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Photometric redshifts with the quasi Newton algorithm (MLPQNA) Results in the PHAT1 contest
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201219755 Bibcode: 2012A&A...546A..13C

Brescia, M.; Cavuoti, S.; Mercurio, A. +1 more

Context. Since the advent of modern multiband digital sky surveys, photometric redshifts (photo-z's) have become relevant if not crucial to many fields of observational cosmology, such as the characterization of cosmic structures and the weak and strong lensing.
Aims: We describe an application to an astrophysical context, namely the evaluati…

2012 Astronomy and Astrophysics
eHST 43
A new technique to efficiently select Compton-thick AGN
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201118417 Bibcode: 2012A&A...542A..46S

Caccianiga, A.; Severgnini, P.; Della Ceca, R.


Aims: We present a new efficient diagnostic method, based on mid-infrared and X-ray data, to select local (z < 0.1) Compton-thick AGN with the aim of estimating their surface and space density.
Methods: We define a region in the X-ray-to-mid-IR [F(2-12 keV)/F25ν25] vs. X-ray color (HR) plane associated to Compton…

2012 Astronomy and Astrophysics
XMM-Newton 42
Spectral monitoring of RX J1856.5-3754 with XMM-Newton. Analysis of EPIC-pn data
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201118489 Bibcode: 2012A&A...541A..66S

Haberl, F.; Tiengo, A.; Mereghetti, S. +3 more

Using a large set of XMM-Newton observations, we searched for the long-term spectral and flux variability of the isolated neutron star RX J1856.5-3754 in the time interval from April 2002 to October 2011. This is the brightest and most extensively observed source of a small group of nearby, thermally emitting isolated neutron stars, of which at le…

2012 Astronomy and Astrophysics
XMM-Newton 42
Unusual quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey selected by means of Kohonen self-organising maps
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201118143 Bibcode: 2012A&A...541A..77M

Meusinger, H.; Scholz, R. -D.; de Hoon, A. +4 more

Context. Large spectroscopic surveys have discovered very peculiar and hitherto unknown types of active galactic nuclei (AGN). Such rare objects may hold clues to the accretion history of the supermassive black holes at the centres of galaxies.
Aims: We aim to create a sizeable sample of unusual quasars from the unprecedented spectroscopic da…

2012 Astronomy and Astrophysics
eHST 42
Fe K emission from active galaxies in the COSMOS field
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201118203 Bibcode: 2012A&A...537A..86I

Sanders, D. B.; Taniguchi, Y.; Salvato, M. +14 more

We present a rest-frame spectral stacking analysis of ~1000 X-ray sources detected in the XMM-COSMOS field to investigate the iron-K line properties of active galaxies beyond redshift z ~ 1. In Type I AGN that have a typical X-ray luminosity of LX ~ 1.5 × 1044 (erg s-1) and z ~ 1.6 the cold Fe K at 6.4 keV is weak …

2012 Astronomy and Astrophysics
XMM-Newton 42
AKARI near-infrared spectroscopy of the aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbon emission features in the galactic superwind of M 82
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201218904 Bibcode: 2012A&A...541A..10Y

Onaka, T.; Kaneda, H.; Minh, Y. C. +4 more


Aims: We investigate the properties of hydrocarbon grains in the galactic superwind of M 82.
Methods: With AKARI, we performed near-infrared (2.5-4.5 µm) spectroscopic observations of 34 regions in M 82 including its northern and southern halos.
Results: Many of the spectra show strong emission at 3.3 µm caused by polycy…

2012 Astronomy and Astrophysics
AKARI 42
I Zw 18 as morphological paradigm for rapidly assembling high-z galaxies
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201117551 Bibcode: 2012A&A...537A.126P

Östlin, G.; Papaderos, P.

Context.I Zw 18, ever since regarded as the prototypical blue compact dwarf (BCD) galaxy, is, quite ironically, the most atypical BCD known. This is because its large low-surface brightness (LSB) envelope is not due to an old underlying stellar host, as invariably is the case for typical BCDs, but is entirely due to extended neb…

2012 Astronomy and Astrophysics
eHST 42
"TNOs are Cool": A survey of the trans-Neptunian region. VII. Size and surface characteristics of (90377) Sedna and 2010 EK139
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201218874 Bibcode: 2012A&A...541L...6P

Hartogh, P.; Pál, A.; Lellouch, E. +14 more

We present estimates of the basic physical properties (size and albedo) of (90377) Sedna, a prominent member of the detached trans-Neptunian object population and the recently discovered scattered disk object 2010 EK139, based on the recent observations acquired with the Herschel Space Observatory, within the "TNOs are Cool!" key progra…

2012 Astronomy and Astrophysics
Herschel 42
Multiwavelength campaign on Mrk 509. X. Lower limit on the distance of the absorber from HST COS and STIS spectroscopy
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201118501 Bibcode: 2012A&A...544A..33A

Kaastra, J. S.; Kriss, G. A.; Arav, N. +15 more


Aims: Active galactic nuclei (AGN) often show evidence of photoionized outflows. A major uncertainty in models for these outflows is the distance (R) to the gas from the central black hole. In this paper we use the HST/COS data from a massive multi-wavelength monitoring campaign on the bright Seyfert I galaxy Mrk 509, in combination with arch…

2012 Astronomy and Astrophysics
eHST 42
Warm H2O and OH in the disk around the Herbig star HD 163296
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201219615 Bibcode: 2012A&A...544L...9F

Fedele, D.; Henning, Th.; van Dishoeck, E. F. +5 more

We present observations of far-infrared (50-200 µm) OH and H2O emission of the disk around the Herbig Ae star HD 163296 obtained with Herschel/PACS in the context of the DIGIT key program. In addition to strong [O i] emission, a number of OH doublets and a few weak highly excited lines of H2O are detected. The presence …

2012 Astronomy and Astrophysics
Herschel 41