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Abstract
We study the nature of the faint radio source population detected in the
MeerKAT International GHz Tiered Extragalactic Exploration (MIGHTEE)
Early Science data in the COSMOS field, focusing on the properties of
the radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Using the extensive
multiwavelength data available in the field, we are able to classify 88
per cent of the 5223 radio sources in the field with host galaxy
identifications as AGNs (35 per cent) or star-forming galaxies (54
per cent). We select a sample of radio-loud AGNs with redshifts out to z ∼ 6 and radio luminosities 1020 < L1.4 GHz/W Hz−1 < 1027
and classify them as high-excitation and low-excitation radio galaxies
(HERGs and LERGs). The classification catalogue is released with this
work. We find no significant difference in the host galaxy properties of
the HERGs and LERGs in our sample. In contrast to previous work, we
find that the HERGs and LERGs have very similar Eddington-scaled
accretion rates; in particular we identify a population of very slowly
accreting AGNs that are formally classified as HERGs at these low radio
luminosities, where separating into HERGs and LERGs possibly becomes
redundant. We investigate how black hole mass affects jet power, and
find that a black hole mass ≳ 107.8 M⊙ is required to power a jet with mechanical power greater than the radiative luminosity of the AGN (Lmech/Lbol
> 1). We discuss that both a high black hole mass and black hole
spin may be necessary to launch and sustain a dominant radio jet.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 245-263 |
Number of pages | 18 |
Journal | Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society |
Volume | 516 |
Issue number | 1 |
Early online date | 1 Aug 2022 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Oct 2022 |
Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)
- astro-ph.GA
- astro-ph.CO
Fingerprint
Dive into the research topics of 'MIGHTEE: the nature of the radio-loud AGN population: the nature of the radio-loud AGN population'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Projects
- 1 Finished
-
Studying The Influence Of Dark Matter Environments On Galaxy Evolution Over Time
Hale, C.
1/11/20 → 31/10/23
Project: Research