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We use the Hubble Space Telescope to analyse the extended [O III] 5007A emission in seven bright radio-quiet type 1 quasars (QSO1s), focusing on the morphology and physical conditions of their extended Narrow-Line Regions (NLRs). We find NLRs extending 3-9 kpc, with four quasars showing roughly symmetrical structures (b/a=1.2-1.5) and three displaying asymmetric NLRs (b/a=2.4-5.6). When included with type 1 and type 2 AGNs from previous studies, the sizes of the extended [O III] regions scale with luminosity as $R[O III] \sim L[O III]^{0.5}$, consistent with photoionisation. However, when analysed separately, type 1s exhibit a steeper slope ($\gamma=0.57\pm0.05$) compared to type 2 AGNs ($\gamma=0.48\pm0.02$). We use photoionisation modeling to estimate the maximum NLRs sizes, assuming a minimum ionisation parameter of $\log(U) = -3$, an ionising luminosity based on the $L[O III]$-derived bolometric luminosity, and a minimum gas number density $n_H \sim 100\,\text{cm}^{-3}$, assuming that molecular clouds provide a reservoir for the ionised gas. The derived sizes agree well with direct measurements for a sample of type 2 quasars, but are underestimated for the current sample of QSO1s. A better agreement is obtained for the QSO1s using bolometric luminosities derived from the 5100A continuum luminosity. Radial mass profiles for the QSO1s show significant extended mass in all cases, but with less [O III]-emitting gas near the central AGN compared to QSO2s. This may suggest that the QSO1s are in a later evolutionary stage than QSO2s, further past the blow-out stage., Comment: Accepted for publication on MNRAS

We report the serendipitous multiwavelength discovery of a candidate dual black hole system with a separation of ~100 pc, in the gas-rich luminous infrared galaxy MCG-03-34-64 (z=0.016). Hubble Space Telescope/ACS observations show three distinct optical centroids in the [O III] narrow-band and F814W images. Subsequent analysis of Chandra/ACIS data shows two spatially-resolved peaks of equal intensity in the neutral Fe Ka (6.2-6.6 keV) band, while high-resolution radio continuum observations with the Very Large Array at 8.46 GHz (3.6 cm band) show two spatially-coincident radio peaks. Fast shocks as the ionizing source seem unlikely, given the energies required for production of Fe Ka. If confirmed, the separation of ~100 pc would represent the closest dual AGN reported to date with spatially-resolved, multiwavelength observations.

We present a UV spectroscopic study of ionized outflows in 21 active galactic nuclei (AGN), observed with the HST. The targets of the SUBWAYS sample were selected with the aim to probe the parameter space of the underexplored AGN between the local Seyfert galaxies and the luminous quasars at high redshifts. Our targets, spanning redshifts of 0.1-0.4 and bolometric luminosities (L_bol) of 10^45-10^46 erg/s, have been observed with a large multi-wavelength campaign. Here, we model the UV spectra and look for different types of AGN outflows. We find that 60% of our targets show a presence of outflowing H I absorption, while 40% exhibit ionized outflows seen as absorption by either C IV, N V, or O VI. This is comparable to the occurrence of ionized outflows seen in the local Seyfert galaxies. All UV absorption lines in the sample are relatively narrow, with outflow velocities reaching up to -3300 km/s. We did not detect any UV counterparts to the X-ray ultra-fast outflows (UFOs), most likely due to their being too highly ionized. However, all SUBWAYS targets with an X-ray UFO demonstrate the presence of UV outflows at lower velocities. We find significant correlations between the column density (N) of the UV ions and L_bol of the AGN, with N of H I decreasing with L_bol, while N of O VI is increasing with L_bol. This is likely to be a photoionization effect, where toward higher AGN luminosities, the wind becomes more ionized, resulting in less absorption by neutral or low-ionization ions and more absorption by high-ionization ions. In addition, we find that N of the UV ions decreases as their outflow velocity increases. This may be explained by a mechanical power that is evacuating the UV-absorbing medium. Our observed relations are consistent with multiphase AGN feeding and feedback simulations indicating that a combination of both radiative and mechanical processes are in play., Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics (A&A), 22 pages, 12 figures

We use Cloudy photoionisation models to predict the flux profiles for optical/IR emission lines that trace the footprint of X-ray gas, such as [Fe X] 6375A and [Si X] 1.43$\mu$m. These are a subset of coronal lines, from ions with ionisation potential $\geq$ that of O VII, i.e., 138eV. The footprint lines are formed in gas over the same range in ionisation state as the H and He-like of O and Ne ions, which are also the source of X-ray emission lines. The footprint lines can be detected with optical and IR telescopes, such as the Hubble Space Telescope/STIS and James Webb Space Telescope/NIRSpec, and can potentially be used to measure the kinematics of the extended X-ray emission gas. As a test case, we use the footprints to quantify the properties of the X-ray outflow in the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 4151. To confirm the accuracy of our method, we compare our model predictions to the measured flux from archival STIS spectra and previous ground-based studies, and the results are in good agreement. We also use our X-ray footprint method to predict the mass profile for the X-ray emission-line gas in NGC 4151 and derive a total spatially-integrated X-ray mass of $7.8(\pm 2.1) \times 10^{5}~M_{\odot}$, in comparison to $5.4(\pm 1.1) \times 10^{5}~M_{\odot}$ measured from a Chandra X-ray analysis. Our results indicate that high-ionisation footprint emission lines in the optical and near-infrared can be used to accurately trace the kinematics and physical conditions of AGN ionised, X-ray emission-line gas.

We present a dynamical study of the narrow-line regions in two nearby QSO2s. We construct dynamical models based on detailed photoionization models of the emission-line gas, including the effects of internal dust, to apply to observations of large-scale outflows from these AGNs. We use Mrk 477 and Mrk 34 in order to test our models against recent HST STIS observations of [O III] emission-line kinematics since these AGNs possess more energetic outflows than found in Seyfert galaxies. We find that the outflows within 500 pc are consistent with radiative acceleration of dusty gas, however, the outflows in Mrk 34 are significantly more extended and may not be directly accelerated by radiation. We characterize the properties of X-ray winds found from the expansion of [O III]-emitting gas close to the black hole. We show that such winds possess the kinetic energy density to disturb [O III] gas at 1.8 kpc, and have sufficient energy to entrain the [O III] clouds at 1.2 kpc. Assuming that the X-ray wind possesses the same radial mass distribution as the [O III] gas, we find that the peak kinetic luminosity for this wind is 2% of Mrk 34's bolometric luminosity, which is in the 0.5% - 5% range required by some models for efficient feedback. Our work shows that, although the kinetic luminosity as measured from [O III]-emitting gas is frequently low, X-ray winds may provide more than one order of magnitude higher kinetic power.

In order to gauge the role that active galactic nuclei (AGN) play in the evolution of galaxies via the effect of kinetic feedback in nearby QSO$\,$2's ($z\sim0.3$), we observed eight such objects with bolometric luminosities $L_{bol} \sim 10^{46}\rm{erg\,s^{-1}}$ using Gemini GMOS-IFU's. The emission lines were fitted with at least two Gaussian curves, the broadest of which we attributed to gas kinetically disturbed by an outflow. We found that the maximum extent of the outflow ranges from $\sim$1 to 8 kpc, being ${\sim}\,0.5\,{\pm}\,0.3$ times the extent of the [O$\,$III] ionized gas region. Our `${\tt default}$' assumptions for the gas density (obtained from the {[S$\,$II] doublet) and outflow velocities resulted in peak mass outflow rates of $\dot{M}_{out}^{{\tt defa}}{\sim}\,3\,{-}\,30\,\rm{M_{\odot}}\,yr^{-1}$ and outflow power of $\dot{E}_{out}^{{\tt defa}}\sim\,10^{41}\,{-}\,10^{43}\,\mathrm{erg\,s^{-1}}$. The corresponding kinetic coupling efficiencies are $\varepsilon_f^{{\tt defa}}=\dot{E}_{out}^{{\tt defa}}/L_{bol}\,\sim7\times10^{-4}\,{-}\,0.5\,\%$, with the average efficiency being only $0.06\,\%$ ($0.01\,\%$ median), implying little feedback powers from ionized gas outflows in the host galaxies. We investigated the effects of varying assumptions and calculations on $\dot{M}_{out}$ and $\dot{E}_{out}$ regarding the ionized gas densities, velocities, masses and inclinations of the outflow relative to the plane of the sky, resulting in average uncertainties of one dex. In particular, we found that better indicators of the [O$\,$III] emitting gas density than the default [S$\,$II] line ratio, such as the [Ar$\,$IV]$\lambda\lambda$4711,40 line ratio, result in almost an order of magnitude decrease in the $\varepsilon_f$., Comment: Accepted: 13 april 2021. Online supplementary material added at the end of the pdf

