The radio emission in radio-quiet quasars (RQQs) has been a long mystery and its physical origin remains unclear. In a previous work we find UV/optical more variable quasars have stronger X-ray emission, indicating a link between disc turbulence and X-ray corona heating. In this work, for the first time, we investigate the relation between UV/optical variability and the radio emission in RQQs selected from SDSS stripe 82 and FIRST radio survey. We median stack the FIRST images and detect clear signals from RQQs in the co-added images of individually radio non-detected sources. Controlling the effects of other parameters, including redshift, black hole mass, bolometric luminosity and Eddington ratio, we find more variable RQQs, which are known to be X-ray relatively brighter, show tentatively weaker radio emission, contrary to the linear X-ray/radio correlation if the radio emission is from or driven by the corona. The discovery also suggests that if the radio emission in RQQs is driven by AGN activity (such as weak jet), the underlying driving process is independent to the disc turbulence which drives UV/optical variability and probably also corona heating. Alternatively, the radio emission could be due to star formation in the host galaxies.
We have constructed a sample of radio-loud and radio-quiet quasars from the Faint Im- ages Radio Sky at Twenty-one centimetres (FIRST) and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7 (SDSS DR7), over the H-ATLAS Phase 1 Area (9h, 12h and 14.5h). Using a stacking analysis we find a significant correlation between the far-infrared luminosity and 1.4-GHz luminosity for radio-loud quasars. Partial correlation analysis confirms the intrinsic correlation after removing the redshift contribution while for radio-quiet quasars no partial correlation is found. Using a single-temperature grey-body model …
Radio emission from radio-quiet quasars may be due to star formation in the quasar host galaxy, to a jet launched by the supermassive black hole, or to relativistic particles accelerated in a wide-angle radiatively-driven outflow. In this paper we examine whether radio emission from radio-quiet quasars is a byproduct of star formation in their hosts. To this end we use infrared spectroscopy and photometry from Spitzer and Herschel to estimate or place upper limits on star formation rates in hosts of ~300 obscured and unobscured quasars at z<1. We find that low-ionization forbidden emission lin…
Surveys have shown radio-loud (RL) quasars constitute $10 \%$-$15 \%$ of the total quasar population. However, it is unknown if the radio-loud fraction (RL quasars/Total quasars) remains consistent among different parameter spaces. This study shows that radio-loud fraction increases for increasing full width half maximum (FWHM) velocity of the H$β$ and MgII broad emission line. Our data has been obtained from Shen et al. (2011) catalogue. To investigate the reason, in this preliminary study we analyse various properties like bolometric luminosity, optical continuum luminosity, black hole (BH) …
We perform an analysis of the properties of radio-loud (RL) and radio-quiet (RQ) quasars with MgII broad emission line (i-band magnitude $\leq 19.1$ and z $\leq 1.9$), selected from the parent sample of SDSS DR7 catalogue. For sources with full-width half maxima (FWHM) greater than \mbox{15,000 km s$^{-1}$} (very broad line sample; VBL) we find the radio loud fraction (RLF) to be about 40\%. To further investigate this result we compare the bolometric luminosity, optical continuum luminosity, black hole (BH) mass and Eddington ratios of our VBL sample of RL and RQ quasars. Our analysis shows t…
We report the discovery of a radio quiet type 2 quasar (SDSS J165315.06+234943.0 nicknamed the "Beetle" at z=0.103) with unambiguous evidence for active galactic nucleus (AGN) radio induced feedback acting across a total extension of ~46 kpc and up to ~26 kpc from the AGN. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first radio quiet system where radio induced feedback has been securely identified at >>several kpc from the AGN. Turbulent gas is also found far from the radio axis, ~25 kpc in the perpendicular direction. We propose a scenario in which the radio structures have perforated the inter…
We compare covering factors of circumnuclear dusty obscurers in radio-loud and radio-quiet quasars. The radio-loud quasars are represented by a sample of FR II quasars obtained by cross-matching a catalog of the FR II radio sources selected by van Velzen et al. with the SDSS DR7 catalog of quasars. Covering factors of FR II quasars are compared with covering factors of the radio-quiet quasars matched with them in redshift, black hole mass, and Eddington-ratio. We found that covering factors, proxied by the infrared-to-bolometric luminosity ratio, are on average slightly smaller in FR II quasar…
