arXiv subjects

R. Della Ceca

Publications and source records attributed to R. Della Ceca.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2014

The XMM-Newton Bright Survey sample of absorbed quasars: X-ray and accretion properties

Although absorbed quasars are extremely important for our understanding of the energetics of the Universe, the main physical parameters of their central engines are still poorly known. In this work we present and study a complete sample of 14 quasars (QSOs) that are absorbed in the X-rays (column density NH>4x10^21 cm-2 and X-ray luminosity L(2-10 keV)>10^44 ergs/s; XQSO2) belonging to the XMM-Newton Bright Serendipitous Survey (XBS). From the analysis of their ultraviolet-to-mid-infrared spectral energy distribution we can separate the nuclear emission from the host galaxy contribution, obtaining a measurement of the fundamental nuclear parameters, like the mass of the central supermassive black hole and the value of Eddington ratio, lambda_Edd. Comparing the properties of XQSO2s with those previously obtained for the X-ray unabsorbed QSOs in the XBS, we do not find any evidence that the two samples are drawn from different populations. In particular, the two samples span the same range in Eddington ratios, up to lambda_Edd=0.5; this implies that our XQSO2s populate the "forbidden region" in the so-called "effective Eddington limit paradigm". A combination of low grain abundance, presence of stars inwards of the absorber, and/or anisotropy of the disk emission, can explain this result.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2014

SDSSJ143244.91+301435.3: a link between radio-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies and compact steep-spectrum radio sources?

We present SDSSJ143244.91+301435.3, a new case of radio-loud narrow line Seyfert 1 (RL NLS1) with a relatively high radio power (P1.4GHz=2.1x10^25 W Hz^-1) and large radioloudness parameter (R1.4=600+/-100). The radio source is compact with a linear size below ~1.4 kpc but, contrary to most of the RL NLS1 discovered so far with such a high R1.4, its radio spectrum is very steep (alpha=0.93) and not supporting a 'blazar-like' nature. Both the small mass of the central super-massive black-hole and the high accretion rate relative to the Eddington limit estimated for this object (3.2x10^7 Msun and 0.27, respectively, with a formal error of ~0.4 dex on both quantities) are typical of the class of NLS1. Through a modeling of the spectral energy distribution of the source we have found that the galaxy hosting SDSSJ143244.91+301435.3 is undergoing a quite intense star-formation (SFR=50 Msun y^-1) which, however, is expected to contribute only marginally (~1 per cent) to the observed radio emission. The radio properties of SDSSJ143244.91+301435.3 are remarkably similar to those of compact steep spectrum (CSS) radio sources, a class of AGN mostly composed by young radio galaxies. This may suggest a direct link between these two classes of AGN, with the CSS sources possibly representing the misaligned version (the so-called parent population) of RL NLS1 showing blazar characteristics.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2014

X-ray observation of ULAS J1120+0641, the most distant quasar at z=7.08

We aim at probing the emission mechanism of the accreting super massive black holes in the high redshift Universe. We study the X-ray spectrum of ULAS1120+0641, the highest redshift quasar detected so far at z=7.085, which has been deeply observed (340 ks) by XMM-Newton. Despite the long integration time the spectral analysis is limited by the poor statistics, with only 150 source counts being detected. We measured the spectrum in the 2-80 keV rest-frame (0.3-10 keV observed) energy band. Assuming a simple power law model we find a photon index of 2.0+/-0.3 and a luminosity of 6.7+/-0.3 10^44 erg/s in the 2-10 keV band, while the intrinsic absorbing column can be only loosely constrained (NH< 1E23 cm^-2). Combining our data with published data we calculate that the X-ray-to-optical spectral index alpha_OX is1.8+/-0.1, in agreement with the alpha_OX-UV luminosity correlation valid for lower redshift quasars. We expanded to high energies the coverage of the spectral energy distribution of ULAS1120+0641. This is the second time that a z >6 quasar has been investigated through a deep X-ray observation. In agreement with previous studies of z~6 AGN samples, we do not find any hint of evolution in the broadband energy distribution. Indeed from our dataset ULAS 1120+0641 is indistinguishable from the population of optically bright quasar at lower redshift.