We use Hubble Space Telescope (HST)/ Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) long-slit G430M and G750M spectra to analyse the extended [O~III] 5007A emission in a sample of twelve nearby (z < 0.12) luminous (L_bol > 1.6 x 10^45 erg s^-1) QSO2s. The purpose of the study is to determine the properties of the mass outflows of ionised gas and their role in AGN feedback. We measure fluxes and velocities as functions of radial distances. Using Cloudy models and ionising luminosities derived from [O~III] 5007A, we are able to estimate the densities for the emission-line gas. From these results, we derive masses of [O~III]-emitting gas, mass outflow rates, kinetic energies, kinetic luminosities, momenta and momentum flow rates as a function of radial distance for each of the targets. For the sample, masses are several times 10^3 - 10^7 solar masses and peak outflow rates are 9.3 x 10^-3 Msun/yr to 10.3 Msun/yr. The peak kinetic luminosities are 3.4 x 10^-8 to 4.9 x 10^-4 of the bolometric luminosity, which does not approach the 5.0 x 10^-3 - 5.0 x 10^-2 range required by some models for efficient feedback. For Mrk 34, which has the largest kinetic luminosity of our sample, in order to produce efficient feedback there would have to be 10 times more [O~III]-emitting gas than we detected at its position of maximum kinetic luminosity. Three targets show extended [O~III] emission, but compact outflow regions. This may be due to different mass profiles or different evolutionary histories., Comment: 14 pages, 11 Figures, accepted for publication in the MNRAS

A joint XMM-Newton and NuSTAR observation was conducted for the bright, local Seyfert 1.9 galaxy, NGC 1194. The hard spectral form of this AGN was modeled using the toroidal reprocessor MYTORUS. The decoupled model form provides a good description of the spectrum, with reflection arising from gas with a global average column density > 4 x 10^24 cm^-2 and transmission of the continuum through an order-of-magnitude lower column. In this model, the reflection strength is a factor ~3 higher than expected from a simple torus. Such a result may indicate that much of the intrinsic X-ray continuum is hidden from view. An alternative model is that of a patchy torus, where 85% of sight-lines are obscured by Compton-thick gas and the remaining 15% by Compton-thin gas. The patchy torus model is based on a solar abundance of Fe and is consistent with X-ray partial-covering results found in other AGN. That a patchy torus model would relieve the issue with the strength of the reflection signature is not an intuitive result: such an insight regarding the geometry of the global reprocessing gas could not have been obtained using ad hoc model components to describe the spectral form., Comment: 10 pages, accepted by MNRAS

We explore the kinematics of the stars, ionized gas, and warm molecular gas in the Seyfert 2 galaxy Mrk~3 (UGC~3426) on nuclear and galactic scales with {\it Gemini} Near-Infrared Field Spectrograph (NIFS) observations, previous {\it Hubble Space Telescope} data, and new long-slit spectra from the {\it Apache Point Observatory} ({\it APO}) 3.5 m telescope. The {\it APO} spectra are consistent with our previous suggestion that a galactic-scale gas/dust disk at PA $=$ 129\arcdeg, offset from the major axis of the host S0 galaxy at PA $=$ 28\arcdeg, is responsible for the orientation of the extended narrow-line region (ENLR). The disk is fed by an H~I tidal stream from a gas-rich spiral galaxy (UGC~3422) $\sim$100 kpc to the NW of Mrk 3, and is ionized by the AGN to a distance of at least $\sim$20\arcsec\ ($\sim$5.4 kpc) from the central supermassive black hole (SMBH). The kinematics within at least 320 pc of the SMBH are dominated by outflows with radial (line of sight) velocities up to 1500 km s$^{-1}$ in the ionized gas and 500 km s$^{-1}$ in the warm molecular gas, consistent with in situ heating, ionization, and acceleration of ambient gas to produce the narrow-line region (NLR) outflows. There is a disk of ionized and warm molecular gas within $\sim$400 pc of the SMBH that has re-oriented close to the stellar major axis but is counter-rotating, consistent with claims of external fueling of AGN in S0 galaxies., Comment: Accepted for Publication in ApJ on March 13, 2020. The paper has 30 pages and 17 figures

We have analysed Chandra/High Energy Transmission Gratings spectra of the X-ray emission line gas in the Seyfert galaxy NGC 4151. The zeroth order spectral images show extended H- and He-like O and Ne, up to a distance $r \sim$ 200 pc from the nucleus. Using the 1st order spectra, we measure an average line velocity $\sim -230$ km s$^{-1}$, suggesting significant outflow of X-ray gas. We generated Cloudy photoionisation models to fit the 1st order spectra. We required three emission-line components, with column density, log$N_{H}$, and ionisation parameter, log$U$, of 22.5/1.0, 22.5/0.19, and 23.0/-0.50, respectively. To estimate the total mass of ionised gas and the mass outflow rates, we applied the model parameters to fit the zeroth order emission-line profiles of Ne~IX and Ne~X. We determined the total mass of $\approx 5.4 \times$ 10$^{5}$ M_sun. Assuming the same kinematic profile as that for the [O~III] gas, the peak X-ray mass outflow rate was $\approx 1.8$ M_sun yr$^{-1}$, at $r \sim 150$ pc. The total mass and mass outflow rates are similar to those determined using [O~III], implying that the X-ray gas is a major outflow component. However, unlike the optical outflows, the X-ray outflow rate does not drop off at $r >$ 100 pc, which suggests that it may have a greater impact on the host galaxy., Comment: 19 pages, 12 figures. Accepted for publication in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

We present spatially resolved mass outflow rate measurements ($\dot M_{out}$) for the narrow line region of Markarian 34, the nearest Compton-thick type 2 quasar (QSO2). Spectra obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope and at Apache Point Observatory reveal complex kinematics, with distinct signatures of outflow and rotation within 2 kpc of the nucleus. Using multi-component photoionization models, we find that the outflow contains a total ionized gas mass of $M \approx 1.6 \times 10^6 M_{\odot}$. Combining this with the kinematics yields a peak outflow rate of $\dot M_{out} \approx 2.0 \pm 0.4~M_{\odot}$ yr$^{-1}$ at a distance of 470 pc from the nucleus, with a spatially integrated kinetic energy of $E \approx 1.4 \times 10^{55}$ erg. These outflows are more energetic than those observed in Mrk 573 and NGC 4151, supporting a correlation between luminosity and outflow strength even though they have similar peak outflow rates. The mix of rotational and outflowing components suggests that spatially resolved observations are required to determine accurate outflow parameters in systems with complex kinematics. (See appended erratum for updated values.), Comment: Accepted for Publication in ApJ on September 22, 2018. The paper has 23 pages and 13 figures. Version three appends an erratum published as Revalski et al. 2019, ApJ, 881, 167

NGC 3227 exhibits rapid flux and spectral variability in the X-ray band. To understand this behaviour we conducted a co-ordinated observing campaign using 320 ks of XMM-Newton exposures together with 160 ks of overlapping NuSTAR observations, spanning a month. Here, we present a rapid variability event that occurs toward the end of the campaign. The spectral hardening event is accompanied by a change in the depth of an unresolved transition array, whose time-dependent behaviour is resolved using the RGS data. This UTA fingerprint allows us to identify this as a transit event, where a clump of gas having NH ~ 5 x 10^22 atoms/ cm^2, log xi ~2 occults ~60% of the continuum photons over the course of approximately a day. This occulting gas is likely associated with clouds in the inner BLR. An additional zone of gas with lower column and higher ionization, matches the outflow velocity of the variable zone, and may represent transmission through the cloud limb., Comment: 10 pages. Accepted for publication in MNRAS