Studies of radio-loud (RL) broad absorption line (BAL) quasars indicate that popular orientation-based BAL models fail to account for all observations. Are these results extendable to radio-quiet (RQ) BAL quasars? Comparisons of RL and RQ BAL quasars show that many of their properties are quite similar. Here we extend these analyses to the rest-frame ultraviolet (UV) spectral properties, using a sample of 73 RL and 473 RQ BAL quasars selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). Each RQ quasar is individually matched to a RL quasar in both redshift (over the range $1.5 < z < 3.5$) and con…
Recent work has shown that it is possible to systematize quasars (QSOs) spectral diversity in 4DE1 parameter space. The spectra contained in most of the surveys have low signal to noise ratio which fed the impression that all QSOś are spectroscopically similar. Exploration of 4DE1 parameter space gave rise to the concept of two populations of QSOs that present important spectroscopic differences. We aim to quantify broad emission line differences between radio quiet and radio loud sources by exploiting more complete samples of QSO with spectral coverage in Hbeta, MgII and CIV emission lines. W…
The origin of the radio emission in Radio Quiet (RQ) quasars is not established yet. Important hints can be provided by the spectral slope, and its relation to other emission properties. We compiled the highest resolution 5 and 8.4 GHz VLA observations available of the RQ optically selected PG quasars at z<0.5. We derive the 5-8.4 GHz spectral slope, alpha_R, for 25 of the complete and well studied sample of 71 RQ PG quasars. We find a highly significant correlation of alpha_R with L/L_Edd, where high L/L_Edd (>0.3) quasars have a steep slope (alpha_R<-0.5), indicative of an optically thin syn…
Determining the star-forming properties of radio-quiet quasars is important for understanding the co-evolution of star formation and black hole accretion. Here, we present the detection of the gravitationally-lensed radio-quiet quasars SDSS J1055+4628, SDSS J1313+5151 and SBS 1520+530 at 144 MHz that fall in the HETDEX Spring Field targeted in the LOFAR Two-metre Sky Survey (LoTSS) first full data release. We compare their radio and far-infrared luminosities relative to the radio-infrared correlation and find that their radio luminosities can be explained by star formation. The implied star fo…
Optical and UV properties of radio-quiet (RQ) and radio-loud (RL, relativistically "jetted") active galactic nuclei (AGN) are known to differ markedly; however, it is still unclear what is due to a sample selection and what is associated with intrinsic differences in the inner workings of their emitting regions. Chemical composition is an important parameter related to the trends of the quasar main sequence. Recent works suggest that in addition to physical properties such as density, column density, and ionization level, strong FeII emitters require very high metal content. Little is known, h…
Most active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are radio-quiet, and the origin of their radio emission is not well-understood. One hypothesis is that this radio emission is a by-product of quasar-driven winds. In this paper, we present the radio properties of 108 extremely red quasars (ERQs) at $z=2-4$. ERQs are among the most luminous quasars ($L_{bol} \sim 10^{47-48}$ erg/s) in the Universe, with signatures of extreme ($\gg 1000$ km/s) outflows in their [OIII]$λ$5007 Å emission, making them the best subjects to seek the connection between radio and outflow activity. All ERQs but one are unresolved in th…
Surveys have shown radio-loud (RL) quasars constitute 10%-15% of the total quasar population and rest are radio-quiet (RQ). However, it is unknown if this radio-loud fraction (RLF) remains consistent among different parameter spaces. This study shows that RLF increases for increasing full width half maximum (FWHM) velocity of the H$β$ broad emission line (z < 0.75). To analyse the reason, we compared bolometric luminosity of RL and RQ quasars sample which have FWHM of H$β$ broad emission line greater than 15000km/s (High Broad Line or HBL) with which have FWHM of H$β$ emission line less than 2…
Roughly 10% of quasars are "radio-loud", producing copious radio emission in large jets. The origin of the low-level radio emission seen from the remaining 90% of quasars is unclear. Observing a sample of eight radio-quiet quasars with the Very Long Baseline Array, we discovered that their radio properties depend strongly on their Eddington ratio (r_Edd=L_AGN/L_Edd). At lower Eddington ratios (r_Edd < 0.3), the total radio emission of the AGN predominately originates from an extremely compact region, possibly as small as the accretion disk. At higher Eddington ratios (r_Edd > 0.3), the relativ…
