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Register a new userThe X-ray Zurich Environmental Study (X-ZENS). I. Chandra and XMM-Newton observations of AGNs in galaxies in nearby groups
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We describe X-ray observations with Chandra and XMM-Newton of 18 galaxy groups (M_group ~ 1-6x10^13 Msolar, z~0.05) from the Zurich Environmental Study (ZENS). We aim to establish the frequency and properties, unaffected by host galaxy dilution and obscuration, of AGNs in central and satellite galaxy members, also as a function of halo-centric distance. X-ray point-source detections are reported for 22 of 177 observed galaxies, down to a limit of f_(0.5-8 keV) ~ 5x10^-15 erg cm^-2 s^-1, corresponding to a limiting luminosity of L_(0.5-8 keV)~3x10^40 erg s^-1. With the majority of the X-ray sources attributed to AGNs of low-to-moderate levels (L/L_Edd>~10^-4), we discuss the detection rate in the context of the occupation of AGNs to halos of this mass scale and redshift, and compare the structural/morphological properties between AGN-active and non-active galaxies of different rank and location within the group halos. We see a slight tendency for AGN hosts to have either relatively brighter/denser disks (or relatively fainter/diffuse bulges) than non-active galaxies of similar mass. At galaxy mass scales <10^11 Msolar, central galaxies appear to be a factor ~4 more likely to host AGNs than satellite galaxies of similar mass. This effect, coupled with the tendency for AGNs to reside in massive galaxies, explains the (weak) trend for AGNs to be preferentially found in the inner regions of groups, with no detectable trend with halo-centric distance in the frequency of AGNs within the satellite population. Finally, our data support other analyses in finding that the rate of decline with redshift of AGN activity in groups matches that of the global AGN population, indicating that either AGNs occur preferentially in groups, or that the evolution rate is independent of halo mass. These trends are of potential importance, and require X-ray coverage of a larger sample to be solidly confirmed.
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We present the results of a pilot XMM-$Newton$ and $Chandra$ program aimed at studying the diffuse intragroup medium (DIM) of optically-selected nearby groups from the Zurinch ENvironmental Study (ZENS) catalog. The groups are in a narrow mass range about $10^{13}M_odot$, a mass scale at which the interplay between the DIM and the group member galaxies is still largely unprobed. X-ray emission from the DIM is detected in the energy band 0.5--2 keV with flux $le 10^{-14}$ erg cm$^{-1}$ s$^{-1}$, which is one order of magnitude fainter than for typical ROSAT groups (RASS). For many groups we set upper limits to the X-ray luminosity, indicating that the detections are likely probing the upper envelope of the X-ray emitting groups. We find evidence for our optically selected groups to be under-luminous with respect to predictions from X-ray scaling relations. X-ray mass determinations are in best agreement with those based on the member galaxies bulge luminosity, followed by their total optical luminosity and velocity dispersion. We measure a stellar mass fraction with a median value of about 1$%$, with a contribution from the most massive galaxies between 30 to 50 %. Optical and X-ray data give often complementary answers concerning the dynamical state of the groups, and are essential for a complete picture of the system. Extending this pilot program to a larger sample of groups is mandatory to unveil any imprint of interaction between member galaxies and DIM in halo potentials of key importance for environmentally-driven galactic evolution.
We investigate the levels of small scale structure in surface brightness images of the core of the X-ray bright cool-core galaxy cluster AWM 7. After subtraction of a model of the smooth cluster emission, we find a number of approximately radial surface brightness depressions which are not present in simulated images and are seen in both the Chandra and XMM-Newton data. The depressions are most strongly seen in the south of the cluster and have a magnitude of around 4 per cent in surface brightness. We see these features in both an energy band sensitive to the density (0.6 to 5 keV) and a band more sensitive to the pressure (3.5 to 7.5 keV). Histograms of surface brightness in the data, when compared to realisations of a smooth model, reveal stronger surface brightness variations. We use the Delta-variance technique to characterise the magnitude of the fluctuations as a function of length scale. We find that the spectrum in the 0.6 to 5 keV band is flatter than expected for Kolmogorov index fluctuations. If characterised by a power spectrum, on large scales it would have an index around -1.7, rather than -3.7. The implied 3D density fluctuations have a standard deviation of around 4 per cent. The implied 3D pressure variations are at most 4 per cent. Most of the longer-scale power in the density spectrum is contributed by the southern half of the cluster, where the depressions are seen. The density variations implied by the spectrum of the northern sector have a standard deviation of about 2 per cent.
