Active Galactic Nuclei Signatures Research Articles

Statistics for Galaxy Outflows at z ∼ 6–9 with Imaging and Spectroscopic Signatures Identified with JWST/NIRCam and NIRSpec Data

We present statistics of z ∼ 6–9 galaxy outflows indicated by spatially extended gas emission and broad lines. With a total of 61 spectroscopically confirmed galaxies at z ∼ 6–9 in the JWST CEERS, GLASS, and ERO data, we find four galaxies with [O iii] + Hβ ionized gas emission significantly extended beyond the kiloparsec-scale stellar components on the basis of the emission line images constructed by the subtraction of NIRCam broadband (line on/off-band) images. By comparison with low-z galaxies, the fraction of galaxies with spatially extended gas, 4/18, at z ∼ 6–9 is an order of magnitude higher than that at z ∼ 0–1, which can be explained by events triggered by frequent major mergers at high redshift. We also investigate medium- and high-resolution NIRSpec spectra of 30 galaxies at z ∼ 6–9, and identify five galaxies with broad (140−800 km s−1) lines in the [O iii] forbidden line emission, suggestive of galaxy outflows. One galaxy at z = 6.38 shows both spatially extended gas emission and the broad lines, while none of the galaxies with spatially extended gas emission or broad lines present a clear signature of active galactic nuclei (AGN) in either the line diagnostics or type 1 AGN line broadening (>1000 km s−1), which suggests that outflows are mainly driven by stellar feedback. The existence of galaxies with/without spatially extended gas emission or broad lines may be explained by different viewing angles toward outflows or the fact that these are galaxies in the early, late, or post phases of galaxy outflows at high redshift, where relatively large fractions of such galaxies indicate longer-duration and/or more frequent outflows at early cosmic epochs.

Rayleigh and Raman scattering cross-sections and phase matrices of the ground-state hydrogen atom, and their astrophysical implications

ABSTRACT We present explicit expressions for Rayleigh and Raman scattering cross-sections and phase matrices of the ground 1s state hydrogen atom based on the Kramers–Heisenberg–Waller dispersion formula. The Rayleigh scattering leaves the hydrogen atom in the ground-state while the Raman scattering leaves the hydrogen atom in either ns (n ≥ 2; s-branch) or nd (n ≥ 3; d-branch) excited state, and the Raman scattering converts incident ultraviolet (UV) photons around the Lyman resonance lines into optical-infrared (IR) photons. We show that this Raman wavelength conversion of incident flat UV continuum in dense hydrogen gas with a column density of NH > 1021 cm−2 can produce broad emission features centred at Balmer, Paschen, and higher level lines, which would mimic Doppler-broadened hydrogen lines with the velocity width of ≳1000 km s−1 that could be misinterpreted as signatures of active galactic nuclei, supernovae, or fast stellar winds. We show that the phase matrix of the Rayleigh and Raman s-branch scatterings is identical to that of the Thomson scattering while the Raman d-branch scattering is more isotropic, thus the Paschen and higher level Raman features are depolarized compared to the Balmer features due to the flux contribution from the Raman d-branch. We argue that observations of the line widths, line flux ratios, and linear polarization of multiple optical/IR hydrogen lines are crucial to discriminate between the Raman-scattered broad emission features and Doppler-broadened emission lines.

Transient and asymmetric dust structures in the TeV-bright nova RS Oph revealed by spectropolarimetry

