INFRARED CLASSIFICATION AND LUMINOSITIES FOR DUSTY ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI AND THE MOST LUMINOUS QUASARS
- Astronomy Department, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 (United States)
- Laboratoire AIM, CEA/DSM-CNRS-Universite Paris Diderot, DAPNIA/Service d'Astrophysique, Saclay, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex (France)
Mid-infrared spectroscopic measurements from the Infrared Spectrometer (IRS) on Spitzer are given for 125 hard X-ray active galactic nuclei (AGNs; 14-195 keV) from the Swift Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) sample and for 32 AGNs with black hole masses (BHMs) from reverberation mapping. The 9.7 {mu}m silicate feature in emission or absorption defines an infrared AGN classification describing whether AGNs are observed through dust clouds, indicating that 55% of the BAT AGNs are observed through dust. The mid-infrared dust continuum luminosity is shown to be an excellent indicator of intrinsic AGN luminosity, scaling closely with the hard X-ray luminosity, log {nu}L{sub {nu}}(7.8 {mu}m)/L(X) = -0.31 {+-} 0.35, and independent of classification determined from silicate emission or absorption. Dust luminosity scales closely with BHM, log {nu}L{sub {nu}}(7.8 {mu}m) = (37.2 {+-} 0.5) + 0.87 log BHM for luminosity in erg s{sup -1} and BHM in M{sub Sun }. The 100 most luminous type 1 quasars as measured in {nu}L{sub {nu}}(7.8 {mu}m) are found by comparing Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) optically discovered quasars with photometry at 22 {mu}m from the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), scaled to rest frame 7.8 {mu}m using an empirical template determined from IRS spectra. The most luminous SDSS/WISE quasars have the same maximum infrared luminosities for all 1.5 < z < 5, reaching total infrared luminosity L{sub IR} = 10{sup 14.4} L{sub Sun }. Comparing with dust-obscured galaxies from Spitzer and WISE surveys, we find no evidence of hyperluminous obscured quasars whose maximum infrared luminosities exceed the maximum infrared luminosities of optically discovered quasars. Bolometric luminosities L{sub bol} estimated from rest-frame optical or ultraviolet luminosities are compared to L{sub IR}. For the local AGN, the median log L{sub IR}/L{sub bol} = -0.35, consistent with a covering factor of 45% for the absorbing dust clouds. For the SDSS/WISE quasars, the median log L{sub IR}/L{sub bol} = 0.1, with extremes indicating that ultraviolet-derived L{sub bol} can be seriously underestimated even for type 1 quasars.
- OSTI ID:
- 22139927
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 761, Issue 2; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0004-637X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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