A Comprehensive Active Galactic Nuclei Inventory for the Dwarf-dominated RESOLVE and ECO Surveys: Mass-dependent Active Galactic Nuclei Types and Occupation Fractions
9 affiliations
- 1Center for Astrophysics—Harvard & Smithsonian
- 2University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- 3Elon University
- 4Space Telescope Science Institute
- 5University of Cape Town
- 6University of North Carolina Asheville
- 7City University of New York
- 8American Museum of Natural History
- 9University of Lancashire
Abstract
We catalog active galactic nuclei (AGN) in the volume- and mass-limited Resolved Spectroscopy of a Local Volume (RESOLVE) and Environmental Context (ECO) surveys using (i) the BPT plot with standard and alternate demarcations, (ii) the BPT plot and Veilleux– Osterbrock plots (using [O I ] or [S II ]) to find “SF-AGN” with mixed star-forming and AGN classifications, and (iii) mid-IR WISE color selection. Dividing RESOLVE+ECO into dwarf, transitional, and giant galaxies by baryonic mass, we find AGN occupation fractions of 2%–5%, 16%–27%, and 20%–48%, respectively, indicating a steep ∼5× increase across baryonic mass ∼10 9.7 M ⊙ . These percentages are computed relative to all galaxies in each mass division, including those not searchable for AGN, with numerical ranges representing large systematics between crossmatched emission-line measurements from different Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) catalogs. Stellar-mass divisions yield similar results. Adding (incomplete) archival X-ray/broadline AGN detections, the dwarf AGN occupation fraction reaches 3%–6%. WISE AGN are detected in <1% of galaxies at all masses with optimized WISE photometry. We show that standard WISE catalog photometry yields high rates of both false positives and false negatives. AGN demographics shift with mass due to correlations with gas content, star formation, and group environment, forming a continuum: SF-AGN at the high-SF end, then “Bonus AGN” (defined by alternate literature BPT demarcations), then Composites, and finally Conventional AGN at the low-SF end. Typical (metal-poor, star-forming) dwarfs most often host SF-AGN, whereas typical transitional galaxies most often host Bonus AGN and Composites. We release homogenized SDSS line measurements, reprocessed WISE data, and UV+mid-IR star formation rates for RESOLVE and ECO.
Versions
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BibTeX
@article{polimera2026comprehensive,
title = {{A Comprehensive Active Galactic Nuclei Inventory for the Dwarf-dominated RESOLVE and ECO Surveys: Mass-dependent Active Galactic Nuclei Types and Occupation Fractions}},
author = {Mugdha S. Polimera and Sheila J. Kannappan and Chris T. Richardson and David V. Stark and Kathleen D. Eckert and Thomas H. Jarrett and Derrick S. Carr and Zackary L. Hutchens and Jillian M. Bellovary and Mark A. Norris},
journal = {The Astrophysical Journal},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3847/1538-4357/ae9baf},
url = {https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/ae9baf},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - A Comprehensive Active Galactic Nuclei Inventory for the Dwarf-dominated RESOLVE and ECO Surveys: Mass-dependent Active Galactic Nuclei Types and Occupation Fractions
AU - Mugdha S. Polimera
AU - Sheila J. Kannappan
AU - Chris T. Richardson
AU - David V. Stark
AU - Kathleen D. Eckert
AU - Thomas H. Jarrett
AU - Derrick S. Carr
AU - Zackary L. Hutchens
AU - Jillian M. Bellovary
AU - Mark A. Norris
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/16
JO - The Astrophysical Journal
DO - 10.3847/1538-4357/ae9baf
UR - https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/ae9baf
AB - We catalog active galactic nuclei (AGN) in the volume- and mass-limited Resolved Spectroscopy of a Local Volume (RESOLVE) and Environmental Context (ECO) surveys using (i) the BPT plot with standard and alternate demarcations, (ii) the BPT plot and Veilleux– Osterbrock plots (using [O I ] or [S II ]) to find “SF-AGN” with mixed star-forming and AGN classifications, and (iii) mid-IR WISE color selection. Dividing RESOLVE+ECO into dwarf, transitional, and giant galaxies by baryonic mass, we find AGN occupation fractions of 2%–5%, 16%–27%, and 20%–48%, respectively, indicating a steep ∼5× increase across baryonic mass ∼10 9.7 M ⊙ . These percentages are computed relative to all galaxies in each mass division, including those not searchable for AGN, with numerical ranges representing large systematics between crossmatched emission-line measurements from different Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) catalogs. Stellar-mass divisions yield similar results. Adding (incomplete) archival X-ray/broadline AGN detections, the dwarf AGN occupation fraction reaches 3%–6%. WISE AGN are detected in <1% of galaxies at all masses with optimized WISE photometry. We show that standard WISE catalog photometry yields high rates of both false positives and false negatives. AGN demographics shift with mass due to correlations with gas content, star formation, and group environment, forming a continuum: SF-AGN at the high-SF end, then “Bonus AGN” (defined by alternate literature BPT demarcations), then Composites, and finally Conventional AGN at the low-SF end. Typical (metal-poor, star-forming) dwarfs most often host SF-AGN, whereas typical transitional galaxies most often host Bonus AGN and Composites. We release homogenized SDSS line measurements, reprocessed WISE data, and UV+mid-IR star formation rates for RESOLVE and ECO.
SN - 0004-637X
SN - 1538-4357
ER -