies

Quasi-Periodic Eruptions (QPEs) are extreme high-amplitude bursts of X-ray radiation recurring every few hours and originating near the central supermassive black holes in galactic nuclei. It is currently unknown what triggers these events, how long they last and how they are connected to the physical properties of the inner accretion flows. Previously, only two such sources were known, found either serendipitously or in archival data, with emission lines in their optical spectra classifying their nuclei as hosting an actively accreting supermassive black hole. Here we present the detection of QPEs in two further galaxies, obtained with a blind and systematic search over half of the X-ray sky. The optical spectra of these galaxies show no signature of black hole activity, indicating that a pre-existing accretion flow typical of active nuclei is not required to trigger these events. Indeed, the periods, amplitudes and profiles of the newly discovered QPEs are inconsistent with current models that invoke radiation-pressure driven accretion disk instabilities. Instead, QPEs might be driven by an orbiting compact object. Furthermore, their observed properties require the mass of the secondary object to be much smaller than the main body and future X-ray observations may constrain possible changes in the period due to orbital evolution. This scenario could make QPEs a viable candidate for the electromagnetic counterparts of the so-called extreme mass ratio inspirals, with considerable implications for multi-messenger astrophysics and cosmology.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2021

AT 2019avd: A novel addition to the diverse population of nuclear transients

We report on SRG/eROSITA, ZTF, ASAS-SN, Las Cumbres, NEOWISE-R, and Swift XRT/UVOT observations of the unique ongoing event AT 2019avd, located in the nucleus of a previously inactive galaxy at $z=0.029$. eROSITA first observed AT 2019avd on 2020-04-28 during its first all sky survey, when it was detected as an ultra-soft X-ray source ($kT\sim 85$ eV) that was $\gtrsim 90$ times brighter in the $0.2-2$ keV band than a previous 3$σ$ upper flux detection limit (with no archival X-ray detection at this position). The ZTF optical light curve in the $\sim 450$ days preceding the eROSITA detection is double peaked, and the eROSITA detection coincides with the rise of the second peak. Follow-up optical spectroscopy shows the emergence of a Bowen fluorescence feature and high-ionisation coronal lines ([\ion{Fe}{X}] 6375 Å, [\ion{Fe}{XIV}] 5303 Å), along with persistent broad Balmer emission lines (FWHM$\sim 1400$ km s$^{-1}$). Whilst the X-ray properties make AT 2019avd a promising tidal disruption event (TDE) candidate, the optical properties are atypical for optically selected TDEs. We discuss potential alternative origins that could explain the observed properties of AT 2019avd, such as a stellar binary TDE candidate, or a TDE involving a super massive black hole binary.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2020

SUPER IV. CO(J=3-2) properties of active galactic nucleus hosts at cosmic noon revealed by ALMA

Feedback from AGN is thought to be key in shaping the life cycle of their host galaxies by regulating star-formation activity. Therefore, to understand the impact of AGN on star formation, it is essential to trace the molecular gas out of which stars form. In this paper we present the first systematic study of the CO properties of AGN hosts at z~2 for a sample of 27 X-ray selected AGN spanning two orders of magnitude in AGN bolometric luminosity (Lbol= 10^44.7-10^46.9 erg/s) by using ALMA Band 3 observations of the CO(3-2) transition (~1" angular resolution). To search for evidence of AGN feedback on the CO properties of the host galaxies, we compared our AGN with a sample of inactive (i.e., non-AGN) galaxies from the PHIBSS survey with similar redshift, stellar masses, and SFRs. We used the same CO transition as a consistent proxy for the gas mass for the two samples in order to avoid systematics involved when assuming conversion factors. By adopting a Bayesian approach to take upper limits into account, we analyzed CO luminosities as a function of stellar masses and SFRs, as well as the ratio LCO(3-2)/M* (proxy for the gas fraction). The two samples show statistically consistent trends in the LCO(3-2)-Lfir and LCO(3-2)-M* planes. However, there are indications that AGN feature lower CO(3-2) luminosities (0.4-0.7 dex) than inactive galaxies at the 2-3sigma level when we focus on the subset of parameters where the results are better constrained and on the distribution of the mean LCO(3-2)/M*. Therefore, even by conservatively assuming the same excitation factor r31, we would find lower molecular gas masses in AGN, and assuming higher r31 would exacerbate this difference. We interpret our result as a hint of the potential effect of AGN activity (e.g., radiation and outflows), which may be able to heat, excite, dissociate, and/or deplete the gas reservoir of the host galaxies. (abridged)