We analyze the 2011 HST/COS spectrum of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 3516, which demonstrates clear changes in one of the intrinsic absorption troughs (component 5), slight evidence of change in a second trough (component 6), and the appearance of a new absorption trough (component 9). We interpret both the changes and the appearance of the new trough as bulk motion across the line of sight. The implied lower limit on the transverse velocity of component 5 is 360 km/s, compared to the earlier 2001 HST/STIS spectrum, while the lower limits for components 6 and 9 are 920 km/s, based on 2009 FUSE data. Component 5 also exhibits a shift in velocity centroid. This is only the second known case of this behavior in a Seyfert galaxy. Due to the high quality of the HST/COS spectrum, we identify a previously undetected trough due to an excited state of Si II for component 1. In combination with the resonance trough of Si II and photoionization modeling, we directly determine the distance of the component 1 outflow to be 67.2 pc., Comment: 25 pages, 6 figures

We present the first spatially resolved mass outflow rate measurements ($\dot M_{out}$) of the optical emission line gas in the narrow line region (NLR) of a Seyfert 2 galaxy, Markarian 573. Using long slit spectra and [O III] imaging from the Hubble Space Telescope and Apache Point Observatory in conjunction with emission line diagnostics and Cloudy photoionization models, we find a peak outflow rate of $\dot M_{out} \approx$ 3.4 $\pm$ 0.5 $M_{\odot}$ yr$^{-1}$ at a distance of 210 pc from the central supermassive black hole (SMBH). The outflow extends to distances of 600 pc from the nucleus with a total mass and kinetic energy of $M \approx 2.2 \times 10^6 M_{\odot}$ and $E \approx 5.1 \times 10^{54}$ erg, revealing the outflows to be more energetic than those in the lower luminosity Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 4151 (Crenshaw et al. 2015). The peak outflow rate is an order of magnitude larger than the mass accretion and nuclear outflow rates, indicating local in-situ acceleration of the circumnuclear NLR gas. We compare these results to global techniques that quantify an average outflow rate across the NLR, and find the latter are subject to larger uncertainties. These results indicate that spatially resolved observations are critical for probing AGN feedback on scales where circumnuclear star formation occurs., Comment: Accepted for Publication in ApJ on February 16, 2018. The paper has 21 pages and 11 figures. Version two includes minor corrections to match the final journal manuscript

We present two-dimensional stellar and gaseous kinematics of the inner 0.7 $\times$ 1.2 kpc$^{2}$ of the Seyfert galaxy ESO 362-G18, derived from optical spectra obtained with the GMOS/IFU on the Gemini South telescope at a spatial resolution of $\approx$170 pc and spectral resolution of 36 km s$^{-1}$. ESO 362-G18 is a strongly perturbed galaxy of morphological type Sa or S0/a, with a minor merger approaching along the NE direction. Previous studies have shown that the [OIII] emission shows a fan-shaped extension of $\approx$ 10\arcsec\ to the SE. We detect the [OIII] doublet, [NII] and H${\alpha}$ emission lines throughout our field of view. The stellar kinematics is dominated by circular motions in the galaxy plane, with a kinematic position angle of $\approx$137$^{\circ}$. The gas kinematics is also dominated by rotation, with kinematic position angles ranging from 122$^{\circ}$ to 139$^{\circ}$. A double-Gaussian fit to the [OIII]$\lambda$5007 and H${\alpha}$ lines, which have the highest signal to noise ratios of the emission lines, reveal two kinematic components: (1) a component at lower radial velocities which we interpret as gas rotating in the galactic disk; and (2) a component with line of sight velocities 100-250 km s$^{-1}$ higher than the systemic velocity, interpreted as originating in the outflowing gas within the AGN ionization cone. We estimate a mass outflow rate of 7.4 $\times$ 10$^{-2}$ M$_{\odot}$ yr$^{-1}$ in the SE ionization cone (this rate doubles if we assume a biconical configuration), and a mass accretion rate on the supermassive black hole (SMBH) of 2.2 $\times$ 10$^{-2}$ M$_{\odot}$ yr$^{-1}$. The total ionized gas mass within $\sim$84 pc of the nucleus is 3.3 $\times$ 10$^{5}$ M$_{\odot}$; infall velocities of $\sim$34 km s$^{-1}$ in this gas would be required to feed both the outflow and SMBH accretion., Comment: 18 pages, 14 figures

We present a Hubble Space Telescope (HST) survey of extended [O III] {\lambda}5007 emission for a sample of 12 nearby (z < 0.12), luminous Type 2 quasars (QSO2s), which we use to measure the extent and kinematics of their AGN-ionized gas. We find the size of the observed [O III] regions scale with luminosity in comparison to nearby, less luminous Seyfert galaxies and radially outflowing kinematics to exist in all targets. We report an average maximum outflow radius of $\sim$600 pc, with gas continuing to be kinematically influenced by the central AGN out to an average radius of $\sim$1130 pc. These findings question the effectiveness of AGN being capable of clearing material from their host bulge in the nearby universe and suggest that disruption of gas by AGN activity may prevent star formation without requiring evacuation. Additionally, we find a dichotomy in our targets when comparing [O III] radial extent and nuclear FWHM, where QSO2s with compact [O III] morphologies typically possess broader nuclear emission-lines., Comment: 24 pages, 18 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

We present two-dimensional maps of emission-line fluxes and kinematics, as well as of the stellar kinematics of the central few kpc of five bright nearby Seyfert galaxies -- Mrk\,6, Mrk\,79, Mrk\,348, Mrk\,607 and Mrk\,1058 -- obtained from observations with the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS) Integral Field Unit (IFU) on the Gemini North Telescope. The data cover the inner 3\farcs5$\times$5\farcs0 -- corresponding to physical scales in the range 0.6$\times$0.9 to 1.5$\times$2.2\,kpc$^2$ -- at a spatial resolution ranging from 110 to 280 pc with a spectral coverage of 4300 -- 7100\,\AA\ and velocity resolution of $\approx$ 90\,km\,s$^{-1}$. The gas excitation is Seyfert like everywhere but show excitation, but show excitation gradients that are correlated with the gas kinematics, reddening and/or the gas density. The gas kinematics show in all cases two components: a rotation one similar to that observed in the stellar velocity field, and an outflow component. In the case of Mrk607, the gas is counter-rotating relative to the stars. Enhanced gas velocity dispersion is observed in association to the outflows according to two patterns: at the locations of the highest outflow velocities along the ionization axis or perpendicularly to it in a strip centered at the nucleus that we attribute to an equatorial outflow. Bipolar outflows are observed in Mrk\,348 and Mrk\,79, while in Mrk\,1058 only the blueshifted part is clearly observed, while in the cases of Mrk\,6 and Mrk\,607 the geometry of the outflow needs further constraints from modeling to be presented in a forthcoming study, where the mass flow rate and powers will also be obtained., Comment: 20 pages, accepted by MNRAS

XMM-Newton and Suzaku spectra of AGN have revealed highly ionized gas, in the form of absorption lines from H-like and He-like Fe. Some of these absorbers, "Ultra Fast Outflows (UFOs)", have radial velocities of up to 0.25c. We have undertaken a detailed photo-ionization study of high-ionization Fe absorbers, both UFOs and non-UFOs, in a sample of AGN observed by XMM-Newton. We find that the heating and cooling processes in UFOs are Compton-dominated, unlike the non-UFOs. Both types are characterized by Force Multipliers on the order of unity, which suggests that they cannot be radiatively accelerated in sub-Eddington AGN, unless they were much less ionized at their point of origin. However, such highly ionized gas can be accelerated via a Magneto-Hydrodynamic (MHD) wind. We explore this possibility by applying a cold MHD flow model to the UFO in the well-studied Seyfert galaxy, NGC 4151. We find that the UFO can be accelerated along magnetic streamlines anchored in the accretion disk. In the process, we have been able to constrain the magnetic field strength and the magnetic pressure in the UFO and have determined that the system is not in magnetic/gravitational equipartition.Open questions include the variability of the UFOs and the apparent lack of non-UFOs in UFO sources., Comment: 18 pages, 9 figures. Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal

