We present a new methodology for the analysis of the emission lines of the interstellar medium in the Narrow Line Regions around type-2 Active Galactic Nuclei. Our aim is to provide a recipe that can be used for large samples of objects in a consistent way using different sets of optical emission-lines that takes into the account possible variations from the (O/H)-(N/O) relation to use [N II] lines. Our approach consists of a bayesian-like comparison between certain observed emission-line ratios sensitive to total oxygen abundance, nitrogen-to-oxygen ratio and ionization parameter with the predictions from a large grid of photoionization models calculated under the most usual conditions in this environment. We applied our method to a sample of Seyfert 2 galaxies with optical emission-line fluxes and determinations of their chemical properties from detailed models in the literature. Our results agree within the errors with other results and confirm the high metallicity of the objects of the sample, with N/O values consistent wit a large secondary production of N, but with a large dispersion. The obtained ionization parameters for this sample are much larger than those for star-forming object at the same metallicity.
CECILIA: Using Flexible Photoionization Models to Accurately Measure Abundances without Auroral Lines
Northwestern University（西北大学）；Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA)（天体物理学跨学科探索与研究中心）；The Observatories of the Carnegie Institution for Sciences（卡内基科学研究所天文台）
We build detailed composite models of photoionization and shock ionization based on the SUMA code to reproduce emission lines emitted from the Narrow Line Regions (NLR) of Seyfert 2 nuclei. The aim of this work is to investigate diagram AGN positions according to shock parameters, shock effects on the gas temperature and ionization structures and derive a semi-empirical abundance calibration based on emission-line ratios little sensitive to the shock presence. The models were used to reproduce optical (3000 < A < 7000) emission line intensities of 244 local (z < 0.4) Seyfert 2s, whose observat…
We investigate the discrepancy between oxygen abundance estimations for narrow-line regions (NLRs) of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) type Seyfert 2 derived by using direct estimations of the electron temperature (Te-method) and those derived by using photoionization models. In view of this, observational emission-line ratios in the optical range (3000 < λ(Å) < 7000) of Seyfert 2 nuclei compiled from the literature were reproduced by detailed photoionization models built with the Cloudy code. We find that the derived discrepancies are mainly due to the inappropriate use of the relations between …
We study the hypothesis of high metallicity clumps being responsible for the abundance discrepancy found in planetary nebulae between the values obtained from recombination and collisionaly excited lines. We generate grids of photoionization models combining cold metal-rich clumps emitting the heavy element recombination lines, embedded in a normal metallicity region responsible for the forbidden lines. The two running parameters of the grid are the metallicity of the clumps and its volume fraction relative to the whole nebula. We determine the density and temperatures (from the Balmer jump an…
Sulphur abundances in star-forming regions from optical emission lines: A new approach based on photoionization models consistent with the direct method
Photoionization modelling allows to follow the transport, the emergence, and the absorption of photons taking into account all important processes in nebular plasmas. Such modelling needs the spatial distribution of density, chemical abundances and temperature, that can be provided by chemo-dynamical simulations (ChDS) of dwarf galaxies. We perform multicomponent photoionization modelling (MPhM) of the ionized gas using 2-D ChDSs of dwarf galaxies. We calculate emissivity maps for important nebular emission lines. Their intensities are used to derive the chemical abundance of oxygen by the so-…
Photoionization models of HII regions require as input a description of the ionizing SED and of the gas distribution, in terms of ionization parameter U and chemical abundances (e.g. O/H and N/O). A strong degeneracy exists between the hardness of the SED and U, which in turn leads to high uncertainties in the determination of the other parameters, including abundances. One way to resolve the degeneracy is to fix one of the parameters using additional information. For each of the ~ 20000 sources of the CALIFA HII regions catalog, a grid of photoionization models is computed assuming the ionizi…
