In this paper we give a brief review of the astrophysics of active galactic nuclei （AGNs）. After a general introduction motivating the study of AGNs, we discuss our present understanding of the inner workings of the...In this paper we give a brief review of the astrophysics of active galactic nuclei （AGNs）. After a general introduction motivating the study of AGNs, we discuss our present understanding of the inner workings of the central engines, most likely accreting black holes with masses between 106 and 10^10M. We highlight recent results concerning the jets （collimated outflows） of AGNs derived from X-ray observations （Chandra） of kpc-scale jets and ~/-ray observations of AGNs （Fermi, Cherenkov telescopes） with jets closely aligned with the lines of sight （blazars）, and discuss tile interpretation of these observations. Subsequently, we summarize our knowledge about the cosmic history of AGN formation and evolution. We conclude with a description of upcoming observational opportunities.展开更多
Blazars are subclass of AGN （active galactic nuclei） with relativistic jet that is pointing in the general direction of the earth. The energy flux in the jet is about （10^44-10^47） erg/s. The γ-rays in the energy...Blazars are subclass of AGN （active galactic nuclei） with relativistic jet that is pointing in the general direction of the earth. The energy flux in the jet is about （10^44-10^47） erg/s. The γ-rays in the energy range 10 GeV-10 TeV emanating from blazar are examined and their effect on the IGM （intergalactic medium） is studied. The γ-ray emission is considered as due to inverse Compton scattering of relativistic electrons. There appears to be a gamma ray flux from blazar above 10 GeV having a line intensity of 1.5 × 10^-4 cm^-2 s^-1 sr^-1. The IGM is measured to large distances and it is found to be clumpy. It is found that at higher redshifl the density of IGM increases. The cosmological density parameter measured is found to lie within the suggested limit of 0.03 at redshift z = 3 for background intensity of radiation 10^-24 W·m^-2·Hz^-1·sr^-1. The iso-ΩIGM curve shows a kink in its profile which might be significant at the particular value of z equal to 2. Some more detailed studies are required for understanding the distribution of intergalactic medium at the unstable point at z = 2 as shown in inverse Compton radiation.展开更多
In this work,we have searched for quasi-periodic oscillations(QPOs)in the 15 GHz light curve of the FSRQ PKS J0805-0111 monitored by the Owens Valley Radio Observatory(OVRO)40 m telescope during the period from 2008 J...In this work,we have searched for quasi-periodic oscillations(QPOs)in the 15 GHz light curve of the FSRQ PKS J0805-0111 monitored by the Owens Valley Radio Observatory(OVRO)40 m telescope during the period from 2008 January 9 to 2019 May 9,using the weighted wavelet Z-transform(WWZ)and the Lomb-Scargle Periodogram(LSP)techniques.This is the first time to search for a periodic radio signal in the FSRQ PKS J0805-0111 by these two methods.Both methods consistently reveal a repeating signal with a periodicity of 3.38±0.8 yr(>99.7%confidence level).In order to determine the significance of the periods,the false alarm probability method was applied,and a large number of Monte Carlo simulations were performed.As possible explanations,we discuss a number of scenarios including the thermal instability of thin disks scenario,the spiral jet scenario and the binary supermassive black hole scenario.We expect that the binary black hole scenario,where the QPO is caused by the precession of binary black holes,is the most likely explanation.FSRQ PKS J0805-0111 thus could be a good binary black hole candidate.In the binary black hole scenario,the distance between the primary black hole and the secondary black hole is about 1.71×10^(16) cm.展开更多
A relativistic beaming model has been successfully used to explain the observed properties of active galactic nuclei (AGNs). In this model there are two emission components, a boosted one and an unbeamed one, shown up...A relativistic beaming model has been successfully used to explain the observed properties of active galactic nuclei (AGNs). In this model there are two emission components, a boosted one and an unbeamed one, shown up in the radio band as the core and lobe components. The luminosity ratio of the core to the lobe is defined as the core-dominance parameter (R = (L<SUB>Core</SUB>/L<SUB>Lobe</SUB>)). The de-beamed radio luminosity (L<SUB>jet</SUB><SUP>db</SUP>) in the jet is assumed to be proportional to the unbeamed luminosity (L<SUB>ub</SUB>) in the co-moving frame, i.e., f = (L<SUB>jet</SUB><SUP>db</SUP>/L<SUB>ub</SUB>), and f is determined in our previous paper. We further discuss the relationship between BL Lacertae objects (BLs) and flat spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs), which are subclasses of blazars with different degrees of polarization, using the calculated values of the ratio f for a sample of superluminal blazars. We found 1) that the BLs show smaller averaged Doppler factors and Lorentz factors, larger viewing angles and higher core-dominance parameters than do the FSRQs, and 2) that in the polarization-core dominance parameter plot (P-log R) the BLs and FSRQs occupy a scattered region, but in a revised plot (log (P/c(m)) ? log R), they gather around two different lines, suggesting that they have some different intrinsic properties.展开更多
