X-Ray Studies of Quasars and Active Galaxies with the Einstein Observatory

The launch of the Einstein Observatory has added a new and exciting dimension to the study of active galaxies. Not only have a large number of optical and radio active galaxies been detected, but many new examples of high energy activity have been found. The ease with which a large number of quasars may now be studied in the X-ray regime out to a redshift of at least four promises to improve our understanding of the nature of these tremendous powerhouses and the evolution of the universe.

The Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory (CAL) is carrying out an extensive program to study active galaxies with the imaging proportional counter (IPC) on board the Einstein Observatory (Giacconi et al. 1979). These observations have already yielded a large number of positive detections including four Seyferts, five N galaxies, seven BL Lacs, and 17 quasars. Upper limits were obtained for eight additional quasars. Six new Seyfert I and/or quasars have been identified from X-ray observations (Chanan 1979). Preliminary results from the first six months of the CAL survey of active galaxies will be presented below. A few representative objects of interest will be discussed briefly. Simple statistical tests will be applied to determine whether X-ray properties can be used to understand the differences and similarities between the various classes of active galaxies. Particular emphasis will be placed on the quasars in our sample. Our results for the quasar survey will be compared with those discussed by Tananbaum et al. (1979). Finally, the implications of the discovery of a large number of quasars will be briefly discussed. (Cosmological parameters of qo = 0 and Ho = 50 km (s Mpc)-1 are used throughout.)