Hubble Space Telescope Near Infrared Snapshot Survey of 3CR radio source counterparts III: Radio galaxies and quasars in context

Abstract

We compare the near-infrared (NIR) H band photometric and morphological properties of low-redshift (z<0.3) 3CR radio galaxies with samples of BL Lac object and quasar host galaxies, merger remnants, quiescent elliptical galaxies, and brightest cluster galaxies drawn from the literature. In general the 3CR host galaxies are consistent with luminous (~L*) elliptical galaxies. The vast majority of FR II's (~80%) occupy the most massive ellipticals and form a homogeneous population that is comparable to the population of radio-loud quasar (RLQ) host galaxies in the literature. However, a significant minority (~20%) of the 3CR FR II's appears under-luminous with respect to quasar host galaxies. All FR II objects in this faint tail are either unusually red, or appear to be the brightest objects within a group. We discuss the apparent differences between the radio galaxy and RLQ host galaxy populations. RLQs appear to require >1E11 M_sun host galaxies (and ~1E9 M_sun black holes), whereas radio galaxies and RQQs can exist in galaxies down to 3E10 M_sun. This may be due to biases in the measured quasar host galaxy luminosities or populations studied, or due to a genuine difference in host galaxy. If due to a genuine difference, it would support the idea that radio and optical active galactic nucleii are two separate populations with a significant overlap.

arXiv comment17 pages, 15 figures. Accepted for publication in ApJ.

References in corpus (40)

• Maps of Dust IR Emission for Use in Estimation of Reddening and CMBR Foregrounds
• The Dependence of Star Formation History and Internal Structure on Stellar Mass for 10^5 Low-Redshift Galaxies
• The host galaxies of radio-loud AGN: mass dependencies, gas cooling and AGN feedback
• The ACS Virgo Cluster Survey. VI. Isophotal Analysis and the Structure of Early-Type Galaxies
• Quasars, their host galaxies, and their central black holes
• HST photometry of dwarf elliptical galaxies in Coma, and an explanation for the alleged structural dichotomy between dwarf and bright elliptical galaxies
• A 20cm VLA Survey of Abell Clusters of Galaxies VI. Radio/Optical Luminosity Functions
• Candidate Type II Quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey: I. Selection and Optical Properties of a Sample at 0.3<Z<0.83
• Radio sources in the 6dFGS: Local luminosity functions at 1.4 GHz for star-forming galaxies and radio-loud AGN
• On the prevalence of radio-loud AGN in brightest cluster galaxies: implications for AGN heating of cooling flows
• A comparative HST imaging study of the host galaxies of radio-quiet quasars, radio-loud quasars and radio galaxies: Paper I
• A New Empirical Model for the Structural Analysis of Early-type Galaxies and a Critical Review of the Nuker Model
• The HST Survey of BL Lacertae Objects. II. Host Galaxies
• A simple model for the size-evolution of elliptical galaxies
• The dividing line between FR I and FR II radio--galaxies
• Relativistic Jets and the Fanaroff-Riley Classification of Radio Galaxies
• Brightest Cluster Galaxy Profile Shapes
• Evidence for Merger Remnants in Early-Type Host Galaxies of Low-Redshift QSOs
• Intracluster light and the extended stellar envelopes of cD galaxies: An analytical description
• The host galaxies of luminous quasars
• Type II Quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey: V. Imaging host galaxies with the Hubble Space Telescope
• An optical spectroscopic survey of the 3CR sample of radio galaxies with z<0.3. I. Presentation of the data
• Polarimetry and Unification of Low-Redshift Radio Galaxies
• Dry Mergers: A Crucial Test for Galaxy Formation
• Hubble Space Telescope Near-Infrared Snapshot Survey of 3CR radio source counterparts at low redshift
• Decomposition of the Host Galaxies of Active Galactic Nuclei Using Hubble Space Telescope Images
• WFPC2 LRF Imaging of Emission Line Nebulae in 3CR Radio Galaxies
• NICMOS Observations of Low-Redshift Quasar Host Galaxies
• An Unusual Radio Galaxy in Abell 428: A Large, Powerful FR I Source in a Disk-Dominated Host
• The Fundamental Plane of Radio Galaxies
• Ultraviolet HST Snapshot Survey of 3CR Radio Source Counterparts at Low Redshift
• A Large-Scale Jet and FR I Radio Source in a Spiral Galaxy: The Host Properties and External Environment
• The Apparent Host Galaxy of PKS 1413+135: HST, ASCA and VLBA Observations
• Galaxy surface photometry
• Enormous disc of cool gas surrounding the nearby powerful radio galaxy NGC 612 (PKS 0131-36)
• Unveiling the Sigma-Discrepancy in IR-Luminous Mergers I: Dust & Dynamics
• HST NIR Snapshot Survey of 3CR Radio Source Counterparts II: An Atlas and Inventory of the Host Galaxies, Mergers and Companions
• Bulges and disks in the Host Galaxies of low redshift 3CR Sources: a near-IR view of their radial brightness profile
• 1.65 micron H-band Surface Photometry of Galaxies. X: Structural and Dynamical Properties of Elliptical Galaxies
• The Contribution from Scattered Light to Quasar Galaxy Hosts

Cited by in corpus (6)

• What Drives the Growth of Black Holes?
• Stellar Photometric Structures of the Host Galaxies of Nearby Type 1 Active Galactic Nuclei
• Black-hole masses, accretion rates and hot- and cold-mode accretion in radio galaxies at z~1
• HST emission-line images of nearby 3CR radio galaxies: two photoionization, accretion and feedback modes
• Providing stringent star formation rate limits of z$\sim$2 QSO host galaxies at high angular resolution
• The dependence of the fraction of radio luminous quasars on redshift and its theoretical implications