We present a near infrared study of the spectral components of the continuum in the inner 500$\times$500 pc$^2$ of the nearby Seyfert galaxy Mrk573 using adaptive optics near-infrared integral field spectroscopy with the instrument NIFS of the Gemini North Telescope at a spatial resolution of $\sim$50 pc. We performed spectral synthesis using the {\sc starlight} code and constructed maps for the contributions of different age components of the stellar population: young ($age\leq100$ Myr), young-intermediate ($1002$ Gyr) to the near-IR K-band continuum, as well as their contribution to the total stellar mass. We found that the old stellar population is dominant within the inner 250 pc, while the intermediate age components dominate the continuum at larger distances. A young stellar component contributes up to $\sim$20% within the inner $\sim$70 pc, while hot dust emission and featureless continuum components are also necessary to fit the nuclear spectrum, contributing up to 20% of the K-band flux there. The radial distribution of the different age components in the inner kiloparsec of Mrk573 is similar to those obtained by our group for the Seyfert galaxies Mrk1066, Mrk1157 and NGC1068 in previous works using a similar methodology. Young stellar populations ($\leq$100 Myr) are seen in the inner 200-300 pc for all galaxies contributing with $\ge$20% of the K-band flux, while the near-IR continuum is dominated by the contribution of intermediate-age stars ($t=$100 Myr-2 Gyr) at larger distances. Older stellar populations dominate in the inner 250 pc.

We investigate the relationship between the long term X-ray spectral variability in the Seyfert 1.5 galaxy NGC 4151 and its intrinsic absorption, by comparing the 2014 simultaneous ultraviolet/X-Ray observations taken with Hubble STIS Echelle and Chandra HETGS with archival observations from Chandra, XMM-Newton and Suzaku. The observations are divided into "high" and "low" states, with the low states showing strong and unabsorbed extended emission at energies below 2 keV. Our X-ray model consists of a broken powerlaw, neutral reflection and the two dominant absorption components identified by Kraemer et al. (2005), hereafter KRA2005, X-High and D+Ea, which are present in all epochs. The model fittings suggest that the absorbers are very stable, with the principal changes in the intrinsic absorption resulting from variations in the ionization state of the gas as the ionizing continuum varies. However, the low states show evidence of larger column densities in one or both of the absorbers. Among plausible explanations for the column increase, we discuss the possibility of an expanding/contracting X-ray corona. As suggested by KRA2005, there seem to be contributions from magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) winds to the mass outflow. Along with the ultra fast outflow absorber identified by Tombesi et al. (2010), X-High is consistent with being magnetically driven. On the other hand, it is unlikely that D+Ea is part of the MHD flow, and it is possible that it is radiatively accelerated. These results suggest that at a sufficiently large radial distance there is a break point between MHD-dominated and radiatively driven outflows., Comment: 14 pages, 11 figures. Accepted for publication at the Astrophysical Journal

Ark 564 (z=0.0247) is an X-ray-bright NLS1. By using advanced X-ray timing techniques, an excess of "delayed" emission in the hard X-ray band (4-7.5 keV) following about 1000 seconds after "flaring" light in the soft X-ray band (0.4-1 keV) was recently detected. We report on the X-ray spectral analysis of eight XMM-Newton and one Suzaku observation of Ark 564. High-resolution spectroscopy was performed with the RGS in the soft X-ray band, while broad-band spectroscopy was performed with the EPIC-pn and XIS/PIN instruments. We analysed time-averaged, flux-selected, and time-resolved spectra. Despite the strong variability in flux during our observational campaign, the broad-band spectral shape of Ark 564 does not vary dramatically and can be reproduced either by a superposition of a power law and a blackbody emission or by a Comptonized power-law emission model. High-resolution spectroscopy revealed ionised gas along the line of sight at the systemic redshift of the source, with a low column density and a range of ionisation states. Broad-band spectroscopy revealed a very steep intrinsic continuum and a rather weak emission feature in the iron K band; modelling this feature with a reflection component requires highly ionised gas. A reflection-dominated or an absorption-dominated model are similarly able to well reproduce the time-averaged data from a statistical point of view, in both cases requiring contrived geometries and/or unlikely physical parameters. Finally, through time-resolved analysis we spectroscopically identified the "delayed" emission as a spectral hardening above ~4 keV; the most likely interpretation for this component is a reprocessing of the "flaring" light by gas located at 10-100 r_g from the central supermassive black hole that is so hot that it can Compton-upscatter the flaring intrinsic continuum emission., Comment: 14 pages, 7 tables, 12 figures. Accepted for publication in A&A. Revised after language editing. Abstract abridged

In recent observations by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) as part of a campaign to discover locations and kinematics of AGN outflows, we found that Mrk 509 contains a 3$''$ ($\sim$2100 {\it pc}) linear filament in its central region. Visible in both optical continuum and [OIII] imaging, this feature resembles a `check mark' of several knots of emission that travel northwest to southeast before jutting towards the nucleus from the southwest. Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS/HST) observations along the inner portion of the filament reveal redshifted velocities, indicating that the filament is inflowing. We present further observations of the nucleus in Mrk 509 using the Gemini Near-Infrared Integral Field Spectrograph (NIFS), from which we conclude that this structure cannot be related to previously studied, typical NLR outflows and instead embodies the remains of an ongoing minor merger with a gas-rich dwarf galaxy, therefore providing a great opportunity to study the fueling of an AGN by a minor merger in progress., Comment: 15 pages, 7 figures; accepted for publication in ApJ

We present a detailed study of AGN feedback in the narrow-line region (NLR) of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 4151. We illustrate the data and techniques needed to determine the mass outflow rate and kinetic luminosity of the outflowing ionized gas as a function of position in the NLR. We find that the mass outflow rate peaks at a value of 3 solar masses per year at a distance of 70 pc from the central supermassive black hole (SMBH), which is about 10 times the outflow rate coming from inside 13 pc, and 230 times the mass accretion rate inferred from the bolometric luminosity of NGC 4151. Thus, most of the outflow must arise from "in situ" acceleration of ambient gas throughout the NLR. The kinetic luminosity peaks at 90 pc and drops rapidly thereafter, indicating that most of the kinetic energy is deposited within about 100 pc from the SMBH. Both values exceed the mass outflow rate and kinetic luminosity determined for the UV/X-ray absorber outflows in NGC 4151, indicating the importance of NLR outflows in providing feedback on scales where circumnuclear star formation and bulge growth occur., Comment: 22 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal

We present a detailed, photoionization modeling analysis of XMM-Newton/Reflection Grating Spectrometer observations of the Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 1068. The spectrum, previously analyzed by Kinkhabwala et al. (2002), reveals a myriad of soft-Xray emission lines, including those from H- and He-like carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and neon, and M- and L-shell iron. As noted in the earlier analysis, based on the narrowness of the radiative recombination continua, the electron temperatures in the emission-line gas are consistent with photoionization, rather than collisional ionization. The strengths of the carbon and nitrogen emission lines, relative to those of oxygen, suggest unusual elemental abundances, which we attribute to star-formation history of the host galaxy. Overall, the emission-lines are blue-shifted with respect to systemic, with radial velocities ~ 160 km/s, similar to that of [O III] 5007, and thus consistent with the kinematics and orientation of the optical emission-line gas and, hence, likely part of an AGN-driven outflow. We were able to achieve an acceptable fit to most of the strong emission-lines with a two-component photoionization model, generated with Cloudy. The two components have ionization parameters and column densities of logU = -0.05 and 1.22, and logN(H) = 20.85 and 21.2, and covering factors of 0.35 and 0.84, respectively. The total mass of the X-ray gas is roughly of an order of magnitude greater than the mass of ionized gas determined from optical and near-IR spectroscopy, which indicates that it may be the dominant component of the narrow line region. Furthermore, we suggest that the medium which produces the scattered/polarized optical emission in NGC~1068 possesses similar physical characteristics to those of the more highly-ionized of the X-ray model components., Comment: 32 pages, 7 Figures. Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal

We present the results of recent Chandra High-Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer and Hubble Space Telescope Cosmic Origins Spectrograph observations of the nearby Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 3783 which shows a strong, non-varying X-ray warm absorber and physically related and kinematically varying UV absorption. We compare our new observations to high-resolution, high signal-to-noise archival data from 2001, allowing a unique investigation into the long-term variations of the absorption over a 12 yr period. We find no statistically significant changes in the physical properties of the X-ray absorber, but there is a significant drop of ~40% in the UV and X-ray flux, and a significant flattening of the underlying X-ray power-law slope. Large kinematic changes are seen in the UV absorbers, possibly due to radial deceleration of the material. Similar behavior is not observed in the X-ray data, likely due to its lower velocity resolution, which shows an outflow velocity of v ~ -655 km/s in both epochs. The narrow iron K-alpha emission line at 6.4 keV shows no variation between epochs, and its measured width places the material producing the line at a radial distance of ~0.03 pc from the central black hole., Comment: 20 pages, 10 figures, 5 tables. Accepted for publication in ApJ

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Galaxy Zoo project has revealed a number of spectacular galaxies possessing Extended Emission-Line Regions (EELRs), the most famous being Hanny's Voorwerp galaxy. We present another EELR object discovered in the SDSS endeavor: the Teacup Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN), nicknamed for its EELR, which has a handle like structure protruding 15 kpc into the northeast quadrant of the galaxy. We analyze physical conditions of this galaxy with long-slit ground based spectroscopy from Lowell, Lick, and KPNO observatories. With the Lowell 1.8m Perkin's telescope we took multiple observations at different offset positions, allowing us to recover spatially resolved spectra across the galaxy. Line diagnostics indicate the ionized gas is photoionized primarily by the AGN. Additionally we are able to derive the hydrogen density from the [S II] 6716/6731 ratio. We generated two-component photoionization models for each spatially resolved Lowell spectrum. These models allow us to calculate the AGN bolometric luminosity seen by the gas at different radii from the nuclear center of the Teacup. Our results show a drop in bolometric luminosity by more than two orders of magnitude from the EELR to the nucleus, suggesting that the AGN has decreased in luminosity by this amount in a continuous fashion over 46,000 years, supporting the case for a dying AGN in this galaxy independent of any IR based evidence. We demonstrate that spatially resolved photoionization modeling could be applied to EELRs to investigate long time scale variability., Comment: 38 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal

We have carried out extensive and detailed photoionization modeling to successfully constrain the locations of different emission-line galaxies in optical and mid-infrared diagnostic diagrams. Our model grids cover a wide range in parameter space for the active galaxy continuum and starburst galaxies with different stellar population laws and metallicities. We compare the predicted AGN and star-formation mid-infrared line ratios [Ne III]15.56mm/[Ne II]12.81mm and [O IV]25.89mm/[Ne III]15.56mm to the observed values, and find that the best fit for the AGN is via a two-zone approximation. This two-zone approximation is a combination of a matter-bounded component, where [Ne III] and [O IV] are emitted efficiently, and a radiation-bounded component that maximizes [Ne II] emission. We overlay the predictions from this two-zone approximation onto the optical [O III]l5007/Hbeta and [N II]l6583/Halpha diagnostic diagram derived from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, to find that the high-density and low-ionization radiation-bounded component in our two-zone AGN approximation model provides a good lower limit for [N II] emission. This establishes a new theoretical demarcation line for the minimum AGN contribution in this diagram. This new classification results by a factor of ~1.4 in a higher AGN population than predictions derived from previous divisions of star-forming galaxies. Similarly, we define a maximum AGN contribution in the [O III]/Hbeta and [N II]/Halpha diagram by using a two-zone approximation within a parameter range typical of the narrow-line region., Comment: Accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Main Journal. The paper contains 13 pages, 16 figures

Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) are axisymmetric systems to first order; their observed properties are likely strong functions of inclination with respect to our line of sight, yet the specific inclinations of all but a few AGN are generally unknown. By determining the inclinations and geometries of nearby Seyfert galaxies using the kinematics of their narrow-line regions (NLRs), and comparing them with observed properties, we find strong correlations between inclination and total hydrogen column density, infrared color, and H-beta full-width at half maximum (FWHM). These correlations provide evidence that the orientation of AGN with respect to our line of sight affects how we perceive them, beyond the Seyfert type dichotomy. They can also be used to constrain 3D models of AGN components such as the broad-line region and torus. Additionally, we find weak correlations between AGN luminosity and several modeled NLR parameters, which suggests that the NLR geometry and kinematics are dependent to some degree on the AGN's radiation field., Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ; 28 pages, 8 figures

High resolution X-ray spectroscopy of the warm absorber in the nearby quasar, MR2251-178 (z = 0.06398) is presented. The observations were carried out in 2011 using the Chandra High Energy Transmission Grating and the XMM-Newton Reflection Grating Spectrometer, with net exposure times of approximately 400 ks each. A multitude of absorption lines from C to Fe are detected, revealing at least 3 warm absorbing components ranging in ionization parameter from log(\xi/erg cm s^-1) = 1-3 and with outflow velocities < 500 km/s. The lowest ionization absorber appears to vary between the Chandra and XMM-Newton observations, which implies a radial distance of between 9-17 pc from the black hole. Several broad soft X-ray emission lines are strongly detected, most notably from He-like Oxygen, with FWHM velocity widths of up to 10000 km/s, consistent with an origin from Broad Line Region (BLR) clouds. In addition to the warm absorber, gas partially covering the line of sight to the quasar appears to be present, of typical column density N_H = 10^23 cm^-2. We suggest that the partial covering absorber may arise from the same BLR clouds responsible for the broad soft X-ray emission lines. Finally the presence of a highly ionised outflow in the iron K band from both 2002 and 2011 Chandra HETG observations appears to be confirmed, which has an outflow velocity of -15600 \pm 2400 km/s. However a partial covering origin for the iron K absorption cannot be excluded, resulting from low ionization material with little or no outflow velocity., Comment: 13 figures, 7 tables. Accepted for publication in ApJ

Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) are axisymmetric systems to first order; their observed properties are likely strong functions of inclination with respect to our line of sight. However, except for a few special cases, the specific inclinations of individual AGN are unknown. We have developed a promising technique for determining the inclinations of nearby AGN by mapping the kinematics of their narrow-line regions (NLRs), which are often easily resolved with Hubble Space Telescope (HST) [O III] imaging and long-slit spectra from the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS). Our studies indicate that NLR kinematics dominated by radial outflow can be fit with simple biconical outflow models that can be used to determine the inclination of the bicone axis, and hence the obscuring torus, with respect to our line of sight. We present NLR analysis of 53 Seyfert galaxies and resultant inclinations from models of 17 individual AGN with clear signatures of biconical outflow. Our model results agree with the unified model in that Seyfert 1 AGN have NLRs inclined further toward our line of sight (LOS) than Seyfert 2 AGN. Knowing the inclinations of these AGN NLRs, and thus their accretion disk and/or torus axes, will allow us to determine how their observed properties vary as a function of polar angle. We find no correlation between the inclinations of the AGN NLRs and the disks of their host galaxies, indicating that the orientation of the gas in the torus is independent from that of the host disk., Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series - 116 pages, 69 figures

