类星体的X射线辐射研究

由爱因斯坦天文台最近观测到的273个类星体、Ⅰ型Seyfeft星系的软X射线光度(L_x为0.5—4.5keV)资料,与它们的红移z值构成一个连续序列(图1)。利用球对称吸积模型计算得到:高红移的类星体,由于其较大的吸积率,在这个序列上停留的时间较短(～106年);而低红移类星体及Ⅰ型Seyfert星系停留的时间较长(～108年)。利用现有的107个类星体的射电单色光度l_r,光学单色光度l_o以及X射线单色光度l_x的资料,讨论了类星体大尺度谱的硬度,发现类星体的光学光度有两个不同的演化阶段;文中还定性地讨论了类星体射电辐射机制不同于光学和射电辐射的机制之处。      

X射线选择类星体的一些性质

本文对109个X射线选择的类星体和114个射电及光学选择的类星体进行统计分析.发现在它们的红移、光学光度以及平均光学-X射线谱指数的直方分布图上, X射线选择类星体统计上都分布在这些参数图的低端.在所有样品的单色X射线光度l_X与单色光学光度l_O的关系图上, X射线选择类星体绝大部分处在光学暗的低光度区域.若以lglo=31.2erg/s·Hz为分界点, 可把光学光度划分为光学亮和暗两个区域, 则发现射电及光学选择类星体在图中光学亮区内的斜率b=0.64, 在光学暗区内的斜率b=0.95, 而X射线选择类星体的b仅为0.78, 因而暗示出它们可能是类星体现象中的一个次型.      

宇宙探索——5、X射线宇宙探测

X射线望远镜简介 X射线在光谱的紫外线以外，波长10纳米到0．01纳米，具有很高的辐射能量。只有温度不超过100万℃的天体才辐射X射线。超新星遗迹、脉冲星和黑洞周围的气体，以及星系中的星团周围的气体，温度高达1亿℃，是强大的X射线源。类星体中心及其喷流也辐射X射线．太阳和类似太阳的其它恒星，只在其大气层中辐射微弱的X射线。它们构成X射线宇宙，需要用X射线望远镜进行探测。     

星系碰撞创造了类星体

研究人员将视线深入到由宇宙气体和尘埃构成的浓密云团后面，这时他们认为终于确定了类星体的起源。类星体是宇宙间最为明亮、最具威力的天体。通过对200多个远方的星系进行X射线和红外线观测，结合在可见光状态下拍摄的图像，结果显示当两个星系互相碰撞，其中心的黑洞融合在一起的时候，类星体就形成了。     

钱德拉X射线望远镜

钱德拉X射线望远镜观测到距离地球127光年外（仅仅比宇宙年龄早10亿年）年类星体SDSSp J1306。令人惊讶的是，在我们所看到的这个类星体的早期阶段，其X射线能量发布（X射线谱）特征在周围其它老年类星体上却探测不到。图片左上方的小天体是位于其前方的一个距离我们更近的星系。     

太阳质子耀斑X射线辐射特征及质子事件警报

太阳质子耀斑X射线辐射特征的研究, 为太阳质子事件的警报提供一个重要的途径和方法。本文分析了第21周太阳活动峰年(1977—1986)期间质子耀斑和相应的GOES和SMM卫星观测的X射线辐射资料, 结果表明:大部分质子耀斑的硬X射线峰值流量F_HX≥104s/c;积分流量F₀≥106counts;硬X射线辐射到达峰值时间T_R≥100s;持续时间T_D≥103s;X光子最高能量E_x≥300keV;平均能谱指数√r≤3.5;高能时延T_L≥10s。利用这些X射线暴的特征参数, 对第21周峰年大质子事件作警报检验, 结果是:报准率为94％, 虚报率为40％。      

类星体样本的不完备性补偿因子和V/V_(max)分析

本文采用截尾回归迭代程序给出源的光度-红移关系曲线.在假定实际源偏离此曲线而服从正态分布情况下,给出每一源的不完备性补偿因子.用经修改的V/V_(max)方法,分析了3CR和4C的光学、射电样本以及3CR的X射线光度样本.在置信度90％的水平,类星体的空间分布与q_0有关.只有q_0=1时,类星体才随红移有明显的宇宙学演化,且这时密度分布规律中的参数γ值为2—6,小于以往V/V_(max)分析所得10—12的γ值.这与用星系际低密度介质说明类星体生成和密度演化的理论解释一致.分析还表明补偿因子法能反映样本在不同波段的特性.     