A long-standing question related to nova eruptions is how these eruptions might lead to dust formation, despite the ostensibly inhospitable environment for dust within the hot, irradiated ejecta. In the novae of systems such as the symbiotic binary RS Ophiuchi (RS Oph), ejecta from the white dwarf collide with pre-existing circumstellar material fed by the wind from the red-giant companion, offering a particularly clear view of some nova shocks and any associated dust production. In this work, we use the spectropolarimetric monitoring of the recurrent nova RS Oph starting two days after its eruption in August 2021 to show that: 1) dust was present in the RS Oph system as early as two days into the 2021 eruption; 2) the spatial distribution of this early dust was asymmetric, with components both aligned with and perpendicular to the orbital plane of the binary; 3) between two and nine days after the start of the eruption, this early dust was gradually destroyed; and 4) dust was again created, aligned roughly with the orbital plane of the binary more than 80 days after the start of the outburst, most likely as a result of shocks that arose as the ejecta interacted with circumbinary material concentrated in the orbital plane. The modeling of X-rays and very-high-energy (GeV and TeV) emission from RS Oph days to months into the 2021 eruption suggests that collisions between the ejecta and the circumbinary material may have led to shock formation in two distinct regions: the polar regions perpendicular to the orbital plane, where collimated outflows have been observed after prior eruptions, and a circumbinary torus in the orbital plane. The observations described here indicate that dust formed in approximately the same two regions, supporting the connection between shocks and dust in novae and revealing a very early onset of asymmetry. The spectropolarimetric signatures of RS Oph in the first week into the 2021 outburst indicate: 1) polarized flux across the Hα emission line and 2) the position angle orientation relative to the radio axis is similar to what is seen from the spectropolarimetric signatures of active galactic nuclei (AGNs).

Revisiting X-Ray-bright Optically Normal Galaxies with the Chandra Source Catalog

X-ray bright optically normal galaxies (XBONGs) are galaxies with X-ray luminosities consistent with those of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) but no evidence of AGN optical emission lines. Crossmatching the Chandra Source Catalog version 2 with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey sample of spectroscopically classified galaxies, we have identified 817 XBONG candidates with L X > 1042 erg s−1 and X-ray to optical flux ratio F XO > 0.1. Comparisons with Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer colors and near-IR, optical, UV, and radio luminosities show that the loci of XBONGs are in-between those of control samples of normal galaxies and quasars and are consistent with low-luminosity quasars. We find that 43% of the XBONG sample have X-ray colors suggesting N H > 1022 cm−2, double the fraction in the QSO sample, suggesting that a large fraction of XBONG are highly obscured AGNs. However, ∼50% of the XBONGs are not obscured and have X-ray colors harder than those of normal galaxies. Some of these XBONGs have spatially extended X-ray emission. These characteristics suggest that they may be unidentified galaxy groups and clusters. Using the X-ray luminosity functions of QSOs, galaxies, groups and clusters, we estimate the approximate fraction of extended XBONGs to be <20%. We also assess the approximate fraction of XBONGs whose AGN signatures are diluted by stellar light of host galaxies to be ∼30%, based on their redshift and deviation from the extrapolation of the QSO L X–L r relation.

A Comprehensive Study of Galaxies at z ∼ 9–16 Found in the Early JWST Data: Ultraviolet Luminosity Functions and Cosmic Star Formation History at the Pre-reionization Epoch

We conduct a comprehensive study on dropout galaxy candidates at z ∼ 9–16 using the first 90 arcmin2 James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Near Infrared Camera images taken by the early release observations (ERO) and early release science programs. With the JWST simulation images, we find that a number of foreground interlopers are selected with a weak photo-z determination (Δχ 2 > 4). We thus carefully apply a secure photo-z selection criterion (Δχ 2 > 9) and conventional color criteria with confirmations of the ERO Near Infrared Spectrograph spectroscopic redshifts, and obtain a total of 23 dropout galaxies at z ∼ 9–16, including two candidates at and . We perform thorough comparisons of dropout galaxies found in our work with recent JWST studies, and conclude that our galaxy sample is reliable enough for statistical analyses. We derive the UV luminosity functions at z ∼ 9–16, and confirm that our UV luminosity functions at z ∼ 9 and 12 agree with those determined by other Hubble Space Telescope and JWST studies. The cosmic star formation rate (SFR) density decreases from z ∼ 9 to 12, and perhaps to 16, but the densities at z ∼ 12–16 are higher than the constant star formation efficiency model. Interestingly, there are six bright galaxy candidates at z ∼ 10–16 with M UV < −19.5 mag and M * ∼ 108−9 M ⊙. Because a majority (∼80%) of these galaxies show no signatures of active galactic nuclei in their morphologies, the high cosmic SFR densities and the existence of these UV-luminous galaxies are explained by the lack of suppression of star formation by the UV background radiation at the pre-reionization epoch and/or an efficient UV radiation production by a top-heavy initial mass function with Population III–like star formation.

