The Relativistic Jet Dichotomy and the End of the Blazar Sequence. (arXiv:2007.12661v2 [astro-ph.GA] UPDATED)
<a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Keenan_M/0/1/0/all/0/1">Mary Keenan</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Meyer_E/0/1/0/all/0/1">Eileen T. Meyer</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Georganopoulos_M/0/1/0/all/0/1">Markos Georganopoulos</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Reddy_K/0/1/0/all/0/1">Karthik Reddy</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+French_O/0/1/0/all/0/1">Omar J. French</a>
Our understanding of the unification of jetted AGN has evolved greatly as jet
samples have increased in size. Here, based on the largest-ever sample of over
2000 well-sampled jet spectral energy distributions, we examine the synchrotron
peak frequency — peak luminosity plane, and find little evidence for the
anti-correlation known as the blazar sequence. Instead, we find strong evidence
for a dichotomy in jets, between those associated with efficient or
`quasar-mode’ accretion (strong/type II jets) and those associated with
inefficient accretion (weak/type I jets). Type II jets include those hosted by
high-excitation radio galaxies, flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQ), and most
low-frequency-peaked BL Lac objects. Type I jets include those hosted by
low-excitation radio galaxies and blazars with synchrotron peak frequency above
10^15 Hz (nearly all BL Lac objects). We have derived estimates of the total
jet power for over 1000 of our sources from low-frequency radio observations,
and find that the jet dichotomy does not correspond to a division in jet power.
Rather, type II jets are produced at all observed jet powers, down to the
lowest levels in our sample, while type I jets range from very low to
moderately high jet powers, with a clear upper bound at ~10^43 erg/s The range
of jet power in each class matches exactly what is expected for efficient
(i.e., a few to 100% Eddington) or inefficient (<0.5% Eddington) accretion onto
black holes ranging in mass from 10^7-10^9.5 M_sol.
Our understanding of the unification of jetted AGN has evolved greatly as jet
samples have increased in size. Here, based on the largest-ever sample of over
2000 well-sampled jet spectral energy distributions, we examine the synchrotron
peak frequency — peak luminosity plane, and find little evidence for the
anti-correlation known as the blazar sequence. Instead, we find strong evidence
for a dichotomy in jets, between those associated with efficient or
`quasar-mode’ accretion (strong/type II jets) and those associated with
inefficient accretion (weak/type I jets). Type II jets include those hosted by
high-excitation radio galaxies, flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQ), and most
low-frequency-peaked BL Lac objects. Type I jets include those hosted by
low-excitation radio galaxies and blazars with synchrotron peak frequency above
10^15 Hz (nearly all BL Lac objects). We have derived estimates of the total
jet power for over 1000 of our sources from low-frequency radio observations,
and find that the jet dichotomy does not correspond to a division in jet power.
Rather, type II jets are produced at all observed jet powers, down to the
lowest levels in our sample, while type I jets range from very low to
moderately high jet powers, with a clear upper bound at ~10^43 erg/s The range
of jet power in each class matches exactly what is expected for efficient
(i.e., a few to 100% Eddington) or inefficient (<0.5% Eddington) accretion onto
black holes ranging in mass from 10^7-10^9.5 M_sol.
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