Description
A key component of AGN feedback is the injection of kinetic energy from radio jets. However, there’s a fundamental lack of understanding of why quasars, otherwise very similar, have such diverse radio jet powers and, therefore, the impact of AGN jets. Using large samples from LoTSS DR2 coupled with a Bayesian parametric model, we can separate jet from host galaxy radio emission, quantify the evolution of quasar jet power with properties including colour, black hole mass, and environment, and investigate the powering mechanism of radio jets across all energy scales. Our model reveals a positive correlation between weak AGN activities and quasar redness. We show that the traditional radio-loud/quiet quasar classification fails to reflect the physical origin of radio emissions in each population. Instead, our model allows for redefining radio quasar populations based on physical processes, which unifies previously divergent results and provides a coherent picture of how black hole mass impacts AGN jets. We show that a full range of jet powers is seen at all black hole masses, while quasars hosting the most massive black holes show an enhancement in radio emissions due to the higher incidence of powerful jets. We’ll present evidence linking the prevalence of high-power jets to stronger angular clustering and disc accretion mode of quasars. These results provide tight observational constraints on the launching mechanism of powerful radio jets in massive quasars. Finally, we will present preliminary results on the role of galaxy mergers in the triggering of radio jets utilising recent Euclid data.