中等质量黑洞活动星系核(intermediate mass black hole active galactic nuclei, IMBH AGN)是指中心黑洞大约在10~2M⊙~10~6M⊙质量范围的活动星系核。关于近邻宇宙中IMBH AGN的研究,对于理解高红移类星体中的超大质量黑洞起源(即"...中等质量黑洞活动星系核(intermediate mass black hole active galactic nuclei, IMBH AGN)是指中心黑洞大约在10~2M⊙~10~6M⊙质量范围的活动星系核。关于近邻宇宙中IMBH AGN的研究,对于理解高红移类星体中的超大质量黑洞起源(即"种子黑洞问题")、低频引力波源等基本问题有着重要意义。得益于近20年来大规模光学光谱巡天的发展,已发现近邻宇宙中的宽线IMBH AGN的数目超过500个。对于这些光学选IMBH AGN,基于VLA FIRST巡天数据,针对小样本或个源的专门射电连续谱观测,已取得不少结果。从射电形态、连续谱谱型、射电功率和射电噪度、黑洞吸积基本面这四个方面,详细地介绍了目前IMBH AGN射电连续谱研究的进展。并且,分别面向当前正在开展的几个SKA探路者大规模连续谱巡天项目,以及大约10年后运行的SKA (至少是SKA一期),展望了IMBH AGN领域将来可以进行研究的科学目标。展开更多
Relativistic outflows often exhibit extreme observational characteristics due to beaming effects, which makes measuring their jet power a challenging task. Although the spectral energy distribution(SED) obtained from ...Relativistic outflows often exhibit extreme observational characteristics due to beaming effects, which makes measuring their jet power a challenging task. Although the spectral energy distribution(SED) obtained from multi-wavelength data can constrain the physical parameters of these jets, accurately estimating the Doppler factor remains difficult. To address this challenge, we assemble a comprehensive sample containing available SEDs of synchrotron and inverse Compton(IC) components, monochromatic luminosity, and broad-line region(BLR) emissions. We employ a parabolic equation to fit the synchrotron radiation SEDs,constraining jet physical parameters within the framework of a one-zone leptonic model. Our study delves into the jet properties and Doppler factor estimations, yielding the following key findings:(1) The fitting results of SED data for the entire sample reveal normal distributions of jet physical parameters for two subclasses of blazars.(2) Correlation analysis demonstrates that synchrotron peak luminosity exhibits a proportional relationship with both the radio and the γ-ray luminosities.(3) We introduce a novel method for estimating Doppler factors, which uncovers discrepancies between Doppler factors from this work and others from different techniques.展开更多
Active galactic nuclei（AGNs） have been attracting research attention due to their special observable properties. Specifically,a majority of AGNs are detected by Fermi-LAT missions, but not by Fermi-LAT, which raises...Active galactic nuclei（AGNs） have been attracting research attention due to their special observable properties. Specifically,a majority of AGNs are detected by Fermi-LAT missions, but not by Fermi-LAT, which raises the question of weather any differences exist between the two. To answer this issue, we compile a sample of 291 superluminal AGNs（189 FDSs and 102 nonFDSs） from available multi-wavelength radio, optical, and X-ray（or even γ-ray） data and Doppler factors and proper motion（μ）(or apparent velocity(βapp)); calculated the apparent velocity from their proper motion, Lorentz factor（Γ）, viewing angle（?） and co-moving viewing angle(?co) for the sources with available Doppler factor（δ）; and performed some statistical analyses for both types. Our study indicated that（1） in terms of average values, FDSs have higher proper motions（μ）, apparent velocities(βapp),Doppler factor（δ）, Lorentz factor（Γ）, and smaller viewing angle（?）. Nevertheless, there is no clear difference in co-moving viewing angles（?∞）. The results reveal that FDSs show stronger beaming effect than non-FDSs.（2） In terms of correlations:1) both sources show positive, mutually correlated fluxes, which become closer in de-beamed fluxes; 2) with respect to apparent velocities and γ-ray luminosity, there is a tendency for the brighter sources to have higher velocities; 3) with regard to viewing angle and observed γ-ray luminosity, log? =-（0.23 ± 0.04）log Lγ+（11.14 ± 1.93）, while for the co-moving viewing angle and the intrinsic γ-ray luminosity, log?∞=（0.09 ± 0.01）log Lγn-（1.73 ± 0.48）. These correlations show that the luminous γ-ray sources have smaller viewing angles and a larger co-moving viewing angle, which indicate a stronger beaming effect in γ-ray emissions.展开更多
文摘In this paper we give a brief review of the astrophysics of active galactic nuclei （AGNs）. After a general introduction motivating the study of AGNs, we discuss our present understanding of the inner workings of the central engines, most likely accreting black holes with masses between 106 and 10^10M. We highlight recent results concerning the jets （collimated outflows） of AGNs derived from X-ray observations （Chandra） of kpc-scale jets and ~/-ray observations of AGNs （Fermi, Cherenkov telescopes） with jets closely aligned with the lines of sight （blazars）, and discuss tile interpretation of these observations. Subsequently, we summarize our knowledge about the cosmic history of AGN formation and evolution. We conclude with a description of upcoming observational opportunities.
