[en] We have obtained a 63 ks Chandra ACIS-I observation of the Wolf-Rayet + black hole binary NGC 300 X-1. We measure rapid low-amplitude variability in the 0.35-8 keV light curve. The power density spectrum has a power-law index γ = 1.02 ± 0.15 consistent with an accreting black hole in a steep power-law state. When compared to previous studies of NGC 300 X-1 performed with XMM-Newton, we find the source at the low end of the previously measured 0.3-10 keV luminosity. The spectrum of NGC 300 X-1 is dominated by a power law (Γ = 2.0 ± 0.3) with a contribution at low energies by a thermal component. We estimate the 0.3-10 keV luminosity to be 2.6^+0.8_–1.0 × 10³⁸ erg s^–1. The timing and spectroscopic properties of NGC 300 X-1 are consistent with being in a steep power-law state, similar to earlier observations performed with XMM-Newton. We additionally compare our observations to known high-mass X-ray binaries and ultraluminous X-ray sources, and find the properties of NGC 300 X-1 are most consistent with black hole high-mass X-ray binaries.

[en] We present cosmological results from the statistics of lensed quasars in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Quasar Lens Search. By taking proper account of the selection function, we compute the expected number of quasars lensed by early-type galaxies and their image separation distribution assuming a flat universe, which is then compared with 7 lenses found in the SDSS Data Release 3 to derive constraints on dark energy under strictly controlled criteria. For a cosmological constant model (w = -1) we obtain (Omega)_#Lambda# = 0.74_-0.15^+0.11(stat.)_-0.06^+0.13(syst.). Allowing w to be a free parameter we find (Omega)_M = 0.26_-0.06^+0.07(stat.)_-0.05^+0.03(syst.) and w = -1.1 ± 0.6(stat.)_-0.5^+0.3(syst.) when combined with the constraint from the measurement of baryon acoustic oscillations in the SDSS luminous red galaxy sample. Our results are in good agreement with earlier lensing constraints obtained using radio lenses, and provide additional confirmation of the presence of dark energy consistent with a cosmological constant, derived independently of type Ia supernovae

[en] We present the results of a 100 ks Chandra observation of the NGC 404 nuclear region. The long exposure and excellent spatial resolution of Chandra have enabled us to critically examine the nuclear environment of NGC 404, which is known to host a nuclear star cluster and potentially an intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH; on the order of a few times 10⁵ M_sun). We find two distinct X-ray sources: a hard, central point source coincident with the optical and radio centers of the galaxy, and a soft extended region that is coincident with areas of high Hα emission and likely recent star formation. When we fit the 0.3-8 keV spectra of each region separately, we find the hard nuclear point source to be dominated by a power law (Γ = 1.88), while the soft off-nuclear region is best fit by a thermal plasma model (kT = 0.67 keV). We therefore find evidence for both a power-law component and hot gas in the nuclear region of NGC 404. We estimate the 2-10 keV luminosity to be 1.3^+0.8_-0.5 x 10³⁷ erg s^-1. A low level of diffuse X-ray emission was detected out to ∼15'' (∼0.2 kpc) from the nucleus. We compare our results to the observed relationships between power-law photon index and Eddington ratio for both X-ray binaries and low-luminosity active galaxies and find NGC 404 to be consistent with other low-luminosity active galaxies. We therefore favor the conclusion that NGC 404 harbors an IMBH accreting at a very low level.

