IC4553: Masers Around an Active Galactic Nucleus

Abstract

AbstractThe galaxy IC4553 (Arp 220) is a peculiar galaxy having a redshift of 0.02. It has been variously described as consisting of a symbiotic pair of galaxies, as having a highly peculiar pair of nuclei, or as consisting of a nucleus bisected by a dust lane. In addition, it exhibits OH maser emission which is both the most intrinsically luminous (by four orders of magnitude) and the most distant yet detected. MERLIN observations of the continuum emission at 18 cm show a core-dominated triple structure, probably indicating jets about 500 pc in extent. The integrated OH maser emission has an identical spatial structure, but when this structure is examined as a function of frequency across the line it is found that each spatial component has its greatest intensity at a different frequency. This is interpreted as amplification of the radio continuum image by the OH masers. The change in spatial structure across the emission line is caused by the velocity structure of the OH gas. Measurements of the velocities of these masers therefore reveal the kinematics of the central part of the galaxy. Optical and infrared observations indicate that at the centre of the galaxy is a Seyfertlike active galactic nucleus, which appears double on optical plates only because of the dense dust lane which bisects the nuclear region. This indicates that IC4553 is an edge-on Seyfertlike galaxy. The OH maser radiation is a result of stimulation of the OH along the line of sight within the galactic plane by the strong far-infrared radiation from the nucleus. No abnormal conditions are required for this process, so IC4553 may not be unique, and we should search for OH maser emission in other edge-on active galaxies.