A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
The host galaxies of active galactic nuclei with powerful relativistic jets
Authors: Olguin-Iglesias A, Leon-Tavares J, Kotilainen JK, Chavushyan V, Tornikoski M, Valtaoja E, Anorve C, Valdes J, Carrasco L
Publisher: OXFORD UNIV PRESS
Publication year: 2016
Journal: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Journal name in source: MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
Journal acronym: MON NOT R ASTRON SOC
Volume: 460
Issue: 3
First page : 3202
Last page: 3220
Number of pages: 19
ISSN: 0035-8711
eISSN: 1365-2966
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stw1208
Abstract
We present deep near-infrared (NIR) images of a sample of 19 intermediate-redshift (0.3 < z < 1.0) radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGN) with powerful relativistic jets (L-1.4 GHz > 10(27) W Hz(-1)), previously classified as flat-spectrum radio quasars. We also compile host galaxy and nuclear magnitudes for blazars from literature. The combined sample (this work and compilation) contains 100 radio-loud AGN with host galaxy detections and a broad range of radio luminosities L-1.4 GHz similar to 10(23.7)-10(28.3) W Hz(-1), allowing us to divide our sample into high-luminosity blazars (HLBs) and low-luminosity blazars (LLBs). The host galaxies of our sample are bright and seem to follow the mu(e)-R-eff relation for ellipticals and bulges. The two populations of blazars show different behaviours in the M-K,M-nuclear -M-K,M-bulge plane, where a statistically significant correlation is observed for HLBs. Although it may be affected by selection effects, this correlation suggests a close coupling between the accretion mode of the central supermassive black hole and its host galaxy, which could be interpreted in terms of AGN feedback. Our findings are consistent with semi-analytical models where low-luminosity AGN emit the bulk of their energy in the form of radio jets, producing a strong feedback mechanism, and high-luminosity AGN are affected by galaxy mergers and interactions, which provide a common supply of cold gas to feed both nuclear activity and star formation episodes.
We present deep near-infrared (NIR) images of a sample of 19 intermediate-redshift (0.3 < z < 1.0) radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGN) with powerful relativistic jets (L-1.4 GHz > 10(27) W Hz(-1)), previously classified as flat-spectrum radio quasars. We also compile host galaxy and nuclear magnitudes for blazars from literature. The combined sample (this work and compilation) contains 100 radio-loud AGN with host galaxy detections and a broad range of radio luminosities L-1.4 GHz similar to 10(23.7)-10(28.3) W Hz(-1), allowing us to divide our sample into high-luminosity blazars (HLBs) and low-luminosity blazars (LLBs). The host galaxies of our sample are bright and seem to follow the mu(e)-R-eff relation for ellipticals and bulges. The two populations of blazars show different behaviours in the M-K,M-nuclear -M-K,M-bulge plane, where a statistically significant correlation is observed for HLBs. Although it may be affected by selection effects, this correlation suggests a close coupling between the accretion mode of the central supermassive black hole and its host galaxy, which could be interpreted in terms of AGN feedback. Our findings are consistent with semi-analytical models where low-luminosity AGN emit the bulk of their energy in the form of radio jets, producing a strong feedback mechanism, and high-luminosity AGN are affected by galaxy mergers and interactions, which provide a common supply of cold gas to feed both nuclear activity and star formation episodes.
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