Testing diagnostics of nuclear activity and star formation in galaxies at z > 1

Jonathan R. Trump, Nicholas P. Konidaris, Guillermo Barro, David C. Koo, Dale D. Kocevski, Stéphanie Juneau, Benjamin J. Weiner, S. M. Faber, Ian S. McLean, Renbin Yan, Pablo G. Pérez-González, Victor Villar

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

50 Scopus citations

Abstract

We present some of the first science data with the new Keck/MOSFIRE instrument to test the effectiveness of different AGN/SF diagnostics at z ∼ 1.5. MOSFIRE spectra were obtained in three H-band multi-slit masks in the GOODS-S field, resulting in 2 hr exposures of 36 emission-line galaxies. We compare X-ray data with the traditional emission-line ratio diagnostics and the alternative mass-excitation and color-excitation diagrams, combining new MOSFIRE infrared data with previous HST/WFC3 infrared spectra (from the 3D-HST survey) and multiwavelength photometry. We demonstrate that a high [O III]/Hβ ratio is insufficient as an active galactic nucleus (AGN) indicator at z > 1. For the four X-ray-detected galaxies, the classic diagnostics ([O III]/Hβ versus [N II]/Hα and [S II]/Hα) remain consistent with X-ray AGN/SF classification. The X-ray data also suggest that "composite" galaxies (with intermediate AGN/SF classification) host bona fide AGNs. Nearly ∼2/3 of the z ∼ 1.5 emission-line galaxies have nuclear activity detected by either X-rays or the classic diagnostics. Compared to the X-ray and line ratio classifications, the mass-excitation method remains effective at z > 1, but we show that the color-excitation method requires a new calibration to successfully identify AGNs at these redshifts.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article numberL6
JournalAstrophysical Journal Letters
Volume763
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 20 2013

Keywords

  • galaxies: Seyfert
  • galaxies: active
  • galaxies: fundamental parameters
  • galaxies: nuclei

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Astronomy and Astrophysics
  • Space and Planetary Science

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