Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie
The latest source catalog of the Fermi-LAT telescope contains more than 7000 γ\gamma-ray sources at GeV energies, with the two dominant source classes thought to be blazars and rotation-powered pulsars. Our target is the identification of possible (young and recycled) pulsar candidates in the sample of 2600 unassociated γ\gamma-ray sources, via their characteristic X-ray and γ\gamma-ray emission. To achieve this, we cross-match the Fermi-LAT catalog with the catalog of X-ray sources in the western Galactic hemisphere from the first four all-sky surveys of SRG/eROSITA. We complement this by identifying X-ray counterparts of known pulsars detected at γ\gamma-ray and radio energies in the eROSITA data. We use a Bayesian cross-matching scheme to construct a probabilistic catalog of possible pulsar-type X-ray counterparts to Fermi-LAT sources. Our method combines the overlap of X-ray and γ\gamma-ray source positions with a probabilistic classification (into pulsar and blazar candidates) of each source based on its γ\gamma-ray properties and a prediction on the X-ray flux of pulsar- or blazar-type counterparts. We provide a catalog of our prior γ\gamma-ray-based classifications of all 2600 unassociated sources in the Fermi-LAT catalog, with around equal numbers of pulsar and blazar candidates. Our final list of candidate X-ray pulsar counterparts, cleaned for spurious detections and sources with obvious non-pulsar counterparts, contains around 900 X-ray sources. We predict between 30 and 40 new pulsars among our top 200 candidates, with around equal expected numbers of young and recycled pulsars. This candidate list may serve as input to future follow-up campaigns, looking directly for pulsations or for the orbital modulation of possible binary companions. We furthermore detect the X-ray counterparts of 15 known rotation-powered pulsars, which were not seen in X-rays before.
We identify a molecular bubble, and study the star formation and its feedback in the S Mon region, using multiple molecular lines, young stellar objects (YSOs), and infrared data. We revisit the distance to S Mon, ~722+/-9 pc, using Gaia Data Release 3 parallaxes of the associated Class II YSOs. The bubble may be mainly driven by a massive binary system (namely 15 Mon), the primary of which is an O7V-type star. An outflow is detected in the shell of the bubble, suggesting ongoing star formation activities in the vicinity of the bubble. The total wind energy of the massive binary star is three orders of magnitude higher than the sum of the observed turbulent energy in the molecular gas and the kinetic energy of the bubble, indicating that stellar winds help to maintain the turbulence in the S Mon region and drive the bubble. We conclude that the stellar winds of massive stars have an impact on their surrounding environment.
The Gemini-Monoceros X-ray enhancement is a rich field for studying diffuse X-ray emission and supernova remnants (SNRs). With the launch of eROSITA onboard the SRG platform in 2019, we are now able to fully study these sources. Many of the SNRs in the vicinity are suspected to be very old remnants, which are severely understudied in X-rays due to numerous observational challenges. In addition, identification of new faint large SNRs might help to solve the long-standing discrepancy of observed and expected number of Galactic SNRs. We performed a detailed X-ray spectral analysis of the entire diffuse structure and a detailed background analysis of the vicinity. We also made use of multi-wavelength data to better understand the morphology and to constrain the distances to the different sources. We estimated the plasma properties of the sources and calculated a grid of model SNRs to determine the individual SNR properties. Most of the diffuse plasma of the Monogem Ring SNR is well described by a single non-equilibrium ionization (NEI) component with an average temperature of kT=0.14±0.03kT = 0.14\pm 0.03 keV. We obtain an age of 1.2105\approx 1.2\cdot 10^5 yr - consistent with PSR B0656+14 - for the Monogem Ring. In the south-east, we found evidence for a hotter second plasma component and a possible new SNR candidate at 300\approx 300 pc, with the new candidate having an age of $\approx 50,000$ yr. We were also able to improve on previous studies on the more distant Monoceros Loop and PKS 0646+06 SNRs. We obtained significantly higher temperatures than previous studies, and for PKS 0646+06 a much lower estimated age of the SNR. We also found a new SNR candidate G190.4+12.5 which most likely is located at D>1.5D > 1.5 kpc, expanding into a low density medium at a high distance from the Galactic plane, with an estimated age of 40,00060,00040,000-60,000 yr.
This study uses semi-analytic radiatively inefficient accretion flow models and general relativistic ray-tracing to investigate the influence of magnetic field geometry, black hole spin, and plasma dynamics on observable synchrotron emission in M87*. It establishes that M87* is most consistent with a poloidal magnetic field dominated flow and partially radial inflow, preferring moderate to large positive black hole spin, while identifying limitations in capturing Faraday depolarization compared to observations.