Understanding the Broad-line Region of Active Galactic Nuclei with Photoionization. II. Slim disks, Self-shadowing, and BLR sizes
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign（伊利诺伊大学厄巴纳-香槟分校）；National Center for Supercomputing Applications, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign（伊利诺伊大学厄巴纳-香槟分校超级计算应用国家中心）；Durham University（杜伦大学）；University of Leicester（莱斯特大学）；IFPU - Institute for Fundamental Physics of the Universe（宇宙基础物理研究所）；SISSA - International School for Advanced Studies（高等研究院）；INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Trieste（的里雅斯特天文台）
We built a grid of photoionization models and compiled already available observational emission line intensities ($\rm 1000 \: < \: λ(Å) \: < \: 2000$) of confirmed star formation regions and Active Galactic Nucleus (AGNs) in order to classify five Ly$α$ emitter (LAE) objects at high redshift $(5.7 \: < \: z \: < \:7.2)$. We selected objects for which at least one metal emission-line was measured. The resulting sample is composed by the objects RXCJ2248.7-4431-ID3, HSCJ233408+004403, COSY, A1703-zd6, and CR7 (clump C). The photoionization models were built assuming a Power Law (associated with…
This work focuses on the gas chemical composition of CGCG007-025. This compact dwarf is undergoing a galaxy wide star forming burst, whose spatial behaviour has been observed by VLT/MUSE. We present a new line measurement library to treat almost 7800 voxels. The direct method chemical analysis is limited to 484 voxels with good detection of the $[SIII]$6312$\mathring{\mathrm{A}}$ temperature diagnostic line. The recombination fluxes are corrected for stellar absorption via a population synthesis. Additionally, we discuss a new algorithm to fit photoionization models via neural networks. The 8 …
Chemical abundance determinations in Low-Ionization Nuclear Line Regions (LINERs) are especially complex and uncertain because the nature of the ionizing source of this kind of object is unknown. In this work, we study the oxygen abundance in relation to the hydrogen abundance (O/H) of the gas phase of the UGC4805 LINER nucleus. Optical spectroscopic data from the Mapping Nearby Galaxies (MaNGA) survey was employed to derive the O/H abundance of the UGC4805 nucleus based on the extrapolation of the disk abundance gradient, on calibrations between O/H abundance and strong emission-lines for Act…
Unification Model of Active Galactic Nuclei by Photoionization Equilibrium Calculation Based on Radiative Hydrodynamic Simulations
Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Kagoshima University（鹿儿岛大学理工学研究科）；Research Center for Space and Cosmic Evolution, Ehime University（爱媛大学宇宙 evolution 研究中心）；Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University（北海道大学理学部）；Astronomical Institute, Tohoku University（东北大学天文学研究所）；Faculty of Natural Sciences, National Institute of Technology, Kure College（国立神户高等专门学校自然科学学部）；Graduate School of Science and Technology, Hirosaki University（弘前大学理工学研究科）；Department of Earth and Space Science, The University of Osaka（大阪大学地球空间科学系）
The ionizing source of Low Ionization Nuclear Emission Regions (LINERs) is uncertain. Because of this, an empirical relation to determine the chemical abundances of these objects has not been proposed. In this work, for the first time, we derived two semi-empirical calibrations based on photoionization models to estimate the oxygen abundance of LINERS as a function of the $N2$ and $O3N2$ emission-line intensity ratios. These relations were calibrated using oxygen abundance estimations obtained by comparing the observational emission-line ratios of 43 LINER galaxies (taken from the MaNGA survey…
We examine the relation between oxygen abundances in the narrow-line regions (NLRs) of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) estimated from the optical emission lines through the strong-line method (the theoretical calibration of Storchi-Bergmann et al.(1998)), via the direct Te-method, and the central intersect abundances in the host galaxies determined from the radial abundance gradients. We found that the Te-method underestimates the oxygen abundances by up to ~2 dex (with average value of ~0.8 dex) compared to the abundances derived through the strong-line method. This confirms the existence of th…