The origin of the observed time lags, in nearby active galactic nuclei (AGN), between hard and soft X-ray photons is investigated using new XMM-Newton data for the narrow-line Seyfert I galaxy Ark 564 and existing data for 1H0707-495 and NGC 4051. These AGN have highly variable X-ray light curves that contain frequent, high peaks of emission. The averaged light curve of the peaks is directly measured from the time series, and it is shown that (i) peaks occur at the same time, within the measurement uncertainties, at all X-ray energies, and (ii) there exists a substantial tail of excess emission at hard X-ray energies, which is delayed with respect to the time of the main peak, and is particularly prominent in Ark 564. Observation (i) rules out that the observed lags are caused by Comptonization time delays and disfavors a simple model of propagating fluctuations on the accretion disk. Observation (ii) is consistent with time lags caused by Compton-scattering reverberation from material a few thousand light-seconds from the primary X-ray source. The power spectral density and the frequency-dependent phase lags of the peak light curves are consistent with those of the full time series. There is evidence for non-stationarity in the Ark 564 time series in both the Fourier and peaks analyses. A sharp `negative' lag (variations at hard photon energies lead soft photon energies) observed in Ark 564 appears to be generated by the shape of the hard-band transfer function and does not arise from soft-band reflection of X-rays. These results reinforce the evidence for the existence of X-ray reverberation in type I AGN, which requires that these AGN are significantly affected by scattering from circumnuclear material a few tens or hundreds of gravitational radii in extent., Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ

We present an investigation into the impact of feedback from outflowing UV and X-ray absorbers in nearby z < 0.04 AGN. From studies of the kinematics, physical conditions, and variability of the absorbers in the literature, we calculate the possible ranges in total mass outflow rate and kinetic luminosity for each AGN, summed over all of its absorbers. These calculations make use of values (or limits) for the radial locations of the absorbers determined from variability, excited-state absorption, and other considerations. From a sample of 10 Seyfert 1 galaxies with detailed photoionization models for their absorbers, we find that 7 have sufficient constraints on the absorber locations to determine feedback parameters. For the low-luminosity AGN NGC 4395, these values are low, although we do not have sufficient constraints on the X-ray absorbers to make definitive conclusions. At least 5 of the 6 Seyfert 1s with moderate bolometric luminosities have mass outflow rates that are 10 - 1000 times the mass accretion rates needed to generate their observed luminosities, indicating that most of the mass outflow originates from outside the inner accretion disk. Three of these (NGC 4051, NGC 3516, and NGC 3783) have kinetic luminosities in the range 0.5 to 5% bolometric, which is the range typically required by feedback models for efficient self-regulation of black-hole and galactic bulge growth. At least 2 of the other 3 (NGC 5548, NGC 4151, and NGC 7469) have kinetic luminosities > 0.1% bolometric, although these values may increase if radial locations can be determined for more of the absorbers. We conclude that the outflowing UV and X-ray absorbers in moderate-luminosity AGN have the potential to deliver significant feedback to their environments., Comment: accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal

We present new Hubble Space Telescope (HST)/Cosmic Origins Spectrograph observations of the Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 4051. These data were obtained as part of a coordinated observing program including X-ray observations with the Chandra/High Energy Transmission Grating (HETG) Spectrometer and Suzaku. We detected nine kinematic components of UV absorption, which were previously identified using the HST/Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph. None of the absorption components showed evidence for changes in column density or profile within the \sim 10 yr between the STIS and COS observations, which we interpret as evidence of 1) saturation, for the stronger components, or 2) very low densities, i.e., n_H < 1 cm^-3, for the weaker components. After applying a +200 km s^-1 offset to the HETG spectrum, we found that the radial velocities of the UV absorbers lay within the O VII profile. Based on photoionization models, we suggest that, while UV components 2, 5 and 7 produce significant O VII absorption, the bulk of the X-ray absorption detected in the HETG analysis occurs in more highly ionized gas. Moreover, the mass loss rate is dominated by high ionization gas which lacks a significant UV footprint., Comment: 41 pages, 10 Figures; accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal

The shape of the spectral energy distribution of active galaxies in the EUV--soft X-ray band (13.6 eV to 1 keV) is uncertain because obscuration by dust and gas can hamper our view of the continuum. To investigate the shape of the spectral energy distribution in this energy band, we have generated a set of photoionization models which reproduce the small dispersion found in correlations between high-ionization mid-infrared emission lines in a sample of hard X-ray selected AGN. Our calculations show that a broken power-law continuum model is sufficient to reproduce the [Ne V]14.32 mm/[NeIII], [Ne V]24.32mm/[O IV]25.89mm and [O IV] 25.89mm/[Ne III] ratios, and does not require the addition of a "big bump" EUV model component. We constrain the EUV--soft X-ray slope, alpha_i, to be between 1.5 -- 2.0 and derive a best fit of alpha_i ~ 1.9 for Seyfert 1 galaxies, consistent with previous studies of intermediate redshift quasars. If we assume a blue bump model, most sources in our sample have derived temperatures between T_{BB}=10^{5.18} K to 10^{5.7} K, suggesting that the peak of this component spans a large range of energies extending from ~ lambda 600A to lambda 1900A. In this case, the best fitting peak energy that matches the mid-infrared line ratios of Seyfert 1 galaxies occurs between ~ lambda 700--1000A. Despite the fact that our results do not rule out the presence of an EUV bump, we conclude that our power-law model produces enough photons with energies > 4 Ry to generate the observed amount of mid-infrared emission in our sample of BAT AGN., Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal. 11 Figures

We consider new Suzaku data for NGC 3516 taken during 2009, along with other recent X-ray observations of the source. The cumulative characteristics of NGC 3516 cannot be explained without invoking changes in the line-of-sight absorption. Contrary to many other well-studied Seyfert galaxies, NGC 3516 does not show a positive lag of hard X-ray photons relative to soft photons over the timescales sampled. In the context of reverberation models for the X-ray lags, the lack of such a signal in NGC 3516 is consistent with flux variations being dominated by absorption changes. The lack of any reverberation signal in such a highly variable source disfavors intrinsic continuum variability in this case. Instead, the colorless flux variations observed at high flux states for NGC 3516 are suggested to be a consequence of Compton-thick clumps of gas crossing the line-of-sight., Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal

We present the analysis of a new broad-band X-ray spectrum (0.6-180.0 keV) of the radio-quiet quasar MR 2251-178 which uses data obtained with both Suzaku and the Swift/BAT. In accordance with previous observations, we find that the general continuum can be well described by a power-law with {\Gamma}=1.6 and an apparent soft-excess below 1 keV. Warm absorption is clearly present and absorption lines due to the Fe UTA, Fe L (Fe XXIII-XXIV), S XV and S XVI are detected below 3 keV. At higher energies, Fe K absorption from Fe XXV-XXVI is detected and a relatively weak (EW=25[+12,-8] eV) narrow Fe K{\alpha} emission line is observed at E=6.44\pm0.04 keV. The Fe K{\alpha} emission is well modelled by the presence of a mildly ionised ({\xi}\leq30) reflection component with a low reflection fraction (R<0.2). At least 5 ionised absorption components with 10^{20} \leq N_H \leq 10^{23} cm^{-2} and 0 \leq log({\xi})/erg cm s^{-1} \leq 4 are required to achieve an adequate spectral fit. Alternatively, we show that the continuum can also be fit if a {\Gamma}~2.0 power-law is absorbed by a column of N_H~10^{23} cm^{-2} which covers ~30% of the source flux. Independent of which continuum model is adopted, the Fe L and Fe XXV He{\alpha} lines are described by a single absorber outflowing with v_out~0.14 c. Such an outflow/disk wind is likely to be substantially clumped (b~10^{-3}) in order to not vastly exceed the likely accretion rate of the source., Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. 17 pages, 9 figures, 5 tables

We present the results of a deep 300 ks Chandra HETG observation of the highly variable narrow-line Seyfert Type 1 galaxy NGC 4051. The HETG spectrum reveals 28 significant soft X-ray ionised lines in either emission or absorption; primarily originating from H-like and He-like K-shell transitions of O, Ne, Mg and Si (including higher order lines and strong forbidden emission lines from O VII and Ne IX) plus high ionisation L-shell transitions from Fe XVII to Fe XXII and lower ionisation inner-shell lines (e.g. O VI). Modelling the data with XSTAR requires four distinct ionisation zones for the gas, all outflowing with velocities < 1000 km/s. A selection of the strongest emission/absorption lines appear to be resolved with FWHM of ~600 km/s. We also present the results from a quasi-simultaneous 350 ks Suzaku observation of NGC 4051 where the XIS spectrum reveals strong evidence for blueshifted absorption lines at ~6.8 and ~7.1 keV, consistent with previous findings. Modelling with XSTAR suggests that this is the signature of a highly ionised, high velocity outflow (log \xi ~ 4.1; v ~ -0.02c) which potentially may have a significant effect on the host galaxy environment via feedback. Finally, we also simultaneously model the broad-band 2008 XIS+HXD Suzaku data with archival Suzaku data from 2005 when the source was observed to have entered an extended period of low flux in an attempt to analyse the cause of the long-term spectral variability. We find that we can account for this by allowing for large variations in the normalisation of the intrinsic power-law component which may be interpreted as being due to significant changes in the covering fraction of a Compton-thick partial-coverer obscuring the central continuum emission., Comment: Accepted by MNRAS; 24 pages, 14 figures, 10 tables; typos corrected