A systematic investigation of circular polarization (CP) in simulated images of black holes, based on general relativistic magnetohydrodynamics (GRMHD) and radiative transfer models, provides new constraints on accretion flow physics around Sgr A*. The study reveals that previously favored models for Sgr A* are inconsistent with observed CP, indicating a strong preference for specific magnetic field orientations and accretion flow directions.
While the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) now allows identifying quiescent galaxies (QGs) out to early epochs, the photometric selection of quiescent galaxy candidates (QGCs) and the derivation of key physical quantities are highly sensitive to the assumed star-formation histories (SFHs). We aim to quantify how the inclusion of JWST/MIRI data and different SFH models impacts the selection and characterisation of QGCs. We test the robustness of the physical properties inferred from the spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting, such as M*, age, star formation rate (SFR), and AV, and study how they impact the quiescence criteria of the galaxies across cosmic time. We perform SED fitting for ~13000 galaxies at z<6 from the CEERS/MIRI fields with up to 20 optical-mid infrared (MIR) broadband coverage. We implement three SFH prescriptions: flexible delayed, NonParametric, and extended Regulator. For each model, we compare results obtained with and without MIRI photometry and dust emission models. We evaluate the impact of these configurations on the number of candidate QGCs, selected based on rest UVJ colours, sSFR and main-sequence offset, and on their key physical properties such as M*, AV, and stellar ages. The number of QGCs selected varies significantly with the choice of SFH from 171 to 224 out of 13000 galaxies, depending on the model. This number increases to 222-327 when MIRI data are used (up to ~45% more QGCs). This enhancement is driven by improved constraints on dust attenuation and M*. We find a strong correlation between AV and M*, with massive galaxies (M*~10^11 M\odot) being 1.5-4.2 times more attenuated in magnitude than low-mass systems (M*~10^9 M\odot), depending on SFH. Regardless of the SFH assumption, ~13% of QGCs exhibit significant attenuation (AV > 0.5) in support of recent JWST studies challenging the notion that quiescent galaxies are uniformly dust-free.
We review the state of the evidence for the existence and observational appearance of supermassive black hole binaries. Such objects are expected from standard hierarchical galaxy evolution to form after two galaxies, each containing a supermassive black hole, have merged, in the centre of the merger remnant. A complex interaction is predicted to take place with stars and gas in the host galaxy, leading to observable signatures in weakly as well as actively accreting phases. Direct observational evidence is available and shows examples of dual active galactic nuclei from kpc scales down to parsec scales. Signatures of possibly closer supermassive black hole binaries may be seen in jetted black holes. The interaction with stars and gas in a galaxy significantly affects the hardening of the binary and hence contributes to uncertainties of the expected gravitational wave signal. The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) should in the future detect actual mergers. Before the launch of LISA, pulsar timing arrays may have the best chance to detect a gravitational wave signal from supermassive black hole binaries. The first signs of the combined background of inspiralling objects might have been seen already.
Using 3D GRMHD simulations with a hybrid thermal-nonthermal electron distribution, researchers explain M87's observed larger 86 GHz ring compared to its 230 GHz counterpart. The model successfully reproduces observed ring diameters at both frequencies, with the 86 GHz expansion linked to dynamic magnetic flux eruption events within a magnetically arrested disk and an adjusted estimate for M87's angular gravitational radius.
We present the serendipitous radio-continuum discovery of a likely Galactic supernova remnant (SNR) G305.4-2.2. This object displays a remarkable circular symmetry in shape, making it one of the most circular Galactic SNRs known. Nicknamed Teleios due to its symmetry, it was detected in the new Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) Evolutionary Map of the Universe (EMU) radio-continuum images with an angular size of 1320"x1260" and PA = 0 deg. While there is a hint of possible Hα\alpha and gamma-ray emission, Teleios is exclusively seen at radio-continuum frequencies. Interestingly, Teleios is not only almost perfectly symmetric, but it also has one of the lowest surface brightnesses discovered among Galactic SNRs and a steep spectral index of α=0.6±0.3\alpha=-0.6\pm 0.3. Our estimates from HI studies and the Sigma-D relation place Teleios as a type Ia SNR at a distance of either ~2.2 kpc of ~7.7 kpc. This indicates two possible scenarios, either a young (under 1000 yr) or an older SNR (over 10000 yr). With a corresponding diameter of 14/48 pc, our evolutionary studies place Teleios at the either early or late Sedov phase, depending on the distance estimate. However, our modelling also predicts X-ray emission, which we do not see in the present generation of eROSITA images. We also explored a type Iax explosion scenario that points to a much closer distance of <1 kpc and Teleios size of only ~3.3 pc, which would be similar to the only known type Iax remnant SN1181. Unfortunately, all examined scenarios have their challenges, and no definitive supernova (SN) origin type can be established at this stage. Teleios's symmetrical shape suggests expansion into a rarefied and isotropic ambient medium. The low radio surface brightness and the lack of pronounced polarisation can be explained by a high level of ambient rotation measure (RM), with the largest RM being observed at centre.
