Putative Active Galactic Nucleus Research Articles

MERGER-INDUCED SHOCKS IN THE NEARBY LIRG VV 114 THROUGH METHANOL OBSERVATIONS WITH ALMA

ABSTRACT We report the detection of two CH3OH lines (J K = 2 K –1 K and 3 K –2 K ) between the progenitor’s disks (“Overlap”) of the mid-stage merging galaxy VV 114 obtained using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) Band 3 and Band 4. The detected CH3OH emission shows an extended filamentary structure (∼3 kpc) across the progenitor’s disks with relatively large velocity width (FWZI ∼ 150 km s−1). The emission is only significant in the “overlap” and not detected in the two merging nuclei. Assuming optically thin emission and local thermodynamic equilibrium, we found the CH3OH column density relative to H2 ( ) peaks at the “Overlap” (∼8 × 10−9), which is almost an order of magnitude larger than that at the eastern nucleus. We suggest that kpc-scale shocks driven by galaxy–galaxy collision may play an important role to enhance the CH3OH abundance at the “Overlap.” This scenario is consistent with shock-induced large velocity dispersion components of ionized gas that have been detected in optical wavelength at the same region. Conversely, low at the nuclear regions might be attributed to the strong photodissociation by nuclear starbursts and/or a putative active galactic nucleus, or inefficient production of CH3OH on dust grains due to initial high-temperature conditions (i.e., desorption of the precursor molecule, CO, into gas phase before forming CH3OH on dust grains). These ALMA observations demonstrate that CH3OH is a unique tool to address kpc-scale shock-induced gas dynamics and star formation in merging galaxies.

ALMA 0.1–0.2 arcsec RESOLUTION IMAGING OF THE NGC 1068 NUCLEUS: COMPACT DENSE MOLECULAR GAS EMISSION AT THE PUTATIVE AGN LOCATION

ABSTRACT We present the results of our ALMA Cycle 2 high angular resolution (0.″1–0.″2) observations of the nuclear region of the nearby well-studied type-2 active galactic nucleus (AGN), NGC 1068, at HCN J = 3–2 and HCO+ J = 3–2 emission lines. For the first time, due to a higher angular resolution than previous studies, we clearly detected dense molecular gas emission at the putative AGN location, identified as a ∼1.1 mm (∼266 GHz) continuum emission peak, by separating this emission from brighter emission located at 0.″5–2.″0 on the eastern and western sides of the AGN. The estimated intrinsic molecular emission size and dense molecular mass, which are thought to be associated with the putative dusty molecular torus around an AGN, were ∼10 pc and ∼several × 105 M ⊙, respectively. HCN-to-HCO+ J = 3–2 flux ratios substantially higher than unity were found throughout the nuclear region of NGC 1068. The continuum emission displayed an elongated morphology along the direction of the radio jet located at the northern side of the AGN, as well as a weak spatially-resolved component at ∼2.″0 on the southwestern side of the AGN. The latter component most likely originated from star formation, with the estimated luminosity more than one order of magnitude lower than the luminosity of the central AGN. No vibrationally excited (v 2 = 1f) J = 3–2 emission lines were detected for HCN and HCO+ across the field of view.

DETECTION OF A HIGH BRIGHTNESS TEMPERATURE RADIO CORE IN THE ACTIVE-GALACTIC-NUCLEUS-DRIVEN MOLECULAR OUTFLOW CANDIDATE NGC 1266

