Open AccessThe Wide‐field Infrared Survey Explorer view of the disc–torus connection in active galactic nuclei
Author(s) -
Calderone G.,
Sbarrato T.,
Ghisellini G.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
monthly notices of the royal astronomical society: letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.067
H-Index - 122
eISSN - 1745-3933
pISSN - 1745-3925
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-3933.2012.01296.x
Subject(s) - torus , active galactic nucleus , physics , astrophysics , sky , infrared , quasar , astronomy , luminosity , accretion (finance) , redshift , field (mathematics) , galaxy , geometry , mathematics , pure mathematics
We selected all radio‐quiet active galactic nuclei (AGN) in the latest release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey quasar catalogue, with redshift in the range 0.56–0.73. About 4000 (∼80 per cent) of these have been detected in all four infrared bands of Wide‐field Infrared Survey Explorer ( WISE ). This is the largest sample suitable to study the disc–torus connection. We find that the torus reprocesses on average ∼1/3–1/2 of the accretion disc luminosity.