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2020

SUPER III. Broad Line Region properties of AGN at z$\sim$2

The SINFONI survey for Unveiling the Physics and Effect of Radiative feedback (SUPER) was designed to conduct a blind search for AGN-driven outflows on X-ray selected AGN at redshift z$\sim$2 with high ($\sim$2 kpc) spatial resolution, and correlate them to the properties of the host galaxy and central black hole. The main aims of this paper are: a) to derive reliable estimates for the BH mass and accretion rates for the Type-1 AGN in this survey; b) to characterize the properties of the AGN driven winds in the BLR. We analyzed rest-frame optical and UV spectra of 21 Type-1 AGN. We found that the BH masses estimated from H$α$ and H$β$ lines are in agreement. We estimate BH masses in the range Log(M$\rm_{BH}/M_{\odot}$)=8.4-10.8 and Eddington ratios $\rmλ_{Edd}$ =0.04-1.3. We confirm that the CIV line width does not correlate with the Balmer lines and the peak of the line profile is blue-shifted with respect to the [OIII]-based systemic redshift. These findings support the idea that the CIV line is tracing outflowing gas in the BLR, with velocities up to $\sim$4700 km/s. We confirm the strong dependence of the BLR wind velocity with the UV-to-Xray continuum slope, L$\rm_{Bol}$ and $\rmλ_{Edd}$. We inferred BLR mass outflow rates in the range 0.005-3 M$_{\odot}$/yr, showing a correlation with the bolometric luminosity consistent with that observed for ionized winds in the NLR and X-ray winds detected in local AGN, and kinetic power $\sim$10$^{[-7:-4]}\times$ L$\rm_{Bol}$. Finally, we found an anti-correlation between the equivalent width of the [OIII] line with respect to the CIV shift, and a positive correlation with [OIII] outflow velocity. These findings, for the first time in an unbiased sample of AGN at z$\sim$2, support a scenario where BLR winds are connected to galaxy scale detected outflows, and are capable of affecting the gas in the NLR located at kpc scale.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2020

A significant excess in major merger rate for AGNs with the highest Eddington ratios at z<0.2

Observational studies are increasingly finding evidence against major mergers being the dominant mechanism responsible for triggering AGN. After studying the connection between major mergers and AGN with the highest Eddington ratios at z=2, we here expand our analysis to z<0.2, exploring the same AGN parameter space. Using ESO VLT/FORS2 B-, V- and color images, we examine the morphologies of 17 galaxies hosting AGNs with Eddington ratios >0.3, and 25 mass- and redshift-matched control galaxies. To match the appearance of the two samples, we add synthetic point sources to the inactive comparison galaxies. The combined sample of AGN and inactive galaxies was independently ranked by 19 experts with respect to the degree of morphological distortion. We combine the resulting individual rankings into multiple overall rankings, from which we derive the respective major merger fractions of the two samples. With a best estimate of 0.41 $\pm$ 0.12 for the AGN host galaxies and 0.08 $\pm$ 0.06 for the inactive galaxies our results imply that our AGN host galaxies have a significantly higher merger rate, regardless of the observed wavelength or applied methodology. We conclude that although major mergers are an essential mechanism to trigger local high Eddington ratio AGNs at z<0.2, the origin of >=50% of this specific AGN subpopulation still remains unclear.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2020

SUPER-II: Spatially resolved ionized gas kinematics and scaling relations in z~2 AGN host galaxies

The SINFONI survey for Unveiling the Physics and Effect of Radiative feedback (SUPER) aims at tracing and characterizing ionized gas outflows and their impact on star formation in a statistical sample of X-ray selected Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) at z$\sim$2. We present the first SINFONI results for a sample of 21 Type-1 AGN spanning a wide range in bolometric luminosity (log $\mathrm{L_{bol}}$ = 45.4-47.9 erg/s). The main aims of this paper are determining the extension of the ionized gas, characterizing the occurrence of AGN-driven outflows, and linking the properties of such outflows with those of the AGN. We use Adaptive Optics-assisted SINFONI observations to trace ionized gas in the extended narrow line region using the [OIII]5007 line. We classify a target as hosting an outflow if its non-parametric velocity of the [OIII] line, $\mathrm{w_{80}}$, is larger than 600 km/s. We study the presence of extended emission using dedicated point-spread function (PSF) observations, after modelling the PSF from the Balmer lines originating from the Broad Line Region. We detect outflows in all the Type-1 AGN sample based on the $\mathrm{w_{80}}$ value from the integrated spectrum, which is in the range 650-2700 km/s. There is a clear positive correlation between $\mathrm{w_{80}}$ and the AGN bolometric luminosity (99% correlation probability), but a weaker correlation with the black hole mass (80% correlation probability). A comparison of the PSF and the [OIII] radial profile shows that the [OIII] emission is spatially resolved for $\sim$35% of the Type-1 sample and the outflows show an extension up to $\sim$6 kpc. The relation between maximum velocity and the bolometric luminosity is consistent with model predictions for shocks from an AGN driven outflow. The escape fraction of the outflowing gas increase with the AGN luminosity, although for most galaxies, this fraction is less than 10%.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2019