We present new high spatial resolution Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) HI absorption and Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) continuum observations of the Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN)-driven molecular outflow candidate NGC 1266. Although other well-known systems with molecular outflows may be driven by star formation in a central molecular disk, the molecular mass outflow rate reported in Alatalo et al. (2011) in NGC 1266 of 13 M$_{\odot}$ year$^{-1}$ exceeds star formation rate estimates from a variety of tracers. This suggests that an additional energy source, such as an AGN, may play a significant role in powering the outflow. Our high spatial resolution HI absorption data reveal compact absorption against the radio continuum core co-located with the putative AGN, and the presence of a blueshifted spectral component re-affirms that gas is indeed flowing out of the system. Our VLBA observations at 1.65 GHz reveal one continuum source within the densest portion of the molecular gas, with a diameter d < 8 mas (1.2 pc), a radio power $P_{\mathrm{rad}}$ = 1.48 $\times$ 10$^{20}$ W Hz$^{-1}$, and a brightness temperature $T_{\mathrm{b}}$ > 1.5 x 10$^7$ K that is most consistent with an AGN origin. The radio continuum energetics implied by the compact VLBA source, as well as archival VLA continuum observations at lower spatial resolution, further support the possibility that the AGN in NGC 1266 could be driving the molecular outflow. These findings suggest that even low-level AGNs may be able to launch massive outflows in their host galaxies.

UNCOVERING THE DEEPLY EMBEDDED ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEUS ACTIVITY IN THE NUCLEAR REGIONS OF THE INTERACTING GALAXY Arp 299

We present mid-infrared (MIR) 8-13micron spectroscopy of the nuclear regions of the interacting galaxy Arp299 (IC694+NGC3690) obtained with CanariCam (CC) on the 10.4m Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC). The high angular resolution (~0.3-0.6arcsec) of the data allows us to probe nuclear physical scales between 60 and 120pc, which is a factor of 10 improvement over previous MIR spectroscopic observations of this system. The GTC/CC spectroscopy displays evidence of deeply embedded Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN) activity in both nuclei. The GTC/CC nuclear spectrum of NGC3690/Arp299-B1 can be explained as emission from AGN-heated dust in a clumpy torus with both a high covering factor and high extinction along the line of sight. The estimated bolometric luminosity of the AGN in NGC3690 is 3.2(+/-0.6)x10^44 erg/s. The nuclear GTC/CC spectrum of IC694/Arp299-A shows 11.3micron polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission stemming from a deeply embedded (A_V~24mag) region of less than 120pc in size. There is also a continuum-emitting dust component. If associated with th putative AGN in IC694, we estimate that it would be approximately 5 times less luminous than the AGN in NGC3690. The presence of dual AGN activity makes Arp299 a good example to study such phenomenon in the early coalescence phase of interacting galaxies.

Detection of a high brightness temperature radio core in the AGN-driven molecular outflow candidate NGC 1266

AbstractWe present new Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) Hi absorption and Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) continuum observations of the active galactic nucleus (AGN)-driven molecular outflow candidate NGC 1266. Although other well-known systems with molecular outflows may be driven by star formation in a central molecular disk, the molecular mass outflow rate reported in Alatalo et al. (2011) in NGC 1266 of 13 M⊙ year−1 exceeds star formation rate estimates from a variety of tracers. This suggests that an additional energy source, such as an AGN, may play a significant role in powering the outflow. Our high spatial resolution Hi absorption data reveal compact absorption against the radio continuum core co-located with the putative AGN, and the presence of a blueshifted spectral component re-affirms that gas is indeed flowing out of the system. Our VLBA observations at 1.65 GHz reveal one continuum source within the densest portion of the molecular gas, with a diameter d &lt; 8 mas (1.2 pc), a radio power Prad = 1.48 × 1020 W Hz−1, and a brightness temperature Tb &gt; 1.5 × 107 K that is most consistent with an AGN origin. The radio continuum energetics implied by the compact VLBA source, as well as archival VLA continuum observations at lower spatial resolution, further support the possibility that the AGN in NGC 1266 could be driving the molecular outflow. These findings suggest that even low-level AGNs, with supermassive black hole masses similar to Sgr A*, may be able to launch massive outflows in their host galaxies.

