The active nuclei of z < 1.0 3CRR radio sources

Abstract

We combine Chandra and XMM-Newton X-ray data from our previous papers with new X-ray observations and with Spitzer mid-infrared (mid-IR) data in order to study the nature of the nuclei of radio galaxies and radio-loud quasars with z < 1.0 from the 3CRR sample. The significant increase in sample size over our previous work, the reduction of bias in the sample as a result of new observations and the availability of more mid-IR data allow us to show conclusively that almost all objects classed as low-excitation radio galaxies in optical spectroscopic studies lack a radiatively efficient active nucleus. We show that the distribution of absorbing columns in the narrow-line radio galaxies differs from the population of X-ray-selected radio-quiet type 2 quasars and from that in local Seyfert 2s. We comment on the current evidence for the nature of the soft X-ray component in radio-galaxy nuclear spectra, concluding that a jet origin for this component is very hard to evade. Finally, we discuss the recently discovered `fundamental plane' of black hole activity, showing that care must be taken when placing radio-loud active galactic nucleus (AGN) on such diagnostic diagrams.