Determining the location of γ\gamma-ray emission in blazar jets is a challenging task. Pinpointing the exact location of γ\gamma-ray production within a relativistic jet can place strong constraints on our understanding of high-energy astrophysics and astroparticle physics. We present a study of the radio- and γ\gamma-bright flat-spectrum radio quasar (FSRQ) 4C +01.28 (PKS B1055+018) in which we try to pinpoint the emission site of several prominent GeV flares. This source shows prominent high-amplitude broadband variability on time scales ranging from days to years. We combine high-resolution VLBI observations and multi-band radio light curves over a period of around nine years. We can associate two bright and compact newly ejected jet components with bright flares observed by the Fermi/LAT γ\gamma-ray telescope and at various radio frequencies. A cross-correlation analysis reveals the radio light curves systematically lag behind the γ\gamma-rays. In combination with the jet kinematics as measured by the VLBA, we use these cross-correlations to constrain a model in which the flares become observable at a given frequency when a plasma component passes through the region at which the bulk energy dissipation takes place at that frequency. We derive a lower limit of the location of the γ\gamma-ray emitting region in 4C +01.28 of several parsecs from the jet base, well beyond the expected extent of the broad-line region. This observational limit challenges blazar-emission models that rely on the broad-line region as a source of seed photons for inverse-Compton scattering.
ATLASGAL is a 870-mircon dust survey of 420 square degrees of the inner Galactic plane and has been used to identify ~10 000 dense molecular clumps. Dedicated follow-up observations and complementary surveys are used to characterise the physical properties of these clumps, map their Galactic distribution and investigate the evolutionary sequence for high-mass star formation. The analysis of the ATLASGAL data is ongoing: we present an up-to-date version of the catalogue. We have classified 5007 clumps into four evolutionary stages (quiescent, protostellar, young stellar objects and HII regions) and find similar numbers of clumps in each stage, suggesting a similar lifetime. The luminosity-to-mass (L/M) ratio curve shows a smooth distribution with no significant kinks or discontinuities when compared to the mean values for evolutionary stages indicating that the star-formation process is continuous and that the observational stages do not represent fundamentally different stages or changes in the physical mechanisms involved. We compare the evolutionary sample with other star-formation tracers (methanol and water masers, extended green objects and molecular outflows) and find that the association rates with these increases as a function of evolutionary stage, confirming that our classification is reliable. This also reveals a high association rate between quiescent sources and molecular outflows, revealing that outflows are the earliest indication that star formation has begun and that star formation is already ongoing in many of the clumps that are dark even at 70 micron.
This research explores how realistic astrophysical properties, such as accretion disk thickness and absorption, impact black hole images and photon ring signatures around M87*. It demonstrates that higher observation frequencies, like 345 GHz, are essential for robustly detecting the n=2 photon ring across diverse astrophysical conditions, providing critical guidance for future space-VLBI missions.
The mechanisms leading to the formation of disks around young stellar objects (YSOs) and to the launching of the associated jets are crucial to the understanding of the earliest stages of star and planet formation. HH 212 is a privileged laboratory to study a pristine jet-disk system. Therefore we investigate the innermost region (&lt;100 AU) around the HH 212-MM1 protostar through ALMA band\,7 observations of methanol. The 8 GHz bandwidth spectrum towards the peak of the continuum emission of the HH 212 system reveals at least 19 transitions of methanol. Several of these lines (among which several vibrationally excited lines in the vt=1,2_{\rm t}=1,2 states) have upper energies above 500 K. They originate from a compact (&lt;135 AU in diameter), hot (295\sim 295 K) region elongated along the direction of the SiO jet. We performed a fit in the uvuv plane of various velocity channels of the strongest high-excitation lines. The blue- and red-shifted velocity centroids are shifted roughly symmetrically on either side of the jet axis, indicating that the line-of-sight velocity beyond 0.7 km s1^{-1} from systemic is dominated by rotational motions. The velocity increases moving away from the protostar further indicating that the emission of methanol is not associated with a Keplerian disk or rotating-infalling cavity, and it is more likely associated with outflowing gas. We speculate that CH3_3OH traces a disk wind gas accelerated at the base. The launching region would be at a radius of a few astronomical units from the YSO.
