A recently released XMM-Newton note revealed a significant calibration issue between nuclear spectroscopic telescope array(NuSTAR)and XMM-Newton European Photon Imaging Camera(EPIC)and provided an empirical correction...A recently released XMM-Newton note revealed a significant calibration issue between nuclear spectroscopic telescope array(NuSTAR)and XMM-Newton European Photon Imaging Camera(EPIC)and provided an empirical correction to the EPIC effective area.To quantify the bias caused by the calibration issue in the joint analysis of XMM-NuSTAR spectra and verify the effectiveness of the correction,in this work,we perform joint-fitting of the NuSTAR and EPIC-pn spectra for a large sample of 104 observation pairs of 44 X-ray bright active galactic nuclei(AGN).The spectra were extracted after requiring perfect simultaneity between the XMM-Newton and NuSTAR exposures(merging good time intervals(GTIs)from two missions)to avoid bias due to the rapid spectral variability of the AGN.Before the correction,the EPIC-pn spectra are systematically harder than the corresponding NuSTAR spectra by■subsequently yielding significantly underestimated cutoff energy E_(cut)and the strength of reflection component R when performing joint-fitting.We confirm that the correction is highly effective and can commendably erase the discrepancy in best-fitΓ,E_(cut),and R.We thus urge the community to apply the correction when joint-fitting XMM-NuSTAR spectra,but note that the correction is limited to 3–12 keV and therefore not applicable when the soft X-ray band data are included.Besides,we show that as merging GTIs from two missions would cause severe loss of NuSTAR net exposure time,in many cases,joint-fitting yields no advantage compared with utilizing NuSTAR data alone.Finally,We present a technical note on filtering periods of high background flares for XMM-Newton EPIC-pn exposures in the small window(SW)mode.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
Since the unknown emission features in the spectrum of quasar 3C 273 have beenfirst identified as the blended Fell multiplets, many papers have contributed to thetheoretical and observation research of Fell emission i...Since the unknown emission features in the spectrum of quasar 3C 273 have beenfirst identified as the blended Fell multiplets, many papers have contributed to thetheoretical and observation research of Fell emission in the spectra of Seyferts andquasars. Usually, optical FeII emission lines are produced by transitions from展开更多
In the framework of BLR in AGNs, i.e. large number of small, cold and dense emission-line clouds immerging in an intercloud hot medium, a delicate radiation model for a typical emission cloud is established, in which ...In the framework of BLR in AGNs, i.e. large number of small, cold and dense emission-line clouds immerging in an intercloud hot medium, a delicate radiation model for a typical emission cloud is established, in which the backside photoionization of the cloud against the central continuum source by the scattered diffuse continuum in the hot medium is considered. Under the assumption of the radial kinematics of the BLR clouds, the line profiles for the two important UV emission-lines, Lya and CIV/11549 are computed; and based on these calculations, various physical factors that affect the properties of the emission-line profiles are discussed. It is concluded that: (i) when the BLR clouds is inflow, there exists a confining hot medium with density around 2 x 105 cm-3. In this case, theoretical line profiles agree well with the observational; (ii) both symmetric Lya and nearly symmetric CIV line profiles show blue velocity shifts, the quantities of which are sensitive to the cutoff of the outer radius of the BLR. It is suggested that this cutoff effect is physical background to explain the observations that high ionization lines in the spectra of AGNs have some systematic blue shifts relative to those low ionization lines which usually characterize their source system velocities.展开更多
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
Large-amplitude X-ray variation is a special feature of AGN, reflecting possible extreme change in the central engine or the ab- sorption along the line of sight. Till now there are only a few relevant studies on indi...Large-amplitude X-ray variation is a special feature of AGN, reflecting possible extreme change in the central engine or the ab- sorption along the line of sight. Till now there are only a few relevant studies on individual sources or rather small samples. In this work we aim to perform a systematic study of AGNs with strong soft X-ray variations at timescale of 〉 10 years. To build the sample, we compare the soft X-ray fluxes of AGNs measured in ROSAT All-Sky Survey （RASS） during 1990-1991 with those measured by XMM-Newton during 2000-2009. This investigation bings forth to a sample of 13 AGNs, which appeared bright in RASS era, and went into low states （flux dropped by a factor of 〉 10） when they were caught by XMM-Newton. Most of the 13 sources are type I Seyfert galaxies. 5 of them are noticed to have strong X-ray vai＇iation for the first time. We study the nature of their variations through performing XMM-Newton spectral analyses and by collecting reports from the existing literature. We find the sample could be divided into three categories according to the possible causes of the strong X-ray variations. The variations in MRK 0478 and 1H 0419-557 are consistent with strong light-bending effect, i.e., the observed X-ray flux drops significantly as the X-ray emitting corona gets much closer to the central black hole. The variations in ESO 140-G043 and NGC 7158 are caused by absorption changes along the line of sight. For one special case MRK 0335, the variation can be explained by either light-bending or absorption variation. In the rest 8 sources （- 60%）, the strong soft X-ray variations are likely to exist due to intrinsic changes in the activities of the corona, although in some of them without high quality X-ray spectra we are unable to rule out alternative models. This sample provides good targets for future monitoring campaigns with more extensive studies.展开更多
With the support by the National Natural Science Foundation of China,a collaboration led by Prof.Wang Jianmin(王建民)from the Institute of High Energy Physics,Chinese Academy of Sciences proposes a new mechanism for t...With the support by the National Natural Science Foundation of China,a collaboration led by Prof.Wang Jianmin(王建民)from the Institute of High Energy Physics,Chinese Academy of Sciences proposes a new mechanism for the origin of the broad-line region in Active Galactic Nuclei,which was published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
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(12033006,12192221,123B2042).
