X-ray and optical studies of extragalactic x-ray emitters

Thesis/Dissertation · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1982

OSTI ID:5094486

Reichert, G A

This work deals with the two major known classes of extragalactic x-ray emitters: clusters of galaxies, and active galactic nuclei. HEAO 1 A-2 LED spectra of eight clusters of galaxies - the Virgo, Perseus, Coma, and Centaurus clusters, Abell 2147, SC 1329-314, Abell 2319, and Abell 133 - are presented. L shell iron lines at 1.1 keV were observed in the spectrum of the Virgo cluster, indicating the presence of approximately cosmic abundances of heavy elements in this cluster. The analysis indicates that at least two spectral components are required to describe the emission from the Centaurus cluster, Abell 2147, and SC 2139-314. The spectra of the other five clusters are adequately represented by isothermal models. The x-ray and optical properties of the eight clusters are discussed in the light of the evolutionary classification scheme proposed by Forman and Jones. New optical identifications of forty-three objects from a sample of 145 serendipitous Einstein x-ray sources are presented. Twenty-eight are identified with active galaxies and quasars. These, combined with other samples of x-ray and optically selected active galactic nuclei (AGN), have been used to investigate correlations between AGN x-ray and optical properties. No significant correlations between emission line properties and x-ray luminosity are found, when the separate correlations with optical luminosity are taken into account. The analysis also shows previously reported correlations of emission line luminosity ratios and widths with continuum luminosities to be artifacts due to systematic between narrow line and broad line objects. The ratio of x-ray to nonthermal optical luminosity decreases with increasing optical luminosity.

• Research Organization: California Univ., Berkeley (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5094486
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640103* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Quasi-Stellar
Radio
& X-Ray Sources-- (-1987)
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ABUNDANCE
COSMIC RADIO SOURCES
COSMIC RAY SOURCES
COSMIC X-RAY SOURCES
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
EMISSION SPECTRA
GALAXY CLUSTERS
GALAXY NUCLEI
IONIZING RADIATIONS
LUMINOSITY
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
QUASARS
RADIATIONS
RED SHIFT
SPECTRA
VISIBLE RADIATION
X RADIATION