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arXiv2013

The variable ionized absorber in the Seyfert 2 Mrk 348

We present the results of the analysis of the X-ray spectrum of the Seyfert 2 Mrk 348, observed by Suzaku and XMM-Newton. The overall spectrum of Mrk 348 can be described by a primary power law continuum seen through three layers of absorption, of which one is neutral and two are ionised. Comparing Suzaku (2008) and XMM-Newton (2002) observations we find variability of the X-ray spectral curvature. We suggest that the variability can be explained through the change of column density of both the neutral and one of the ionised absorbers, together with a variation of the ionisation level of the same absorber. We thus confirm one of the main features presented in past works, where intrinsic column density variability up to $\sim 10^{23}$~cm$^{-2}$ was observed on time scales of months. We also find that the photon index of the underlying power law continuum ($Γ\sim 1.8$) is in agreement with the previous observations of this Seyfert 2.

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arXiv2013

Studying the relationship between X-ray emission and accretion in AGNs using the XMM-Newton Bright Serendipitous Survey

We study the link between the X-ray emission in radio-quiet AGNs and the accretion rate on the central Supermassive Black Hole using a statistically well-defined and representative sample of 71 type 1 AGNs extracted from the XMM-Newton Bright Serendipitous Survey. We search and quantify the statistical correlations between some fundamental parameters that characterize the X-ray emission, i.e. the X-ray spectral slope, and the X-ray "loudness", and the accretion rate, both absolute and normalized to the Eddington luminosity (Eddington ratio). We parametrize the X-ray loudness using three different quantities: the bolometric correction, the two-point spectral index and the disk/corona luminosity ratio. We find that the X-ray spectral index depends on the normalized accretion rate while the "X-ray loudness" depends on both the normalized and the absolute accretion rate. The dependence on the Eddington ratio, in particular, is probably induced by the X-ray spectral slope-Eddington ratio correlation. The two proxies usually adopted in the literature to quantify the X-ray loudness of an AGN, i.e. the bolometric correction and the two-point spectral index, behave differently, with the bolometric correction being more sensitive to the Eddington ratio and the two-point spectral index having a stronger dependence with the absolute accretion. The explanation of this result is likely related to the different sensitivity of the two parameters to the X-ray spectral index.

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arXiv2013

The role of relativistic jets in the heaviest and most active supermassive black holes at high redshift

In powerful radio-quiet active galactic nuclei (AGN), black holes heavier than one billion solar masses form at a redshift ~1.5-2. Supermassive black holes in jetted radio-loud AGN seems to form earlier, at a redshift close to 4. The ratio of active radio-loud to radio-quiet AGN hosting heavy black holes is therefore a rather a strong function of redshift. We report on some recent evidence supporting this conclusion, gathered from the Burst Alert Telescope (BAT, onboard Swift) and by the Large Area Telescope (LAT, onboard Fermi). We suggest that the more frequent occurrence of relativistic jets in the most massive black holes at high redshifts, compared to later times, could be due to the average black hole spin being greater in the distant past, or else to the jet helping a fast accretion rate (or some combination of the two scenarios). We emphasize that the large total accretion efficiency of rapidly spinning black holes inhibits a fast growth, unless a large fraction of the available gravitational energy of the accreted mass is not converted into radiation, but used to form and maintain a powerful jet.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2013

The XMM-Newton Wide Angle Survey (XWAS)

This programme is aimed at obtaining one of the largest X-ray selected samples of identified active galactic nuclei to date in order to characterise such a population at intermediate fluxes, where most of the Universe's accretion power originates. We present the XMM-Newton Wide Angle Survey (XWAS), a new catalogue of almost a thousand X-ray sources spectroscopically identified through optical observations. A sample of X-ray sources detected in 68 XMM-Newton pointed observations was selected for optical multi-fibre spectroscopy. Optical counterparts and corresponding photometry of the X-ray sources were obtained from the SuperCOSMOS Sky Survey. Candidates for spectroscopy were initially selected with magnitudes down to R~21, with preference for X-ray sources having a flux F(0.5-4.5 keV) >10^-14 erg s^-1 cm^-2. Optical spectroscopic observations performed at the Anglo Australian Telescope Two Degree Field were analysed, and the derived spectra were classified based on optical emission lines. We have identified through optical spectroscopy 940 X-ray sources over ~11.8 deg^2 of the sky. Source populations in our sample can be summarised as 65% broad line active galactic nuclei (BLAGN), 16% narrow emission line galaxies (NELGs), 6% absorption line galaxies (ALGs) and 13% stars. An active nucleus is likely to be present also in the large majority of the X-ray sources spectroscopically classified as NELGs or ALGs. Sources lie in high-galactic latitude (|b| > 20 deg) XMM-Newton fields mainly in the southern hemisphere. Due to the large parameter space in redshift (0 < z < 4.25) and flux (10^-15 < F(0.5-4.5 keV) < 10^-12 erg s^-1 cm^-2) covered by the XWAS this work provides an excellent resource to further study subsamples and particular cases. The overall properties of the extragalactic objects are presented in this paper.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2012

