• DOI:10.1088/2041-8205/747/2/L33
• Corpus ID: 5037009

On the Unification of Active Galactic Nuclei

@article{Elitzur2012OnTU,
  title={On the Unification of Active Galactic Nuclei},
  author={Moshe Elitzur},
  journal={The Astrophysical Journal},
  year={2012},
  volume={747},
  pages={1}
}

• M. Elitzur
• Published 8 February 2012
• Physics
• The Astrophysical Journal

The inevitable spread in properties of the toroidal obscuration of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) invalidates the widespread notion that type 1 and 2 AGNs are intrinsically the same objects, drawn randomly from the distribution of torus covering factors. Instead, AGNs are drawn preferentially from the distribution; type 2 are more likely drawn from the distribution higher end, type 1 from its lower end. Type 2 AGNs have a higher IR luminosity, lower narrow-line luminosity, and a higher fraction of Compton thick X-ray obscuration than type 1. Meaningful studies of unification statistics cannot be conducted without first determining the intrinsic distribution function of torus covering factors.