488 research outputs found
Extended Gas in Seyfert Galaxies: Near Infrared Observations of NGC 2110 and Circinus
We present results of near--IR long-slit spectroscopy in the J and K bands of
the Seyfert 2 galaxies NGC 2110 and Circinus, investigating the gaseous
distribution, excitation, reddening and kinematics. In NGC 2110, the emission
line ratio [FeII]/Pa beta increases towards the nucleus (to ~ 7). The nuclear
[Fe II]1.257 (microns) and Pa beta lines are broader (FWHM ~ 500 km/s) than the
H2 (2.121) line (FWHM ~ 300 km/s). Both these results suggest that shocks,
driven by the radio jet, are an important source of excitation of [Fe II]. The
H2 excitation appears to be dominated by X-rays from the nucleus. In Circinus,
both [FeII]/Pa beta and H2/Br gamma decrease from ~ 2 at 4 arcsec from the
nucleus to nuclear values of ~ 0.6 and ~ 1, respectively, suggesting that the
starburst dominates the nuclear excitation, while the AGN dominates the
excitation further out (r > 2 arcsec). For both galaxies, the gaseous
kinematics are consistent with circular rotation in the plane of the disk. Our
rotation curves suggest that the nucleus (identified with the peak of the IR
continuum) is displaced from the kinematic centre of the galaxies. This effect
has been observed previously in NGC 2110 based on the kinematics of optical
emission lines, but the displacement is smaller in the infrared, suggesting the
effect is related to obscuration. The continuum J-K colours of the nuclear
region indicate a red stellar population in NGC 2110 and a reddened young
stellar population in Circinus. Right at the nucleus of both galaxies, the
colours are redder, apparently a result of hot dust emission from the inner
edge of a circumnuclear torus.Comment: 11 pages, 14 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
Transition (LINER/HII) nuclei as evolved Composite (Seyfert 2/Starburst) nuclei
We compare the circumnuclear stellar population and environmental properies
of Seyfert and Composite (Seyfert + Starburst) nuclei with those of LINERs and
LINER/HII transition galaxies (TOs), and discuss evidences for evolution from
Seyfert/Composite to LINER/TO nuclei.Comment: 2 pages, 1 figure; to appear in the Proceedings of IAU Symp. No. 222:
The Interplay among Black Holes, Stars and ISM in Galactic Nuclei, CUP, eds.
T. Storchi-Bergmann, L. Ho and H. R. Schmit
Estimating the Ages of Bars: Implications for the Bar-AGN-Star Formation Connection
In an effort to elevate to higher grounds our understanding on the impact of
the formation and evolution of bars in the formation and evolution of galaxies,
we have developed a diagnostic tool to distinguish between recently formed and
evolved bars. Our method was applied in the study of a sample of 14 galaxies
and revealed that, apparently, AGN activity tends to appear in galaxies which
have young bars rather than evolved bars. This suggests that the time scale for
the fueling of AGN by bars is short, and may help to explain, for instance, why
there is not a clear correlation between the presence of bars and AGN in
galaxies.Comment: 4 pages including 2 figures and 1 table; contributed talk to appear
in the proceedings of the IAU Symp. 222, The Interplay among Black Holes,
Stars and ISM in Galactic Nuclei, Th. Storchi Bergmann, L.C. Ho, H.R.
Schmitt, eds., held in Gramado, March 200
Stellar population gradients in Seyfert 2 galaxies. Northern sample
We use high signal-to-noise ratio long-slit spectra in the 3600-4700A range
of the twenty brightest northern Seyfert 2 galaxies to study the variation of
the stellar population properties as a function of distance from the nucleus.