The relationship between X-ray emission and accretion in X-ray selected AGNs

We study the link between the X-ray emission in radio-quiet AGNs and the accretion rate on the central Supermassive Black-Hole (SMBH) using a well-defined and statistically complete sample of 70 type1 AGNs extracted from the XMM-Newton Bright Serendipitous survey (XBS). To this end, we search and quantify the statistical correlations between the main parameters that characterize the X-ray emission (i.e. the X-ray spectral slope and the X-ray loudness), and the accretion rate, both absolute and relative to the Eddington limit (Eddington ratio). Here, we summarize and discuss the main statistical correlations found and their possible implications on current disk-corona models.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2012

Black-hole masses of type 1 AGN in the XMM-Newton bright serendipitous survey

We derive masses of the central super-massive black hole (SMBH) and accretion rates for 154 type1 AGN belonging to a well-defined X-ray-selected sample, the XMM-Newton Serendipitous Sample (XBS). To this end, we use the most recent "single-epoch" relations, based on Hbeta and MgII2798A emission lines, to derive the SMBH masses. We then use the bolometric luminosities, computed on the basis of an SED-fitting procedure, to calculate the accretion rates, both absolute and normalized to the Eddington luminosity (Eddington ratio). The selected AGNs cover a range of masses from 10^7 to 10^10 Msun with a peak around 8x10^8 Msun and a range of accretion rates from 0.01 to ~50 Msun/year (assuming an efficiency of 0.1), with a peak at ~1 Msun/year. The values of Eddington ratio range from 0.001 to ~0.5 and peak at 0.1.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2012

A new technique to efficiently select Compton-thick AGN

We present a new efficient diagnostic method, based on mid-infrared and X-ray data, to select local (z<0.1) Compton-thick (CT) AGN with the aim of estimating their surface and space density. We define a region in the X-ray/IR vs. HR plane associated to CT AGN, i.e. F(2-12keV)/F25nu25<0.02 and HR>-0.2. We build up a sample of 43 CT AGN candidates using data from IRAS-PSC and 2XMM catalogue. In order to test the efficiency of the proposed method in selecting CT AGN we use the results of the X-ray spectral analysis performed on all the sources of our sample. After taking into account the different selection effects, we have estimated the number of CT in the local Universe and their density down to the IRAS flux limit of F25=0.5Jy. We find that the diagnostic plot proposed here is an efficient method to select Compton-thick AGN in the nearby Universe since ~84% of the sources populating the proposed CT region are actually CT AGN. Twenty percent are newly-discovered CT AGN. We then estimate the surface density of CT AGN down to the IRAS PSC catalogue flux limit (F25=0.5Jy) that turns out to be ~3e-3 src deg-2. After estimating an equivalent IR-hard X-ray limiting flux, we compare our result with those found with SWIFT-BAT. We find that the surface density derived here is a factor 4 above the density computed in the hard X-ray surveys. This difference is ascribed, at least in part, to a significant contribution (~60-90%) of the star-forming activity to the total 25 mic emission for the sources in our sample. By considering only the 25 mic AGN emission, we estimate a surface density of CT AGN which is consistent with the results found by hard X-ray surveys. Finally, we estimated the co-moving space density of CT AGN with intrinsic LX>1e43 erg s-1 (0.004<z<0.06): ~3.5e-6 Mpc-3. The prediction for CT AGN based on the synthesis model of XRB in Gilli et al.(2007) is consistent with this value.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2011

The optical-UV spectral energy distribution of the unabsorbed AGN population in the XMM-Newton Bright Serendipitous Survey