ALMA 200-parsec Resolution Imaging of Smooth Cold Dusty Disks in Typical $z \sim 3$ Star-Forming Galaxies

We present high-fidelity, 30 milliarcsecond (200-pc) resolution ALMA rest-frame 240 $μ$m observations of cold dust emission in three typical main-sequence star-forming galaxies (SFGs) at $z \sim 3$ in the Hubble Ultra-Deep Field (HUDF). The cold dust is distributed within the smooth disk-like central regions of star formation $1 - 3$ kpc in diameter, despite their complex and disturbed rest-frame UV and optical morphologies. No dust substructures or clumps are seen down to $\simeq 1- 3$ $M_\odot$yr$^{-1}$ (1$σ$) per 200-pc beam. No dust emission is observed at the locations of UV-emitting clumps, which lie $\simeq 2-10$ kpc from the bulk of star formation. Clumpy substructures can contribute no more than $1-7$% of the total star formation in these galaxies (3$σ$ upper limits). The lack of star-forming substructures in our HUDF galaxies is to be contrasted with the multiple substructures characteristic of submillimeter-selected galaxies (SMGs) at the same cosmic epoch, particularly the far-IR-bright SMGs with similarly high-fidelity ALMA observations of Hodge et al. (2019). Individual star-forming substructures in these SMGs contain $\sim10-30$% of their total star formation. A substructure in these SMGs is often comparably bright in the far-infrared as (or in some cases brighter than) our typical SFGs, suggesting that these SMGs originate from a class of disruptive event involving multiple objects at the scale of our HUDF galaxies. The scale of the disruptive event found in our main-sequence SFGs, characterized by the lack of star-forming substructures at our resolution and sensitivity, could be less violent, e.g., gas-rich disk instability or minor mergers.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2019

No signs of star formation being regulated in the most luminous quasars at z~2 with ALMA

We present ALMA Band~7 observations at $850μ$m of 20 luminous ($\log\, L_{\rm bol}>46.9$ [erg s$^{-1}$]) unobscured quasars at $z\sim2$. We detect continuum emission for 19/20 quasars. After subtracting an AGN contribution, we measure the total far-IR luminosity for 18 quasars, assuming a modified blackbody model, and attribute the emission as indicative of the star formation rate (SFR). Our sample can be characterized with a log-normal SFR distribution having a mean of 140 $M_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$ and a dispersion of 0.5 dex. Based on an inference of their stellar masses, the SFRs are similar, in both the mean and dispersion, with star-forming main-sequence galaxies at the equivalent epoch. Thus, there is no evidence for a systematic enhancement or suppression (i.e., regulation or quenching) of star formation in the hosts of the most luminous quasars at $z\sim2$. These results are consistent with the Magneticum cosmological simulation, while in disagreement with a widely recognized phenomenological model that predicts higher SFRs than observed here based on the high bolometric luminosities of this sample. Furthermore, there is only a weak relation between SFR and accretion rate onto their supermassive black holes both for average and individual measurements. We interpret these results as indicative of star formation and quasar accretion being fed from the available gas reservoir(s) in their host with a disconnect due to their different physical sizes, temporal scales, and means of gas processing.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2018

An FMOS Survey of moderate-luminosity broad-line AGN in COSMOS, SXDS and E-CDF-S

We present near-IR spectroscopy in J- and H-band for a large sample of 243 X-ray selected moderate-luminosity type-1 AGN in the COSMOS, SXDS and E-CDF-S survey fields using the multi-object spectrograph Subaru/FMOS. Our sample covers the redshift range 0.5 0.4 dex). We extend a recently proposed correction based on the CIV blueshift to lower luminosities and black hole masses. While our sample shows an improvement in their CIV black hole mass estimates, the deficit of high blueshift sources reduces its overall importance for moderate-luminosity AGN, compared to the most luminous quasars. In addition, we revisit luminosity correlations between $L_{\rm{bol}}$, $L_X$, $L_{\rm{[OIII]}}$, $L_{5100}$ and $L_{\rm{H}α}$ and find them to be consistent with a simple empirical model, based on a small number of well-established scaling relations. We finally highlight our highest redshift AGN, CID 781, at z=4.6 which shows the lowest black hole mass ($\sim10^8$M$_\odot$) among current near-IR samples at this redshift, and is in a state of fast growth.

astro-ph.GA↗