Galaxy Zoo: Are Bars Responsible for the Feeding of Active Galactic Nuclei at 0.2 < z < 1.0?
We present a new study investigating whether active galactic nuclei (AGN) beyond the local universe are preferentially fed via large-scale bars. Our investigation combines data from Chandra and Galaxy Zoo: Hubble (GZH) in the AEGIS, COSMOS, and GOODS-S surveys to create samples of face-on, disc gala...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal article |
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2014
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| _version_ | 1826296552643100672 |
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| author | Cheung, E Trump, JR Athanassoula, E Bamford, S Bell, E Bosma, A Cardamone, C Casteels, K Faber, S Fang, J Fortson, L Kocevski, D Koo, D Laine, S Lintott, C Masters, K Melvin, T Nichol, R Schawinski, K Simmons, B Smethurst, R Willett, K |
| author_facet | Cheung, E Trump, JR Athanassoula, E Bamford, S Bell, E Bosma, A Cardamone, C Casteels, K Faber, S Fang, J Fortson, L Kocevski, D Koo, D Laine, S Lintott, C Masters, K Melvin, T Nichol, R Schawinski, K Simmons, B Smethurst, R Willett, K |
| author_sort | Cheung, E |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | We present a new study investigating whether active galactic nuclei (AGN) beyond the local universe are preferentially fed via large-scale bars. Our investigation combines data from Chandra and Galaxy Zoo: Hubble (GZH) in the AEGIS, COSMOS, and GOODS-S surveys to create samples of face-on, disc galaxies at 0.2 < z < 1.0. We use a novel method to robustly compare a sample of 120 AGN host galaxies, defined to have 10^42 erg/s < L_X < 10^44 erg/s, with inactive control galaxies matched in stellar mass, rest-frame colour, size, Sersic index, and redshift. Using the GZH bar classifications of each sample, we demonstrate that AGN hosts show no statistically significant enhancement in bar fraction or average bar likelihood compared to closely-matched inactive galaxies. In detail, we find that the AGN bar fraction cannot be enhanced above the control bar fraction by more than a factor of two, at 99.7% confidence. We similarly find no significant difference in the AGN fraction among barred and non-barred galaxies. Thus we find no compelling evidence that large-scale bars directly fuel AGN at 0.2<z<1.0. agn="" at="" bar="" bars="" been="" by="" coupled="" fed="" fractions="" furthermore,="" given="" have="" implies="" large-scale="" low="" moderate-luminosity="" not="" preferentially="" previous="" result,="" results="" since="" that="" the="" this="" with="" z="">1, our findings suggest that large-scale bars have likely never directly been a dominant fueling mechanism for supermassive black hole growth.</z<1.0.> |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T04:18:06Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:ca158f2e-458f-4dbd-b83f-d6d89f55f6e6 |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T04:18:06Z |
| publishDate | 2014 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:ca158f2e-458f-4dbd-b83f-d6d89f55f6e62022-03-27T07:04:50ZGalaxy Zoo: Are Bars Responsible for the Feeding of Active Galactic Nuclei at 0.2 < z < 1.0?Journal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:ca158f2e-458f-4dbd-b83f-d6d89f55f6e6Symplectic Elements at Oxford2014Cheung, ETrump, JRAthanassoula, EBamford, SBell, EBosma, ACardamone, CCasteels, KFaber, SFang, JFortson, LKocevski, DKoo, DLaine, SLintott, CMasters, KMelvin, TNichol, RSchawinski, KSimmons, BSmethurst, RWillett, KWe present a new study investigating whether active galactic nuclei (AGN) beyond the local universe are preferentially fed via large-scale bars. Our investigation combines data from Chandra and Galaxy Zoo: Hubble (GZH) in the AEGIS, COSMOS, and GOODS-S surveys to create samples of face-on, disc galaxies at 0.2 < z < 1.0. We use a novel method to robustly compare a sample of 120 AGN host galaxies, defined to have 10^42 erg/s < L_X < 10^44 erg/s, with inactive control galaxies matched in stellar mass, rest-frame colour, size, Sersic index, and redshift. Using the GZH bar classifications of each sample, we demonstrate that AGN hosts show no statistically significant enhancement in bar fraction or average bar likelihood compared to closely-matched inactive galaxies. In detail, we find that the AGN bar fraction cannot be enhanced above the control bar fraction by more than a factor of two, at 99.7% confidence. We similarly find no significant difference in the AGN fraction among barred and non-barred galaxies. Thus we find no compelling evidence that large-scale bars directly fuel AGN at 0.2<z<1.0. agn="" at="" bar="" bars="" been="" by="" coupled="" fed="" fractions="" furthermore,="" given="" have="" implies="" large-scale="" low="" moderate-luminosity="" not="" preferentially="" previous="" result,="" results="" since="" that="" the="" this="" with="" z="">1, our findings suggest that large-scale bars have likely never directly been a dominant fueling mechanism for supermassive black hole growth.</z<1.0.> |
| spellingShingle | Cheung, E Trump, JR Athanassoula, E Bamford, S Bell, E Bosma, A Cardamone, C Casteels, K Faber, S Fang, J Fortson, L Kocevski, D Koo, D Laine, S Lintott, C Masters, K Melvin, T Nichol, R Schawinski, K Simmons, B Smethurst, R Willett, K Galaxy Zoo: Are Bars Responsible for the Feeding of Active Galactic Nuclei at 0.2 < z < 1.0? |
| title | Galaxy Zoo: Are Bars Responsible for the Feeding of Active Galactic
Nuclei at 0.2 < z < 1.0? |
| title_full | Galaxy Zoo: Are Bars Responsible for the Feeding of Active Galactic
Nuclei at 0.2 < z < 1.0? |
| title_fullStr | Galaxy Zoo: Are Bars Responsible for the Feeding of Active Galactic
Nuclei at 0.2 < z < 1.0? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Galaxy Zoo: Are Bars Responsible for the Feeding of Active Galactic
Nuclei at 0.2 < z < 1.0? |
| title_short | Galaxy Zoo: Are Bars Responsible for the Feeding of Active Galactic
Nuclei at 0.2 < z < 1.0? |
| title_sort | galaxy zoo are bars responsible for the feeding of active galactic nuclei at 0 2 lt z lt 1 0 |
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