Evidence for a maximum jet efficiency for the most powerful radio galaxies
View/ Open
Author
Fernandes, C.A.C.
Jarvis, M.J.
Rawlings, S.
Martinez-Sansigre, A.
Hatziminaoglou, E.
Lacy, M.
Page, M.J.
Stevens, Jason
Vardoulaki, E.
Attention
2299/6292
Abstract
We use new mid-infrared (mid-IR) photometry from the Spitzer Space Telescope to study the relations between low-frequency radio luminosity density L-nu 151 (MHz), mid-IR (12 mu m rest frame) luminosity nu L-nu 12 (mu m) and optical emission-line ([O II]) luminosity L-[O II], for a complete sample of z similar to 1 radio galaxies from the 3CRR, 6CE, 6C*, 7CRS and TOOT00 surveys. The narrow redshift span of our sample (0.9 < z < 1.1) means that it is unbiased to evolutionary effects. We find evidence that these three quantities are positively correlated. The scaling between nu L-nu 12 (mu m) and L-[O II] is similar to that seen in other active galactic nuclei samples, consistent with both nu L-nu 12 (mu m) and L-[O II] tracing accretion rate. We show that the positive correlation between nu L-nu 12 (mu m) and L-nu 151 (MHz) implies that there is a genuine lack of objects with low values of nu L-nu 12 (mu m) at high values of L-nu 151 (MHz). Given that nu L-nu 12 (mu m) traces accretion rate, while L-nu 151 (MHz) traces jet power, this can be understood in terms of a minimum accretion rate being necessary to produce a given jet power. This implies that there is a maximum efficiency with which accreted energy can be chanelled into jet power and this efficiency is of the order of unity.
Publication date
2011-03Published in
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical SocietyPublished version
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2966.2010.17820.xOther links
http://hdl.handle.net/2299/6292Metadata
Show full item recordRelated items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
The H alpha galaxy survey. I. The galaxy sample, H alpha narrow-band observations and star formation parameters for 334 galaxies
James, P.A.; Shane, N.S.; Beckman, J.E.; Cardwell, A.; Collins, C.A.; Etherton, J.; de Jong, R.S.; Fathi, K.; Knapen, J.; Peletier, R.F.; Percival, S.M.; Pollacco, D.L.; Seigar, M.S.; Stedman, S. (2004)We discuss the selection and observations of a large sample of nearby galaxies, which we are using to quantify the star formation activity in the local Universe. The sample consists of 334 galaxies across all Hubble types ... -
On the Key Processes that Drive Galaxy Evolution: the Role of Galaxy Mergers, Accretion, Local Environment and Feedback in Shaping the Present-Day Universe
Martin, Garreth (2019-07-17)The study of galaxy evolution is a fundamental discipline in modern astrophysics, dealing with how and why galaxies of all types evolve over time. The diversity of present-day galaxies is a reflection of the processes ... -
Circumnuclear regions in barred spiral galaxies - II. Relations to host galaxies
Knapen, J.; Perez-Ramirez, D.; Laine, S. (2002-12)