Active galactic nuclei signatures in Red Geyser galaxies from Gemini GMOS-IFU observations

ABSTRACT Red Geysers are quiescent galaxies with galactic scale ionized outflows, likely due to low-luminosity active galactic nuclei (AGN). We used Gemini GMOS-IFU observations of the inner ∼1–3 kpc of nine Red Geysers selected from the MaNGA survey to study the gas ionization and kinematics. The emission-line ratios suggest the presence of Seyfert/LINER (Low Ionization Nuclear Emission Region) nuclei in all sources. Two galaxies show Hα equivalent width ( Hα EW) larger than 3 Å (indicative of AGN ionization) within an aperture 2 ${_{.}^{\prime\prime}}$5 of diameter (1.3–3.7 kpc at the distance of galaxies) for MaNGA data, while with the higher resolution GMOS data, four galaxies present Hα EW&amp;gt;3 Å within an aperture equal to the angular resolution (0.3–0.9 kpc). For two objects with GMOS-IFU data, the Hα EW is lower than 3 Å but larger than 1.5 Å, most probably due to a faint AGN. The spatially resolved electron density maps show values between 100 and 3000 cm −3 and are consistent with those determined in other studies. The large (MaNGA) and the nuclear scale (GMOS-IFU) gas velocity fields are misaligned, with a kinematic position angle difference between 12° and 60°. The [N ii] λ6583 emission-line profiles are asymmetrical, with blue wings on the redshifted side of the velocity field and red wings on the blueshifted side. Our results support previous indications that the gas in Red Geysers is ionized by an AGN, at least in their central region, with the presence of outflows, likely originating in a precessing accretion disc.

X-ray selected narrow-line active galactic nuclei in the COSMOS field: Nature of optically dull active galactic nuclei

Abstract X-ray emission detection in a galaxy is one of the efficient tools for selecting active galactic nuclei (AGNs). However, many X-ray-selected AGNs are not easily selected as AGNs by their optical emission. These galaxies, so-called optically dull (OD) AGNs, are fascinating since their X-ray emission is bright even though the AGN signature in the optical regime is absent. In a deep multiwavelength survey over 2 deg2 of the Cosmic Evolution Survey (COSMOS) field, we have looked for the OD AGNs using photometric, spectroscopic, and X-ray data. We identified 310 non-broad line sources with optical spectra as AGNs using X-ray selection up to redshift z ∼ 1.5. We inspected the spectra to check for any AGN signature in their optical emission lines: [Ne v] forbidden emission line, Mass Excitation diagram (MEx), color excitation diagram (TBT), and excess in [O ii] emission line. Finally, we found 48 AGNs that show AGN signatures in the optical spectrum, classified as narrow-line AGN, and 180 AGNs that did not show any AGN signature as the OD AGN sample. Simple explanations of the nature of OD AGNe are a bright host galaxy that dilutes the AGN light or dust materials obscuring the AGN light. We found that the bright host galaxy dilution explains nearly $70\%$ of our OD AGN sample. At the same time, the dust material obscuration is unlikely to be the main reason. By estimating the Eddington ratio, we also found that 95 out of 180 of our OD AGNs have a lower accretion rate, (λEdd) ≲ 10−2, than the typical AGN value. We expected the lower accretion rate sources that suffer from neither host galaxy dilution nor obscuration to have radiatively inefficient flow (RIAF) in their accretion disk. Finally, nine sources have been identified to be most likely hosts of the RIAF disk.