We present a study of reddening and absorption towards the Narrow Line Regions (NLR) in active galactic nuclei (AGN) selected from the Revised Shapley-Ames, 12mu, and Swift/Burst Alert Telescope samples. For the sources in host galaxies with inclinations of b/a > 0.5, we find that mean ratio of [O III] 5007A, from ground-based observations, and [O IV] 28.59mu, from Spitzer/Infrared Spectrograph observations, is a factor of 2 lower in Seyfert 2s than Seyfert 1s. The combination of low [O III]/[O IV] and [O III] 4363/5007 ratios in Seyfert 2s suggests more extinction of emission from the NLR than in Seyfert 1s. Similar column densities of dusty gas, NH ~ several X 10^21 cm^-2, can account for the suppression of both [O III] 5007A and [O III] 4363A, as compared to those observed in Seyfert 1s. Also, we find that the X-ray line OVII 22.1A is weaker in Seyfert 2s, consistent with absorption by the same gas that reddens the optical emission. Using a Hubble Space Telescope/Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph slitless spectrum of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 4151, we estimate that only ~ 30% of the [O III] 5007A comes from within 30 pc of the central source, which is insufficient to account for the low [O III]/[OIV] ratios in Seyfert 2s. If Seyfert 2 galaxies have similar intrinsic [OIII] spatial profiles, the external dusty gas must extend further out along the NLR, perhaps in the form of nuclear dust spirals that have been associated with fueling flows towards the AGN., Comment: 33 pages, 7 figures. accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal

Previous ground based observations of the Seyfert 2 galaxy Mrk 78 revealed a double set of emission lines, similar to those seen in several AGN from recent surveys. Are the double lines due to two AGN with different radial velocities in the same galaxy, or are they due to mass outflows from a single AGN?We present a study of the outflowing ionized gas in the resolved narrow-line region (NLR) of Mrk 78 using observations from Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) and Faint Object Camera (FOC) aboard the Hubble Space Telescope(HST) as part of an ongoing project to determine the kinematics and geometries of active galactic nuclei (AGN) outflows. From the spectroscopic information, we deter- mined the fundamental geometry of the outflow via our kinematics modeling program by recreating radial velocities to fit those seen in four different STIS slit positions. We determined that the double emission lines seen in ground-based spectra are due to an asymmetric distribution of outflowing gas in the NLR. By successfully fitting a model for a single AGN to Mrk 78, we show that it is possible to explain double emission lines with radial velocity offsets seen in AGN similar to Mrk 78 without requiring dual supermassive black holes., Comment: 22 pages, 7 figures (2 color), accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal

We focus on determining the underlying physical cause of a Seyfert galaxy's appearance as type a 1.8 or 1.9. Are these "intermediate" Seyfert types typical Seyfert 1 nuclei with reddened broad-line regions? Or are they objects with intrinsically weak continua and broad emission lines? We compare measurements of the optical reddening of the narrow and broad-line regions with each other and with the X-ray column derived from XMM-Newton 0.5-10 keV spectra to determine the presence and location of dust in the line of sight. We also searched the literature to see if the objects showed evidence for broad-line variability, and determined if the changes were consistent with a change in reddening or a change in the intrinsic ionizing continuum flux. We find that 10 of 19 objects previously classified as Seyfert 1.8/1.9s received this designation due to their low continuum flux. In four objects the classification was due to BLR reddening, either by the torus or dust structures in the vicinity of the NLR; in the remaining five objects there is not sufficient evidence to favor one scenario over the other. These findings imply that, in general, samples of 1.8/1.9s are not suitable for use in studies of the gas and dust in the central torus., Comment: 85 pages, accepted by ApJ

We present a study of the outflowing ionized gas in the resolved narrow-line region (NLR) of the Seyfert 2 galaxy Mrk 573, and its interaction with an in- ner dust/gas disk, based on Hubble Space Telescope (HST) WFPC2 and STIS observations. From the spectroscopic and imaging information, we determined the fundamental geometry of the outflow and inner disk, via two modeling pro- grams used to recreate the morphology of these regions imaged with HST. We also determined that the bicone of ionizing radiation from the Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN) intersects with the inner disk, illuminating a section of the disk including inner segments of spiral arms, fully seen through structure mapping, which appear to be outflowing and expanding. In addition, we see high velocities at projected distances of \geq 2'' (- 700 pc) from the nucleus, which could be due to rotation or to in situ acceleration of gas off the spiral arms. We find that the true half opening angle of the ionizing bicone (53 degrees) is much larger than the apparent half-opening angle (34 degrees) due to the above geometry, which may apply to a number of other Seyferts as well., Comment: 20 pages, 5 figures (1 color), to be published in The Astronomical Journal

We have studied the relationship between the nuclear (high-resolution) radio emission, at 8.4 GHz (3.6 cm) and 1.4 GHz (20 cm), the [O IV] 25.89um, [Ne III] 15.56um and [Ne II] 12.81um emission lines and the black hole mass accretion rate for a sample of Seyfert galaxies. In order to characterize the radio contribution for the Seyfert nuclei we used the 8.4GHz/[O IV] ratio, assuming that [O IV] scales with the luminosity of the AGN. From this we find that Seyfert 1's (i.e., Seyfert 1.0's, 1.2's, and 1.5's) and Seyfert 2's (i.e., Seyfert 1.8's, 1.9's, and 2.0's) have similar radio contributions, relative to the AGN. On the other hand, sources in which the [Ne II] emission is dominated either by the AGN or star formation have statistically different radio contributions, with star formation dominated sources more "radio loud", by a factor of ~2.8 on average, than AGN dominated sources. We show that star formation dominated sources with relatively larger radio contribution have smaller mass accretion rates. Overall, we suggest that 8.4GHz/[O IV], or alternatively, 1.4GHz/[O IV] ratios, can be used to characterize the radio contribution, relative to the AGN, without the limitation of previous methods that rely on optical observables., Comment: Accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Main Journal. The paper contains 11 figures and 5 tables.

A Suzaku X-ray observation of NGC 4051 taken during 2005 Nov reveals line emission at 5.44 keV in the rest-frame of the galaxy which does not have an obvious origin in known rest-frame atomic transitions. The improvement to the fit statistic when this line is accounted for establishes its reality at >99.9% confidence: we have also verified that the line is detected in the three XIS units independently. Comparison between the data and Monte Carlo simulations shows that the probability of the line being a statistical fluctuation is p < 3.3 x 10^-4. Consideration of three independent line detections in Suzaku data taken at different epochs yields a probability p< 3 x 10^-11 and thus conclusively demonstrates that it cannot be a statistical fluctuation in the data. The new line and a strong component of Fe Ka emission from neutral material are prominent when the source flux is low, during 2005. Spectra from 2008 show evidence for a line consistent with having the same flux and energy as that observed during 2005, but inconsistent with having a constant equivalent width against the observed continuum. The stability of the line flux and energy suggests that it may not arise in transient hotspots, as has been suggested for similar lines in other sources, but could arise from a special location in the reprocessor, such as the inner edge of the accretion disk. Alternatively, the line energy may be explained by spallation of Fe into Cr, as discussed in a companion paper., Comment: 18 pages, accepted for publication by ApJ

