arXiv subjects

N. Chang

Publications and source records attributed to N. Chang.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Dual AGN and Multiple SMBH Systems in the Era of SKAO

We present a radio-oriented review of current strategies for the detection and characterization of dual active galactic nuclei (DAGN) and supermassive black hole binaries (SMBHBs), emphasizing the crucial role of radio interferometry in advancing this field. We discuss how high-resolution radio imaging - particularly through very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) - provides a unique, dust-unbiased tool to identify multiple accreting SMBHs, disentangle AGN-related emission from star formation, and trace components from tens of kpc to sub-parsec scales. We summarize current observational limitations, such as insufficient sensitivity-resolution combination and area coverage. We then outline how the SKAO will overcome these constraints through its unprecedented combination of sensitivity, survey speed, imaging fidelity and angular resolution, enabling the discovery and characterization of dual and binary SMBHs from the nearby Universe to the epoch of reionization. Several science cases are presented, including radio follow-ups of optical/infrared-selected DAGN, direct blind radio selection of DAGN, studies of compact bound SMBHBs, and the link between SMBHB orbital evolution and low-frequency gravitational wave emission. We further emphasize the synergy between SKAO observations and modern and upcoming facilities such as the James Webb and Euclid space telescopes, Rubin Observatory, and gravitational wave detectors including the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna and pulsar timing arrays. These combined capabilities will allow SKAO to enable the first comprehensive radio census of dual and binary SMBH systems, bridge the gap between electromagnetic and gravitational wave observations, and provide a statistically significant view of SMBH pairing, accretion, and merger-driven feedback throughout cosmic history.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2026

Multiwavelength quasi-periodic variability of the blazar Ton 599

During the last 40-50 years, the TeV blazar Ton 599 has systematically experienced major outbursts detected in a wide wavelength range from radio to $\gamma$-rays. In this work, we present an analysis of Ton 599 quasi-periodic variability across multiple wavelengths using an observing baseline from 1983 to 2025. The $\gamma$-ray, optical, and radio emissions are found to be highly correlated with time lags $\sim0$-$360$ days, which indicates that they are triggered by the same population of particles. Using the Lomb-Scargle periodogram and the Weighted Wavelet Z-transform, we revealed several periodic components with characteristic periods of 1.4, 1.7, 2.3, 6.5, and 7.5 yrs. The result is consistent with the detection of periodic components in the 1997-2011 light curves, which means that we observe the same mechanism causing long-term periodic variability. A model of a binary supermassive black hole (SMBH) with a precessing jet, applied to the radio light curves of Ton 599, yields frequency-dependent best-fitting parameters with orbital periods ranging from $\sim$1.2 to 1.7 yrs and precession periods from $\sim$5.8 to 7.7 yrs. This result implies the existence of an SMBH system modulating emission through both the orbiting and jet precession effects, with differing observed periods possibly reflecting frequency-dependent emission regions along a structured, stratified jet. Nonetheless, the short-term periodicity and exceptionally strong flares likely arise from internal jet shocks, which aligns with typical blazar behavior. We suggest that the multiband quasi-periodicity of Ton 599 is reasonably described by a combination of geometric effects (orbital motion and precession) and stochastic processes.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2024

A distance measurement of galaxies from JWST using star formation rate-stellar mass relation

We use the star formation rate-stellar mass relation ($SFR - {M_ * }$) of galaxies to measure their luminosity distances as well as estimate cosmological parameters. We compile a sample of 341 high-redshift galaxies at $5 < z < 14$ and an additional 51 galaxies at $1.8 < z < 3.5$ from the JWST observations, which can be used to investigate the correlation between the star formation rate and stellar mass, and determine their cosmological distance. The relation $SFR \propto {\kern 1pt} {({M_ * }/{M_ \odot })^\gamma }$ can be applied to check the nonlinear correlation between the star formation rate and stellar mass ${M_ * }$ of galaxies and give their distance. Additionally, it also can be used to test if the $SFR - {M_ * }$ relation depends on redshift, and the data suggest that the $SFR $ is positively correlated with stellar mass, the $SFR - {M_ * }$ relation of the high-redshift galaxies has a redshift dependence. Finally, we combine the galaxy sample with Type Ia supernova (SNIa) data from the Pantheon compilation to test the property of dark energy, specifically addressing whether its density deviates from the constant, and give the statistical analysis results.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2023