In order to characterize the stellar population and other continuum sources
(e.g. featureless continuum FC) we have measured equivalent widths Ws of six
absorption features, four continuum colours and their radial variations, and
performed spectral population synthesis as a function of distance from the
nucleus. About half the sample has CaIIK and G-band W values smaller at the
nucleus than at 1 kpc from it, due to a younger population and/or FC. The
stellar population synthesis shows that, while at the nucleus, 75% of the
galaxies present contribution > 20% of ages younger or equal than 100Myr and/or
of a FC, this proportion decreases to 45% at 3 kpc. In particular, 55% of the
galaxies have contribution > 10% of the 3 Myr/FC component (a degenerate
component in which one cannot separate what is due to a FC or to a 3 Myr
stellar population) at the nucleus, but only 25% of them have this contribution
at 3 kpc. As reference, the stellar population of 10 non-Seyfert galaxies,
spanning the Hubble types of the Seyfert (from S0 to Sc) was also studied. A
comparison between the stellar population of the Seyferts and that of the
non-Seyferts shows systematic differences: the contribution of ages younger
than 1 Gyr is in most cases larger in the Seyfert galaxies than in
non-Seyferts, not only at the nucleus but up to 1 kpc from it.Comment: 23 pages, 18 figures, MNRAS in pres
A New Superwind Wolf-Rayet Galaxy Mrk 1259
We report the discovery of a starburst-driven wind (superwind) from the
starburst nucleus galaxy Mrk 1259. The estimated number ratio of Wolf-Rayet
(WR) to O stars amounts to ~0.09. While the nuclear emission-line region is due
to usual photoionization by massive stars, the circumnuclear emission-line
regions show anomalous line ratios that can be due to cooling shocks. Since the
host galaxy seems to be a face-on disk galaxy and the excitation conditions of
the circumnuclear emission-line regions show the spatial symmetry, we consider
that we are seeing the superwind nearly from a pole-on view. Cooling shock
models may explain the observed emission line ratios of the circumnuclear
regions although a factor of 2 overabundance of nitrogen is necessary. All
these suggest that the high-mass enhanced starburst occurred ~5X10^6 years ago
in the nuclear region of Mrk 1259.Comment: To be published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, 15 pages, 4
figure
Star formation and gas inflows in the OH Megamaser galaxy IRAS03056+2034
We have obtained observations of the OH Megamaser galaxy IRAS03056+0234 using
Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS) Integral Field Unit (IFU), Very Large
Array (VLA) and Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The HST data reveals spiral arms
containing knots of emission associated to star forming regions. The GMOS-IFU
data cover the spectral range of 4500 to 7500 \AA\ at a velocity resolution of
90 km s and spatial resolution of 506 pc. The emission-line flux
distributions reveal a ring of star forming regions with radius of 786 pc
centred at the nucleus of the galaxy, with an ionized gas mass of 1.2
10M, an ionizing photon luminosity of log Q[H]=53.8 and a
star formation rate of 4.9 M yr. The emission-line ratios and
radio emission suggest that the gas at the nuclear region is excited by both
starburst activity and an active galactic nucleus. The gas velocity fields are
partially reproduced by rotation in the galactic plane, but show, in addition,
excess redshifts to the east of the nucleus, consistent with gas inflows
towards the nucleus, with velocity of 45 km s and a mass inflow
rate of 7.710 M yr.Comment: To be published in MNRA
The Nature of the Optical Light in Seyfert 2 Galaxies with Polarized Continuum
We investigate the nature of the optical continuum and stellar population in
the central kpc of the Seyfert 2s Mrk 348, Mrk 573, NGC 1358 and Mrk 1210 using
long-slit spectra obtained along the radio or extended emission axis. These
galaxies are known to have polarized continuum-including polarized broad lines
in Mrk 348 and Mrk 1210--and previous studies indicate featureless continuum
(FC) contributions in the 20-50% range at 5500 A. Nevertheless, our
measurements of the equivalent widths of absorption lines and continuum ratios
as a function of distance from the nuclei show no dilution of the lines nor
bluening of the spectrum, as expected if a blue FC was present at the nucleus
in the above proportions. We investigate one possibility to account for this
effect: that the stellar population at the nucleus is the same as that from the
surrounding bulge and dominates the nuclear light. A spectral analysis confirms
that this hypothesis works for Mrk 348, NGC 1358 and Mrk 1210, for which we
find stellar contributions at the nucleus larger than 90% at all wavelengths.
We find that a larger stellar population contribution to the nuclear spectra
can play the role of the ``second FC'' source inferred from previous studies.
Stellar population synthesis shows that the nuclear regions of Mrk 348 and Mrk
1210 have important contributions of young to intermediate age stars (0--100
Myr), not present in templates of elliptical galaxies. In the case of Mrk 1210,
this is further confirmed by the detection of a ``Wolf-Rayet feature'' in the
nuclear emission-line spectrum.Comment: ApJ, accepted. Uses aaspp4.sty. [22 pages
Near-infrared and X-ray obscuration to the nucleus of the Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 3281
We present the results of a near-infrared and X-ray study of the Seyfert 2
galaxy NGC 3281. Emission from the Seyfert nucleus is detected in both regions
of the electromagnetic spectrum, allowing us to infer both the equivalent line
of sight hydrogen column density, N_H = 71.0(+11.3,-12.3)e26/m^2 and the
extinction due to dust, A_V = 22+/-11 magnitudes (90% confidence intervals). We
infer a ratio of N_H/A_V which is an order of magnitude larger than that
determined along lines of sight in the Milky Way and discuss possible
interpretations. We consider the most plausible explanation to be a dense cloud
in the foreground of both the X-ray and infrared emitting regions which
obscures the entire X-ray source but only a fraction of the much larger
infrared source.Comment: 23 pages including 9 figure
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