A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA): The Weak Environmental Dependence of Quasar Activity at 0.1 < z < 0.35
Authors: Wethers Clare F, Acharya Nischal, De Propris Roberto, Kotilainen Jari, Baldry Ivan K, Brough Sarah, Driver Simon P, Graham Alister W, Holwerda Benne W, Hopkins Andrew M, Lopez-Sanchez Angel R, Loveday Jonathan, Phillipps Steven, Pimbblet Kevin A, Taylor Edward, Wang Lingyu, Wright Angus H
Publisher: IOP Publishing Ltd
Publication year: 2022
Journal: Astrophysical Journal
Journal name in source: ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
Journal acronym: ASTROPHYS J
Article number: 192
Volume: 928
Issue: 2
Number of pages: 16
ISSN: 0004-637X
eISSN: 1538-4357
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ac409c
Web address : https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/ac409c
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/175241367
Preprint address: https://arxiv.org/abs/2112.03285
Understanding the connection between nuclear activity and galaxy environment remains critical in constraining models of galaxy evolution. By exploiting the extensive cataloged data from the Galaxy and Mass Assembly survey, we identify a representative sample of 205 quasars at 0.1 < z < 0.35 and establish a comparison sample of galaxies, closely matched to the quasar sample in terms of both stellar mass and redshift. On scales <1 Mpc, the galaxy number counts and group membership of quasars appear entirely consistent with those of the matched galaxy sample. Despite this, we find that quasars are similar to 1.5 times more likely to be classified as the group center, indicating a potential link between quasar activity and cold gas flows or galaxy interactions associated with rich group environments. On scales of similar to a few Mpc, the clustering strengths of both samples are statistically consistent, and beyond 10 Mpc, we find no evidence that quasars trace large-scale structures any more than the galaxy control sample. Both populations are found to prefer intermediate-density sheets and filaments to either very high-density environments or very low-density environments. This weak dependence of quasar activity on galaxy environment supports a paradigm in which quasars represent a phase in the lifetime of all massive galaxies and in which secular processes and a group-centric location are the dominant triggers of quasars at low redshift.
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