The Discovery of an Active Galactic Nucleus in the Late-Type Galaxy NGC 3621: Spitzer Spectroscopic Observations

Abstract

We report the discovery of an active galactic nucleus (AGN) in the nearby SAd galaxy NGC 3621 using Spitzer high spectral resolution observations. These observations reveal the presence of [Ne V] 14 and 24 μm emission that is centrally concentrated and peaks at the position of the near-infrared nucleus. Using the [Ne V] line luminosity, we estimate that the nuclear bolometric luminosity of the AGN is ~5 × 1041 ergs s-1, which, based on the Eddington limit, corresponds to a lower mass limit of the black hole of ~4 × 103 M☉. Using an order-of-magnitude estimate for the bulge mass based on the Hubble type of the galaxy, we find that this lower mass limit does not put a strain on the well-known relationship between the black hole mass and the host galaxy's stellar velocity dispersion established in predominantly early-type galaxies. Multiwavelength follow-up observations of NGC 3621 are required to obtain more precise estimates of the bulge mass, black hole mass, accretion rate, and nuclear bolometric luminosity. The discovery reported here adds to the growing evidence that a black hole can form and grow in a galaxy with no or minimal bulge.