Different properties of quasars may be observed and analysed through the many ranges of the electromagnetic spectrum. Pioneering studies showed that an "H-R diagram" for quasars was needed to organize these data, and that more than two dimensions were necessary: a four dimensional Eigenvector (4DE1) parameter space was proposed. The 4DE1 makes use of independent observational properties obtained from the optical and UV emission lines, as well as from the soft-X rays. The 4DE1 "optical plane", also known as the quasar Main Sequence (MS), identifies different spectral types in order to describe …
Lobe-dominated radio-loud (LD RL) quasars occupy a restricted domain in the 4D Eigenvector 1 (4DE1) parameter space which implies restricted geometry/physics/kinematics for this subclass compared to the radio-quiet (RQ) majority of quasars. We discuss how this restricted domain for the LD RL parent population supports the notion for a RQ-RL dichotomy among Type 1 sources. 3C 57 is an atypical RL quasar that shows both uncertain radio morphology and falls in a region of 4DE1 space where RL quasars are rare. We present new radio flux and optical spectroscopic measures designed to verify its atyp…
The origin of the radio emission in radio-quiet quasars (RQQs) has been a matter of debate for a long time. It is not well understood whether the emission is caused by star formation in the host galaxy or by black hole activity of the active galactic nuclei (AGN). We shed some light on these questions using the Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) technique to search for RQQs in the field of the Cosmological Evolution Survey (COSMOS). The extensive multi-wavelength coverage of the field (from radio to X-rays) was used to classify RQQs, and the milli-arcsecond resolution of VLBI provides a …
Radio observations allow us to identify a wide range of active galactic nuclei (AGN), which play a significant role in the evolution of galaxies. Amongst AGN at low radio-luminosities is the 'radio-quiet' quasar (RQQ) population, but how they contribute to the total radio emission is under debate, with previous studies arguing that it is predominantly through star formation. In this talk, SVW summarised the results of recent papers on RQQs, including the use of far-infrared data to disentangle the radio emission from the AGN and that from star formation. This provides evidence that black-hole …
We investigate the clustering properties of 45441 radio-quiet quasars (RQQs) and 3493 radio-loud quasars (RLQs) drawn from a joint use of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and Faint Images of the Radio Sky at 20 cm (FIRST) surveys in the range $0.3<z<2.3$. This large spectroscopic quasar sample allow us to investigate the clustering signal dependence on radio-loudness and black hole (BH) virial mass. We find that RLQs are clustered more strongly than RQQs in all the redshift bins considered. We find a real-space correlation length of $r_{0}=6.59_{-0.24}^{+0.33}\,h^{-1}\,\textrm{Mpc}$ and $r_…
Understanding the interplay between black-hole accretion and star formation, and how to disentangle the two, is crucial to our understanding of galaxy formation and evolution. To investigate, we use a combination of optical and near-infrared photometry to select a sample of 74 quasars from the VISTA Deep Extragalactic Observations (VIDEO) Survey, over 1 deg$^2$. The depth of VIDEO allows us to study very low accretion rates and/or lower-mass black holes, and 26 per cent of the candidate quasar sample has been spectroscopically confirmed. We use a radio-stacking technique to sample below the no…
One of the major unsolved questions on the understanding of the AGN population is the origin of the dichotomy between radio-quiet and radio-loud quasars. The most promising explanation is provided by the spin paradigm, which suggests radio-loud quasars have higher black hole spin. However, the measurement of black hole spin remains extremely challenging. We here aim at comparing the mean radiative efficiencies of carefully matched samples of radio-loud and radio-quiet SDSS quasars at 0.3<z<0.8. We use the [OIII] luminosity as an indirect average tracer of the ionizing continuum in the extreme-…
We discuss a probe of the contribution of wind-related shocks to the radio emission in otherwise radio-quiet quasars. Given 1) the non-linear correlation between UV and X-ray luminosity in quasars, 2) that such correlation leads to higher likelihood of radiation-line-driven winds in more luminous quasars, and 3) that luminous quasars are more abundant at high redshift, deep radio observations of high-redshift quasars are needed to probe potential contributions from accretion disk winds. We target a sample of 50 $z\simeq 1.65$ color-selected quasars that span the range of expected accretion dis…