We investigate the presence and spatial characteristics of the jet base emission in M87* at 230 GHz, enabled by the enhanced uv coverage in the 2021 Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) observations. The addition of the 12-m Kitt Peak Telescope and NOEMA provides two key intermediate-length baselines to SMT and the IRAM 30-m, giving sensitivity to emission structures at scales of 250 μ\sim250~\muas and 2500 μ\sim2500~\muas (0.02 pc and 0.2 pc). Without these baselines, earlier EHT observations lacked the capability to constrain emission on large scales, where a "missing flux" of order 1\sim1 Jy is expected. To probe these scales, we analyzed closure phases, robust against station-based gain errors, and modeled the jet base emission using a simple Gaussian offset from the compact ring emission at separations >100 μ>100~\muas. Our analysis reveals a Gaussian feature centered at (Δ\DeltaRA 320 μ\approx320~\muas, Δ\DeltaDec 60 μ\approx60~\muas), a projected separation of 5500\approx5500 AU, with a flux density of only 60\sim60 mJy, implying that most of the missing flux in previous studies must arise from larger scales. Brighter emission at these scales is ruled out, and the data do not favor more complex models. This component aligns with the inferred direction of the large-scale jet and is consistent with emission from the jet base. While our findings indicate detectable jet base emission at 230 GHz, coverage from only two intermediate baselines limits reconstruction of its morphology. We therefore treat the recovered Gaussian as an upper limit on the jet base flux density. Future EHT observations with expanded intermediate-baseline coverage will be essential to constrain the structure and nature of this component.
[Abridged] Optically thick, geometrically thin accretion disks around supermassive black holes are thought to contribute to broad-line emission in type-1 active galactic nuclei (AGN). However, observed emission line profiles most often deviate from those expected from a rotating disk. This report examines the role of accretion disks in broad-line emission of Population B AGN characterized by relatively low accretion rates in which broad lines show large redward asymmetry both in Hβ\beta and Mg IIλ\lambda 2800. An unbiased comparison matching black hole mass and Eddington ratio suggests that the most powerful radio-loud quasars show the highest red-ward asymmetries in Hβ\beta. These shifts can be accounted for by gravitational and transverse redshift effects, especially for black hole masses larger than \approx108.7^{8.7} M_\odot. The analysis of the extremely jetted quasar 3C 47 adds another piece to the puzzle: not only are the low ionization profiles of 3C 47 well-described by a relativistic Keplerian accretion disk model, with line emission in the range 100 - 1,000 gravitational radii, but also the high-ionization line profiles can be understood as a combination of disk plus a failed wind contribution that is in turn hiding the disk emission. Constraints on radio properties and line profile variability suggest that 3C 47 might involve the presence of a second black hole with secondary-to-primary mass ratio \sim 0.5. We conjecture that the double peakers - type-1 AGN with Balmer line profiles consistent with accretion disk emission - might have their emission truncated by the sweeping effect of a second black hole. In non-starving systems, the disk signal is plausibly masked by additional line emission, rendering the disk contribution harder to detect.
We present uniformly reprocessed and re-calibrated data from the RoboPol programme of optopolarimetric monitoring of active galactic nuclei (AGN), covering observations between 2013, when the instrument was commissioned, and 2017. In total, the dataset presented in this paper includes 5068 observations of 222 AGN with Dec > -25 deg. We describe the current version of the RoboPol pipeline that was used to process and calibrate the entire dataset, and we make the data publicly available for use by the astronomical community. Average quantities summarising optopolarimetric behaviour (average degree of polarization, polarization variability index) are also provided for each source we have observed and for the time interval we have followed it.
