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Register a new userThe X-ray properties of typical high-redshift radio-loud quasars
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We report spectral, imaging, and variability results from four new XMM-Newton observations and two new Chandra observations of high-redshift (z > 4) radio-loud quasars (RLQs). Our targets span lower, and more representative, values of radio loudness than those of past samples of high-redshift RLQs studied in the X-ray regime. Our spectral analyses show power-law X-ray continua with a mean photon index, Gamma =1.74 +/- 0.11, that is consistent with measurements of lower redshift RLQs. These continua are likely dominated by jet-linked X-ray emission, and they follow the expected anti-correlation between photon index and radio loudness. We find no evidence of iron Kalpha ~ emission lines or Compton-reflection continua. Our data also constrain intrinsic X-ray absorption in these RLQs. We find evidence for significant absorption (N_H ~ 10^22 cm^-2) in one RLQ of our sample (SDSS J0011+1446); the incidence of X-ray absorption in our sample appears plausibly consistent with that for high-redshift RLQs that have higher values of radio loudness. In the Chandra observation of PMN J221-2719 we detect apparent extended (~ 14 kpc) X-ray emission that is most likely due to a jet; the X-ray luminosity of this putative jet is ~2% that of the core. The analysis of a 4.9 GHz VLA image of PMN J221-2719 reveals a structure that matches the X-ray extension found in this source. We also find evidence for long-term (450-460 days) X-ray variability by 80-100% in two of our targets.
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This work presents the results of a Chandra study of 21 broad absorption line (BAL) radio-loud quasars (RLQs). We conducted a Chandra snapshot survey of 12 bright BAL RLQs selected from SDSS/FIRST data and possessing a wide range of radio and CIV absorption properties. Optical spectra were obtained nearly contemporaneously with the Hobby-Eberly Telescope; no strong flux or BAL variability was seen between epochs. We also include in our sample 9 additional BAL RLQs possessing archival Chandra coverage. We compare the properties of (predominantly high-ionization) BAL RLQs to those of non-BAL RLQs as well as to BAL radio-quiet quasars (RQQs) and non-BAL RQQs for context. All 12 snapshot and 8/9 archival BAL RLQs are detected, with observed X-ray luminosities less than those of non-BAL RLQs having comparable optical/UV luminosities by typical factors of 4.1-8.5. (BAL RLQs are also X-ray weak by typical factors of 2.0-4.5 relative to non-BAL RLQs having both comparable optical/UV and radio luminosities.) However, BAL RLQs are not as X-ray weak relative to non-BAL RLQs as are BAL RQQs relative to non-BAL RQQs. While some BAL RLQs have harder X-ray spectra than typical non-BAL RLQs, some have hardness ratios consistent with those of non-BAL RLQs, and there does not appear to be a correlation between X-ray weakness and spectral hardness, in contrast to the situation for BAL RQQs. RLQs are expected to have X-ray continuum contributions from both disk-corona and small-scale jet emission. While the entire X-ray continuum in BAL RLQs cannot be obscured to the same degree as in BAL RQQs, we calculate that the jet is likely partially covered in many BAL RLQs. We comment briefly on implications for geometries and source ages in BAL RLQs.
(abridged) We firstly present the results of X-ray spectroscopic observations with XMM-Newton for four high-redshift radio-loud quasars at z>4. These observations more than double the number of z>4 radio-loud quasars having X-ray spectroscopic data to seven, which compose a significant subset of a flux-limited sample of z>4 radio-loud quasars. Based on this subset we show some preliminary results on the overall X-ray spectral properties of the sample. Soft X-ray spectral flattening, which is thought to arise from intrinsic X-ray absorption, was found in about half of the sample. We give a preliminary distribution of the absorption column density NH. For those with detected X-ray absorption, the derived NH values fall into a very narrow range (around a few times 10^(22)cm^(-2) for `cold absorption), suggesting a possible common origin of the absorber. Compared to lower-redshift samples at z<2, there is an extension, or a systematic shift, toward higher values in the intrinsic NH distribution at z>4, and an increase of the fraction of radio-loud quasars showing X-ray absorption toward high redshifts. These results indicate a cosmic evolution effect, which seems to be the strongest at redshifts around 2. The rest frame 1-50keV continua have photon indices with a mean of 1.64 and a standard deviation of 0.11. Variability appears to be common on timescales from a few months to years in the quasar rest-frame, sometimes in both fluxes and spectral slopes.