Active galactic nuclei (AGN) emit radiation over a wide range of wavelengths, with a peak of emission in the far-UV region of the electromagnetic spectrum, a spectral region that is historically difficult to observe. Using optical, GALEX UV and XMM-Newton data we derive the spectral energy distribution (SED) from the optical/UV to X-ray regime of a sizeable sample of AGN. The principal motivation is to investigate the relationship between the optical/UV emission and the X-ray emission and provide bolometric corrections to the hard X-ray (2-10 keV) energy range, kbol, the latter being a fundamental parameter in current physical cosmology. We construct and study the X-ray to optical SED of a sample of 195 X-ray selected Type 1 AGN belonging to the XMM-Newton bright serendipitous survey (XBS). The optical-UV luminosity was computed using data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), from our own dedicated optical spectroscopy and the satellite Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX), while the X-ray luminosity was computed using XMM-Newton data. Because it covers a wide range of redshift (0.03 < z < 2.2), X-ray luminosities (41.8 < logL[2-10]keV < 45.5 erg/s) and because it is composed of "bright objects", this sample is ideal for this kind of investigation. We find a correlation between kbol and the hard X-ray photon index Γ(2-10keV) and a tight correlation between the optical-to-X-ray spectral index αox and kbol, so we conclude that both Γ(2-10keV) and αox can be used as a proxy for kbol.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2011

X-ray selected Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 Galaxies

We present and discuss the properties of a complete and well defined sample of X-ray selected type 1 AGNs including 26 Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 and 129 Broad-Line Seyfert 1 galaxies derived from the XMM-Newton Bright Serendipitous Survey (XBS). We study the differences between the two classes of AGNs for what concerns the X-ray properties (the photon-index) and the main physical parameters, like the Black-Hole mass and the Eddington ratio. We then consider the two classes together and look for statistical correlations between observed and physical parameters. We find a significant dependence of the photon-index with the Eddington ratio and a weaker (possibly secondary) correlation between the photon index and the Black-Hole Mass.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2011

The X-ray spectral properties of the AGN population in the XMM-Newton bright serendipitous survey

We present here a detailed X-ray spectral analysis of the AGN belonging to the XMM-Newton bright survey (XBS) that comprises more than 300 AGN up to redshift ~ 2.4. We performed an X-ray analysis following two different approaches: by analyzing individually each AGN X-ray spectrum and by constructing average spectra for different AGN types. From the individual analysis, we find that there seems to be an anti correlation between the spectral index and the sources' hard X-ray luminosity, such that the average photon index for the higher luminosity sources (> 10E44 erg/s) is significantly flatter than the average for the lower luminosity sources. We also find that the intrinsic column density distribution agrees with AGN unified schemes, although a number of exceptions are found (3% of the whole sample), which are much more common among optically classified type 2 AGN. We also find that the so-called "soft-excess", apart from the intrinsic absorption, constitutes the principal deviation from a power-law shape in AGN X-ray spectra and it clearly displays different characteristics, and likely a different origin, for unabsorbed and absorbed AGN. Regarding the shape of the average spectra, we find that it is best reproduced by a combination of an unabsorbed (absorbed) power law, a narrow Fe Kalpha emission line and a small (large) amount of reflection for unabsorbed (absorbed) sources. We do not significantly detect any relativistic contribution to the line emission and we compute an upper limit for its equivalent width (EW) of 230 eV at the 3 sigma confidence level. Finally, by dividing the type 1 AGN sample into high- and low-luminosity sources, we marginally detect a decrease in the narrow Fe Kalpha line EW and in the amount of reflection as the luminosity increases, the "so-called" Iwasawa-Taniguchi effect.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2010

Cross-correlation of the 2XMMi catalogue with Data Release 7 of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

The Survey Science Centre of the XMM-Newton satellite released the first incremental version of the 2XMM catalogue in August 2008 . With more than 220,000 X-ray sources, the 2XMMi was at that time the largest catalogue of X-ray sources ever published and thus constitutes an unprecedented resource for studying the high-energy properties of various classes of X-ray emitters such as AGN and stars. The advent of the 7th release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey offers the opportunity to cross-match two major surveys and extend the spectral energy distribution of many 2XMMi sources towards the optical bands. We here present a cross-matching algorithm based on the classical likelihood ratio estimator. The method developed has the advantage of providing true probabilities of identifications without resorting to Monte-Carlo simulations. Over 30,000 2XMMi sources have SDSS counterparts with individual probabilities of identification higher than 90%. Using spectroscopic identifications from the SDSS DR7 catalogue supplemented by extraction from other catalogues, we build an identified sample from which the way the various classes of X-ray emitters gather in the multi dimensional parameter space can be analysed. We investigate two scientific use cases. In the first example we show how these multi-wavelength data can be used to search for new QSO2s. Although no specific range of observed properties allows us to identify Compton Thick QSO2s, we show that the prospects are much better for Compton Thin AGN2 and discuss several possible multi-parameter selection strategies. In a second example, we confirm the hardening of the mean X-ray spectrum with increasing X-ray luminosity on a sample of over 500 X-ray active stars and reveal that on average X-ray active M stars display bluer $g-r$ colour indexes than less active ones (abridged).