The Quasar Feedback Survey: Revealing the importance of sensitive radio imaging for AGN identification deeper into the radio-quiet regime
Newcastle University（纽卡斯尔大学）；National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA) - Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR)（国家射电天体物理中心（NCRA）- 塔塔基础研究所（TIFR））；Durham University（杜伦大学）；European Southern Observatory (ESO)（欧洲南方天文台（ESO））；Institut de Radioastronomie Millimétrique (IRAM)（毫米波射电天体物理研究所（IRAM））；University of Hertfordshire（赫特福德大学）
We have performed a search over 3440 deg$^2$ of Epoch 1 (2017-2019) of the Very Large Array Sky Survey to identify unobscured quasars in the optical ($0.2 < z < 3.2$) and obscured active galactic nuclei (AGN) in the infrared that have brightened dramatically in the radio over the past one to two decades. These sources would have been previously classified as "radio-quiet" quasars based on upper limits from the Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty Centimeters survey (1993-2011), but they are now consistent with "radio-loud" quasars ($L_{\rm 3\,GHz} = 10^{40 - 42} \,\, {\rm erg} \,{\rm s}^{-1…
We present Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) and Atacama Large Millimetre Array (ALMA) observations of SDSS J0924+0219, a z = 1.524 radio-quiet lensed quasar with an intrinsic radio flux density of about 3 micro-Jy. The four lensed images are clearly detected in the radio continuum and the CO(5-4) line, whose centroid is at z = 1.5254 +/- 0.0001, with a marginal detection in the submillimetre continuum. The molecular gas displays ordered motion, in a structure approximately 1--2.5 kpc in physical extent, with typical velocities of 50-100 km/s. Our results are consistent with the radio emis…
We examine the fundamental plane of black hole activity for correlations with redshift and radio loudness in both radio-loud and radio-quiet quasar populations. Sources are compiled from archival data of both radio-loud and radio-quiet quasars over redshifts $0.1 < z < 5.0$ to produce a sample of 353 sources with known X-ray, radio, and black hole mass measurements. A fundamental plane of accretion activity is fit to a sample of radio-loud and radio-quiet quasars, and we find a dichotomy between radio-loud and radio-quiet sources. The set of best-fit equations that best describe the two sample…
We conduct kinematic analysis of the SDSS spectra of 568 obscured luminous quasars, with the emphasis on the kinematic structure of the [OIII]5007 emission line. [OIII] emission tends to show blueshifts and blue excess, which indicates that at least part of the narrow-line gas is undergoing an organized outflow. The velocity width containing 90% of line power ranges from 370 to 4780 km/sec, suggesting outflow velocities up to 2000 km/sec. The velocity width of the [OIII] emission is positively correlated with the radio luminosity among the radio-quiet quasars. We propose that radio emission in…
This is continuation of our search for the elusive radio-quiet blazars, by carrying out a systematic programme to detect intranight optical variability (INOV) in a subset of `Weak-Lines-Quasars' (WLQs) which are designated as `high confidence BL Lac candidates' and are known to be radio-quiet. For 10 such RQWLQs, we present here the INOV observations taken in 16 sessions of durations > 3.5 hours each. Combining these data with our previously published INOV monitoring of RQWLQs in 13 sessions, gives a set of INOV observations of 15 RQWLQs monitored in 29 sessions each lasting more than 3.5 hour…
The X-ray photon index Eddington ratio relation in radio-quiet quasars from XMM-Newton and SDSS
LUX, CNRS UMR 8262（卢浮宫宇宙学与天体物理联合实验室，法国国家科学研究中心第8262号联合研究单位）；Observatoire de Paris（巴黎天文台）；National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics（国家天文地球物理研究所）；Science Faculty, Helwan University（开罗赫尔万大学理学院）；Science Faculty, Fayoum University（法尤姆大学理学院）
In order to understand the role of radio-quiet quasars (RQQs) in galaxy evolution, we must determine the relative levels of accretion and star-formation activity within these objects. Previous work at low radio flux-densities has shown that accretion makes a significant contribution to the total radio emission, in contrast with other quasar studies that suggest star formation dominates. To investigate, we use 70 RQQs from the Spitzer-Herschel Active Galaxy Survey. These quasars are all at $z$ ~ 1, thereby minimising evolutionary effects, and have been selected to span a factor of ~100 in optic…
We report deep Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) observations of the optically ultraluminous and radio-quiet quasar SDSS J010013.02 + 280225.8 (hereafter J0100+2802) at redshift $z=$6.3. We detected the radio continuum emission at 1.5 GHz, 6 GHz, and 10 GHz. This leads to a radio power-law spectral index of $α= -0.52\pm0.18$ ($S \propto ν^α$). The radio source is unresolved in all VLA bands with an upper limit to the size of $0.2^{\prime \prime}$ (i.e., $\sim$ 1.1 kpc) at 10 GHz. We find variability in the flux density (increase by $\sim 33\%$) and the spectral index (steepened) between ob…