THE INNER KILOPARSEC OF Mrk 273 WITH KECK ADAPTIVE OPTICS

There is X-ray, optical, and mid-infrared imaging and spectroscopic evidence that the late-stage ultraluminous infrared galaxy merger Mrk 273 hosts a powerful active galactic nucleus (AGN). However, the exact location of the AGN and the nature of the nucleus have been difficult to determine due to dust obscuration and the limited wavelength coverage of available high-resolution data. Here we present near-infrared integral-field spectra and images of the nuclear region of Mrk 273 taken with OSIRIS and NIRC2 on the Keck II Telescope with laser guide star adaptive optics. We observe three spatially resolved components, and analyze the nuclear molecular and ionized gas emission lines and their kinematics. We confirm the presence of the hard X-ray AGN in the southwest nucleus. In the north nucleus, we find a strongly rotating gas disk whose kinematics indicate a central black hole of mass 1.04 ± 0.1 × 109 M☉. The H2 emission line shows an increase in velocity dispersion along the minor axis in both directions, and an increased flux with negative velocities in the southeast direction; this provides direct evidence for a collimated molecular outflow along the axis of rotation of the disk. The third spatially distinct component appears to the southeast, 640 and 750 pc from the north and southwest nuclei, respectively. This component is faint in continuum emission but shows several strong emission line features, including [Si vi] 1.964 μm which traces an extended coronal-line region. The geometry of the [Si vi] emission combined with shock models and energy arguments suggest that [Si vi] in the southeast component must be at least partly ionized by the SW AGN or a putative AGN in the northern disk, either through photoionization or through shock-heating from strong AGN- and circumnuclear-starburst-driven outflows. This lends support to a scenario in which Mrk 273 may be a dual AGN system.

Infrared 2–4 Micrometer Spectroscopy and Millimeter Interferometric HCN and HCO+ Observations of the Individual Merging Components of Arp 299

Abstract We present ground-based infrared $K$–(2–2.5$\, {\mu \mathrm {m}}$) and $L$-band (2.8–4.1$\, {\mu \mathrm {m}}$) spectroscopy, as well as interferometric observations at $\lambda \sim 3 \,\mathrm{mm}$, for the individual merging components (A, B, and C) of the luminous infrared galaxy Arp 299. The presence and location of a buried active galactic nucleus (AGN) are investigated. Our sub-arcsec-resolution infrared spectra clearly reveal that the putative buried AGN resides in the nucleus B1 (a subcomponent of B), based on a very low equivalent width of 3.3$\, {\mu \mathrm {m}}$ polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon emission, a weak 2.3$\, {\mu \mathrm {m}}$ CO absorption feature, and a large time variation of the $K$–and $L$-band continuum fluxes. Our interferometric observations simultaneously obtain HCN ($J = 1 \hbox{--} 0$) and $\mathrm{HCO}^{+}$ ($J = 1 \hbox{--} 0$) emission lines with $\sim 4 {{}^{\prime \prime }}$ resolution, and we find the HCN to $\mathrm{HCO}^{+}$ brightness-temperature ratios to be as low as those found in starburst nuclei in all of the major merging components of Arp 299. The low ratio even in the AGN-hosting nucleus B may be due to the presence of a large amount of high-density molecular gas whose chemistry is dominated by coexisting starbursts and/or shocks, rather than by the central strong X-ray-emitting AGN.

Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph Ultraviolet/Optical Spectroscopy of “Warm” Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies

We present high spatial resolution ultraviolet and optical spectroscopy, obtained using the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph on board the Hubble Space Telescope, of nuclear structures within four "warm" ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs). We find an active galactic nucleus (AGN) in at least three and probably all four in our sample, hosted in a compact, optically luminous "knot." In three cases these knots were previously identified as a putative AGN from multiband optical imaging. Three objects of the sample also harbor a starburst in one or more knots, suggesting that the optically luminous knots seen in local ULIRGs are the most likely sites of the dust-shrouded starburst and AGN activity that power the infrared emission. The four AGNs have a diverse range of properties: two are classical narrow-line AGNs, one shows both broad and narrow lines and evidence for lines of sight from the narrow- to the broad-line regions, and one is plausibly an FeLoBAL AGN. The probable presence in one object of an FeLoBAL AGN, which are extremely rare in the QSO population, supports the idea that LoBAL AGNs may be youthful systems shrouded in gas and dust rather than AGNs viewed along a certain line of sight. The three starbursts for which detailed constraints are possible show a smaller range in properties; all three bursts are young, with two having ages of ~4 Myr and the third having an age of 20 Myr, suggesting that ULIRGs undergo several bursts of star formation during their lifetimes. None of the starbursts show evidence for initial mass function slopes steeper than about 3.3. The metallicities of the knots for which metallicities can be derived are all at least 1.5 Z☉. The properties of one further starburst knot are consistent with it being the forming core of an elliptical galaxy. Our results suggest that detailed studies of the knots seen in ULIRGs can give important insights into the most violent starburst and AGN activity at both low and high redshift.

