Over the past decade, observations of the cool interstellar medium (ISM) in distant galaxies via molecular and atomic fine structure line (FSL) emission have gone from a curious look into a few extreme, rare objects to a mainstream tool for studying galaxy formation out to the highest redshifts. Molecular gas has been observed in close to 200 galaxies at z > 1, including numerous AGN host-galaxies out to z ∼ 7, highly star-forming submillimeter galaxies, and increasing samples of main-sequence color-selected star-forming galaxies at z ∼ 1.5 to 2.5. Studies have moved well beyond simple detections to dynamical imaging at kiloparsec-scale resolution and multiline, multispecies studies that determine the physical conditions in the ISM in early galaxies. Observations of the cool gas are the required complement to studies of the stellar density and star-formation history of the Universe as they reveal the phase of the ISM that immediately precedes star formation in galaxies. Current observations suggest that t...

Cool Gas in High-Redshift Galaxies

Spitzer/IRAC selection is a powerful tool for identifying luminous active galactic nuclei (AGNs). For deep IRAC data, however, the AGN selection wedges currently in use are heavily contaminated by star-forming galaxies, especially at high redshift. Using the large samples of luminous AGNs and high-redshift star-forming galaxies in COSMOS, we redefine the AGN selection criteria for use in deep IRAC surveys. The new IRAC criteria are designed to be both highly complete and reliable, and incorporate the best aspects of the current AGN selection wedges and of infrared power-law selection while excluding high-redshift star-forming galaxies selected via the BzK, distant red galaxy, Lyman-break galaxy, and submillimeter galaxy criteria. At QSO luminosities of log L_(2-10keV)(erg s^(–1)) ≥44, the new IRAC criteria recover 75% of the hard X-ray and IRAC-detected XMM-COSMOS sample, yet only 38% of the IRAC AGN candidates have X-ray counterparts, a fraction that rises to 52% in regions with Chandra exposures of 50-160 ks. X-ray stacking of the individually X-ray non-detected AGN candidates leads to a hard X-ray signal indicative of heavily obscured to mildly Compton-thick obscuration (log N H (cm^(–2)) = 23.5 ± 0.4). While IRAC selection recovers a substantial fraction of luminous unobscured and obscured AGNs, it is incomplete to low-luminosity and host-dominated AGNs.

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Identifying Luminous Active Galactic Nuclei in Deep Surveys: Revised IRAC Selection Criteria

This review describes recent developments related to the unified model of active galactic nuclei (AGNs). It focuses on new ideas about the origin and properties of the central obscurer (torus) and the connection to its surroundings. The review does not address radio unification. AGN tori must be clumpy but uncertainties about their properties persist. Today's most promising models involve disk winds of various types and hydrodynamic simulations that link the large-scale galactic disk to the inner accretion flow. Infrared (IR) studies greatly improved our understanding of the spectral energy distribution of AGNs, but they are hindered by various selection effects. X-ray samples are more complete. The dependence of the covering factor of the torus on luminosity is a basic relationship that remains unexplained. There is also much confusion regarding real type-II AGNs, which do not fit into a simple unification scheme. The most impressive recent results are due to IR interferometry, which is not in accord wit...

Revisiting the Unified Model of Active Galactic Nuclei

We present Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations of the [C Pi] 158 mu m fine structure line and dust continuum emission from the host galaxies of five redshift 6 quasars. We also report complementary observations of 250 GHz dust continuum and CO (6-5) line emission from the z = 6.00 quasar SDSS J231038.88+185519.7 using the IRAM facilities. The ALMA observations were carried out in the extended array at 0.'' 7 resolution. We have detected the line and dust continuum in all five objects. The derived [C Pi] line luminosities are 1.6 x 10(9) to 8.7 x 10(9) L-circle dot and the [C Pi]-to-FIR luminosity ratios are 2.9-5.1 x 10(-4), which is comparable to the values found in other high-redshift quasar-starburst systems and local ultra-luminous infrared galaxies. The sources are marginally resolved and the intrinsic source sizes (major axis FWHM) are constrained to be 0.'' 3-0.'' 6 (i.e., 1.7-3.5 kpc) for the [C Pi] line emission and 0.'' 2-0.'' 4 (i.e., 1.2-2.3 kpc) for the continuum. These measurements indicate that there is vigorous star formation over the central few kpc in the quasar host galaxies. The ALMA observations also constrain the dynamical properties of the star-forming gas in the nuclear region. The intensity-weighted velocity maps of three sources show clear velocity gradients. Such velocity gradients are consistent with a rotating, gravitationally bound gas component, although they are not uniquely interpreted as such. Under the simplifying assumption of rotation, the implied dynamical masses within the [C Pi]-emitting regions are of order 10(10)-10(11) M-circle dot. Given these estimates, the mass ratios between the supermassive black holes and the spheroidal bulge are an order of magnitude higher than the mean value found in local spheroidal galaxies, which is in agreement with results from previous CO observations of high redshift quasars.

