An Extraordinary View of the Universe the Use of X-Ray Vision in Space Science
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A Comprehensive and Novel Analysis of the Chandra X-Ray Observatory Data for the Pictor a Radio Galaxy
A Comprehensive and Novel Analysis of the Chandra X-ray Observatory Data for the Pictor A Radio Galaxy A PhD Dissertation by mgr Rameshan Thimmappa [email protected] presented to The Faculty of Physics, Astronomy and Applied Computer Science of the Jagiellonian University Krak´ow,Poland Supervisor: dr hab.Lukasz STAWARZ March 2021 Dedicated to My mother Padhmamma and my father Thimmappa A Comprehensive and Novel Analysis of the Chandra X-ray Observatory Data for the Pictor A Radio Galaxy by mgr Rameshan Thimmappa Abstract Pictor A, recognized as the archetypal powerful radio galaxy of the FR II type, is not only one of the brightest radio sources in the sky, but is also particularly prominent in the X-ray domain. Importantly, the extended structure of Pictor A is characterized by the large angular size of the order of several arcminutes. This structure could be therefore easily resolved by the modern X-ray telescopes, in particular by the Chandra X-ray Observatory. As such, Pictor A is a truly unique object among all the other radio galaxies. The main goal of my scientific research carried out during the last years, and summarized in this dissertation, is a comprehensive and novel re-analysis of all the available archival Chandra data for Pictor A. One of the main difficulties in this respect, is that the Chandra observations spread over the past decades have targeted different regions in the source with various exposures and off-axis angles. In addition, those regions do vary dramatically in their X-ray output and appearance, from the extremely bright and point-like (unresolved) nucleus, to the low-surface brightness but considerably extended lobes. -
The Advanced X-Ray Imaging Satellite
AXIS Advanced X-ray Imaging Satellite arXiv:1903.04083v2 [astro-ph.HE] 15 Mar 2019 Astro2020 Decadal Survey Probe Mission Study i PI Richard Mushotzky and the AXIS Team THE ADVANCED X-RAY IMAGING SATELLITE Authors: Richard F. Mushotzky1, James Aird2, Amy J. Barger3, Nico Cappelluti4, George Chartas5, Lía Corrales6, Rafael Eufrasio7;8, Andrew C. Fabian9, Abraham D. Falcone10, Elena Gallo6, Roberto Gilli11, Catherine E. Grant12, Martin Hardcastle13, Edmund Hodges-Kluck1;8, Erin Kara1;8;12, Michael Koss14, Hui Li15, Carey M. Lisse16, Michael Loewenstein1;8, Maxim Markevitch8, Eileen T. Meyer17, Eric D. Miller12, John Mulchaey18, Robert Petre8, Andrew J. Ptak8, Christopher S. Reynolds9, Helen R. Russell9, Samar Safi-Harb19, Randall K. Smith20, Bradford Snios20, Francesco Tombesi1;9;21;22, Lynne Valencic8;23, Stephen A. Walker8, Brian J. Williams8, Lisa M. Winter15;24, Hiroya Yamaguchi25, William W. Zhang8 Contributors: Jon Arenberg26, Niel Brandt10, David N. Burrows10, Markos Georganopoulos17, Jon M. Miller6, Colin A. Norman17, Piero Rosati27 A Probe-class mission study commissioned by NASA for the NAS Astro2020 Decadal Survey March 20, 2019 AUTHOR AFFILIATIONS 1 Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 2 Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK 3 Department of Astronomy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706 4 Physics Department, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33124 5 Department of Physics and Astronomy, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC -
Optical Detection of the Pictor a Jet and Tidal Tail: Evidence Against an Ic/Cmb Jet
OPTICAL DETECTION OF THE PICTOR A JET AND TIDAL TAIL: EVIDENCE AGAINST AN IC/CMB JET The MIT Faculty has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters. Citation Gentry, Eric S., Herman L. Marshall, Martin J. Hardcastle, Eric S. Perlman, Mark Birkinshaw, Diana M. Worrall, Emil Lenc, Aneta Siemiginowska, and C. Megan Urry. “OPTICAL DETECTION OF THE PICTOR A JET AND TIDAL TAIL: EVIDENCE AGAINST AN IC/CMB JET.” The Astrophysical Journal 808, no. 1 (July 20, 2015): 92. © 2015 The American Astronomical Society As Published http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/808/1/92 Publisher IOP Publishing Version Final published version Citable link http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/98358 Terms of Use Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use. The Astrophysical Journal, 808:92 (10pp), 2015 July 20 doi:10.1088/0004-637X/808/1/92 © 2015. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. OPTICAL DETECTION OF THE PICTOR A JET AND TIDAL TAIL: EVIDENCE AGAINST AN IC/CMB JET Eric S. Gentry1,2, Herman L. Marshall2, Martin J. Hardcastle3, Eric S. Perlman4, Mark Birkinshaw5,6, Diana M. Worrall5,6, Emil Lenc7,8, Aneta Siemiginowska6, and C. Megan Urry9 1 Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California at Santa Cruz, 1156 High St., Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, USA; [email protected] 2 Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; [email protected] 3 School of Physics, Astronomy, and Mathematics, University of Hertfordshire, College Lane, Hatfield, Hertfordshire UK AL10 9AB, UK; [email protected] 4 Department of Physics and Space Sciences, Florida Institute of Technology, 150 W. -