X-Ray Evidence of a Buried Active Galactic Nucleus in UGC 5101

We present X-ray observations of the ultraluminous infrared galaxy, UGC 5101, thought to contain a buried active galactic nucleus (AGN) based on observations in other wave bands. We detected an absorbed hard component at greater than 3 keV, as well as soft emission in the energy range 0.5-2 keV. The soft X-ray component, possibly due to a modestly dust-obscured extended starburst, has an absorption-corrected 0.5-2 keV X-ray luminosity of LX(0.5-2 keV) = 1.2 × 1041 ergs s-1. The 0.5-2 keV X-ray-to-infrared luminosity ratio is a factor of ~5 lower than typical values for a normal starburst, suggesting that this extended starburst is unlikely to be energetically dominant in UGC 5101. The most plausible origin of the absorbed hard component is the putative buried AGN. The 6.4 keV Fe Kα emission line has a modest equivalent width (~400 eV), suggesting that this hard component is direct emission from the AGN, rather than a scattered component. The absorption-corrected 2-10 keV X-ray luminosity of the buried AGN was estimated to be LX(2-10 keV) ~ 5 × 1042 ergs s-1. The intrinsic 2-10 keV X-ray luminosity and the 2-10 keV X-ray-to-infrared luminosity ratio are both comparable to values measured for Mrk 463, a Seyfert 2 galaxy of similar infrared luminosity.

Probing the Dust‐enshrouded Regions of the Interacting Galaxy System Arp 299:A Near‐Infrared Study

We present high spectral resolution (λ/δλ103) Paβ(1.28 μm) and Brγ(2.17 μm), 3.29 μm dust feature, and near-infrared broadband images of the Arp 299=NGC 3690/IC 694 galaxy system. The emission is found to be concentrated at the positions of three active regions, known as sources A, B, and C. From our Brγ/Paβ flux ratio we find the visual extinction toward the ionized gas in A, B, and C is ~6, 6, and 2 magnitudes, respectively, assuming case B recombination and a foreground screen geometry for the obscuring material. Our observations can be explained entirely by a starburst model for the Arp 299 system. The putative active galactic nucleus (AGN) in source A does not dominate the properties of this source. We see no evidence of broad recombination lines. In addition, the ratio of the 3.29 μm dust feature to total luminosity, a tracer of starburst activity, is consistent in each source with that seen in M82 and other starburst galaxies. Also, our imaging observations reveal that the dust feature emission is concentrated in the nucleus of source A, contrary to the extended annular distribution of the feature emission seen surrounding the nucleus of the more distant Seyfert galaxy NGC 7469. In this galaxy, the absence of the feature emission in the nucleus has been attributed to the destruction of the dust carriers in the hard radiation field surrounding the AGN. Our observations suggest that all of the active regions in Arp 299 are characterized by starburst episodes. The observed CO indices and Brγ equivalent widths imply that source B is older than source A and source C is the youngest star-forming region. Although these regions are probably complex physical systems not necessarily characterized by a single coeval population of stars, we have compared our observations with an instantaneous starburst model with a Salpeter initial mass function. Using this simple model, we find starburst ages of ~6 × 106, 8 × 106, and 4 × 106 for sources A, B, and C, respectively.