We present e-MERLIN and EVN observations which reveal unambiguous jet activity within radio quiet quasar HS~0810+2554. With an intrinsic flux density of 880~nJy, this is the faintest radio source ever imaged. The findings present new evidence against the idea that radio loud and radio quiet quasars are powered by different underlying radio emission mechanisms, showing instead that the same AGN mechanism can operate as the dominant source of radio emission even in the very lowest radio luminosity quasars. Thanks to strong gravitational lensing, our source is not only visible, but with VLBI is i…
We report the results from Chandra and XMM-Newton observations of a sample of 10 type 1 quasars selected to have unusual UV emission-line properties (weak and blueshifted high-ionization lines; strong UV Fe emission) similar to those of PHL 1811, a confirmed intrinsically X-ray weak quasar. These quasars were identified by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey at high redshift (z~2.2); eight are radio quiet while two are radio intermediate. All of the radio-quiet PHL 1811 analogs are notably X-ray weak by a mean factor of ~13. These sources lack broad absorption lines and have blue UV/optical continua,…
We analyze the emission line profiles detected in deep optical spectra of quasars to derive the mass of their super-massive black holes (SMBH) following the single-epoch virial method. Our sample consists in 6 radio-loud quasars and 4 radio-quiet quasars. We carefully fit a broad and narrow Gaussian component for each emission line in both the H$β$ (10 objects) and H$α$ regions (5 objects). A very good agreement of the derived SMBH masses, $M_{\rm SMBH}$, is found using the fitted broad H$β$ and H$α$ emission lines. We compare our $M_{\rm SMBH}$ results with those found by previous studies. We…
We present VLA detections of radio emission in four four-image gravitational lens systems with quasar sources: HS0810+2554, RXJ0911+0511, HE0435$-$1223 and SDSSJ0924+0219, and e-MERLIN observations of two of the systems. The first three are detected at a high level of significance, and SDSS J0924+0219 is detected. HS0810+2554 is resolved, allowing us for the first time to achieve 10-mas resolution of the source frame in the structure of a radio quiet quasar. The others are unresolved or marginally resolved. All four objects are among the faintest radio sources yet detected, with intrinsic flux…
We analyze 1598 serendipitous Chandra X-ray observations of 462 radio-quiet quasars to constrain the frequency of extreme amplitude X-ray variability that is intrinsic to the quasar corona and innermost accretion flow. The quasars in this investigation are all spectroscopically confirmed, optically bright ($m_i \leq$ 20.2), and contain no identifiable broad absorption lines in their optical/ultraviolet spectra. This sample includes quasars spanning $z \approx$ 0.1 - 4 and probes X-ray variability on timescales of up to $\approx$ 12 rest-frame years. Variability amplitudes are computed between …
We discuss 6 GHz JVLA observations covering a volume-limited sample of 178 low redshift ($0.2 < z < 0.3$) optically selected QSOs. Our 176 radio detections fall into two clear categories: (1) About $20$\% are radio-loud QSOs (RLQs) having spectral luminosities $L_6 \gtrsim 10^{\,23.2} \mathrm{~W~Hz}^{-1}$ primarily generated in the active galactic nucleus (AGN) responsible for the excess optical luminosity that defines a \emph{bona fide} QSO. (2) The radio-quiet QSOs (RQQs) have $10^{\,21} \lesssim L_6 \lesssim 10^{\,23.2} \mathrm{~W~Hz}^{-1}$ and radio sizes $\lesssim 10 \mathrm{~kpc}$, and w…
We present multi-frequency (1-8 GHz) VLA data, combined with VIMOS IFU data and HST imaging, of a z=0.085 radio-quiet type 2 quasar (with L(1.4GHz)~5e23 W/Hz and L(AGN)~2e45 erg/s). Due to the morphology of its emission-line region, the target (J1430+1339) has been referred to as the Teacup AGN in the literature. We identify "bubbles" of radio emission that are extended ~10-12 kpc to both the east and west of the nucleus. The edge of the brighter eastern bubble is co-spatial with an arc of luminous ionized gas. We also show that the Teacup AGN hosts a compact radio structure, located ~0.8 kpc …
To understand the impact of active galactic nuclei (AGN) on their host galaxies and large scale environment it is crucial to determine their total radiative power across all wavelengths (i.e., bolometric luminosity). In this contribution we describe how quasar accretion disk spectral energy distribution (SED) templates, parameterized by the black hole (BH) mass, Eddington ratio, and spin can be used to estimate their total radiated luminosity. To estimate the bolometric luminosity of AGN, we integrate the accretion disk SEDs from 1$μ$m to 10keV. Our approach self-consistently covers any gaps i…