文摘Blazars are subclass of AGN （active galactic nuclei） with relativistic jet that is pointing in the general direction of the earth. The energy flux in the jet is about （10^44-10^47） erg/s. The γ-rays in the energy range 10 GeV-10 TeV emanating from blazar are examined and their effect on the IGM （intergalactic medium） is studied. The γ-ray emission is considered as due to inverse Compton scattering of relativistic electrons. There appears to be a gamma ray flux from blazar above 10 GeV having a line intensity of 1.5 × 10^-4 cm^-2 s^-1 sr^-1. The IGM is measured to large distances and it is found to be clumpy. It is found that at higher redshifl the density of IGM increases. The cosmological density parameter measured is found to lie within the suggested limit of 0.03 at redshift z = 3 for background intensity of radiation 10^-24 W·m^-2·Hz^-1·sr^-1. The iso-ΩIGM curve shows a kink in its profile which might be significant at the particular value of z equal to 2. Some more detailed studies are required for understanding the distribution of intergalactic medium at the unstable point at z = 2 as shown in inverse Compton radiation.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.11663009)the High-Energy Astrophysics Science and Technology Innovation Team of Yunnan Higher School+1 种基金the OVRO40-m monitoring program(Fan&Wu 2018)which is supported in part by NASA grants NNX08AW31GNNX11A043G and NNX14AQ89G,and NSF grants AST-0808050 and AST-1109911。
文摘In this work,we have searched for quasi-periodic oscillations(QPOs)in the 15 GHz light curve of the FSRQ PKS J0805-0111 monitored by the Owens Valley Radio Observatory(OVRO)40 m telescope during the period from 2008 January 9 to 2019 May 9,using the weighted wavelet Z-transform(WWZ)and the Lomb-Scargle Periodogram(LSP)techniques.This is the first time to search for a periodic radio signal in the FSRQ PKS J0805-0111 by these two methods.Both methods consistently reveal a repeating signal with a periodicity of 3.38±0.8 yr(>99.7%confidence level).In order to determine the significance of the periods,the false alarm probability method was applied,and a large number of Monte Carlo simulations were performed.As possible explanations,we discuss a number of scenarios including the thermal instability of thin disks scenario,the spiral jet scenario and the binary supermassive black hole scenario.We expect that the binary black hole scenario,where the QPO is caused by the precession of binary black holes,is the most likely explanation.FSRQ PKS J0805-0111 thus could be a good binary black hole candidate.In the binary black hole scenario,the distance between the primary black hole and the secondary black hole is about 1.71×10^(16) cm.
基金This work is partially supported by the National 973 projectthe National Science Fundfor Distinguished Young Scholars.
文摘A relativistic beaming model has been successfully used to explain the observed properties of active galactic nuclei (AGNs). In this model there are two emission components, a boosted one and an unbeamed one, shown up in the radio band as the core and lobe components. The luminosity ratio of the core to the lobe is defined as the core-dominance parameter (R = (L<SUB>Core</SUB>/L<SUB>Lobe</SUB>)). The de-beamed radio luminosity (L<SUB>jet</SUB><SUP>db</SUP>) in the jet is assumed to be proportional to the unbeamed luminosity (L<SUB>ub</SUB>) in the co-moving frame, i.e., f = (L<SUB>jet</SUB><SUP>db</SUP>/L<SUB>ub</SUB>), and f is determined in our previous paper. We further discuss the relationship between BL Lacertae objects (BLs) and flat spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs), which are subclasses of blazars with different degrees of polarization, using the calculated values of the ratio f for a sample of superluminal blazars. We found 1) that the BLs show smaller averaged Doppler factors and Lorentz factors, larger viewing angles and higher core-dominance parameters than do the FSRQs, and 2) that in the polarization-core dominance parameter plot (P-log R) the BLs and FSRQs occupy a scattered region, but in a revised plot (log (P/c(m)) ? log R), they gather around two different lines, suggesting that they have some different intrinsic properties.