文摘A recently released XMM-Newton note revealed a significant calibration issue between nuclear spectroscopic telescope array(NuSTAR)and XMM-Newton European Photon Imaging Camera(EPIC)and provided an empirical correction to the EPIC effective area.To quantify the bias caused by the calibration issue in the joint analysis of XMM-NuSTAR spectra and verify the effectiveness of the correction,in this work,we perform joint-fitting of the NuSTAR and EPIC-pn spectra for a large sample of 104 observation pairs of 44 X-ray bright active galactic nuclei(AGN).The spectra were extracted after requiring perfect simultaneity between the XMM-Newton and NuSTAR exposures(merging good time intervals(GTIs)from two missions)to avoid bias due to the rapid spectral variability of the AGN.Before the correction,the EPIC-pn spectra are systematically harder than the corresponding NuSTAR spectra by■subsequently yielding significantly underestimated cutoff energy E_(cut)and the strength of reflection component R when performing joint-fitting.We confirm that the correction is highly effective and can commendably erase the discrepancy in best-fitΓ,E_(cut),and R.We thus urge the community to apply the correction when joint-fitting XMM-NuSTAR spectra,but note that the correction is limited to 3–12 keV and therefore not applicable when the soft X-ray band data are included.Besides,we show that as merging GTIs from two missions would cause severe loss of NuSTAR net exposure time,in many cases,joint-fitting yields no advantage compared with utilizing NuSTAR data alone.Finally,We present a technical note on filtering periods of high background flares for XMM-Newton EPIC-pn exposures in the small window(SW)mode.
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.
文摘Since the unknown emission features in the spectrum of quasar 3C 273 have beenfirst identified as the blended Fell multiplets, many papers have contributed to thetheoretical and observation research of Fell emission in the spectra of Seyferts andquasars. Usually, optical FeII emission lines are produced by transitions from
基金Project supported by Pangden Project FoundationNational Natural Science Foundation of China.
文摘In the framework of BLR in AGNs, i.e. large number of small, cold and dense emission-line clouds immerging in an intercloud hot medium, a delicate radiation model for a typical emission cloud is established, in which the backside photoionization of the cloud against the central continuum source by the scattered diffuse continuum in the hot medium is considered. Under the assumption of the radial kinematics of the BLR clouds, the line profiles for the two important UV emission-lines, Lya and CIV/11549 are computed; and based on these calculations, various physical factors that affect the properties of the emission-line profiles are discussed. It is concluded that: (i) when the BLR clouds is inflow, there exists a confining hot medium with density around 2 x 105 cm-3. In this case, theoretical line profiles agree well with the observational; (ii) both symmetric Lya and nearly symmetric CIV line profiles show blue velocity shifts, the quantities of which are sensitive to the cutoff of the outer radius of the BLR. It is suggested that this cutoff effect is physical background to explain the observations that high ionization lines in the spectra of AGNs have some systematic blue shifts relative to those low ionization lines which usually characterize their source system velocities.
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.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.11233002)the Strategic Priority Research Program "The Emergence of Cosmological Structures" of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(Grant No.XDB09000000)support from Chinese Top-notch Young Talents Program
文摘Large-amplitude X-ray variation is a special feature of AGN, reflecting possible extreme change in the central engine or the ab- sorption along the line of sight. Till now there are only a few relevant studies on individual sources or rather small samples. In this work we aim to perform a systematic study of AGNs with strong soft X-ray variations at timescale of 〉 10 years. To build the sample, we compare the soft X-ray fluxes of AGNs measured in ROSAT All-Sky Survey （RASS） during 1990-1991 with those measured by XMM-Newton during 2000-2009. This investigation bings forth to a sample of 13 AGNs, which appeared bright in RASS era, and went into low states （flux dropped by a factor of 〉 10） when they were caught by XMM-Newton. Most of the 13 sources are type I Seyfert galaxies. 5 of them are noticed to have strong X-ray vai＇iation for the first time. We study the nature of their variations through performing XMM-Newton spectral analyses and by collecting reports from the existing literature. We find the sample could be divided into three categories according to the possible causes of the strong X-ray variations. The variations in MRK 0478 and 1H 0419-557 are consistent with strong light-bending effect, i.e., the observed X-ray flux drops significantly as the X-ray emitting corona gets much closer to the central black hole. The variations in ESO 140-G043 and NGC 7158 are caused by absorption changes along the line of sight. For one special case MRK 0335, the variation can be explained by either light-bending or absorption variation. In the rest 8 sources （- 60%）, the strong soft X-ray variations are likely to exist due to intrinsic changes in the activities of the corona, although in some of them without high quality X-ray spectra we are unable to rule out alternative models. This sample provides good targets for future monitoring campaigns with more extensive studies.
基金This Workis National Natural Science Fund(10403001),and the Scientific Research Project of Education Department of Hunan Province(05C724),and supported by Natural Science Funds of Hunan University of Arts and Science.
文摘With the support by the National Natural Science Foundation of China,a collaboration led by Prof.Wang Jianmin(王建民)from the Institute of High Energy Physics,Chinese Academy of Sciences proposes a new mechanism for the origin of the broad-line region in Active Galactic Nuclei,which was published
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.