[en] We present the source catalog of a new Chandra ACIS-I observation of NGC 300 obtained as part of the Chandra Local Volume Survey. Our 63 ks exposure covers ∼88% of the D₂₅ isophote (R ≈ 6.3 kpc) and yields a catalog of 95 X-ray point sources detected at high significance to a limiting unabsorbed 0.35-8 keV luminosity of ∼10³⁶ erg s^–1. Sources were cross-correlated with a previous XMM-Newton catalog, and we find 75 'X-ray transient candidate' sources that were detected by one observatory, but not the other. We derive an X-ray scale length of 1.7 ± 0.2 kpc and a recent star formation rate of 0.12 M_☉ yr^–1 in excellent agreement with optical observations. Deep, multi-color imaging from the Hubble Space Telescope, covering ∼32% of our Chandra field, was used to search for optical counterparts to the X-ray sources, and we have developed a new source classification scheme to determine which sources are likely X-ray binaries, supernova remnants, and background active galactic nucleus candidates. Finally, we present the X-ray luminosity functions (XLFs) at different X-ray energies, and we find the total NGC 300 X-ray point-source population to be consistent with other late-type galaxies hosting young stellar populations (∼< 50 Myr). We find that XLF of sources associated with older stellar populations has a steeper slope than the XLF of X-ray sources coinciding with young stellar populations, consistent with theoretical predictions.

[en] Blazars are classically divided into the BL Lacertae (BLL) and flat-spectrum radio quasar (FSRQ) subclasses, corresponding to radiatively inefficient and efficient accretion regimes, respectively, largely based on the equivalent width (EW) of their optical broad emission lines (BELs). However, EW-based classification criteria are not physically motivated, and a few blazars have previously transitioned' from one subclass to the other. We present the first systematic search for these transition blazars in a sample of 602 unique pairs of repeat spectra of 354 blazars in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, finding six clear cases. These transition blazars have bolometric Eddington ratios of ∼0.3 and low-frequency synchrotron peaks, and are thus FSRQ-like. We show that the strong EW variability (up to an unprecedented factor of >60) is due to swamping of the BELs from variability in jet continuum emission, which is stronger in amplitude and shorter in timescale than typical blazars. Although these transition blazars appear to switch between FSRQ and BLL according to the phenomenologically based EW scheme, we show that they are most likely rare cases of FSRQs with radiatively efficient accretion flows and especially strongly beamed jets. These results have implications for the decrease of the apparent BLL population at high redshifts, and may lend credence to claims of a negative BLL redshift evolution.

[en] We present comprehensive X-ray point source catalogs of NGC 55, NGC 2403, and NGC 4214 as part of the Chandra Local Volume Survey. The combined archival observations have effective exposure times of 56.5 ks, 190 ks, and 79 ks for NGC 55, NGC 2403, and NGC 4214, respectively. When combined with our published catalogs for NGC 300 and NGC 404, our survey contains 629 X-ray sources total down to a limiting unabsorbed luminosity of $\sim <!--\; ???\; -->5\times <!--\; ??\; -->{10}^{35}$ erg s⁻¹ in the 0.35–8 keV band in each of the five galaxies. We present X-ray hardness ratios, spectral analysis, radial source distributions, and an analysis of the temporal variability for the X-ray sources detected at high significance. To constrain the nature of each X-ray source, we carried out cross-correlations with multi-wavelength data sets. We searched overlapping Hubble Space Telescope observations for optical counterparts to our X-ray detections to provide preliminary classifications for each X-ray source as a likely X-ray binary, background active galactic nucleus, supernova remnant, or foreground star.

[en] We present results from the largest systematic investigation of broad absorption line (BAL) acceleration to date. We use spectra of 140 quasars from three Sloan Digital Sky Survey programs to search for global velocity offsets in BALs over timescales of ≈2.5–5.5 years in the quasar rest frame. We carefully select acceleration candidates by requiring monolithic velocity shifts over the entire BAL trough, avoiding BALs with velocity shifts that might be caused by profile variability. The C iv BALs of two quasars show velocity shifts consistent with the expected signatures of BAL acceleration, and the BAL of one quasar shows a velocity-shift signature of deceleration. In our two acceleration candidates, we see evidence that the magnitude of the acceleration is not constant over time; the magnitudes of the change in acceleration for both acceleration candidates are difficult to produce with a standard disk-wind model or via geometric projection effects. We measure upper limits to acceleration and deceleration for 76 additional BAL troughs and find that the majority of BALs are stable to within about 3% of their mean velocities. The lack of widespread acceleration/deceleration could indicate that the gas producing most BALs is located at large radii from the central black hole and/or is not currently strongly interacting with ambient material within the host galaxy along our line of sight.

