No Arabic abstract
We present new XMM-Newton data of the high-redshift (z=1.883), Mpc-sized giant radio galaxy 6C 0905+39. The larger collecting area and longer observation time for our new data means that we can better characterise the extended X-ray emission, in particular its spectrum, which arises from cosmic microwave background photons scattered into the X-ray band by the energetic electrons in the spent synchrotron plasma of the (largely) radio-quiet lobes of 6C 0905+39. We calculate the energy that its jet-ejected plasma has dumped into its surroundings in the last 3 X 10^7 years and discuss the impact that similar, or even more extreme, examples of spent, radio-quiet lobes would have on their surroundings. Interestingly, there is an indication that the emission from the hotspots is softer than the rest of the extended emission and the core, implying it is due to synchrotron emission. We confirm our previous detection of the low-energy turnover in the eastern hotspot of 6C 0905+39.
Our XMM-Newton spectrum of the giant, high-redshift (z=1.88) radio galaxy 6C 0905+39 shows that it contains one of the most powerful, high-redshift, Compton-thick quasars known. Its spectrum is very hard above 2 keV. The steep XMM spectrum below that energy is shown to be due to extended emission from the radio bridge using Chandra data. The nucleus of 6C 0905+39 has a column density of 3.5 (+1.4,-0.4) X 10^24 cm^-2 and absorption-corrected X-ray luminosity of 1.7 (+0.9,-0.1) X 10^45 erg/s in the 2-10 keV band. A lower redshift active galaxy in the same field, SDSS J090808.36+394313.6, may also be Compton-thick.
We present new GMRT observations of HDF 130, an inverse-Compton (IC) ghost of a giant radio source that is no longer being powered by jets. We compare the properties of HDF 130 with the new and important constraint of the upper limit of the radio flux density at 240 MHz to an analytic model. We learn what values of physical parameters in the model for the dynamics and evolution of the radio luminosity and X-ray luminosity (due to IC scattering of the cosmic microwave background (CMB)) of a Fanaroff-Riley II (FR II) source are able to describe a source with features (lobe length, axial ratio, X-ray luminosity, photon index and upper limit of radio luminosity) similar to the observations. HDF 130 is found to agree with the interpretation that it is an IC ghost of a powerful double-lobed radio source, and we are observing it at least a few Myr after jet activity (which lasted 5--100 Myr) has ceased. The minimum Lorentz factor of injected particles into the lobes from the hotspot is preferred to be $gammasim10^3$ for the model to describe the observed quantities well, assuming that the magnetic energy density, electron energy density, and lobe pressure at time of injection into the lobe are linked by constant factors according to a minimum energy argument, so that the minimum Lorentz factor is constrained by the lobe pressure. We also apply the model to match the features of 6C 0905+3955, a classical double FR II galaxy thought to have a low-energy cutoff of $gammasim10^4$ in the hotspot due to a lack of hotspot inverse-Compton X-ray emission. The models suggest that the low-energy cutoff in the hotspots of 6C 0905+3955 is $gammagtrsim 10^3$, just slightly above the particles required for X-ray emission.
We present a new radio sample, 6C** designed to find radio galaxies at z > 4 and discuss some of its near-infrared imaging follow-up results.
Compton Thick (CT) AGN are a key ingredient of Cosmic X-ray Background (CXB) synthesis models, but are still an elusive component of the AGN population beyond the local Universe. Multi-wavelength surveys are the only way to find them at z > 0.1, and a deep X-ray coverage is crucial in order to clearly identify them among star forming galaxies. As an example, the deep and wide COSMOS survey allowed us to select a total of 34 CT sources. This number is computed from the 64 nominal CT candidates, each counted for its N H probability distribution function. For each of these sources, rich multi-wavelength information is available, and is used to confirm their obscured nature, by comparing the expected AGN luminosity from spectral energy distribution fitting, with the absorption-corrected X-ray luminosity. While Chandra is more efficient, for a given exposure, in detecting CT candidates in current surveys (by a factor ~2), deep XMM-Newton pointings of bright sources are vital to fully characterize their properties: NH distribution above 10^25 cm^-2, reflection intensity etc., all crucial parameters of CXB models. Since luminous CT AGN at high redshift are extremely rare, the future of CT studies at high redshift will have to rely on the large area surveys currently underway, such as XMM-XXL and Stripe82, and will then require dedicated follow-up with XMM-Newton, while waiting for the advent of the ESA mission Athena.
We analyzed Suzaku/XIS data of 2006--2015 observations of a gamma-ray emitting radio galaxy NGC 1275, and brightening of the nucleus in the X-ray band was found in 2013--2015, correlating with GeV Gamma-ray brightening. This is the first evidence of variability with correlation between GeV gamma-ray and X-ray for NGC 1275. We also analyzed Swift/XRT data of NGC 1275, and found that X-ray was flaring by a factor of $sim$5 in several days in 2006, 2010, and 2013. The X-ray spectrum during the flare was featureless and somewhat steeper with a photon index of $sim$2 against $sim$1.7 in the normal state, indicating that a synchrotron component became brighter. A large Xray to GeV gamma-ray flux ratio in the flare could be explained by the shock-in-jet scenario. On the other hand, a long-term gradual brightening of radio, X-ray, and GeV gamma-ray with a larger gamma-ray amplitude could be origin of other than internal shocks, and then we discuss some possibilities.