Cosmological constraints from Type I radio-loud quasars

We obtain a new sample of 1192 Type I quasars with the UV-optical, radio and X-ray wavebands coverage by combining \citet{Huang2022} and other matching data of SDSS-DR16 with FIRST, XMM-Newton, and Chandra Source Catalog, and a sample of 407 flat-spectrum radio-loud quasars (FSRLQs) of blazars from the Roma-BZCAT, which can be used to investigate their multi-band luminosity correlations and measure the luminosity distances of these Type I radio-loud quasars (RLQs) samples. We check the correlation between X-ray, UV-optical, and radio luminosity for various groupings of radio-quiet quasars (RQQs) and RLQs by parameterizing X-ray luminosity as a sole function of UV-optical or radio luminosity and as a joint function of UV-optical radio luminosity, which also can be employed to determine these cosmological distances. By Bayesian information criterion (BIC), the data suggest that the X-ray luminosity of RQQs is indirectly correlative with radio luminosity because of the connection between UV-optical and radio luminosity. But for RLQs, the X-Ray luminosity is directly related to radio luminosity, and the correlations between X-ray, optical/UV, and radio luminosity increase with the ratio of monochromatic luminosities logR. Meanwhile, we compare the results from RLQs with different UV-optical power law index ${\Gamma _{UV}}$, the goodness of fit for RLQs with ${\Gamma _{UV}}\le 1.6$ seems to be better. Finally, we apply a combination of Type I RLQs and SN Ia Pantheon to verify the nature of dark energy concerning whether or not its density deviates from the constant, and give the statistical results.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2021

Possible Evidence of a Universal Radio/X-ray Correlation in a near-Complete Sample of Hard X-ray Selected Seyfert Galaxies

Because the disc--jet coupling likely depends on various properties of sources probed, the sample control is always an important but challenging task. In this work, we re-analyzed the INTEGRAL hard X-ray-selected sample of Seyfert galaxies. We only consider sources that have measurements in black hole mass, and luminosities in radio and X-rays. Our sample includes 64 sources, consists of both bright AGNs and low-luminosity ones. We first find that, because of the similarity in the $L_{HX}/L_X$ distribution, the X-ray origin of radio-loud Seyferts may be the same to that of radio-quiet ones, where we attribute to the hot accretion flow (or similarly, the corona). We then investigate the connections between luminosities in radio and X-rays. Since our sample suffers a selection bias of a black hole mass $M_{BH}$ dependence on $L_X/L_{Edd}$, we focus on the correlation slope $\xi_X$ between the radio (at 1.4 GHz) and X-ray luminosities in Eddington unit, i.e. $(L_R/L_{Edd})\propto(L_X/L_{Edd})^{\xi_X}$. We classify the sources according to various properties, i.e. 1) Seyfert classification, 2) radio loudness, and 3) radio morphology. We find that, despite these differences in classification, all the sources in our sample are consistent with a universal correlation slope $\xi_X$, with $\xi_X=0.77\pm0.10$. This is unexpected, considering various possible radio emitters in radio-quiet systems. For the jet interpretation, our result may suggest a common/universal but to be identified jet launching mechanism among all the Seyfert galaxies, while properties like black hole spin and magnetic field strength only play secondary roles. We further estimate the jet production efficiency $\eta_{jet}$ of Seyfert galaxies, which is $\eta_{jet}\approx1.9^{+0.9}_{-1.5}\times10^{-4}$ on average. We also find that $\eta_{jet}$ increases as the system goes fainter.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2008

Frying Doughnuts: What can the reprocessing of X-rays to IR tell us about the AGN environment?

Active galactic nuclei (AGN) produce vast amounts of high energy radiation deep in their central engines. X-rays either escape the AGN or are absorbed and re-emitted mostly as IR. By studying the dispersion in the ratio of observed mid-IR luminosity to observed 2-10keV X-ray luminosity (R_{ir/x}) in AGN we can investigate the reprocessing material (possibly a torus or donut of dust) in the AGN central engine, independent of model assumptions. We studied the ratio of observed mid-IR and 2-10keV X-ray luminosities in a heterogeneous sample of 245 AGN from the literature. We found that when we removed AGN with prominent jets, ~90% of Type I AGN lay within a very tight dispersion in luminosity ratio (1<R_{ir/x}<30). This implies that the AGN central engine is extremely uniform and models of the physical AGN environment (e.g. cloud cover, turbulent disk, opening angle of absorbing structures such as dusty tori) must span a very narrow range of parameters. We also found that the far-IR(100um) to mid-IR (12um) observed luminosity ratio is an effective descriminator between heavily obscured AGN and relatively unobscured AGN.

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