Galaxies exhibit a tight correlation between their star-formation rate and stellar mass over a wide redshift range known as the star-forming main sequence (SFMS). With JWST, we can now investigate the SFMS at high redshifts down to masses of 106\sim10^6 M_{\odot}, using sensitive star-formation rate tracers such as Hα\alpha emission -- which allow us to probe the variability in star formation histories. We present inferences of the SFMS based on 316 Hα\alpha-selected galaxies at z4z\sim4-55 with log(M/M)=6.4\log(\rm M_\star/M_\odot) = 6.4 -10.610.6. These galaxies were identified behind the Abell 2744 lensing cluster with NIRCam grism spectroscopy from the ``All the Little Things'' (ALT) survey. At face value, our data suggest a shallow slope of the SFMS (SFR Mα\propto \mathrm{M}_\star^\alpha, with α=0.45\alpha=0.45). After correcting for the Hα\alpha-flux limited nature of our survey using a Bayesian framework, the slope steepens to α=0.590.09+0.10\alpha = 0.59^{+0.10}_{-0.09}, whereas current data on their own are inconclusive on the mass dependence of the scatter. These slopes differ significantly from the slope of 1\approx1 expected from the observed evolution of the galaxy stellar mass function and from simulations. When fixing the slope to α=1\alpha=1, we find evidence for a decreasing intrinsic scatter with stellar mass (from 0.5\approx 0.5 dex at M=108_\star=10^8 M_\odot to 0.40.4 dex at M=1010_\star=10^{10} M_\odot). This tension might be explained by a (combination of) luminosity-dependent SFR(Hα\alpha) calibration, a population of (mini)-quenched low-mass galaxies, or underestimated dust attenuation in high-mass galaxies. Future deep observations across facilities can quantify these processes, enabling better insights into the variability of star formation histories.
A number of works reported on the existence of a large scale alignment of the polarization plane of extragalactic sources as well as the alignment of radio-sources structural axes. However, both claims and their interpretation remain controversial. For the first time we explore the parsec-scale jets alignments. Additionally, we use archival polarimetric data at different wavelengths in order to compare relative orientations of the jets and the polarization planes of their emission. Using the flux density distribution in very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) radio maps from the Astrogeo database, we determine the parsec-scale jet orientation for the largest sample of active galactic nuclei (AGN) to date. Employing the method of parallel transport and a sample statistics characterizing the jet orientation dispersion among neighbors, we test whether the identified jets are significantly aligned. We show that the parsec-scale jets in our sample do not demonstrate any significant global alignments. Moreover, the jet direction is found to be weakly correlated with the polarization plane direction at different frequencies.
Reflection of X-rays at the inner accretion disk around black holes imprints relativistically broadened features in the observed spectrum. Besides the black hole properties and the ionization and density of the accretion disk the features also depend on the location and geometry of the primary source of X-rays, often called the corona. We present a fast general relativistic model for spectral fitting of a radially extended, ring-like corona above the accretion disk. A commonly used model to explain observed X-ray reflection spectra is the lamp post, which assumes a point-like source on the rotational axis of the black hole. While often being able to explain the observations, this geometric model does not allow for a constraint on the radial size of the corona. We therefore extend the publicly available relativistic reflection model RELXILL by implementing a radially extended, ring-like primary source. With the new RELXILL model allowing us to vary the position of the primary source in two dimensions, we present simulated line profiles and spectra and discuss implications of data fitting compared to the lamp post model. We then apply this extended RELXILL model to XMM-Newton and NuSTAR data of the radio-quiet Seyfert-2 AGN ESO 033-G002. The new model describes the data well, and we are able to constrain the distance of the source to the black hole to be less than three gravitational radii, while the angular position of the source is poorly constrained. We show that a compact, radially extended corona close to the ISCO can explain the observed relativistic reflection equally well as the point-like lamp post corona. The model is made freely available to the community.
We present observations of the blazar 3C 279 at 22 GHz using the space VLBI mission RadioAstron on 2018 January 15. Images in both total intensity and fractional polarization are reconstructed using RML method implemented in the eht-imaging library. The electric vector position angles are found to be mostly aligned with the general jet direction, suggesting a predominantly toroidal magnetic field, in agreement with the presence of a helical magnetic field. Ground-space fringes were detected up to a projected baseline length of 8\sim 8Gλ\lambda, achieving the angular resolution of around 26μ\muas. The fine-scale structure of the relativistic jet is found in our study extending to a projected distance of 180\sim 180 parsec from the radio core. However, the filamentary structure reported by previous RadioAstron observations of 2014 is not detected in our current study. We discuss potential causes for this phenomenon, together with a comparison using public 43 GHz data from the BEAM-ME program, showing a significant drop in the jet's total intensity. The optically thick core is observed with a brightness temperature of 1.6×1012 1.6 \times 10^{12} K, consistent with equipartition between the energy densities of the relativistic particles and the magnetic field. This yields an estimated magnetic field strength of 0.2 G.
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