The Close AGN Reference Survey (CARS)

Context.The strong asymmetry in the optical [O III]λ5007 emission line is one of the best signatures of active galactic nuclei (AGN) driven warm (∼104K) ionized gas outflows on host galaxy scales. While large spectroscopic surveys such as the sloan digital sky survey (SDSS) have characterized the kinematics of [O III] for large samples of AGN, estimating the associated energetics requires spatially resolving these outflows with, for example, integral field unit (IFU) studies.Aims.As part of the Close AGN Reference Survey, we obtained spatially resolved IFU spectroscopy for a representative sample of 39 luminous type 1 AGN at 0.01 &lt; z &lt; 0.06 with the multi unit spectroscopic explorer and the visible multi object spectrograph IFUs at the very large telescope to infer the spatial location of the ionized gas outflows.Methods.We compared the 2D light distributions of the [O III] wing to that of the Hβbroad emission line region, a classical point source (PSF). We then used the PSF to distinguish between the unresolved and resolved [O III] wing emission. We further determined its location using spectro-astrometry for the point-like sources.Results.The [O III] wing is spatially unresolved in 23 out of the 36 AGN with &gt; 80% of the flux associated with a point-like source. We measured &lt; 100 pc offsets in the spatial location of the outflow from the AGN nucleus using the spectro-astrometry technique for these sources. For the other 13 AGN, the [O III] wing emission is resolved and possibly extended on several kiloparsec scales.Conclusions.We conclude that [O III] wing emission can be compact or extended in an unbiased luminous AGN sample, where both cases are likely to appear. Electron density in the compact [O III] wing regions (medianne ∼ 1900 cm−3) is nearly a magnitude higher than in the extended ones (medianne ∼ 500 cm−3). The presence of spatially extended and compact [O III] wing emission is unrelated to the AGN bolometric luminosity and to inclination effects, which means other features such as time delays, or mechanical feedback (radio jets) may shape the ionized gas outflow properties.

Toward a More Complete Optical Census of Active Galactic Nuclei via Spatially Resolved Spectroscopy

Abstract While emission line flux ratio diagnostics are the most common technique for identifying active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in optical spectra, applying this approach to single-fiber spectra of galaxies can omit entire subpopulations of AGNs. Here, we use spatially resolved spectroscopy from the Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory (MaNGA) survey to construct a sample of 10 galaxies where Baldwin–Philips–Terlevich line flux ratio diagnostics classify each galaxy’s central 3″ spectrum as LINER or star-forming, while &gt;10% of the spaxels in the galaxy’s MaNGA footprint are classified as Seyfert. We obtain Chandra observations of these 10 galaxies with off-nuclear Seyfert regions to determine whether AGNs are actually present in them. Our main result is that 7–10 (depending on strictness of criteria) of the galaxies host one or more X-ray AGNs, even though none of them were classified as AGNs based on their single-fiber optical spectra. We find that these AGNs were not identified in the single-fiber spectra because they are AGNs in the nuclei of companion galaxies, low-luminosity AGNs, dust-obscured AGNs, and/or flickering AGNs. In summary, we find that off-nuclear AGN signatures may increase the number of known AGNs by a factor of two over what conventional single nuclear fiber spectra identify. Our results show that spatially resolved spectroscopy can be leveraged to reveal a more complete census of AGNs that are traditionally missed by single-fiber spectra.

Relics of Supermassive Black Hole Seeds: The Discovery of an Accreting Black Hole in an Optically Normal, Low Metallicity Dwarf Galaxy

Abstract The detection and characterization of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in local low mass galaxies is crucial to our understanding of the origins of SMBHs. This statement assumes that low mass galaxies have had a relatively quiet cosmic history, so that their black holes have not undergone significant growth and therefore can be treated as relics of the original SMBH seeds. While recent studies have found optical signatures of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in a growing population of dwarf galaxies, these studies are biased against low metallicity and relatively merger-free galaxies, thus missing precisely the demographic in which to search for the relics of SMBH seeds. Here, we report the detection of the [Si vi]1.963 μm coronal line (CL), a robust indicator of an AGN in the galaxy SDSS J160135.95+311353.7, a nearby (z = 0.031) low metallicity galaxy with a stellar mass approximately an order of magnitude lower than the LMC (M * ≈ 108.56 M ⊙) and no optical evidence for an AGN. The AGN bolometric luminosity implied by the CL detection is ≈1042 erg s−1, precisely what is predicted from its near-infrared continuum emission based on well-studied AGNs. Our results are consistent with a black hole of mass ≈105 M ⊙, in line with expectations based on its stellar mass. This is the first time a near-infrared CL has been detected in a low mass, low metallicity galaxy with no optical evidence for AGN activity, providing confirmation of the utility of infrared CLs in finding AGNs in low mass galaxies when optical diagnostics fail. These observations highlight a powerful avenue of investigation to hunt for low mass black holes in the James Webb Space Telescope era.

