arXiv subjects

Summer A. J. McLaughlin

Publications and source records attributed to Summer A. J. McLaughlin.

2 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↗

arXiv2024

Using Gaussian Processes to detect AGN flares

A key feature of active galactic nuclei (AGN) is their variability across all wavelengths. Typically, AGN vary by a few tenths of a magnitude or more over periods lasting from hours to years. By contrast, extreme variability of AGN -- large luminosity changes that are a significant departure from the baseline variability -- are known as AGN flares. These events are rare and their timescales poorly constrained, with most of the literature focusing on individual events. It has been suggested that extreme AGN variability including flares can provide insights into the accretion processes in the disk. With surveys such as the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) promising millions of transient detections per night in the coming decade, there is a need for fast and efficient classification of AGN flares. The problem with the systematic detection of AGN flares is the requirement to detect them against a stochastically variable baseline; the ability to define a signal as a significant departure from the ever-present variability is a statistical challenge. Recently, Gaussian Processes (GPs) have revolutionised the analysis of time-series data in many areas of astronomical research. They have, however, seen limited uptake within the field of transient detection and classification. Here we investigate the efficacy of Gaussian Processes to detect AGN flares in both simulated and real optical light curves. We show that GP analysis can successfully detect AGN flares with a false-positive rate of less than seven per cent, and we present examples of AGN light curves that show extreme variability.

astro-ph.HE↗