We assume that dust near active galactic nuclei (AGNs) is distributed in a torus-like geometry, which can be described as a clumpy medium or a homogeneous disk, or as a combination of the two (i.e. a two-phase medium). The dust particles considered are fluffy and have higher submillimeter emissivities than grains in the diffuse interstellar medium. The dust-photon interaction is treated in a fully self-consistent three-dimensional radiative transfer code. We provide an AGN library of spectral energy distributions (SEDs). Its purpose is to quickly obtain estimates of the basic parameters of the AGNs, such as the intrinsic luminosity of the central source, the viewing angle, the inner radius, the volume filling factor and optical depth of the clouds, and the optical depth of the disk midplane, and to predict the flux at yet unobserved wavelengths. The procedure is simple and consists of finding an element in the library that matches the observations. We discuss the general properties of the models and in particular the 10 µm silicate band. The AGN library accounts well for the observed scatter of the feature strengths and wavelengths of the peak emission. AGN extinction curves are discussed and we find that there is no direct one-to-one link between the observed extinction and the wavelength dependence of the dust cross sections. We show that objects in the library cover the observed range of mid-infrared colors of known AGNs. The validity of the approach is demonstrated by matching the SEDs of a number of representative objects: Four Seyferts and two quasars for which we present new Herschel photometry, two radio galaxies, and one hyperluminous infrared galaxy. Strikingly, for the five luminous objects we find that pure AGN models fit the SED without needing to postulate starburst activity.

The dynamics of high-speed impact between a compressible liquid drop and a solid surface are reviewed. Previous estimates for the maximum impact pressure have been based on one-dimensional approximations. This paper presents a two-dimensional approximation, adapted from a closely related analysis of the oblique impact between two solid plates. This is valid only for the ``initial'' phase of the impact during which the expanding shock front generated by the impact still remains attached to the target surface, and no lateral outflow takes place. The derivations assume a linear relationship between shock velocity and particle velocity change across the shock front. Numerical results are presented for water and sodium, and can be generalized as follows: The contact pressure remains substantially equal to the one-dimensional pressure until the contact angle φ at the edge has reached about half of its critical value, at which the assumed model beaks down and lateral outflow must initiate. As this critical condition is further approached, the contact edge pressure increases progressively, and its critical value Pc is taken as the maximum impact pressure. The ratio Pc/ρ0C0V0 always exceeds about 2.75 exhibiting a minimum in the vicinity of V0/C0=0.2, where ρ0 and C0 are the density and acoustic velocity of the liquid, and V0 is the impact velocity. These pressures are considerably higher than have been heretofore supposed, but circumstantial experimental evidence supports the present results.

Using the Spitzer Space Telescope, we have obtained rest frame 9-16 µm spectra of 11 quasars and 9 radio galaxies from the 3CRR catalog at redshifts 1.0 < z < 1.4. This complete flux-limited 178 MHz-selected sample is unbiased with respect to orientation and therefore suited to study orientation-dependent effects in the most powerful active galactic nuclei (AGN). The mean radio galaxy spectrum shows a clear silicate absorption feature (τ 9.7µm = 1.1) whereas the mean quasar spectrum shows silicates in emission. The mean radio galaxy spectrum matches a dust-absorbed mean quasar spectrum in both shape and overall flux level. The data for individual objects conform to these results. The trend of the silicate depth to increase with decreasing core fraction of the radio source further supports that for this sample, orientation is the main driver for the difference between radio galaxies and quasars, as predicted by AGN unification. However, comparing our high-z sample with lower redshift 3CRR objects reveals that the absorption of the high-z radio galaxy MIR continuum is lower than expected from a scaled up version of lower luminosity sources, and we discuss some effects that may explain these trends.

Using the Spitzer Space Telescope, we have obtained 3.6Y24 m photometry of 38 radio galaxies and 24 quasars from the 3CR ( Third Cambridge Revised Catalog of Radio Sources) at redshift 1 < z < 2:5. This 178 MHz selected sample is unbiased with respect to orientation and therefore suited to study orientation-dependent effects in the most powerful active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Quasar and radio galaxy subsamples matched in isotropic radio luminosity are compared. The quasars all have similar spectral energy distributions (SEDs), nearly constant in F through the rest 1.6Y10 m range, consistent with a centrally heated dust distribution that outshines the host galaxy contribution. The radio galaxy SEDs show larger dispersion, but the mean radio galaxy SED declines from rest 1.6 to 3 m and then rises from 3 to 8 m. The radio galaxies are on average a factor 3Y10 less luminous in this spectral range than the quasars. These characteristics are consistent with composite emission from a heavily reddened AGN plus starlight from the host galaxy. The mid-infrared colors and radio to mid-infrared spectral slopes of individual galaxies are also consistent with this picture. Individual galaxies show different amounts of extinction and host galaxy starlight, consistent with the orientation-dependent unified scheme.