The detection of several radio-loudnarrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) galaxies by the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope hints at the existence of a rare, new class of gamma-ray emitting active galactic nuclei with low black hole masses. Like flat spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs), their gamma-ray emission is thought to be produced via the external Compton mechanism whereby relativistic jet electrons upscatter a photon field external to the jet, e.g. from the accretion disc, broad line region (BLR), and dusty torus, to higher energies. Here we study the origin of the gamma-ray emission in the lowest-redshift candidate among the currently known gamma-ray emitting NLS1s. 1H 0323+342. and take a new approach. We observationally constrain the external photon field using quasi-simultaneous near-infrared, optical, and X-ray spectroscopy. Applying a one-zone leptonic jet model, we simulate the range of jet parameters for which this photon field, when Compton scattered to higher energies, can explain the gamma-ray emission. We find that the site of the gamma-ray emission lies well within the BLR and that the seed photons mainly originate from the accretion disc. The jet power that we determine, 1.0 x 10(45) erg s(-1), is approximately half the accretion disc luminosity. We show that this object is not simply a low-mass FSRQ, its jet is intrinsically less powerful than predicted by scaling a typical FSRQ jet by black hole mass and accretion rate. That gamma-ray-emitting NLS1s appear to host underpowered jets may go some way to explaining why so few have been detected to date.

We present the first extensive study of the coronal line variability in an active galaxy. Our data set for the nearby source NGC 4151 consists of six epochs of quasi-simultaneous optical and near-infrared spectroscopy spanning a period of about eight years and five epochs of X-ray spectroscopy overlapping in time with it. None of the coronal lines showed the variability behaviour observed for the broad emission lines and hot dust emission. In general, the coronal lines varied only weakly, if at all. Using the optical [Fe VII] and X-ray O VII emission lines we estimate that the coronal line gas has a relatively low density of n 10^3 cm^-3 and a relatively high ionisation parameter of log U 1. The resultant distance of the coronal line gas from the ionising source is about two light years, which puts this region well beyond the hot inner face of the obscuring dusty torus. The high ionisation parameter implies that the coronal line region is an independent entity rather than part of a continuous gas distribution connecting the broad and narrow emission line regions. We present tentative evidence for the X-ray heated wind scenario of Pier Voit. We find that the increased ionising radiation that heats the dusty torus also increases the cooling efficiency of the coronal line gas, most likely due to a stronger adiabatic expansion.

We present the second extensive study of the coronal line variability in an active galaxy. Our data set for the well-studied Seyfert galaxy NGC 5548 consists of five epochs of quasi-simultaneous optical and near-infrared spectroscopy spanning a period of about five years and three epochs of X-ray spectroscopy overlapping in time with it. Whereas the broad emission lines and hot dust emission varied only moderately, the coronal lines varied strongly. However, the observed high variability is mainly due to a flux decrease. Using the optical [FeVII] and X-ray OVII emission lines we estimate that the coronal line gas has a relatively low density of n~10^3/cm^3 and a relatively high ionisation parameter of log U~1. The resultant distance of the coronal line gas from the ionising source of about eight light years places this region well beyond the hot inner face of the dusty torus. These results imply that the coronal line region is an independent entity. We find again support for the X-ray heated wind scenario of Pier & Voit; the increased ionising radiation that heats the dusty torus also increases the cooling efficiency of the coronal line gas, most likely due to a stronger adiabatic expansion. The much stronger coronal line variability of NGC 5548 relative to that of NGC 4151 can also be explained within this picture. NGC 5548 has much stronger coronal lines relative to the low ionisation lines than NGC 4151 indicating a stronger wind, in which case a stronger adiabatic expansion of the gas and so fading of the line emission is expected.

Photometric reverberation mapping is a novel method used to determine the size and geometry of the broad line region (BLR) in active galactic nuclei (AGN) as well as their host galaxy free luminosities. Establishing a tight luminosity - BLR-size relation may allow type-1 AGN to be used as cosmological distance probes. However, the quality of the results is most sensible to dense time sampling and continuity of the photometric lightcurves. This

Mrk 509 was observed by XMM-Newton and INTEGRAL in October/November 2009, with one observation every four days for a total of ten observations. Each observation has been fitted with a realistic thermal Comptonization model for the continuum emission. Prompted by the correlation between the UV and soft X-ray flux, we used a thermal Comptonization component for the soft X-ray excess. The UV to X-ray/gamma-ray emission of Mrk 509 can be well fitted by these components, pointing to the existence of a hot (kT ∼ 100 keV), optically-thin (τ ∼ 0.5) corona producing the primary continuum. In contrast, the soft X-ray component requires a warm (kT ∼ 1 keV), optically-thick (τ ∼ 10-20) plasma. Estimates of the amplification ratio for this warm plasma support a configuration relatively close to the “theoretical” configuration of a slab corona above a passive disk. This plasma could be the warm upper layer of the accretion disk. In contrast, the hot corona has a more photon-starved geometry. The high temperature (∼ 100 eV) of the soft-photon field entering and cooling it favors a localization of the hot corona in the inner flow. This soft-photon field could be part of the comptonized emission produced by the warm plasma.

A major uncertainty in models for photoionised outflows in AGN is the distance of the gas to the central black hole. We present the results of a massive multiwavelength monitoring campaign on the bright Seyfert 1 galaxy Mrk 509 to constrain the location of the outflow components dominating the soft X-ray band. Mrk 509 was monitored by XMM-Newton, Integral, Chandra, HST/COS and Swift in 2009. We have studied the response of the photoionised gas to the changes in the ionising flux produced by the central regions. We were able to put tight constraints on the variability of the absorbers from day to year time scales. This allowed us to develop a model for the time-dependent photoionisation in this source. We find that the more highly ionised gas producing most X-ray line opacity is at least 5 pc away from the core; upper limits to the distance of various absorbing components range between 20 pc up to a few kpc. The more lowly ionised gas producing most UV line opacity is at least 100 pc away from the nucleus. These results point to an origin of the dominant, slow (v<1000 km/s) outflow components in the NLR or torus-region of Mrk 509. We find that while the kinetic luminosity of the outflow is small, the mass carried away is likely larger than the 0.5 Solar mass per year accreting onto the black hole. We also determined the chemical composition of the outflow as well as valuable constraints on the different emission regions. We find for instance that the resolved component of the Fe-K line originates from a region 40-1000 gravitational radii from the black hole, and that the soft excess is produced by Comptonisation in a warm (0.2-1 keV), optically thick (tau 10-20) corona near the inner part of the disk.

We present absorption line analysis of the outflow in the quasar IRAS F04250-5718. Far-ultraviolet data from the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph onboard the Hubble Space Telescope reveal intrinsic narrow absorption lines from high ionization ions (e.g., C IV, N V, and O VI) as well as low ionization ions (e.g., C II and Si III). We identify three kinematic components with central velocities ranging from ~-50 to ~-230 km/s. Velocity dependent, non-black saturation is evident from the line profiles of the high ionization ions. From the non-detection of absorption from a metastable level of C II, we are able to determine that the electron number density in the main component of the outflow is < 30 per cubic cm. Photoionization analysis yields an ionization parameter log U ~ -1.6 +/- 0.2, which accounts for changes in the metallicity of the outflow and the shape of the incident spectrum. We also consider solutions with two ionization parameters. If the ionization structure of the outflow is due to photoionization by the active galactic nucleus, we determine that the distance to this component from the central source is > 3 kpc. Due to the large distance determined for the main kinematic component, we discuss the possibility that this outflow is part of a galactic wind.

Stéphane Paltani∗1, P.-O. Petrucci2† , M. Mehdipour3, G. Ponti4‡ , R. Detmers5, J. Malzac6, P. Lubinski7, J. Kaastra5,8, S. Bianchi9, M. Cappi10, K. Steenbrugge11,12, G.A. Kriss13, N. Arav14, A. Blustin3,15, G. Branduardi-Raymont3, E. Costantini5, M. Dadina10, C. de Vries5 1 ISDC Data Centre for Astrophysics, Observatory of the University of Geneva, Switzerland 2 UJF-Grenoble 1/CNRS-INSU, Institut de Planétologie et d’Astrophysique de Grenoble, France 3 Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London, United Kingdom 4 School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Southampton, UK 5 SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research, Utrecht, The Netherlands 6 Centre d’Étude Spatiale des Rayonnements, Université de Toulouse/CNRS, Toulouse, France 7 Centrum Astronomiczne im. M. Kopernika, Toruń, Poland 8 Sterrenkundig Instituut, Universiteit Utrecht, The Netherlands 9 Dipartimento di Fisica, Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Italy 10 INAF-IASF Bologna, Italy 11 Instituto de Astronomía, Universidad Católica del Norte, Antofagasta, Chile 12 University of Oxford, Department of Physics, United Kingdom 13 Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, USA 14 Department of Physics, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, USA 15 Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom

We present absorption line analysis of the outflow in the quasar IRAS F04250-5718. Far-ultraviolet data from the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph on board the Hubble Space Telescope reveal intrinsic narrow absorption lines from high ionization ions (e. g., C IV, N V, and O VI) as well as low ionization ions (e. g., C II and Si III). We identify three kinematic components with central velocities ranging from similar to-50 to similar to-230 km s(-1). Velocity-dependent, non-black saturation is evident from the line profiles of the high ionization ions. From the non-detection of absorption from a metastable level of C II, we are able to determine that the electron number density in the main component of the outflow is less than or similar to 30 cm(-3). Photoionization analysis yields an ionization parameter log U-H similar to -1.6 +/- 0.2, which accounts for changes in the metallicity of the outflow and the shape of the incident spectrum. We also consider solutions with two ionization parameters. If the ionization structure of the outflow is due to photoionization by the active galactic nucleus, we determine that the distance to this component from the central source is greater than or similar to 3 kpc. Due to the large distance determined for the main kinematic component, we discuss the possibility that this outflow is part of a galactic wind.

We study the particle energy distribution in the cocoon surrounding Cygnus A, using radio images between 151 MHz and 15 GHz and a 200 ks Chandra ACIS-I image. We show that the excess low frequency emission in the the lobe further from Earth cannot be explained by absorption or excess adiabatic expansion of the lobe or a combination of both. We show that this excess emission is consistent with emission from a relic counterlobe and a relic counterjet that are being re-energized by compression from the current lobe. We detect hints of a relic hotspot at the end of the relic X-ray jet in the more distant lobe. We do not detect relic emission in the lobe nearer to Earth as expected from light travel-time effects assuming intrinsic symmetry. We determine that the duration of the previous jet activity phase was slightly less than that of the current jet-active phase. Further, we explain some features observed at 5 and 15 GHz as due to the presence of a relic jet.

The duty cycles of powerful radio galaxies and quasars such as the prototype Cygnus A are poorly understood. X-ray observations of inverse-Compton-scattered cosmic microwave background (ICCMB) photons probe lower Lorentz-factor particles than radio observations of synchrotron emission, and thus potentially reveal a more aged population. Comparative studies of the nearer and farther lobes, separated by many tens of kiloparsecs and thus by tens of thousands of years in light-travel time, yield additional temporal resolution in studies of the life-cycles of such objects. We have co-added all archival Chandra ACIS-I data and present a deep 200-ks image of Cygnus A. This deep image reveals the presence of X-ray emission from a counterjet, i.e. a jet receding from Earth. The outer part of this counterjet does not overlie the current counterjet detected in radio emission, excluding the possibility that we are detecting the current counterjet in X-rays. This non-thermal X-ray emission has a power-law photon index of 1.7, and we interpret this emission as ICCMB radiation. There is an absence of any discernible X-ray emission associated with a jet flowing towards Earth. We make the following conclusions. (1) This emission is from a relic jet, indicating a previous episode of jet activity that took place prior to the current jet activity appearing as synchrotron radio emission. (2) The presence of X-ray emission from a relic counterjet of Cygnus A and the absence of X-ray emission associated with any relic approaching jet constrain the time-scale between successive episodes of jet activity to ∼106 yr. (3) Transverse expansion of the jet causes expansion losses, which shift the energy distribution to lower energies. Particles with initially high Lorentz factors, which originally gave detectable synchrotron radiation, attain Lorentz factors ∼103 and scatter CMB photons, to give X-ray emission. (4) Assuming that the electrons cooled as a result of adiabatic expansion, the required magnetic field strength is substantially smaller than the equipartition magnetic field strength. (5) A high minimum Lorentz factor for the distribution of relativistic particles in the current jet, of a few 103, seems to emerge from the central nucleus of this active galaxy.

We study the jet and counterjet of the powerful classical double Fanaroff-Riley type II (FR II) radio galaxy Cygnus A as seen in the 5-, 8- and 15-GHz radio bands using the highest spatial resolution and signal-to-noise ratio archival data available. We demonstrate that the trace of the radio knots that delineate the jet and counterjet deviates from a straight line and that the inner parts can be satisfactorily fitted with the precession model of Hjellming & Johnston. The parameter values of the precession model fits are all plausible although the jet speed is rather low (≤ 0.5c) but, on investigation, found to be consistent with a number of other independent estimates of the jet speed in Cygnus A. We compare the masses and precession periods for sources with known precession and find that for the small number of active galactic nuclei with precessing jets the precession periods are significantly longer than those of microquasars.

Massive stars undergo a violent death when the supply of nuclear fuel in their cores is exhausted, resulting in a catastrophic “core-collapse” supernova. Such events are usually only detected at least a few days after the star has exploded. Observations of the supernova SNLS-04D2dc with the Galaxy Evolution Explorer space telescope reveal a radiative precursor from the supernova shock before the shock reached the surface of the star and show the initial expansion of the star at the beginning of the explosion. Theoretical models of the ultraviolet light curve confirm that the progenitor was a red supergiant, as expected for this type of supernova. These observations provide a way to probe the physics of core-collapse supernovae and the internal structures of their progenitor stars.

We present a comparative analysis of 5 GHz VLA and 200 ks Chandra ACIS-I image. In the 5 GHz image the familiar jet and much weaker counterjet are seen, which bend as the jet propagates towards the hotspots. Furthermore, where the lobe detected in 5 GHz emission starts to interact with the jet, we see that the jet “threads”. In the 0.2–10 keV X-ray image we do not detect the jet, but do detect a relic of the counterjet.

We present the first reliable determination of chemical abundances in an AGN outflow. The abundances are extracted from the deep and simultaneous FUSE and HST/STIS observations of Mrk 279. This data set is exceptional for its high signal-to-noise, unblended doublet troughs and little Galactic absorption contamination. These attributes allow us to solve for the velocity-dependent covering fraction, and therefore obtain reliable column densities for many ionic species. For the first time we have enough such column densities to simultaneously determine the ionization equilibrium and abundances in the flow. Our analysis uses the full spectral information embedded in these high-resolution data. Slicing a given trough into many independent outflow elements yields the extra constraints needed for a physically meaningful abundances determination. We find that relative to solar the abundances in the Mrk 279 outflow are (linear scaling): carbon 2.2+/-0.7, nitrogen 3.5+/-1.1 and oxygen 1.6+/-0.8. Our UV-based photoionization and abundances results are in good agreement with the independent analysis of the simultaneous Mrk 279 X-ray spectra. This is the best agreement between the UV and X-ray analyses of the same outflow to date.

We compare X-ray and UV spectroscopic observations of NGC 5548. Both data sets show Ovi absorption troughs associated with the AGN outflow from this galaxy. We find that the robust lower limit on the column density of the Ovi X-ray trough is seven times larger than the column density found in a study of the Ovi UV troughs. This discrepancy suggests that column densities inferred for UV troughs of Seyfert outflows are often severely underestimated. We identify the physical limitations of the UV Gaussian modeling as the probable explanation of the Ovi column density discrepancy. Specifically, Gaussian modeling cannot account for a velocity dependent covering fraction, and it is a poor representation for absorption associated with a dynamical outflow. Analysis techniques that use a single covering fraction value for each absorption component suffer from similar limitations. We conclude by suggesting ways to improve the UV analysis.

We compare X-ray and UV spectroscopic observations of NGC 5548. Both data sets show O VI absorption troughs associated with the active galactic nuclei outflow from this galaxy. We find that the robust lower limit on the column density of the O VI X-ray trough is 7 times larger than the column density found in a study of the O VI UV troughs. This discrepancy suggests that column densities inferred for UV troughs of Seyfert galaxy outflows are often severely underestimated. We identify the physical limitations of the UV Gaussian modeling as the probable explanation of the O VI column density discrepancy. Specifically, Gaussian modeling cannot account for a velocity-dependent covering fraction, and it is a poor representation for absorption associated with a dynamical outflow. Analysis techniques that use a single covering fraction value for each absorption component suffer from similar limitations. We conclude by suggesting ways to improve the UV analysis.