阔绰的兄弟——类星体探秘

20世纪60年代初,天文学家发现一种极其遥远和明亮的神秘天体,它们诞生于宇宙早期,其点状特征类似于恒星,所以取名为类星体。但后来用更先进的仪器探测的结果,发现它们周围显示出星云状结构,它们实际上是遥远星系的明亮核心。 归纳起来,类星体有5大特征:与正常星系的相似性、光度变化、质量高度集中、辐射的非热性质和有延伸到很远距离的气体喷流。     

神秘的塞弗特星系

如果类星体真像红移显示的那样远的话，那么，天文学家就会面临一些迷惑难解的问题。举例来说，这些类星体必定非常明亮，光度至少应该足整个普通星系光度的30倍～100倍，才能在如此遥远的地方仍然显得那么亮。     

M51：螺旋星系的X射线辐射

如果我们能为整个螺旋星系进行X射线检测，将会见到何种景象？在这幅钱德拉影像所呈现的螺旋星系和它的近邻里，可以找到数百颗闪亮恒星的X射线。这幅影像结合了钱德拉的X射线数据和哈勃空间望远镜的可见光数据。其中，紫色是X射线数据。弥漫状的X射线通常是被超新星爆发加热到数百万摄氏度的气体辐射出来的。     

Bolometric luminosities and brightness temperatures of BL Lac Objects and FR I radio galaxies

To understand the connection among the subclasses of BL Lac Objects, FR I radio galaxies and Flat spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs), here the correlations of the bolometric luminosities with redshifts and brightness temperatures of these objects are studied. The bolometric luminosities vary linearly with redshifts, but few objects are scattered at high redshift. The bolometric luminosity versus brightness temperature distribution shows a correlation between these two components, except a few scattered objects, mostly RBLs. The bolometric luminosities and brightness temperatures of FR I radio galaxies with low redshift (<0.1) and low spectral index (α_rx < 0.75) are comparable to those of XBLs and those characteristics of FR I radio galaxies, with relatively high redshift (>0.2) and high spectral index, can be comparable with RBLs with low redshift (z < 0.5) and low bolometric luminosity. Those scattered RBLs with high redshifts (z > 0.5) are believed to be in complex environment with companion galaxies, most of these RBLs are still unresolved. The bolometric luminosity and brightness temperature of these scattered RBLs are comparable to those of quasars. The FSRQs are at high redshifts and bolometric luminosities and the brightness temperatures are also high relative to BL Lac Objects. These results support the FRI/BL Lac unification scheme. It suggests that, the FR I radio galaxies may be the parent populations of the BL Lac Objects, but it needs more investigation to confirm the unification of FR I radio galaxies, XBLs and RBLs.     

Ginga observations of Seyfert galaxies

We observed twenty-eight Seyfert 2 galaxies with the Japanese X-ray satellite, Ginga, and found Seyfert 2 galaxies, in general, have the X-ray spectral characteristics of obscured Seyfert 1 nuclei. This result agrees with the predictions from Unified Seyfert model proposed by Antonucci and Miller /1/. However, among the observed Seyfert 2 galaxies, there are a few galaxies with no evidence of an obscuration, contrary to the general predictions of the unified model. We note that type 2 AGN will contribute to the Cosmic Diffuse X-ray Background, if the unified Seyfert model can be extended to the far distant AGN such as quasars.     

A study of a complete soft X-ray selected sample of AGN

We present preliminary results from analyses of hard X-ray and optical observations of a soft X-ray selected sample. We created a small but complete sample with 20 of the softest and brightest objects with low Galactic absorption from the ROSAT bright soft X-ray selected radio-quiet AGN sample. This sample consists of 10 narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies and 10 broad-line Seyfert galaxies. We analyze ASCA data in the 0.6–10 keV band and optical spectra from ground-based telescopes. We investigate the photon indices in the hard X-ray band, soft excesses in the ASCA band, and optical emission line properties. The photon indices in the 2–10 keV band are nominal for both narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies and broad-line Seyfert 1 galaxies in each class compared with other heterogeneous samples. All of the narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies show soft excesses, but this component seems to be less significant for broad-line Seyfert 1 galaxies. There seems to be a trend of steeper X-ray spectra to be accompanied by narrower Hβ for narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies, but this is not extended to the larger velocity width regime of broad-line Seyfert 1 galaxies, and no clear trend is seen among them.     