Outflows, Shocks, and Coronal Line Emission in a Radio-selected AGN in a Dwarf Galaxy

Abstract Massive black holes (BHs) in dwarf galaxies can provide strong constraints on BH seeds; however, reliably detecting them is notoriously difficult. High-resolution radio observations were recently used to identify accreting massive BHs in nearby dwarf galaxies, with a significant fraction found to be non-nuclear. Here we present the first results of our optical follow-up of these radio-selected active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in dwarf galaxies using integral field unit (IFU) data from Gemini-North. We focus on the dwarf galaxy J1220+3020, which shows no clear optical AGN signatures in its nuclear Sloan Digital Sky Survey spectrum covering the radio source. With our new IFU data, we confirm the presence of an active BH via the AGN coronal line [Fe x] and enhanced [O i] emission coincident with the radio source. Furthermore, we detect broad Hα emission and estimate a BH mass of M BH = 104.9 M ⊙. We compare the narrow emission line ratios to standard BPT diagnostics and shock models. Spatially resolved BPT diagrams show some AGN signatures, particularly in [O i]/Hα, but overall do not unambiguously identify the AGN. A comparison of our data to shock models clearly indicates shocked emission surrounding the AGN. The physical model most consistent with the data is an active BH with a radiatively inefficient accretion flow that both photoionizes and shock-excites the surrounding gas. We conclude that feedback is important in radio-selected BHs in dwarf galaxies and that radio surveys may probe a population of low accretion rate BHs in dwarf galaxies that cannot be detected through optical surveys alone.

Revisiting dual AGN candidates with spatially resolved LBT spectroscopy

Context. The merging of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) is a direct consequence of our hierarchical picture of galaxy evolution. It is difficult to track the merging process of SMBHs during mergers of galaxies as SMBHs are naturally difficult to observe. Aims. We want to characterise and confirm the presence of two independent active galactic nuclei (AGN) separated by a few kiloparsec in seven strongly interacting galaxies previously selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) as Seyfert-Seyfert pairs based on emission-line ratio diagnostics. Methods. Optical slit spectra taken with MODS at the Large Binocular Telescope are presented to infer the detailed spatial distribution of optical emission lines, and their line ratios and AGN signatures with respect to the host galaxies, thereby quantifying the impact of beam smearing and large fibre apertures on the spectra captured by the SDSS. Results. We find that at most two of the seven targets actually retain a Seyfert-Seyfert dual AGN, whereas the others may be more likely powered by post-AGB stars in retired galaxies or through shocks in the ISM based on spatially resolved optical line diagnostics. The major cause of this discrepancy is a bias caused by the spillover of flux from the primary source in the secondary SDSS fibre which can be more than an order of magnitude at &lt; 3″ separations. Previously reported extremely low X-ray–to–[O III] luminosity ratios may be explained by this misclassification, as can heavily obscured AGN for the primaries. We also find that the nuclei with younger stellar ages host the primary AGN. Conclusions. Studies of close dual AGN selected solely from fibre-based spectroscopy can create severe biases in the sample selection and interpretation of the results. Spatially resolved spectroscopy should ideally be used in the future to characterise such compact systems together with multi-wavelength follow-up observations.