We obtained new quantitative determinations of the nitrogen abundance and a consistent relation between nitrogen and oxygen abundances for a sample of Seyfert 2 galaxies located at redshift $z < 0.1$. We carried out this analysis using the Cloudy code to build detailed photoionization models. We were able to reproduce observed optical narrow emission line intensities for 44 sources compiled from the literature. Our results show that Seyfert 2 nuclei have nitrogen abundances ranging from $\sim0.3$ to $\sim 7.5$ times the solar value. We derived the relation $\rm \log(N/H)=1.05 (\pm0.09) \times …
Understanding the composition and structure of the broad-line region (BLR) of active galactic nuclei (AGN) is important for answering many outstanding questions in supermassive black hole evolution, galaxy evolution, and ionization of the intergalactic medium. We used single-epoch UV spectra from the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) on the Hubble Space Telescope to measure EUV emission-line fluxes from four individual AGN with $0.49 \le z \le 0.64$, two AGN with $0.32 \le z \le 0.40$, and a composite of 159 AGN. With the Cloudy photoionization code, we calculated emission-line fluxes from BLR…
Using published work on the Narrow Line Region of Active Nuclei, we make a comparison of the observed [O III] $4363Å/5007Å$ ratio observed among quasars, Seyfert 2's and spatially resolved NLR plasma. It is broadly accepted that the span of this ratio among quasars, from 0.015 to 0.2, is the result of collisional deexcitation as corroborated by Baskin and Laor (2005). However, the coincidence of the AGN at towards the lowest [O III] ratios, however, suggests that it represents plasma in the low density regime, where this ratio can be interpreted as the actual NLR temperature. Using the density…
We compare emission line intensities from photoionization models of smooth and fractal shell geometries for low density H II regions, with particular focus on the low-ionization diagnostic diagram [N II]/H-alpha vs H-alpha. Building on previously published models and observations of Barnard's Loop, we show that the observed range of intensities and variations in the line intensity ratios may be reproduced with a three dimensional shell geometry. Our models adopt solar abundances throughout the model nebula, in contrast with previous one dimensional modeling which suggested the variations in li…
We present a new tool for the analysis of the optical emission lines of the gas in the Narrow Line Region (NLR) around Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs). This new tool can be used in large samples of objects in a consistent way using different sets of optical emission-lines taking into the account possible variations from the O/H - N/O relation. The code compares certain observed emission-line ratios with the predictions from a large grid of photoionization models calculated under the most usual conditions in the NLR of AGNs to calculate the total oxygen abundance, nitrogen-to-oxygen ratio and ion…
Optical diagnostic diagrams are powerful tools to separate different ionizing sources in galaxies. However, the model-constraining power of the most widely-used diagrams is very limited and challenging to visualize. In addition, there have always been classification inconsistencies between diagrams based on different line ratios, and ambiguities between regions purely ionized by active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and composite regions. We present a simple reprojection of the 3D line ratio space composed of [N II]$λ6583$/H$α$, [S II]$λλ$6716, 6731/H$α$, and [O III]$λ$ 5007/H$β$, which reveals its mo…
GSN 069 is an ultra-soft X-ray active galactic nucleus that previously exhibited a huge X-ray outburst and a subsequent long-term decay. It has recently presented X-ray quasi-periodic eruptions (QPEs). We report the detection of strong nitrogen lines but weak or undetectable carbon lines in its far ultraviolet spectrum. With a detailed photoionization model, we use the C IV/N IV] ratio and other ratios between nitrogen lines to constrain the [C/N] abundance of GSN 069 to be from -3.33 to -1.91. We argue that a partially disrupted red giant star can naturally explain the abnormal C/N abundance …
For the first time, the argon abundance relative to hydrogen abundance (Ar/H) in the narrow line region of a sample of Seyfert 2 nuclei has been derived. In view of this, optical narrow emission line intensities of a sample of 64 local Seyfert 2 nuclei (z < 0.25) taken from Sloan Digital Sky Survey DR7 and measured by the MPA/JHU group were considered. We adopted the Te-method for AGNs, which is based on direct determination of the electron temperature, together with a grid of photoionization model results, built with the Cloudy code, to obtain a method for the derivation of the Ar/H abundance…