We present the first results from a new, deep (200ks) Chandra observation of the X-ray luminous galaxy cluster surrounding the powerful (L ~10^47 erg/s), high-redshift (z=1.067), compact-steep-spectrum radio-loud quasar 3C186. The diffuse X-ray emission from the cluster has a roughly ellipsoidal shape and extends out to radii of at least ~60 arcsec (~500 kpc). The centroid of the diffuse X-ray emission is offset by 0.68(+/-0.11) arcsec (5.5+/-0.9 kpc) from the position of the quasar. We measure a cluster mass within the radius at which the mean enclosed density is 2500 times the critical density, r_2500=283(+18/-13)kpc, of 1.02 (+0.21/-0.14)x10^14 M_sun. The gas mass fraction within this radius is f_gas=0.129(+0.015/-0.016). This value is consistent with measurements at lower redshifts and implies minimal evolution in the f_gas(z) relation for hot, massive clusters at 0<z<1.1. The measured metal abundance of 0.42(+0.08/-0.07) Solar is consistent with the abundance observed in other massive, high redshift clusters. The spatially-resolved temperature profile for the cluster shows a drop in temperature, from kT~8 keV to kT~3 keV, in its central regions that is characteristic of cooling core clusters. This is the first spectroscopic identification of a cooling core cluster at z>1. We measure cooling times for the X-ray emitting gas at radii of 50 kpc and 25 kpc of 1.7(+/-0.2)x10^9 years and 7.5(+/-2.6)x 10^8 years, as well as a nominal cooling rate (in the absence of heating) of 400(+/-190)M_sun/year within the central 100 kpc. In principle, the cooling gas can supply enough fuel to support the growth of the supermassive black hole and to power the luminous quasar. The radiative power of the quasar exceeds by a factor of 10 the kinematic power of the central radio source, suggesting that radiative heating may be important at intermittent intervals in cluster cores.
We report on Swift observations of four z>2 radio-loud quasars (0212+735, 0537-286, 0836+710, and 2149-307), classified as blazars. The sources, well-known emitters at soft-medium X-rays, were detected at >5sigma with the BAT experiment in 15-150 keV. No flux variability was detected within the XRT and BAT exposures, with the exception of 0836+710 which shows an increase of a factor 4 of the 15-150 keV flux on a timescale of one month. The 0.3-10 keV spectra are well fitted by power law models, with rather hard continua (photon indices Gamma_XRT ~1.3-1.5); similarly, the 15-150 keV spectra are described by power laws with Gamma_BAT ~1.3-1.8. The XRT data exhibit spectral curvature, which can be modeled either in terms of excess absorption along the line of sight, or a downward-curved broken power law. In the former case, if the excess N_H is at the rest-frame of the source, columns of N_H^z=(0.3-6)x10^22 cm^-2 are measured. Modeling of the SEDs of the four quasars shows that the emission at the higher frequencies, >~ 10^16 Hz, is dominated by the jet, while the steep optical-to-UV continua, observed with the UVOT, can be attributed to thermal emission from the accretion disk. The disk luminosity is between 1% and 10% the jet power, similar to other powerful blazars.
We present the study on the X-ray emission for a sample of radio-detected quasars constructed from the cross-matches between SDSS, FIRST catalogs and XMM-Newton archives. A sample of radio-quiet SDSS quasars without FIRST radio detection is also assembled for comparison. We construct the optical and X-ray composite spectra normalized at rest frame $4215,rm AA$ (or $2200,rm AA$) for both radio-loud quasars (RLQs) and radio-quiet quasars (RQQs) at $zle3.2$, with matched X-ray completeness of 19%, redshift and optical luminosity. While the optical composite spectrum of RLQs is similar to that of RQQs, we find that RLQs have higher X-ray composite spectrum than RQQs, consistent with previous studies in the literature. By dividing the radio-detected quasars into radio loudness bins, we find the X-ray composite spectra are generally higher with increasing radio loudness. Moreover, a significant correlation is found between the optical-to-X-ray spectral index and radio loudness, and there is a unified multi-correlation between the radio, X-ray luminosities and radio loudness in radio-detected quasars. These results could be possibly explained with the corona-jet model, in which the corona and jet are directly related.
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