Redshift determination of the BL Lac object 3C 66A by the detection of its host galaxy cluster at z = 0.340

Autores
Torres Zafra, Juanita; Cellone, Sergio Aldo; Buzzoni, Alberto; Andruchow, Ileana; Portilla Barbosa, José Gregorio
Año de publicación
2018
Idioma
inglés
Tipo de recurso
artículo
Estado
versión publicada
Descripción
The BL Lac object 3C 66A is one of the most luminous extragalactic sources at TeV γ -rays (very high energy, i.e. E > 100 GeV). Since TeVγ -ray radiation is absorbed by the extragalactic background light (EBL), it is crucial to knowthe redshift of the source in order to reconstruct its original spectral energy distribution, as well as to constrain EBL models. However, the optical spectrum of this BL Lac is almost featureless, so a direct measurement of z is very difficult; in fact, the published redshift value for this source (z=0.444) has been strongly questioned. Based on EBL absorption arguments, several constraints to its redshift, in the range 0.096 < z < 0.5, were proposed. Since these active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are hosted, typically, in early-type galaxies that are members of groups or clusters, we have analysed spectro-photometrically the environment of 3C 66A, with the goal of finding the galaxy group hosting this blazar. This study was made using optical images of a 5.5 × 5.5 arcmin2 field centred on the blazar, and spectra of 24 sources obtained with Gemini/GMOS-N multi-object spectroscopy. We found spectroscopic evidence of two galaxy groups along the blazar´s line of sight: one at z ≃ 0.020 and the second one at z ≃ 0.340. The first one is consistent with a known foreground structure, while the second group presented here has six spectroscopically confirmed members. Their location along a red sequence in the colour-magnitude diagram allows us to identify 34 additional candidate members of the more distant group. The blazar´s spectrum shows broad absorption features that we identify as arising in the intergalactic medium, thus allowing us to tentatively set a redshift lower limit at z3C66A ≳ 0.33. As a consequence, we propose that 3C 66A is hosted in a galaxy that belongs to a cluster at z = 0.340.
Fil: Torres Zafra, Juanita. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Astrofísica La Plata. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas. Instituto de Astrofísica La Plata; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas; Argentina
Fil: Cellone, Sergio Aldo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Juan. Complejo Astronómico "El Leoncito". Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Complejo Astronómico "El Leoncito". Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Complejo Astronómico "El Leoncito". Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Complejo Astronómico "El Leoncito"; Argentina
Fil: Buzzoni, Alberto. Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica; Italia
Fil: Andruchow, Ileana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Astrofísica La Plata. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas. Instituto de Astrofísica La Plata; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas; Argentina
Fil: Portilla Barbosa, José Gregorio. Universidad Nacional de Colombia; Colombia
Materia
Bl Lacertae Objects: Individual: 3c66a
Galaxies: Clusters: General
Galaxies: Distances And Redshifts
Nivel de accesibilidad
acceso abierto
Condiciones de uso
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ar/
Repositorio
CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Institución
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
OAI Identificador
oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/87892

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network_name_str CONICET Digital (CONICET)
spelling Redshift determination of the BL Lac object 3C 66A by the detection of its host galaxy cluster at z = 0.340Torres Zafra, JuanitaCellone, Sergio AldoBuzzoni, AlbertoAndruchow, IleanaPortilla Barbosa, José GregorioBl Lacertae Objects: Individual: 3c66aGalaxies: Clusters: GeneralGalaxies: Distances And Redshiftshttps://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.3https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1The BL Lac object 3C 66A is one of the most luminous extragalactic sources at TeV γ -rays (very high energy, i.e. E > 100 GeV). Since TeVγ -ray radiation is absorbed by the extragalactic background light (EBL), it is crucial to knowthe redshift of the source in order to reconstruct its original spectral energy distribution, as well as to constrain EBL models. However, the optical spectrum of this BL Lac is almost featureless, so a direct measurement of z is very difficult; in fact, the published redshift value for this source (z=0.444) has been strongly questioned. Based on EBL absorption arguments, several constraints to its redshift, in the range 0.096 < z < 0.5, were proposed. Since these active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are hosted, typically, in early-type galaxies that are members of groups or clusters, we have analysed spectro-photometrically the environment of 3C 66A, with the goal of finding the galaxy group hosting this blazar. This study was made using optical images of a 5.5 × 5.5 arcmin2 field centred on the blazar, and spectra of 24 sources obtained with Gemini/GMOS-N multi-object spectroscopy. We found spectroscopic evidence of two galaxy groups along the blazar´s line of sight: one at z ≃ 0.020 and the second one at z ≃ 0.340. The first one is consistent with a known foreground structure, while the second group presented here has six spectroscopically confirmed members. Their location along a red sequence in the colour-magnitude diagram allows us to identify 34 additional candidate members of the more distant group. The blazar´s spectrum shows broad absorption features that we identify as arising in the intergalactic medium, thus allowing us to tentatively set a redshift lower limit at z3C66A ≳ 0.33. As a consequence, we propose that 3C 66A is hosted in a galaxy that belongs to a cluster at z = 0.340.Fil: Torres Zafra, Juanita. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Astrofísica La Plata. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas. Instituto de Astrofísica La Plata; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas; ArgentinaFil: Cellone, Sergio Aldo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Juan. Complejo Astronómico "El Leoncito". Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Complejo Astronómico "El Leoncito". Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Complejo Astronómico "El Leoncito". Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Complejo Astronómico "El Leoncito"; ArgentinaFil: Buzzoni, Alberto. Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica; ItaliaFil: Andruchow, Ileana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Astrofísica La Plata. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas. Instituto de Astrofísica La Plata; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas; ArgentinaFil: Portilla Barbosa, José Gregorio. Universidad Nacional de Colombia; ColombiaWiley Blackwell Publishing, Inc2018-03info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionhttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501info:ar-repo/semantics/articuloapplication/pdfapplication/pdfapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/11336/87892Torres Zafra, Juanita; Cellone, Sergio Aldo; Buzzoni, Alberto; Andruchow, Ileana; Portilla Barbosa, José Gregorio; Redshift determination of the BL Lac object 3C 66A by the detection of its host galaxy cluster at z = 0.340; Wiley Blackwell Publishing, Inc; Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society; 474; 3; 3-2018; 3162-31720035-8711CONICET DigitalCONICETenginfo:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article-abstract/474/3/3162/4349751?redirectedFrom=PDFinfo:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1093/mnras/stx2561info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccesshttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ar/reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET)instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas2025-09-29T10:28:50Zoai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/87892instacron:CONICETInstitucionalhttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/Organismo científico-tecnológicoNo correspondehttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/oai/requestdasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.arArgentinaNo correspondeNo correspondeNo correspondeopendoar:34982025-09-29 10:28:50.362CONICET Digital (CONICET) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicasfalse
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Redshift determination of the BL Lac object 3C 66A by the detection of its host galaxy cluster at z = 0.340
title Redshift determination of the BL Lac object 3C 66A by the detection of its host galaxy cluster at z = 0.340
spellingShingle Redshift determination of the BL Lac object 3C 66A by the detection of its host galaxy cluster at z = 0.340
Torres Zafra, Juanita
Bl Lacertae Objects: Individual: 3c66a
Galaxies: Clusters: General
Galaxies: Distances And Redshifts
title_short Redshift determination of the BL Lac object 3C 66A by the detection of its host galaxy cluster at z = 0.340
title_full Redshift determination of the BL Lac object 3C 66A by the detection of its host galaxy cluster at z = 0.340
title_fullStr Redshift determination of the BL Lac object 3C 66A by the detection of its host galaxy cluster at z = 0.340
title_full_unstemmed Redshift determination of the BL Lac object 3C 66A by the detection of its host galaxy cluster at z = 0.340
title_sort Redshift determination of the BL Lac object 3C 66A by the detection of its host galaxy cluster at z = 0.340
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Torres Zafra, Juanita
Cellone, Sergio Aldo
Buzzoni, Alberto
Andruchow, Ileana
Portilla Barbosa, José Gregorio
author Torres Zafra, Juanita
author_facet Torres Zafra, Juanita
Cellone, Sergio Aldo
Buzzoni, Alberto
Andruchow, Ileana
Portilla Barbosa, José Gregorio
author_role author
author2 Cellone, Sergio Aldo
Buzzoni, Alberto
Andruchow, Ileana
Portilla Barbosa, José Gregorio
author2_role author
author
author
author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Bl Lacertae Objects: Individual: 3c66a
Galaxies: Clusters: General
Galaxies: Distances And Redshifts
topic Bl Lacertae Objects: Individual: 3c66a
Galaxies: Clusters: General
Galaxies: Distances And Redshifts
purl_subject.fl_str_mv https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.3
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1
dc.description.none.fl_txt_mv The BL Lac object 3C 66A is one of the most luminous extragalactic sources at TeV γ -rays (very high energy, i.e. E > 100 GeV). Since TeVγ -ray radiation is absorbed by the extragalactic background light (EBL), it is crucial to knowthe redshift of the source in order to reconstruct its original spectral energy distribution, as well as to constrain EBL models. However, the optical spectrum of this BL Lac is almost featureless, so a direct measurement of z is very difficult; in fact, the published redshift value for this source (z=0.444) has been strongly questioned. Based on EBL absorption arguments, several constraints to its redshift, in the range 0.096 < z < 0.5, were proposed. Since these active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are hosted, typically, in early-type galaxies that are members of groups or clusters, we have analysed spectro-photometrically the environment of 3C 66A, with the goal of finding the galaxy group hosting this blazar. This study was made using optical images of a 5.5 × 5.5 arcmin2 field centred on the blazar, and spectra of 24 sources obtained with Gemini/GMOS-N multi-object spectroscopy. We found spectroscopic evidence of two galaxy groups along the blazar´s line of sight: one at z ≃ 0.020 and the second one at z ≃ 0.340. The first one is consistent with a known foreground structure, while the second group presented here has six spectroscopically confirmed members. Their location along a red sequence in the colour-magnitude diagram allows us to identify 34 additional candidate members of the more distant group. The blazar´s spectrum shows broad absorption features that we identify as arising in the intergalactic medium, thus allowing us to tentatively set a redshift lower limit at z3C66A ≳ 0.33. As a consequence, we propose that 3C 66A is hosted in a galaxy that belongs to a cluster at z = 0.340.