We present BOND, a Bayesian code to simultaneously derive oxygen and nitrogen abundances in giant H II regions. It compares observed emission lines to a grid of photoionization models without assuming any relation between O/H and N/O. Our grid spans a wide range in O/H, N/O and ionization parameter U, and covers different starburst ages and nebular geometries. Varying starburst ages accounts for variations in the ionizing radiation field hardness, which arise due to the ageing of H II regions or the stochastic sampling of the initial mass function. All previous approaches assume a strict relat…
Cosmic Ray Ionization of Low-Excitation Lines in Active Galactic Nuclei and Starburst Galaxies
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens（雅典国立卡波季斯特里安大学）；Centro de Estudios de Física del Cosmos de Aragón (CEFCA)（阿拉贡宇宙物理学研究中心）；Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali (INAF–IAPS)（国家天体物理与行星学研究所）
[Abridged] Investigations of neutron(n)-capture element nucleosynthesis and chemical evolution have largely been based on stellar spectroscopy. However, the recent detection of these elements in several planetary nebulae (PNe) indicates that nebular spectroscopy is a promising new tool for such studies. In PNe, n-capture element abundance determinations reveal details of s-process nucleosynthesis and convective mixing in evolved low-mass stars, as well as the chemical evolution of elements that cannot be detected in stellar spectra. Only one or two ions of a given trans-iron element can typica…
The planetary nebula TS 01 (also called PN G 135.9+55.9 or SBS 1150+599A), with its record-holding low oxygen abundance and its double degenerate close binary core (period 3.9 h), is an exceptional object located in the Galactic halo. We have secured observational data in a complete wavelength range in order to pin down the abundances of half a dozen elements in the nebula. The abundances are obtained via detailed photoionization modelling taking into account all the observational constraints (including geometry and aperture effects) using the pseudo-3D photoionization code Cloudy_3D. The spec…
The increasing neutrality of the intergalactic medium at z>6 suppresses Ly-alpha emission, and spectroscopic confirmation of galaxy redshifts requires detecting alternative UV lines. The strong [C III] 1907 + C III] 1909 doublet frequently observed in low-metallicity, actively star-forming galaxies is a promising emission feature. We present CLOUDY photoionization model predictions for C III] equivalent widths (EWs) and line ratios as a function of starburst age, metallicity, and ionization parameter. Our models include a range of C/O abundances, dust content, and gas density. We also examine …
We derive the chlorine abundances in a sample of nearby planetary nebulae (PNe) and H II regions that have some of the best available spectra. We use a nearly homogeneous procedure to derive the abundance in each object and find that the Cl/H abundance ratio shows similar values in H II regions and PNe. This supports our previous interpretation that the underabundance we found for oxygen in the H II regions is due to the depletion of their oxygen atoms into organic refractory dust components. For other elements, the bias introduced by ionization correction factors in their derived abundances c…
We present element abundance ratios and ionizing radiation of local young low-mass (~$10^{6}$ M_sun) extremely metal poor galaxies (EMPGs) with a 2% solar oxygen abundance (O/H)_sun and a high specific star-formation rate (sSFR~300 Gyr$^{-1}$), and other (extremely) metal poor galaxies, which are compiled from Extremely Metal-Poor Representatives Explored by the Subaru Survey (EMPRESS) and the literature. Weak emission lines such as [FeIII]4658 and HeII4686 are detected in very deep optical spectra of the EMPGs taken with 8m-class telescopes including Keck and Subaru (Kojima et al. 2019, Izoto…
For the first time, the helium abundance relative to hydrogen (He/H), which relied on direct measurements of the electron temperature, has been derived in the narrow line regions (NLRs) from a local sample of Seyfert 2 nuclei. In view of this, optical emission line intensities [$3000 \: < λ\: < \: 7000$] of 65 local Seyfert 2 nuclei ($z \: < \: 0.2$), taken from Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 15 and additional compilation from the literature, were considered. We used photoionization model grid to derive an Ionization Correction Factor (ICF) for the neutral helium. The application of thi…