We present a study of the resolved emission-line regions and an inner dust/gas disk in the Seyfert 2 galaxy Mrk 3, based on Hubble Space Telescope observations. We show that the extended narrow-line region (ENLR), spanning ~4 kpc, is defined by the intersection of the ionizing bicone of radiation from the AGN and the inner disk, which is not coplanar with the large-scale stellar disk. This intersection leads to different position and opening angles of the ENLR compared to the narrow-line region (NLR). A number of emission-line arcs in the ENLR appear to be continuations of dust lanes in the disk, supporting this geometry. The NLR, which consists of outflowing emission-line knots spanning the central ~650 pc, is in the shape of a backwards S. This shape may arise from rotation of the gas, or it may trace the original fueling flow close to the nucleus that was ionized after the AGN turned on., Comment: 22 page, 7 figures, accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journal

Long-exposure Suzaku X-ray observations of the active galaxy NGC 4051 from 2005 and 2008 are analysed, in an attempt to reach a self-consistent understanding of the spectral variability on long timescales and at high time resolution. Principal components analysis and a maximum likelihood method of power spectrum analysis are used. In common with other type I AGN, the spectral variability is dominated by a varying-normalisation power-law component together with a quasi-steady, hard-spectrum offset component that contains Fe K atomic features. NGC 4051 displays a strong excess over a power-law at energies above 20 keV, some fraction of which also appears to vary with the power-law continuum. The fast-timescale power spectrum has a shape consistent with previous determinations, but significant differences are found between the low and high flux states of the source, demonstrating that the power spectrum is non-stationary. Frequency-dependent time lags between the hard and soft bands of up to 970+/-225s are measured. The existence of the observed lags excludes the possibility that the hard spectral component originates as reflection from the inner accretion disk. We instead show that the frequency- and energy-dependent time lags may be explained as reverberation, caused by reflection from a thick shell of material with maximum lags of about 10,000s. If the reflecting material surrounds the AGN, it extends to a distance about 1.5x10^14 cm, 600 gravitational radii, from the illuminating source and the global covering factor is C(g) >~ 0.4, confirming suggestions that type I AGN have high covering factors of absorbing and reflecting material. Given the spectral and timing similarities with other type I AGN, we infer that this structure is common in the type I population. [abridged], Comment: MNRAS, corrected version

We present a study of the radial velocity offsets between narrow emission lines and host galaxy lines (stellar absorption and H I 21-cm emission) in Seyfert galaxies with observed redshifts less than 0.043. We find that 35% of the Seyferts in the sample show [O III] emission lines with blueshifts with respect to their host galaxies exceeding 50 km/s, whereas only 6% show redshifts this large, in qualitative agreement with most previous studies. We also find that a greater percentage of Seyfert 1 galaxies show blueshifts than Seyfert 2 galaxies. Using HST/STIS spatially-resolved spectra of the Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 1068 and the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 4151, we generate geometric models of their narrow-line regions (NLRs) and inner galactic disks, and show how these models can explain the blueshifted [O III] emission lines in collapsed STIS spectra of these two Seyferts. We conclude that the combination of mass outflow of ionized gas in the NLR and extinction by dust in the inner disk (primarily in the form of dust spirals) is primarily responsible for the velocity offsets in Seyfert galaxies. More exotic explanations are not needed. We discuss the implications of this result for the velocity offsets found in higher redshift AGN., Comment: 25 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal

An analysis of archival mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectra of Seyfert galaxies from the Spitzer Space Telescope observations is presented. We characterize the nature of the mid-IR active nuclear continuum by subtracting a template starburst spectrum from the Seyfert spectra. The long wavelength part of the spectrum contains a strong contribution from the starburst-heated cool dust; this is used to effectively separate starburst-dominated Seyferts from those dominated by the active nuclear continuum. Within the latter category, the strength of the active nuclear continuum drops rapidly beyond ~ 20 micron. On average, type 2 Seyferts have weaker short-wavelength active nuclear continua as compared to type 1 Seyferts. Type 2 Seyferts can be divided into two types, those with strong poly-cyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) bands and those without. The latter type show polarized broad emission lines in their optical spectra. The PAH-dominated type 2 Seyferts and Seyfert 1.8/1.9s show very similar mid-IR spectra. However, after the subtraction of the starburst component, there is a striking similarity in the active nuclear continuum of all Seyfert optical types. PAH-dominated Seyfert 2s and Seyfert 1.8/1.9s tend to show weak active nuclear continua in general. A few type 2 Seyferts with weak/absent PAH bands show a bump in the spectrum between 15 and 20 micron. We suggest that this bump is the peak of a warm (~200 K) blackbody dust emission, which becomes clearly visible when the short-wavelength continuum is weaker. This warm blackbody emission is also observed in other Seyfert optical subtypes, suggesting a common origin in these active galactic nuclei., Comment: 25 pages, 3 tables, 11 figures; Accepted for Publication in Nov. 2009 ApJ issue 1

We have examined the physical conditions within a bright emission-line knot in the inner narrow-line region (NLR) of the Seyfert 2 galaxy Mrk 573 using optical spectra and photoionization models. The spectra were obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope/Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph with the G430L and G750M gratings. Comparing the spatial emission-line profiles, we found [Fe X] 6734 barely resolved, [O III] 5007 centrally peaked, but broader than [Fe X], and [O II] 3727 the most extended. The spectra reveal that [Fe X] is broader in velocity width and blue-shifted compared with lines from less ionized species. Our estimate of the bolometric luminosity indicates that the active galactic nucleus (AGN) is radiating at or above its Eddington Luminosity, which is consistent with its identification as a hidden Narrow-Line Seyfert 1. We were able to successfully match the observed emission line ratios with a three-component photoionization model. Two components, one to account for the [O III] emission and another in which the [Fe X] arises, are directly ionized by the AGN, while [O II] forms in a third component, which is ionized by a heavily absorbed continuum. Based on our assumed ionizing continuum and the model parameters, we determined that the two directly-ionized components are ~ 55 pc from the AGN. We have found similar radial distances for the central knots in the Seyfert 2 galaxies Mrk 3 and NGC 1068, but much smaller radial distances for the inner NLR in the Seyfert 1 galaxies NGC 4151 and NGC 5548. Although in general agreement with the unified model, these results suggest that the obscuring material in Seyfert galaxies extends out to at least tens of parsecs from the AGN., Comment: 28 pages, 8 figures. accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal

We present results from a 200 ks Suzaku observation of 1H 0419-577 taken during 2007 July. The source shows a strong excess of counts above 10 keV compared to the extrapolation of models based on previous data in the 0.5-10 keV band. The 'hard excess' in 1H 0419-577 can be explained by the presence of a Compton-thick partial-covering absorber that covers ~ 70% of the source. The Compton-thick gas likely originates from a radius inside of the optical BLR and may form part of a clumpy disk wind. The fluorescent Fe Ka luminosity measured by Suzaku is consistent with that expected from an equatorial disk wind., Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ. 14 pages, 4 color figures

We present a study of the intrinsic UV absorption and emission lines in an historically low-state spectrum of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 5548, which we obtained in 2004 February at high spatial and spectral resolution with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) on the Hubble Space Telescope. We isolate a component of emission with a width of 680 km/s (FWHM) that arises from an "intermediate line region" (ILR), similar to the one we discovered in NGC 4151, at a distance of ~1 pc from the central continuum source. From a detailed analysis of the five intrinsic absorption components in NGC 5548 and their behavior over a span of 8 years, we present evidence that most of the UV absorbers only partially cover the ILR and do not cover an extended region of UV continuum emission, most likely from hot stars in the circumnuclear region. We also find that four of the UV absorbers are at much greater distances (>70 pc) than the ILR, and none have sufficient N V or C IV column densities to be the ILR in absorption. At least a portion of the UV absorption component 3, at a radial velocity of -530 km/s, is likely responsible for most of the X-ray absorption, at a distance < 7 pc from the central source. The fact that we see the ILR in absorption in NGC 4151 and not in NGC 5548 suggests that the ILR is located at a relatively large polar angle (~45 degrees) with respect to the narrow-line region outflow axis., Comment: 39 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal