Abstract: Context: X-ray emission from active galactic nuclei (AGN) is dominated by the accretion disk around a supermassive black hole. The radio luminosity, however, has not such a clear origin except in the most powerful sources where jets are evident. The origin (and even the very existence) of the local bi-modal distribution in radio-loudness is also a debated issue.
Aims: By analysing X-ray, optical and radio properties of a large sample of type 1 AGN and quasars (QSOs) up to z > 2, where the bulk of this population resides, we aim to explore the interplay between radio and X-ray emission in AGN, in order to further our knowledge on the origin of radio emission, and its relation to accretion.
Methods: We analyse a large (?800 sources) sample of type 1 AGN and QSOs selected from the 2XMMi XMM-Newton X-ray source catalogue, cross-correlated with the SDSS DR7 spectroscopic catalogue, covering a redshift range from z ? 0.3 to z ? 2.3.
Supermassive black hole masses are estimated from the Mg ii emission line, bolometric luminosities from the X-ray data, and radio emission or upper limits from the FIRST catalogue.
Results: Most of the sources accrete close to the Eddington limit and the distribution in radio-loudness does not appear to have a bimodal behaviour. We confirm that radio-loud AGN are also X-ray loud, with an X-ray-to-optical ratio up to twice that of radio-quiet
objects, even excluding the most extreme strongly jetted sources. By analysing complementary radio-selected control samples, we find evidence that these conclusions are not an effect of the X-ray selection, but are likely a property of the dominant QSO population.
Conclusions: Our findings are best interpreted in a context where radio emission in AGN, with the exception of a minority of beamed sources, arises from very close to the accretion disk and is therefore heavily linked to X-ray emission. We also speculate that the radio-loud/radio-quiet dichotomy might either be an evolutionary effect that developed well after the QSO peak epoch, or an effect of incompleteness in small samples.
Autoría: Ballo L., Heras F.J.H., Barcons X., Carrera F.J.,
Fuente: Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2012, 545, A66
Editorial: EDP Sciences
Fecha de publicación: 10/09/2012
Nº de páginas: 15
Tipo de publicación: Artículo de Revista
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201117464
ISSN: 0004-6361,1432-0746
Proyecto español: AYA2010-21490-C02-01
Url de la publicación: https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201117464