The properties of radio and mid-infrared detected galaxies and the effect of environment on the co-evolution of AGN and star formation at z ∼ 1

ABSTRACT In this study, we investigate 179 radio-infrared (IR) galaxies drawn from a sample of spectroscopically confirmed galaxies, which are detected in radio and mid-IR (MIR) in the redshift range of 0.55 ≤ z ≤ 1.30 in the Observations of Redshift Evolution in Large Scale Environments (ORELSE) survey. We constrain the active galactic nuclei (AGN) contribution to the total IR luminosity (fAGN), and estimate the AGN luminosity (LAGN) and the star formation rate (SFR). Based on the fAGN and radio luminosity, radio–IR galaxies are split into galaxies that host either high- or low-fAGN AGN (high-/low-fAGN), and star-forming galaxies (SFGs) with little to no AGN activity. We study the properties of the three radio–IR sub-samples comparing to an underlying parent sample. In the comparison of radio luminosity of three sub-samples, no significant difference was found, which could be due to the combined contribution of radio emission from AGN and star formation. We find a positive relationship between LAGN and specific SFR (sSFR) for both AGN sub-samples, strongly suggesting a co-evolution scenario of AGN and SF in these galaxies. A toy model is designed to demonstrate this co-evolution scenario, where we find that, in almost all cases, a rapid quenching time-scale is required, which we argue is a signature of AGN quenching. The environmental preference for intermediate/infall regions of clusters/groups remains across the co-evolution scenario, which suggests that galaxies might be in an orbital motion around the cluster/group during the scenario.

A Hard X-Ray Test of HCN Enhancements As a Tracer of Embedded Black Hole Growth

Abstract Enhanced emission from the dense gas tracer HCN (relative to HCO+) has been proposed as a signature of active galactic nuclei (AGN). In a previous single-dish millimeter line survey we identified galaxies with HCN/HCO+ (1–0) intensity ratios consistent with those of many AGN but whose mid-infrared spectral diagnostics are consistent with little to no (≲15%) contribution of an AGN to the bolometric luminosity. To search for putative heavily obscured AGN, we present and analyze NuSTAR hard X-ray (3–79 keV) observations of four such galaxies from the Great Observatories All-sky LIRG Survey. We find no X-ray evidence for AGN in three of the systems and place strong upper limits on the energetic contribution of any heavily obscured ( ) AGN to their bolometric luminosity. The upper limits on the X-ray flux are presently an order of magnitude below what XDR-driven chemistry models predict are necessary to drive HCN enhancements. In a fourth system we find a hard X-ray excess consistent with the presence of an AGN, but contributing only ∼3% of the bolometric luminosity. It is also unclear if the AGN is spatially associated with the HCN enhancement. We further explore the relationship between HCN/HCO+ (for several J upper levels) and / for a larger sample of systems in the literature. We find no evidence for correlations between the line ratios and the AGN fraction derived from X-rays, indicating that HCN/HCO+ intensity ratios are not driven by the energetic dominance of AGN, nor are they reliable indicators of ongoing supermassive black hole accretion.

High-velocity outflows in massive post-starburst galaxies at z &gt; 1

ABSTRACT We investigate the prevalence of galactic-scale outflows in post-starburst (PSB) galaxies at high redshift (1 &lt; z &lt; 1.4), using the deep optical spectra available in the UKIDSS Ultra Deep Survey (UDS). We use a sample of ∼40 spectroscopically confirmed PSBs, recently identified in the UDS field, and perform a stacking analysis in order to analyse the structure of strong interstellar absorption features such as Mg ii (λ2800 Å). We find that for massive ($M_* \gt 10^{10}\rm \, M_{\odot }$) PSBs at z &gt; 1, there is clear evidence for a strong blue-shifted component to the Mg ii absorption feature, indicative of high-velocity outflows ($v_{\rm out}\sim 1150\pm 160\rm \, km\, s^{-1}$) in the interstellar medium. We conclude that such outflows are typical in massive PSBs at this epoch, and potentially represent the residual signature of a feedback process that quenched these galaxies. Using full spectral fitting, we also obtain a typical stellar velocity dispersion σ* for these PSBs of $\sim 200\rm \, km\, s^{-1}$, which confirms they are intrinsically massive in nature (dynamical mass $M_{\rm d}\sim 10^{11}\rm \, M_{\odot }$). Given that these high-z PSBs are also exceptionally compact (re ∼ 1–$2\rm \, kpc$) and spheroidal (Sérsic index n ∼ 3), we propose that the outflowing winds may have been launched during a recent compaction event (e.g. major merger or disc collapse) that triggered either a centralized starburst or active galactic nuclei (AGN) activity. Finally, we find no evidence for AGN signatures in the optical spectra of these PSBs, suggesting they were either quenched by stellar feedback from the starburst itself, or that if AGN feedback is responsible, the AGN episode that triggered quenching does not linger into the post-starburst phase.

