THE UNIFICATION OF POWERFUL QUASARS AND RADIO GALAXIES AND THEIR RELATION TO OTHER MASSIVE GALAXIES

Journal Article · Wed Jun 10 00:00:00 EDT 2015 · Astrophysical Journal Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/806/1/L11· OSTI ID:22518960

Podigachoski, Pece; Barthel, Peter ^[1]; Haas, Martin ^[2]; Leipski, Christian ^[3]; Wilkes, Belinda ^[4]

---

1. Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, University of Groningen, 9747 AD Groningen (Netherlands)
2. Astronomisches Institut, Ruhr Universität, D-44801 Bochum (Germany)
3. Max-Planck Institut für Astronomie (MPIA), D-69117 Heidelberg (Germany)
4. Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States)

The unification model for powerful radio galaxies (RGs) and radio-loud quasars postulates that these objects are intrinsically the same but viewed along different angles. Herschel Space Observatory data permit the assessment of that model in the far-infrared spectral window. We analyze photometry from Spitzer and Herschel for the distant 3CR hosts, and find that RGs and quasars have different mid-infrared, but indistinguishable far-infrared colors. Both these properties, the former being orientation dependent and the latter orientation invariant, are in line with expectations from the unification model. Adding powerful radio-quiet active galaxies and typical massive star-forming (SF) galaxies to the analysis, we demonstrate that infrared colors not only provide an orientation indicator, but can also distinguish active from SF galaxies.

• OSTI ID: 22518960
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol. 806, Issue 1; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 2041-8205
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTROPHYSICS
COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
COLOR
FAR INFRARED RADIATION
INDICATORS
INTERMEDIATE INFRARED RADIATION
ORIENTATION
PHOTOMETRY
QUASARS
RADIO GALAXIES
RED SHIFT
SPACE
STAR EVOLUTION
STARS