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We present optical imaging and spectroscopic studies of the Fanaroff & Riley class I (FR I) radio galaxy CTD 086 based on Hubble Space Telescope ( HST) and Sloan Digital Sky Survey ( SDSS) observations. We use isophote shape analysis to show that there is no stellar disk component within CTD 086 and further that the morphological class of the galaxy is most likely E2. Optical spectroscopy of this galaxy reveals the presence of narrow emission lines only, and thus it qualifies to be termed as a narrow-line radio galaxy (type 2 AGN). We also extract stellar kinematics from the absorption-line spectra of CTD 086 using Penalized Pixel-Fitting method and derive the black hole mass $M_{BH}$ to be equal to $(8.8\pm2.4)\times10^{7}~{\mathrm{M}\odot}$ . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study broad line and multi-wave luminosity relations for 80 flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs) detected by Fermi LAT. Our results are as follows: for FSRQs, the correlations between log L and log L, between log L and log L, between log L and log L, between log L and log L are significant; the correlation between log L and log L ( P=0.08) is not significant, but might be refereed as a 'trend' of significant correlation. These results support a close link between jet formation and accretion disk, and the L- L correlation suggests that the radiation mechanism of the γ-ray emission in FSRQs is likely to be inverse Compton scattering of seed photons from BLR or outflowing BLR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strong gravity effects should have crucial impact on structure and radiative properties of an accretion flow surrounding a black hole. We discuss several observational consequences of such effects. (i) We note that the hard X-ray spectra of Seyfert galaxies, which appear to be intrinsically harder when observed at higher inclination angles, may be most naturally explained by radiative properties of plasmas in the Kerr metric. (ii) We indicate bending of photon trajectories to the equatorial plane, which is a distinct property of rapidly rotating black holes, as the most feasible effect underlying reduced variability of the Fe K α line observed in several objects. (iii) Both the extreme Fe line profile and the variability pattern (observed, e.g., in a Seyfert galaxy MCG–6-30-15) independently indicate that a primary hard X-ray source must be located within a few gravitational radii from the Kerr black hole. We indicate a hot inner corona as the most likely model of such a source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A wealth of information on the properties of jets in Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) can be derived from total flux density observations at high radio frequencies. This includes, for example, the Doppler factor, the Lorentz factor, and the viewing angle of the jet. We have earlier calculated these parameters for a sample of ∼80 sources of different AGN types using almost 20 years of 22 and 37 GHz data from Metsähovi Radio Observatory. We have now gathered data for an additional ten years, and studied the long term characteristic variability time scales of a large sample of AGNs using the first order structure function, the discrete autocorrelation function and the Lomb-Scargle periodogram. Some of the results will be presented in this paper. We also stress the importance of long term observations of AGNs, the main reason for this being misinterpretations of source properties due to insufficient time coverage. Only a few observing epochs will too easily lead to incorrect conclusions about variability, continuum spectra, and the general detectability of the source, not to mention the exclusion of interesting objects from further studies. This is particularly important when considering, for example, the Planck satellite for which the quality of the main mission product, the accurate cosmic microwave background anisotropy maps, depends heavily on the elimination of foreground sources such as AGNs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We discuss a self-consistent unified model of the matter outflows from AGNs based on a theoretical approach and involving data on AGN evolution and structure. The model includes a unified geometry, two-phase gas dynamics, radiation transfer, and absorption spectrum calculations in the UV and X-ray bands. We briefly discuss several questions about the mass sources of the flows, the covering factors, and the stability of the narrow absorption details. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fifty-three spectrograms in the optical region (3700–7300 Å) with the spectral resolution ∼8 Å have been obtained for the Seyfert nucleus of the galaxy NGC 3227 with the 6-m telescope on January 1977, while the nucleus was in the historically important epoch of its extreme maximum brightness. Width of the slit was 1″, length of the box during the spectra measurements was 1.5″. Data obtained by us and those compiled from literature showed that profiles of the Balmer lines Hα, Hβ and Hγ are different, evidencing that the gas emitting these lines is highly self-absorbed. It was shown that narrow components of the profiles revealed by Rubin and Ford kept their positions (radial velocities) over 25 years. The components showed intensity variations compared to the central one from minimum to maximum of the nucleus brightness. The same variations were observed by us earlier in the emission line profiles of the NGC 7469 nucleus spectrum. Narrow profile components can reflect long-lived flows or jets in the broad line region (BLR). Obtained facts evidenced that long-lived gas streams and flows causing narrow components of broad line profiles presented not only when BLR of accretion disc is strong but when BLR of accretion disc declined. Blue bump at radial velocity of −5000 km/s in Hγ profile was revealed in spectra of high states of the nucleus, which disappeared in low state. One of the interpretations of this event can be in the framework of a model of one-sided or two-sided gas ejection during the high state of the nucleus, positive radial velocities of which being screened out by a circumnuclear disk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]