Fil: Torres Zafra, Juanita. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Astrofísica La Plata. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas. Instituto de Astrofísica La Plata; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas; Argentina
Fil: Cellone, Sergio Aldo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Juan. Complejo Astronómico "El Leoncito". Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Complejo Astronómico "El Leoncito". Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Complejo Astronómico "El Leoncito". Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Complejo Astronómico "El Leoncito"; Argentina
Fil: Buzzoni, Alberto. Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica; Italia
Fil: Andruchow, Ileana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Astrofísica La Plata. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas. Instituto de Astrofísica La Plata; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas; Argentina
Fil: Portilla Barbosa, José Gregorio. Universidad Nacional de Colombia; Colombia
description The BL Lac object 3C 66A is one of the most luminous extragalactic sources at TeV γ -rays (very high energy, i.e. E > 100 GeV). Since TeVγ -ray radiation is absorbed by the extragalactic background light (EBL), it is crucial to knowthe redshift of the source in order to reconstruct its original spectral energy distribution, as well as to constrain EBL models. However, the optical spectrum of this BL Lac is almost featureless, so a direct measurement of z is very difficult; in fact, the published redshift value for this source (z=0.444) has been strongly questioned. Based on EBL absorption arguments, several constraints to its redshift, in the range 0.096 < z < 0.5, were proposed. Since these active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are hosted, typically, in early-type galaxies that are members of groups or clusters, we have analysed spectro-photometrically the environment of 3C 66A, with the goal of finding the galaxy group hosting this blazar. This study was made using optical images of a 5.5 × 5.5 arcmin2 field centred on the blazar, and spectra of 24 sources obtained with Gemini/GMOS-N multi-object spectroscopy. We found spectroscopic evidence of two galaxy groups along the blazar´s line of sight: one at z ≃ 0.020 and the second one at z ≃ 0.340. The first one is consistent with a known foreground structure, while the second group presented here has six spectroscopically confirmed members. Their location along a red sequence in the colour-magnitude diagram allows us to identify 34 additional candidate members of the more distant group. The blazar´s spectrum shows broad absorption features that we identify as arising in the intergalactic medium, thus allowing us to tentatively set a redshift lower limit at z3C66A ≳ 0.33. As a consequence, we propose that 3C 66A is hosted in a galaxy that belongs to a cluster at z = 0.340.
publishDate 2018
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2018-03
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
info:ar-repo/semantics/articulo
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/11336/87892
Torres Zafra, Juanita; Cellone, Sergio Aldo; Buzzoni, Alberto; Andruchow, Ileana; Portilla Barbosa, José Gregorio; Redshift determination of the BL Lac object 3C 66A by the detection of its host galaxy cluster at z = 0.340; Wiley Blackwell Publishing, Inc; Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society; 474; 3; 3-2018; 3162-3172
0035-8711
CONICET Digital
CONICET
url http://hdl.handle.net/11336/87892
identifier_str_mv Torres Zafra, Juanita; Cellone, Sergio Aldo; Buzzoni, Alberto; Andruchow, Ileana; Portilla Barbosa, José Gregorio; Redshift determination of the BL Lac object 3C 66A by the detection of its host galaxy cluster at z = 0.340; Wiley Blackwell Publishing, Inc; Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society; 474; 3; 3-2018; 3162-3172
0035-8711
CONICET Digital
CONICET
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv eng
language eng
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info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1093/mnras/stx2561
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https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ar/
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dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
application/pdf
application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Wiley Blackwell Publishing, Inc
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Wiley Blackwell Publishing, Inc
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET)
instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
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repository.mail.fl_str_mv dasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.ar
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