Observational Constraints on the Feeding of Supermassive Black Holes
Observational Constraints on the Feeding of Supermassive Black Holes Thaisa Storchi-Bergmann & Allan Schnorr-M¨uller April 9, 2019 Abstract Supermassive Black Holes grow at the center of galaxies in consonance with them. In this review we discuss the mass feeding mechanisms that lead to this growth in Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN), focusing on constraints derived from observations of their environment, from extragalactic down to galactic and nuclear scales. At high AGN luminosities, galaxy mergers and interactions play an important role in AGN triggering and feeding. However, gas chaotic cold accretion in galaxy clusters can trigger radiatively inefficient AGNs in brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs). At lower luminosities, minor mergers feed AGN in early-type, gas-starving galaxies, while secular processes dominate in later-type, gas-rich galaxies. While bars do not appear to directly feed AGNs, AGN flickering leads to the dissociation between small and large scales, hence affecting the interpretation of cause and effect. At ∼100 pc scales, recent observations have revealed compact disks and inflows along nuclear gaseous spirals and bars, while chaotic cold accretion continues to feed BCGs at these scales. Estimated mass −1 inflow rates { of 0.01 to a few M yr { are in many cases a thousand times higher than the mass accretion 6 9 7−8 rate to the supermassive black hole. As a result, 10 {10 M gas reservoirs can be built on 10 yr, that in turn may lead to the formation of new stars and/or be ejected via the onset of AGN feedback. 1 Introduction The discovery of numerous correlations between the masses of supermassive black holes (SMBH) in the nuclei of galaxies and their host galaxies properties, such as the bulge velocity dispersion, mass and luminosity [1,2,3,4,5], as well as the similar evolution of the star-formation and SMBH growth rates over cosmic time [6], has led to the conclusion that the SMBH and its host galaxy co-evolve [7,8]. -
Extragalactic Radio Continuum Surveys and the Transformation of Radio Astronomy
Extragalactic Radio Continuum Surveys and the Transformation of Radio Astronomy Ray P. Norris1,2 1Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith South, NSW 1797, Australia 2CSIRO Astronomy & Space Science, PO Box 76, Epping, NSW 1710, Australia To be published By Nature Astronomy 18 Sept 2017 http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41550-017-0233-y ABSTRACT Next-generation radio surveys are about to transform radio astronomy by discovering and studying tens of millions of previously unknown radio sources. These surveys will provide new insights to understand the evolution of galaxies, measuring the evolution of the cosmic star formation rate, and rivalling traditional techniques in the measurement of fundamental cosmological parameters. By observing a new volume of observational parameter space, they are also likely to discover unexpected new phenomena. This review traces the evolution of extragalactic radio continuum surveys from the earliest days of radio astronomy to the present, and identifies the challenges that must be overcome to achieve this transformational change. 1. INTRODUCTION A human observing a clear night sky sees only starlight. Most of this starlight comes from visible stars, including those in distant galaxies, plus objects such as the Moon and planets that are illuminated by our star, the Sun. To an observer with eyes sensitive to radio rather than visible light, stars would be relatively faint. Instead, the sky would be dominated by diffuse radio synchrotron emission from our own Galaxy, plus many pairs of compact objects, typically billions of light years away. These pairs are the twin lobes of radio galaxies, illustrated by Figure 1, caused by a supermassive black hole (SMBH) in the nucleus of some galaxies, termed Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). -
Redalyc.AN EXTRAORDINARY VIEW of the UNIVERSE the USE of X
Mètode Science Studies Journal ISSN: 2174-3487 [email protected] Universitat de València España Siemiginowska, Aneta AN EXTRAORDINARY VIEW OF THE UNIVERSE THE USE OF X-RAY VISION IN SPACE SCIENCE Mètode Science Studies Journal, núm. 7, 2017, pp. 163-171 Universitat de València Valencia, España Available in: http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=511754472022 How to cite Complete issue Scientific Information System More information about this article Network of Scientific Journals from Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal Journal's homepage in redalyc.org Non-profit academic project, developed under the open access initiative MONOGRAPH Mètode Science StudieS Journal, 7 (2017): 163–171. University of Valencia. DOI: 10.7203/metode.7.8819 ISSN: 2174-3487. Article received: 18/07/2016, accepted: 16/11/2016. AN EXTRAORDINARY VIEW OF THE UNIVERSE THE USE