Recent observations of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) have shown a high Fe~II/Mg~II line-flux ratio in their broad-line regions, nearly independent of redshift up to $z \gtrsim 6$. The high flux ratio requires rapid production of iron in galactic nuclei to reach an abundance ratio of ${\rm [Fe/Mg]} \gtrsim 0.2$ as high as those observed in matured galaxies in the local universe. We propose a possible explanation of rapid iron enrichment in AGNs by massive star formation that follows a top-heavy initial mass function (IMF) with a power-law index of $Γ$ larger than the canonical value of $Γ=-2.35…
Emission line observations together with photoionization models provide important information about the ionization mechanisms, densities, temperatures, and metallicities in AGN-ionized gas. Photoionization models usually assume Maxwell-Boltzmann (M-B) electron energy distributions (EED), but it has been suggested that using kappa distributions may be more appropriate and could potentially solve the discrepancies in temperatures and abundances found in HII regions and Planetary Nebulae (PNe). We consider the impact of the presence of kappa distributions in photoionized nebulae associated with A…
HII-CHI-mistry for active galactic nuclei: optical sulphur abundances without empirical ionisation correction factors
Universidade do Vale do Paraíba（帕拉伊巴山谷大学）；Astronomisches Rechen-Institut, Zentrum für Astronomie der Universität Heidelberg（海德堡大学天文学计算中心）；Main Astronomical Observatory, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine（乌克兰国家科学院主天文台）；INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma（意大利国家天体物理研究所罗马天文台）
While 2% of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) exhibit narrow emission lines with line-of-sight velocities that are significantly offset from the velocity of the host galaxy's stars, the nature of these velocity offsets is unknown. We investigate this question with Chandra/ACIS and Hubble Space Telescope/Wide Field Camera 3 observations of seven velocity-offset AGNs at z<0.12, and all seven galaxies have a central AGN but a peak in emission that is spatially offset by < kpc from the host galaxy's stellar centroid. These spatial offsets are responsible for the observed velocity offsets and are due t…
In this paper, we investigate 2727 galaxies observed by MaNGA as of June 2016 to develop spatially resolved techniques for identifying signatures of active galactic nuclei (AGN). We identify 303 AGN candidates. The additional spatial dimension imposes challenges in identifying AGN due to contamination from diffuse ionized gas, extra-planar gas and photoionization by hot stars. We show that the combination of spatially-resolved line diagnostic diagrams and additional cuts on H$α$ surface brighness and H$α$ equivalent width can distinguish between AGN-like signatures and high-metallicity galaxie…
The great power offered by photoionization models of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) emission-line regions has long been mitigated by the fact that very little is known about the spectral energy distribution (SED) between the Lyman limit, where intervening absorption becomes a problem, and 0.3 keV, where soft x-ray observations become possible. The emission lines themselves can, to some degree, be used to probe the SED, but only in the broadest terms. This paper employs a new generation of theoretical SEDs which are internally self-consistent, energy-conserving, and tested against observations, t…
We study the characteristics of planetary nebulae (PNe), MaC 2-1 and Sp 4-1. We use our optical spectra taken at 2 m Himalayan Chandra Telescope, Spitzer mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectra, HST images, and IR photometric data. These PNe have not been individually studied in details earlier. Both the PNe are in the low- to moderate-excitation class. MaC 2-1 shows the presence of silicon carbide (SiC) and magnesium sulphide (MgS) dust. Sp 4-1 hosts polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules. We obtain plasma properties of the PNe from the optical and mid-IR emission line fluxes. We compute photo…
We have investigated the ensemble regularities of the equivalent widths (EWs) of MgII 2800 emission line of active galactic nuclei (AGNs), using a uniformly selected sample of 2092 Seyfert 1 galaxies and quasars at 0.45 <= z <= 0.8 in the spectroscopic data set of Sloan Digital Sky Survey Fourth Data Release. We find a strong correlation between the EW of MgII and the AGN Eddington ratio (L/L_Edd): EW(MgII) \propto (L/L_Edd)^{-0.4}. Furthermore, for AGNs with the same L/L_Edd, their EWs of MgII show no correlation with luminosity, black hole mass or line width, and the MgII line luminosity is …