In this Letter, the Evans and Koratkar Atlas of Hubble Space Telescope Faint Object Spectrograph Spectra of Active Galactic Nuclei and Quasars is used to study the redward asymmetry in CIV broad emission lines (BELs). It is concluded that there is a highly significant correlation between the spectral index from 10 GHz to 1350 $Å$ and the amount of excess luminosity in the red wing of the CIV BEL ($>99.9999%$ significance level for the full sample and the radio loud subsample independently, but no correlation is found for the radio quiet subsample). This is interpreted as a correlation between …
The radio quasar luminosity function exhibits an upturn around $L_{6\rm\:GHz}=10^{23}$ W Hz$^{-1}$ that is well-modelled by a star-forming host galaxy population. This distribution leads some authors to cite star formation as the main radio emission mechanism in so-called radio-quiet quasars (RQQs). Understanding the origin of RQQ radio emission is crucial for our understanding of quasar feedback mechanisms -- responsible for the regulation of star-formation in the host galaxy -- and for understanding galaxy evolution as a whole. By observing RQQs that have been magnified by strong gravitation…
SGR 1935+2154's Quiet Local Environment: Clues for Its Progenitor
School of Astronomy and Space Science, Nanjing University（南京大学天文与空间科学学院）；Key Laboratory of Modern Astronomy and Astrophysics, Nanjing University, Ministry of Education（南京大学现代天文与天体物理教育部重点实验室）；South-Western Institute for Astronomy Research, Yunnan University（云南大学西南天文研究所）
We present three new Chandra X-ray epochs along with new ground-based optical-UV observations as the third installment in a time-series analysis of four high-redshift ($z\sim4.1-4.4$) radio-quiet quasars (RQQs). In total, we present nine epochs for these sources with rest-frame temporal baselines of $\sim1300-2000$ days. We utilize the X-ray data to determine basic variability properties, as well as produce mean spectra and stacked images based on effective exposure times of $\sim40-70$ ks per source. We perform time-series analyses in the soft and hard bands, separately, and compare variabili…
Jet launching in radio loud (RL) quasars is one of the fundamental problems in astrophysics. Exploring the differences in the inner accretion disk properties between RL and radio quiet (RQ) quasars might yield helpful clues to this puzzle. We previously discovered that the shorter term UV/optical variations of quasars are bluer than the longer term ones, i.e., the so-called timescale-dependent color variation. This is consistent with the scheme that the faster variations come from the inner and hotter disk regions, thus providing a useful tool to map the accretion disk which is otherwise unres…
We report a dramatic fast X-ray dimming event in a z=2.627 radio-quiet type 1 quasar, which has an estimated supermassive black hole (SMBH) mass of $6.3\times 10^{9} M_\odot$. In the high X-ray state, it showed a typical level of X-ray emission relative to its UV/optical emission. Then its 0.5-2 keV (rest-frame 1.8-7.3 keV) flux dropped by a factor of $\approx7.6$ within two rest-frame days. The dimming is associated with spectral hardening, as the 2-7 keV (rest-frame 7.3-25.4 keV) flux dropped by only $17\%$ and the effective power-law photon index of the X-ray spectrum changed from $\approx2…
We report on the second installment of an X-ray monitoring project of seven luminous radio-quiet quasars (RQQs). New {\sl Chandra} observations of four of these, at $4.10\leq z\leq4.35$, yield a total of six X-ray epochs, per source, with temporal baselines of $\sim850-1600$ days in the rest frame. These data provide the best X-ray light curves for RQQs at $z>4$, to date, enabling qualitative investigations of the X-ray variability behavior of such sources for the first time. On average, these sources follow the trend of decreasing variability amplitude with increasing luminosity, and there is…
The origin of the radio emission in radio-quiet quasars (RQQs) remains unclear. Radio emission may be produced by a scaled-down version of the relativistic jets observed in radio-loud (RL) AGN, an AGN-driven wind, the accretion disc corona, AGN photon-ionisation of ambient gas (free-free emission), or star formation (SF). Here, we report a pilot study, part of a radio survey (`PG-RQS') aiming at exploring the spectral distributions of the 71 Palomar-Green (PG) RQQs: high angular resolution observations ($\sim$50 mas) at 45~GHz (7 mm) with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array of 15 sources. Sub-…
