Hubble space telescope near-infrared snapshot survey of 3cr radio source counterparts. III. Radio galaxies and quasars in context

David Floyd, David Axon, Stefi Baum, Alessandro Capetti, Marco Chiaberge, Juan Madrid, Christopher O'Dea, Eric Perlman, William Sparks

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8 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We compare the near-infrared (NIR) H-band photometric and morphological properties of low-z (z <0.3) 3CR radio galaxies with samples of BL Lac objects and quasar host galaxies, merger remnants, quiescent elliptical galaxies, and brightest cluster galaxies drawn from the literature. In general, the 3CR host galaxies are consistent with luminous ( a?? L) elliptical galaxies. The vast majority of FR II s (80 ) occupy the most massive ellipticals and form a homogeneous population that is comparable to the population of radio-loud quasar (RLQ) host galaxies in the literature. However, a significant minority (20 ) of the 3CR FR II s appears under-luminous with respect to quasar host galaxies. All FR II objects in this faint tail are either unusually red, or appear to be the brightest objects within a group. We discuss the apparent differences between the radio galaxy and RLQ host galaxy populations.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)66 - 81
Number of pages16
JournalThe Astrophysical Journal
Volume713
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2010
Externally publishedYes

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