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2010

Suzaku and SWIFT-BAT observations of a newly discovered Compton-thick AGN

Obscured AGN are fundamental to understand the history of Super Massive Black Hole growth and their influence on galaxy formation. However, the Compton-thick AGN (NH>1e24 cm^-2) population is basically unconstrained, with less than few dozen confirmed Compton-thick AGN found and studied so far. A way to select heavily obscured AGN is to compare the X-ray emission below 10 keV (which is strongly depressed) with the emission from other bands less affected by the absorption, i.e. the IR band. To this end, we have cross-correlated the 2XMM catalogue with the IRAS Point Source catalogue and, by using the X-ray to infrared flux ratio and X-ray colors, we selected a well defined sample of Compton-thick AGN candidates at z<0.1. The aim of this work is to confirm the nature and to study one of these local Compton-thick AGN candidates, the nearby (z=0.029) Seyfert 2 galaxy IRAS 04507+0358, by constraining the amount of intrinsic absorption (NH) and thus the intrinsic luminosity. To this end we obtained deep (100 ks) Suzaku observations (AO4 call) and performed a joint fit with SWIFT-BAT data. We analyzed XMM-Newton, Suzaku and SWIFT-BAT data and we present here the results of this broad-band (0.4-100 keV) spectral analysis. We found that the broad-band X-ray emission of IRAS 04507+0358 requires a large amount of absorption (larger than 1e24 cm^-2) to be well reproduced, thus confirming the Compton-thick nature of this source. In particular, the most probable scenario is that of a mildly (NH (1.3-1.5)x1e24 cm^-2, L(2-10 keV) (5-7)x1e43 erg s^-1) Compton-thick AGN.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2010

High redshift Fermi blazars

With the release of the first year Fermi catalogue, the number of blazars detected above 100 MeV lying at high redshift has been largely increased. There are 28 blazars at z>2 in the "clean" sample. All of them are Flat Spectrum Radio Quasars (FSRQs). We study and model their overall spectral energy distribution in order to find the physical parameters of the jet emitting region, and for all of them we estimate their black hole masses and accretion rates. We then compare the jet with the accretion disk properties, setting these sources in the broader context of all the other bright gamma-ray or hard X-ray blazars. We confirm that the jet power correlates with the accretion luminosity. We find that the high energy emission peak shifts to smaller frequencies as the observed luminosity increases, according to the blazar sequence, making the hard X-ray band the most suitable for searching the most luminous and distant blazars.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2010

Overview of EXIST mission science and implementation

The Energetic X-ray Imaging Survey Telescope (EXIST) is designed to i) use the birth of stellar mass black holes, as revealed by cosmic Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs), as probes of the very first stars and galaxies to exist in the Universe. Both their extreme luminosity (~104 times larger than the most luminous quasars) and their hard X-ray detectability over the full sky with wide-field imaging make them ideal "back-lights" to measure cosmic structure with X-ray, optical and near-IR (nIR) spectra over many sight lines to high redshift. The full-sky imaging detection and rapid followup narrow-field imaging and spectroscopy allow two additional primary science objectives: ii) novel surveys of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) accreting as very luminous but rare quasars, which can trace the birth and growth of the first SMBHs as well as quiescent SMBHs (non-accreting) which reveal their presence by X-ray flares from the tidal disruption of passing field stars; and iii) a multiwavelength Time Domain Astrophysics (TDA) survey to measure the temporal variability and physics of a wide range of objects, from birth to death of stars and from the thermal to non-thermal Universe. These science objectives are achieved with the telescopes and mission as proposed for EXIST described here.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2010

Revealing the First Stellar and Supermassive Black Holes to EXIST

The epochs of origin of the first stars and galaxies, and subsequent growth of the first supermassive black holes, are among the most fundamental questions. Observations of the highest redshift Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) will be the most compelling in situ probe of the history of initial star formation and consequent epoch of reionization if their prompt and precise detection can be followed immediately by sensitive near-IR imaging and spectroscopy. Blazars are the persistent analogs of GRBs and for the same reason (beaming) can be observed at highest redshifts where they might best trace the high accretion rate-driven jets and growth of supermassive black holes in galaxies. The proposed EXIST mission can uniquely probe these questions, and many others, given its unparalled combination of sensitivity and spatial-spectral-temporal coverage and resolution. Here we provide a brief summary of the mission design, key science objectives, mission plan and readiness for EXIST, as proposed to Astro2010.

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