The first 62 AGN observed with SDSS-IV MaNGA – IV. Gas excitation and star formation rate distributions

Abstract We present maps of the ionized gas flux distributions, excitation, star formation rate (SFR), surface mass density ΣH+, and obtain total values of SFR and ionized gas masses M for 62 active galactic nuclei (AGN) observed with SDSS-IV MaNGA and compare them with those of a control sample of 112 non-active galaxies. The most luminous AGN – with $L(\rm {[O\,{\small III}]}\lambda 5007) \ge 3.8\times 10^{40}\, \mbox{erg}\, \mbox{s}^{-1}$, and those hosted by earlier type galaxies are dominated by Seyfert excitation within 0.2 effective radius Re from the nucleus, surrounded by LINER excitation or transition regions, while the less luminous and hosted by later-type galaxies show equally frequent LINER and Seyfert excitation within $0.2\, R_\mathrm{ e}$. The extent R of the region ionized by the AGN follows the relation $R\propto \, L(\rm {[O\,{\small III}]})^{0.5}$ – as in the case of the broad-line region. The SFR distribution over the region ionized by hot stars is similar for AGN and controls, while the integrated SFR – in the range 10−3–10 M⊙ yr−1 is also similar for the late-type subsample, but higher in the AGN for 75 per cent of the early-type subsample. We thus conclude that there is no signature of AGN quenching star formation in the body of the galaxy in our sample. We also find that 66 per cent of the AGN have higher ionized gas masses M than the controls – in the range 105–3 × 107 M⊙ – while 75 per cent of the AGN have higher ΣH+ within $0.2\, R_\mathrm{ e}$ than the control galaxies.

Discovery of Dying Active Galactic Nucleus in Arp 187: Experience of Drastic Luminosity Decline within 104 yr

Abstract Arp 187 is one of the fading active galactic nuclei (AGNs), whose AGN activity is currently decreasing in luminosity. We investigate the observational signatures of AGN in Arp 187, which trace various physical scales from less than 0.1 pc to the nearly 10 kpc, to estimate the long-term luminosity change over 104 yr. The Very Large Array 5 GHz and 8 GHz images and the ALMA 133 GHz images reveal bimodal jet lobes with ∼5 kpc size and the absence of the central radio core. The 6dF optical spectrum shows that Arp 187 hosts a narrow line region with the estimated size of ∼1 kpc, and the line strengths give the AGN luminosity of L bol = 1.5 × 1046 erg s−1. On the other hand, the current AGN activity estimated from the AGN torus emission gives the upper bound of L bol &lt; 2.2 × 1043 erg s−1. The absence of the radio core gives the more strict upper bound of the current AGN luminosity of L bol &lt; 8.0 × 1040 erg s−1, suggesting that the central engine is already quenched. These multiwavelength signatures indicate that Arp 187 hosts a “dying” AGN: the central engine is already dead, but the large-scale AGN indicators are still observable as the remnant of the past AGN activity. The central engine has experienced the drastic luminosity decline by a factor of ∼103–5 fainter within ∼104 yr, which is roughly consistent with the viscous timescale of the inner part of the accretion disk within ∼500 yr.