OF X-RAY VISION IN SPACE SCIENCE ANETA SIEMIGINOWSKA X-ray emission from cosmic sources indicates that these sources are heated to temperatures exceeding a million degrees or that they contain highly energetic particles. Recent X-ray telescopes, such as the Chandra X-ray Observatory and XMM-Newton, observed thousands of cosmic X-ray sources. These observations greatly impacted our understanding of the physics governing the evolution of structures across the universe. Here, I review and highlight some of these important results. Keywords: astronomy, X-rays, quasars, jets, X-ray clusters, cosmology. Riccardo Giacconi received the 2002 Nobel Prize in In addition, the wavelength of X-ray radiation is shorter Physics «for pioneering contributions to astrophysics, than 10 Angstroms and focusing these very short which have led to the discovery of cosmic X-ray electromagnetic waves involves their reflection at very sources». -
Radio Galaxies and Feedback from AGN Jets
Radio galaxies and feedback from AGN jets M.J. Hardcastle1 and J.H. Croston2 1Centre for Astrophysics Research, University of Hertfordshire, College Lane, Hatfield AL10 9AB 2School of Physical Sciences, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA, UK Abstract We review current understanding of the population of radio galaxies and radio-loud quasars from an observational per- spective, focusing on their large-scale structures and dynamics. We discuss the physical conditions in radio galaxies, their fuelling and accretion modes, host galaxies and large-scale environments, and the role(s) they play as engines of feedback in the process of galaxy evolution. Finally we briefly summarise other astrophysical uses of radio galaxy populations, including the study of cosmic magnetism and cosmological applications, and discuss future prospects for advancing our understanding of the physics and feedback behaviour of radio galaxies. Keywords: 1. Introduction Key historical developments in observational RLAGN studies after the first surveys and optical Radio galaxies and radio-loud quasars (collectively identifications included the development in the 1970s radio-loud AGN, or RLAGN in this article) are active of high-resolution interferometers such as the 5-km galaxies characterized by radio emission driven by jets telescope and the NRAO Very Large Array (VLA), on scales from pc to Mpc. The characteristic radio emis- which allowed detailed study of radio structures as well sion is synchrotron emission: that is, it indicates the as optical identifications for the first time; progress in presence of magnetic fields and highly relativistic elec- very long baseline interferometry (VLBI), which has trons and/or positrons. -
A Comprehensive and Novel Analysis of the Chandra X-Ray Observatory Data for the Pictor a Radio Galaxy
A Comprehensive and Novel Analysis of the Chandra X-ray Observatory Data for the Pictor A Radio Galaxy A PhD Dissertation by mgr Rameshan Thimmappa [email protected] presented to The Faculty of Physics, Astronomy and Applied Computer Science of the Jagiellonian University Krak´ow, Poland Supervisor: dr hab. Lukasz STAWARZ March 2021 Dedicated to My mother Padhmamma and my father Thimmappa A Comprehensive and Novel Analysis of the Chandra X-ray Observatory Data for the Pictor A Radio Galaxy by mgr Rameshan Thimmappa Abstract Pictor A, recognized as the archetypal powerful radio galaxy of the FR II type, is not only one of the brightest radio sources in the sky, but is also particularly prominent in the X-ray domain. Importantly, the extended structure of Pictor A is characterized by the large angular size of the order of several arcminutes. This structure could be therefore easily resolved by the modern X-ray telescopes, in particular by the Chandra X-ray Observatory. As such, Pictor A is a truly unique object among all the other radio galaxies. The main goal of my scientific research carried out during the last years, and summarized in this dissertation, is a comprehensive and novel re-analysis of all the available archival Chandra data for Pictor A. One of the main difficulties in this respect, is that the Chandra observations spread over the past decades have targeted different regions in the source with various exposures and off-axis angles. In addition, those regions do vary dramatically in their X-ray output and appearance, from the extremely bright and point-like (unresolved) nucleus, to the low-surface brightness but considerably extended lobes. -
Gamma-Ray Emission in Radio Galaxies Under the VLBI Scope I