基金National Science Foundation of China(11733001,U1531245,11873073,U1431122,U2031112)Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province(2017A0303313011,2019B030302001)+2 种基金Astrophysics Key Subjects of Guangdong Province and Guangzhou CityResearch Project of Education and Teaching Reform of Hunan Province in 2018(2018436)Research Fund of Hunan Provincial Department of Education(19C1263)。
文摘收集了一个具有光学和射电偏振的blazar样本,讨论了光学和射电偏振与喷流参数之间的关系.第一,蝎虎天体(BL Lac object,BL Lac)的偏振高于平谱射电源(Flat Spectrum Radio Quasar,FSRQ)的偏振,核主导系数R和比率f都正比于本征射电和光学偏振;第二,基于该样本,可得喷流是球型的;第三,BL Lac和FSRQ具有相似的本征偏振与喷流参量(log R和f)的关系.
基金financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.12303018)supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.U2031201,11733001,and U2031112).+1 种基金the science research grants from the China Manned Space Project with(Grant No.CMSCSST-2021-A06)Scientific and Technological Cooperation Projects(20202023)between China and the Republic of Bulgaria。
文摘Relativistic outflows often exhibit extreme observational characteristics due to beaming effects, which makes measuring their jet power a challenging task. Although the spectral energy distribution(SED) obtained from multi-wavelength data can constrain the physical parameters of these jets, accurately estimating the Doppler factor remains difficult. To address this challenge, we assemble a comprehensive sample containing available SEDs of synchrotron and inverse Compton(IC) components, monochromatic luminosity, and broad-line region(BLR) emissions. We employ a parabolic equation to fit the synchrotron radiation SEDs,constraining jet physical parameters within the framework of a one-zone leptonic model. Our study delves into the jet properties and Doppler factor estimations, yielding the following key findings:(1) The fitting results of SED data for the entire sample reveal normal distributions of jet physical parameters for two subclasses of blazars.(2) Correlation analysis demonstrates that synchrotron peak luminosity exhibits a proportional relationship with both the radio and the γ-ray luminosities.(3) We introduce a novel method for estimating Doppler factors, which uncovers discrepancies between Doppler factors from this work and others from different techniques.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.11733001,U1531245,10633010,11173009,and11403006)the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province(Grant No.2017A030313011)+1 种基金the Astrophysics Key Subjects of Guangdong Province and Guangzhou Citythe Science and Technology Program of Guangzhou(Grant No.201707010401)
文摘Active galactic nuclei（AGNs） have been attracting research attention due to their special observable properties. Specifically,a majority of AGNs are detected by Fermi-LAT missions, but not by Fermi-LAT, which raises the question of weather any differences exist between the two. To answer this issue, we compile a sample of 291 superluminal AGNs（189 FDSs and 102 nonFDSs） from available multi-wavelength radio, optical, and X-ray（or even γ-ray） data and Doppler factors and proper motion（μ）(or apparent velocity(βapp)); calculated the apparent velocity from their proper motion, Lorentz factor（Γ）, viewing angle（?） and co-moving viewing angle(?co) for the sources with available Doppler factor（δ）; and performed some statistical analyses for both types. Our study indicated that（1） in terms of average values, FDSs have higher proper motions（μ）, apparent velocities(βapp),Doppler factor（δ）, Lorentz factor（Γ）, and smaller viewing angle（?）. Nevertheless, there is no clear difference in co-moving viewing angles（?∞）. The results reveal that FDSs show stronger beaming effect than non-FDSs.（2） In terms of correlations:1) both sources show positive, mutually correlated fluxes, which become closer in de-beamed fluxes; 2) with respect to apparent velocities and γ-ray luminosity, there is a tendency for the brighter sources to have higher velocities; 3) with regard to viewing angle and observed γ-ray luminosity, log? =-（0.23 ± 0.04）log Lγ+（11.14 ± 1.93）, while for the co-moving viewing angle and the intrinsic γ-ray luminosity, log?∞=（0.09 ± 0.01）log Lγn-（1.73 ± 0.48）. These correlations show that the luminous γ-ray sources have smaller viewing angles and a larger co-moving viewing angle, which indicate a stronger beaming effect in γ-ray emissions.