The origin of the mid-infrared nuclear polarization of active galactic nuclei

We combine new (NGC 1275, NGC 4151, and NGC 5506) and previously published (Cygnus A, Mrk 231, and NGC 1068) sub-arcsecond resolution mid-infrared (MIR; 8-13 $\mu$m) imaging- and spectro-polarimetric observations of six Seyfert galaxies using CanariCam on the 10.4-m Gran Telescopio CANARIAS. These observations reveal a diverse set of physical processes responsible for the nuclear polarization, and permit characterization of the origin of the MIR nuclear polarimetric signature of active galactic nuclei (AGN). For all radio quiet objects, we found that the nuclear polarization is low (<1 per cent), and the degree of polarization is often a few per cent over extended regions of the host galaxy where we have sensitivity to detect such extended emission (i.e., NGC 1068 and NGC 4151). We suggest that the higher degree of polarization previously found in lower resolution data arises only on the larger-than-nuclear scales. Only the radio-loud Cygnus A exhibits significant nuclear polarization ($\sim$11 per cent), attributable to synchrotron emission from the pc-scale jet close to the core. We present polarization models that suggest that the MIR nuclear polarization for highly obscured objects arises from a self-absorbed MIR polarized clumpy torus and/or dichroism from the host galaxy, while for unabsorbed cores, MIR polarization arises from dust scattering in the torus and/or surrounding nuclear dust.

SDSS-IV MaNGA: identification of active galactic nuclei in optical integral field unit surveys

In this paper, we investigate 2727 galaxies observed by MaNGA as of June 2016 to develop spatially resolved techniques for identifying signatures of active galactic nuclei (AGN). We identify 303 AGN candidates. The additional spatial dimension imposes challenges in identifying AGN due to contamination from diffuse ionized gas, extra-planar gas and photoionization by hot stars. We show that the combination of spatially-resolved line diagnostic diagrams and additional cuts on H$\alpha$ surface brighness and H$\alpha$ equivalent width can distinguish between AGN-like signatures and high-metallicity galaxies with LINER-like spectra. Low mass galaxies with high specific star formation rates are particularly difficult to diagnose and routinely show diagnostic line ratios outside of the standard star-formation locus. We develop a new diagnostic -- the distance from the standard diagnostic line in the line-ratios space -- to evaluate the significance of the deviation from the star-formation locus. We find 173 galaxies that would not have been selected as AGN candidates based on single-fibre spectral measurements but exhibit photoionization signatures suggestive of AGN activity in the MaNGA resolved observations, underscoring the power of large integral field unit (IFU) surveys. A complete census of these new AGN candidates is necessary to understand their nature and probe the complex co-evolution of supermassive black holes and their hosts.

ALMA HCN AND HCO+ J = 3 − 2 OBSERVATIONS OF OPTICAL SEYFERT AND LUMINOUS INFRARED GALAXIES: CONFIRMATION OF ELEVATED HCN-TO-HCO+ FLUX RATIOS IN AGNS

ABSTRACT We present the results of our ALMA observations of three active galactic nucleus (AGN)-dominated nuclei in optical Seyfert 1 galaxies (NGC 7469, I Zw 1, and IC 4329 A) and eleven luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs) with various levels of infrared estimated energetic contributions by AGNs at the HCN and HCO+ J = 3 − 2 emission lines. The HCN and HCO+ J = 3 − 2 emission lines are clearly detected at the main nuclei of all sources, except for IC 4329 A. The vibrationally excited (v 2 = 1f) HCN J = 3 − 2 and HCO+ J = 3 − 2 emission lines are simultaneously covered, and HCN v 2 = 1f J = 3 − 2 emission line signatures are seen in the main nuclei of two LIRGs, IRAS 12112+0305 and IRAS 22491–1808, neither of which shows clear buried AGN signatures in the infrared. If the vibrational excitation is dominated by infrared radiative pumping, through the absorption of infrared 14 μm photons, primarily originating from AGN-heated hot dust emission, then these two LIRGs may contain infrared-elusive, but (sub)millimeter-detectable, extremely deeply buried AGNs. These vibrationally excited emission lines are not detected in the three AGN-dominated optical Seyfert 1 nuclei. However, the observed HCN v 2 = 1f to v = 0 flux ratios in these optical Seyferts are still consistent with the intrinsic flux ratios in LIRGs with detectable HCN v 2 = 1f emission lines. The observed HCN-to-HCO+ J = 3 − 2 flux ratios tend to be higher in galactic nuclei with luminous AGN signatures compared with starburst-dominated regions, as previously seen at J = 1 − 0 and J = 4 − 3.