A&A 627, A148 (2019) Astronomy https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201935697 & c R. Angioni et al. 2019 Astrophysics Gamma-ray emission in radio galaxies under the VLBI scope I. Parsec-scale jet kinematics and high-energy properties of γ-ray-detected TANAMI radio galaxies? R. Angioni1,2, E. Ros1, M. Kadler2, R. Ojha3,4,5 , C. Müller6,1, P. G. Edwards7, P. R. Burd2, B. Carpenter3,4,5 , M. S. Dutka3,8, S. Gulyaev9, H. Hase10, S. Horiuchi11, F. Krauß12, J. E. J. Lovell13, T. Natusch9, C. Phillips7, C. Plötz10, J. F. H. Quick14, F. Rösch2, R. Schulz15,2,16 , J. Stevens7, A. K. Tzioumis7, S. Weston9, J. Wilms16, and J. A. Zensus1 (Affiliations can be found after the references) Received 15 April 2019 / Accepted 19 June 2019 ABSTRACT Aims. In the framework of the multi-wavelength and very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) monitoring program TANAMI (Tracking Active Nuclei with Austral Milliarcsecond Interferometry), we study the evolution of the parsec-scale radio emission in radio galaxies in the southern hemisphere and their relationship to the γ-ray properties of the sources. Our study investigates systematically, for the first time, the relationship between the two energy regimes in radio galaxies. In this first paper, we focus on Fermi-LAT-detected sources. Methods. The TANAMI program monitors a large sample of radio-loud AGN at 8.4 GHz and 22.3 GHz with the Australian long baseline array (LBA) and associated telescopes in Antarctica, Chile, New Zealand and South Africa. We performed a kinematic analysis for five γ-ray detected radio galaxies using multi-epoch 8.4 GHz VLBI images, deriving limits on intrinsic jet parameters such as speed and viewing angle. -
Optical Detection and Analysis of Pictor A's Jet
OPTICAL DETECTION AND ANALYSIS OF PICTOR A'S JET by ERIC S. GENTRY Submitted to the DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of BACHELOR OF SCIENCE at the MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY June 2014 c ERIC S. GENTRY, MMXIV. All rights reserved. The author hereby grants to MIT permission to reproduce and to distribute publicly paper and electronic copies of this thesis document in whole or in part in any medium now known or hereafter created. Author.............................................................. DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS May 9, 2014 Certified by. Doctor Herman L. Marshall Principal Research Scientist Thesis Supervisor Accepted by . Professor Nergis Mavalvala Senior Thesis Coordinator, Department of Physics 2 OPTICAL DETECTION AND ANALYSIS OF PICTOR A'S JET by ERIC S. GENTRY Submitted to the DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS on May 9, 2014, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of BACHELOR OF SCIENCE Abstract New images from the Hubble Space Telescope of the FRII radio galaxy Pictor A reveal a number of jet knot candidates which coincide with previously detected radio and x-ray knots. Previous observations in x-ray and radio bands show the entire jet to be 1.90 long, with interesting variability, but an optical component was previously unknown. The discovered optical component is faint, and knot candidates must be teased out from a bright host galaxy. Using three broadband filters, we extract knot fluxes and upper-bounds on the flux for multiple knot candidates at wavelengths of 1600nm, 814nm and 475nm. We find that the data suggest that localized particle re-accleration events followed by synchrotron emission could explain the observed knot candidates, but those electrons could not supply enough x-ray flux to match prior observations. -
Unveiling the Accretion Disks That Fuel Active Galactic
The Pennsylvania State University The Graduate School Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics UNVEILING THE ACCRETION DISKS THAT FUEL ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI A Thesis in Astronomy and Astrophysics by Karen Theresa Lewis c 2005 Karen Theresa Lewis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy December 2005 The thesis of Karen Theresa Lewis was read and approved1 by the following: Michael Eracleous Associate Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics Thesis Adviser Chair of Committee Steinn Sigurdsson Associate Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics W. Niel Brandt Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics Donald Schneider Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics L. Samuel Finn Professor of Physics Lawrence Ramsey Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics Head of the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics 1Signatures on file in the Graduate School. iii Abstract An increasing number of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) exhibit broad, double- peaked Balmer emission lines, reminiscent of those observed in Cataclysmic Variables; these double-peaked Balmer lines represent some of the best evidence for the existence of accretion disks in AGNs. There is considerable evidence to support the hypothesis that double-peaked emitters are “clean” systems in which the accretion disk is not veiled by a disk wind. This unobscured view affords the opportunity to study the underlying accretion disk which is believed to exist in all AGNs. In this thesis, I study two aspects of double-peaked emitters, namely the mechanism responsible for diminishing the accretion disk wind and the long-term profile variability of the double-peaked emission lines. It has been argued that double-peaked emitters have accretion flows that transi- tion to a vertically extended, radiatively inefficient accretion flow at small radii.