/pdf/star-formation-and-gas-kinematics-of-quasar-host-galaxies-at-2hngwvs9lg.pdf

STAR FORMATION AND GAS KINEMATICS OF QUASAR HOST GALAXIES AT z ∼ 6: NEW INSIGHTS FROM ALMA

Active galactic nuclei (AGN) are energetic astrophysical sources powered by accretion onto supermassive black holes in galaxies, and present unique observational signatures that cover the full electromagnetic spectrum over more than twenty orders of magnitude in frequency. The rich phenomenology of AGN has resulted in a large number of different “flavours” in the literature that now comprise a complex and confusing AGN “zoo”. It is increasingly clear that these classifications are only partially related to intrinsic differences between AGN and primarily reflect variations in a relatively small number of astrophysical parameters as well the method by which each class of AGN is selected. Taken together, observations in different electromagnetic bands as well as variations over time provide complementary windows on the physics of different sub-structures in the AGN. In this review, we present an overview of AGN multi-wavelength properties with the aim of painting their “big picture” through observations in each electromagnetic band from radio to $$\gamma $$
 -rays as well as AGN variability. We address what we can learn from each observational method, the impact of selection effects, the physics behind the emission at each wavelength, and the potential for future studies. To conclude, we use these observations to piece together the basic architecture of AGN, discuss our current understanding of unification models, and highlight some open questions that present opportunities for future observational and theoretical progress.

Active galactic nuclei: what’s in a name?

We present spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of 69 QSOs at z > 5, covering a rest frame wavelength range of 0.1 μm to ~80 μm, and centered on new Spitzer and Herschel observations. The detection rate of the QSOs with Spitzer is very high (97% at λrest 4 μm), but drops toward the Herschel bands with 30% detected in PACS (rest frame mid-infrared) and 15% additionally in the SPIRE (rest frame far-infrared; FIR). We perform multi-component SED fits for Herschel-detected objects and confirm that to match the observed SEDs, a clumpy torus model needs to be complemented by a hot (~1300 K) component and, in cases with prominent FIR emission, also by a cold (~50 K) component. In the FIR-detected cases the luminosity of the cold component is of the order of 1013 L ☉ which is likely heated by star formation. From the SED fits we also determine that the active galactic nucleus (AGN) dust-to-accretion disk luminosity ratio declines with UV/optical luminosity. Emission from hot (~1300 K) dust is common in our sample, showing that nuclear dust is ubiquitous in luminous QSOs out to redshift 6. However, about 15% of the objects appear under-luminous in the near infrared compared to their optical emission and seem to be deficient in (but not devoid of) hot dust. Within our full sample, the QSOs detected with Herschel are found at the high luminosity end in L UV/opt and L NIR and show low equivalent widths (EWs) in Hα and in Lyα. In the distribution of Hα EWs, as determined from the Spitzer photometry, the high-redshift QSOs show little difference to low-redshift AGN.

http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0004-637X/785/2/154/pdf

SPECTRAL ENERGY DISTRIBUTIONS OF QSOs AT z > 5: COMMON ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEUS-HEATED DUST AND OCCASIONALLY STRONG STAR-FORMATION