[en] We present an X-ray and multiwavelength study of 33 weak emission-line quasars (WLQs) and 18 quasars that are analogs of the extreme WLQ, PHL 1811, at $z\approx <!--\; ???\; -->0.5$–2.9. New Chandra 1.5–9.5 ks exploratory observations were obtained for 32 objects while the others have archival X-ray observations. Significant fractions of these luminous type 1 quasars are distinctly X-ray weak compared to typical quasars, including 16 (48%) of the WLQs and 17 (94%) of the PHL 1811 analogs with average X-ray weakness factors of 17 and 39, respectively. We measure a relatively hard ($\mathrm{\Gamma <!--\; ??\; -->}={1.16}_{-<!--\; ???\; -->0.32}^{+0.37}$) effective power-law photon index for a stack of the X-ray weak subsample, suggesting X-ray absorption, and spectral analysis of one PHL 1811 analog, J1521+5202, also indicates significant intrinsic X-ray absorption. We compare composite Sloan Digital Sky Survey spectra for the X-ray weak and X-ray normal populations and find several optical–UV tracers of X-ray weakness, e.g., Fe ii rest-frame equivalent width (REW) and relative color. We describe how orientation effects under our previously proposed “shielding-gas” scenario can likely unify the X-ray weak and X-ray normal populations. We suggest that the shielding gas may naturally be understood as a geometrically thick inner accretion disk that shields the broad line region from the ionizing continuum. If WLQs and PHL 1811 analogs have very high Eddington ratios, the inner disk could be significantly puffed up (e.g., a slim disk). Shielding of the broad emission-line region by a geometrically thick disk may have a significant role in setting the broad distributions of C iv REW and blueshift for quasars more generally.

[en] We consider how the profile and multi-year variability properties of a large sample of C IV Broad Absorption Line (BAL) troughs change when BALs from Si IV and/or Al III are present at corresponding velocities, indicating that the line of sight intercepts at least some lower ionization gas. We derive a number of observational results for C IV BALs separated according to the presence or absence of accompanying lower ionization transitions, including measurements of composite profile shapes, equivalent width (EW), characteristic velocities, composite variation profiles, and EW variability. We also measure the correlations between EW and fractional-EW variability for C IV, Si IV, and Al III. Our measurements reveal the basic correlated changes between ionization level, kinematics, and column density expected in accretion-disk wind models; e.g., lines of sight including lower ionization material generally show deeper and broader C IV troughs that have smaller minimum velocities and that are less variable. Many C IV BALs with no accompanying Si IV or Al III BALs may have only mild or no saturation.

[en] We present a detailed investigation of the variability of 428 C IV and 235 Si IV broad absorption line (BAL) troughs identified in multi-epoch observations of 291 quasars by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey-I/II/III. These observations primarily sample rest-frame timescales of 1-3.7 yr over which significant rearrangement of the BAL wind is expected. We derive a number of observational results on, e.g., the frequency of BAL variability, the velocity range over which BAL variability occurs, the primary observed form of BAL-trough variability, the dependence of BAL variability upon timescale, the frequency of BAL strengthening versus weakening, correlations between BAL variability and BAL-trough profiles, relations between C IV and Si IV BAL variability, coordinated multi-trough variability, and BAL variations as a function of quasar properties. We assess implications of these observational results for quasar winds. Our results support models where most BAL absorption is formed within an order-of-magnitude of the wind-launching radius, although a significant minority of BAL troughs may arise on larger scales. We estimate an average lifetime for a BAL trough along our line-of-sight of a few thousand years. BAL disappearance and emergence events appear to be extremes of general BAL variability, rather than being qualitatively distinct phenomena. We derive the parameters of a random-walk model for BAL EW variability, finding that this model can acceptably describe some key aspects of EW variability. The coordinated trough variability of BAL quasars with multiple troughs suggests that changes in 'shielding gas' may play a significant role in driving general BAL variability