An X-ray survey of a complete sample of 3CR radio galaxies

Imaging X-ray observations of normal spiral galaxies show extended and complex x-ray emission, easily explainable with a complex of unresolved X-ray sources. A variety of nuclear sources, including starburst nuclei and miniature active nuclei are seen. The total (0.5–3.0 keV) luminosities are in the range of Lx 10³⁸ - 10⁴⁰ erg s⁻¹. The X-ray luminosity is linearly correlated with the optical luminosity. It is also correlated with the radio continuum luminosity at 21cm, but following a power law relationship with an exponent α = 0.6. This latter relationship might have implications on the Population I X-ray binary formation models and/or on the origin of the radio continuum emission in spiral galaxies     

VLBA imaging of parsec-scale gas in Seyfert galaxies

Seyfert galaxies contain small-scale radio jets that indicate the presence of compact active galactic nuclei of the same type found in more powerful quasars and radio galaxies. Since most Seyferts are relatively nearby, their nuclear environments can be probed at much higher resolution than in those more powerful sources. In addition, the relative weakness of the active nucleus makes the effects of the circumnuclear gas more important. VLBA images of a number of Seyfert galaxies have been produced, often at multiple frequencies, in order to reveal the presence and nature of the gas in the inner 1–100 parsecs of the galaxies. Absorption effects at gigahertz frequencies, due to both synchrotron self-absorption and free-free absorption, are quite common; the free-free absorption indicates the presence of large quantities of ionized gas in the inner few parsecs of the galaxies. Changes in radio position angles on parsec scales also occur in several galaxies, implying that Seyfert nuclei may have multiple symmetry axes.     

Observations of extragalactic objects with telescope ART-P onboard Granat

During 1990–1991 more than two dozens of extragalactic objects were observed by X-ray instruments aboard the Granat satellite. Among them there were AGNs and Seyfert galaxies (NGC4151, NGC5548, MCG-30-15, IC4329 etc.), quasars (3C273, 3C390.3 etc.), radio galaxies (Cen A, M87 etc.) and clusters of galaxies (Virgo, Perseus, Coma etc.). We will discuss below the preliminary results obtained with the ART-P telescope during the observations of five sources: NGC4151, 3C273, Cen A and the galaxies M87 and NGC4388 on the Virgo cluster.     

X-ray observations of high-z radio loud/quiet quasars

It is widely recognized that a knowledge of the X-ray properties of high-z radio loud/quiet quasars (RLQs/RQQs) would have important consequences for probing the conditions of the early Universe, studying the evolution of quasars, and assessing quasar contributions to the CXB. In distant active galactic nuclei (AGN) we can detect only the quasars having high luminosities or collimated beams with current X-ray astronomy satellites. We have also detected more than ten RLQs above z=2 with ASCA. We have observed 8 high z RQQs above z=2, but have not detected the higher z RQQs, above z=2.5. A considerable fraction of the high z RLQs show excess absorption over Galactic column densities, while most high z RQQs do not indicate excess absorption, although the samples are small. The X-ray photon index of RLQs is smaller than that of RQQs. The two RLQs above z=4 are very flat, suggesting that they are blazar-like AGN. A long term observation of RQQ, H1400#10 (z=2.078) did not indicate an Fe Kα emission line, giving a weaker upper limit than a typical line intensity of Seyfert 1 galaxies.     

Some recent results on extragalactic X-ray sources from the Einstein observatory

Extragalactic research studies by the Harvard/Smithsonian group with the Einstein Observatory have emphasized quasars and clusters of galaxies. More than 100 QSO's have been detected, including 20 serendipitous discoveries. The ratio of L_x/L_o for radio loud quasars is on the average 3 times that of radio quiet ones. QSO's with a large intrinsic optical luminosity have a smaller ratio of L_x/L_o. X-ray images of clusters of galaxies reveal a variety of morphological types which may correspond to different stages in their evolution. Several examples of bi-modal clusters have been discovered. An X-ray plume associated with M86 is apparently gas being stripped. From X-ray studies, a mass between 1.7 × 10¹³M_θ and 4.0 × 10¹³ M_θ has been derived for M87.