We present the results of a search for galaxy clusters in Subaru-XMM Deep Field. We reach a depth for a total cluster flux in the 0.5-2 keV band of 2x10^{-15} ergs cm^{-2} s^{-1} over one of the widest XMM-Newton contiguous raster surveys, covering an area of 1.3 square degrees. Cluster candidates are identified through a wavelet detection of extended X-ray emission. The red sequence technique allows us to identify 57 cluster candidates. We report on the progress with the cluster spectroscopic follow-up and derive their properties based on the X-ray luminosity and cluster scaling relations. In addition, 3 sources are identified as X-ray counterparts of radio lobes, and in 3 further sources, X-ray counterpart of radio lobes provides a significant fraction of the total flux of the source. In the area covered by NIR data, our identification success rate achieves 86%. We detect a number of radio galaxies within our groups and for a luminosity-limited sample of radio galaxies we compute halo occupation statistics using a marked cluster mass function. We compare the cluster detection statistics in the SXDF with the predictions of concordance cosmology and current knowledge of the X-ray cluster properties, concluding that a reduction of concordance sigma_8 value by 5% is required in order to match the prediction of the model and the data. This conclusion still needs verification through the completion of cluster follow-up.
We present Chandra and XMM-Newton observations of the composite star-forming/Seyfert galaxy IRAS20051-1117. The X-ray imaging and spectral properties reveal the presence of an active nucleus. The Chandra image shows a strong nuclear point source (L(2-10 keV) ~ 4x10^{42} erg s-1). The nuclear X-ray source coincides with a bright, alsoun-resolved, UV source which appears in the xmm Optical Monitor images. The xmm and chandra spectrum is well represented by a power-law with a photon index of ~1.7-1.9 and a thermal component with a temperature of 0.2 keV. We also detect an Fe line at 6.4 keV with an equivalent width of ~0.3 keV, typical of the iron lines that have been detected in the X-ray spectra of classical AGN. We find no evidence for short-term variability in the X-ray light curves, while we detect no variations between the xmm and chandra observations which are separated by about 20 days. Optical spectroscopic observations which were performed ~2.5 months after the xmm observation show that the optical spectrum is dominated by a star-forming galaxy component, although a weak broad Halpha component is present, in agreement with the results from past observations. The lack of strong AGN signatures in the optical spectrum of the source can be explained by the dilution of the nuclear AGN emission by the nuclear star-forming component and the strong emission of the underlying, bright host galaxy.
We report the results of a programme of dual-epoch Chandra ACIS-S observations of five ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) in nearby spiral galaxies. All five ULXs are detected as unresolved, point-like X-ray sources by Chandra, though two have faded below the 10^39 erg/s luminosity threshold used to first designate these sources as ULXs. Using this same criterion, we detect three further ULXs within the imaged regions of the galaxies. The ULXs appear to be related to the star forming regions of the galaxies, indicating that even in ``normal spiral galaxies the ULX population is predominantly associated with young stellar populations. A detailed study of the Chandra ACIS-S spectra of six of the ULXs shows that five are better described by a powerlaw continuum than a multi-colour disc blackbody model, though there is evidence for additional very soft components to two of the powerlaw continua. The measured photon indices in four out of five cases are consistent with the low/hard state in black hole binaries, contrary to the suggestion that powerlaw-dominated spectra of ULXs originate in the very high state. A simple interpretation of this is that we are observing accretion onto intermediate-mass black holes, though we might also be observing a spectral state unique to very high mass accretion rates in stellar-mass black hole systems. Short-term flux variability is only detected in one of two epochs for two of the ULXs, with the lack of this characteristic arguing that the X-ray emission of this sample of ULXs is not dominated by relativistically-beamed jets. The observational characteristics of this small sample suggest that ULXs are a distinctly heterogeneous source class.
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