We present spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of 69 QSOs at z>5, covering a rest frame wavelength range of 0.1mu to ~80mu, and centered on new Spitzer and Herschel observations. The detection rate of the QSOs with Spitzer is very high (97% at lambda_rest ~< 4mu), but drops towards the Herschel bands with 30% detected in PACS (rest frame mid-infrared) and 15% additionally in the SPIRE (rest frame far-infrared; FIR). We perform multi-component SED fits for Herschel-detected objects and confirm that to match the observed SEDs, a clumpy torus model needs to be complemented by a hot (~1300K) component and, in cases with prominent FIR emission, also by a cold (~50K) component. In the FIR detected cases the luminosity of the cold component is on the order of 10^13 L_sun which is likely heated by star formation. From the SED fits we also determine that the AGN dust-to-accretion disk luminosity ratio declines with UV/optical luminosity. Emission from hot (~1300K) dust is common in our sample, showing that nuclear dust is ubiquitous in luminous QSOs out to redshift 6. However, about 15% of the objects appear under-luminous in the near infrared compared to their optical emission and seem to be deficient in (but not devoid of) hot dust. Within our full sample, the QSOs detected with Herschel are found at the high luminosity end in L_UV/opt and L_NIR and show low equivalent widths (EWs) in H_alpha and in Ly_alpha. In the distribution of H_alpha EWs, as determined from the Spitzer photometry, the high-redshift QSOs show little difference to low redshift AGN.

Spectral Energy Distributions of QSOs at z>5: common AGN-heated dust and occasionally strong star-formation

AAS/High Energy Astrophysics Division

We present Herschel far-infrared (FIR) photometry of eleven quasars at redshift z>5 that have previously been detected at 1.2mm. We perform full spectral energy distribution (SED) fits over the wavelength range lambda_rest ~0.1-400mu for those objects with good Herschel detections. These fits reveal the need for an additional far-infrared (FIR) component besides the emission from a dusty AGN-powered torus. This additional FIR component has temperatures of T_FIR ~ 40-60K with luminosities of L_(8-1000mu) ~ 10^13 L_sun (accounting for 25-60% of the bolometric FIR luminosity). If the FIR dust emission is due to star formation it would suggest star formation rates in excess of 1000 solar masses per year. We show that at long wavelengths (lambda_rest > 50mu) the contribution of the AGN-powered torus emission is negligible. This explains how previous FIR studies of high-redshift quasars that relied on single component fits to (ground-based) observations at lambda_obs > 350mu reached T_FIR and L_FIR values similar to our complete SED fits. Stacking the Herschel data of four individually undetected sources reveals a significant average signal in the PACS bands but not in SPIRE. The average SED of sources with individual Herschel detections shows a striking surplus in near- and mid-infrared emission when compared to common AGN templates. The comparison between two average SEDs (sources with and without individual Herschel detections) matched in the UV/optical indicates that for these objects the strength of the MIR emission may correlate with the strength of the FIR emission.

Complete infrared spectral energy distributions of mm detected quasars at z>5

We present Herschel far-infrared (FIR) photometry of 11 quasars at redshift z > 5 that have previously been detected at 1.2 mm. We perform full spectral energy distribution (SED) fits over the wavelength range λrest ~ 0.1-400 μm for those objects with good Herschel detections. These fits reveal the need for an additional FIR component besides the emission from a dusty active galactic nucleus (AGN)-powered torus. This additional FIR component has temperatures of T FIR ~ 40-60 K with luminosities of L 8-1000 μm ~ 1013 L ☉ (accounting for 25%-60% of the bolometric FIR luminosity). If the FIR dust emission is due to star formation it would suggest star formation rates in excess of 1000 solar masses per year. We show that at long wavelengths (λrest 50 μm) the contribution of the AGN-powered torus emission is negligible. This explains how previous FIR studies of high-redshift quasars that relied on single-component fits to (ground-based) observations at λobs 350 μm reached T FIR and L FIR values similar to our complete SED fits. Stacking the Herschel data of four individually undetected sources reveals a significant average signal in the PACS bands but not in SPIRE. The average SED of sources with individual Herschel detections shows a striking surplus in near- and mid-infrared (MIR) emission when compared to common AGN templates. The comparison between two average SEDs (sources with and without individual Herschel detections) matched in the UV/optical indicates that for these objects the strength of the MIR emission may correlate with the strength of the FIR emission.

C. Leipski

Papers

SPECTRAL ENERGY DISTRIBUTIONS OF QSOs AT z > 5: COMMON ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEUS-HEATED DUST AND OCCASIONALLY STRONG STAR-FORMATION

Spectral Energy Distributions of QSOs at z>5: common AGN-heated dust and occasionally strong star-formation

AAS/High Energy Astrophysics Division

Complete infrared spectral energy distributions of mm detected quasars at z>5

Complete infrared spectral energy distributions of millimeter detected quasars at z > 5