Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics – Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2011-09-21
2011, ApJ 740, L49
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics
Apj in press; 5 pages, 3 figures emulateapj
Scientific paper
10.1088/2041-8205/740/2/L49
Accurate distances to celestial objects are key to establishing the age and energy density of the Universe and the nature of dark energy. A distance measure using active galactic nuclei (AGN) has been sought for more than forty years, as they are extremely luminous and can be observed at very large distances. We report here the discovery of an accurate luminosity distance measure using AGN. We use the tight relationship between the luminosity of an AGN and the radius of its broad line region established via reverberation mapping to determine the luminosity distances to a sample of 38 AGN. All reliable distance measures up to now have been limited to moderate redshift -- AGN will, for the first time, allow distances to be estimated to z~4, where variations of dark energy and alternate gravity theories can be probed.
Davis Tamara M.
Denney Kelly D.
Vestergaard Marianne
Watson Dan
No associations
LandOfFree
A new cosmological distance measure using AGN does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with A new cosmological distance measure using AGN, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and A new cosmological distance measure using AGN will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-258320