215 research outputs found
The central parsecs of active galactic nuclei: challenges to the torus
Type 2 AGN are by definition nuclei in which the broad-line region and
continuum light are hidden at optical/UV wavelengths by dust. Via accurate
registration of infrared (IR) Very Large Telescope adaptive optics images with
optical \textit{Hubble Space Telescope} images we unambiguously identify the
precise location of the nucleus of a sample of nearby, type 2 AGN. Dust
extinction maps of the central few kpc of these galaxies are constructed from
optical-IR colour images, which allow tracing the dust morphology at scales of
few pc. In almost all cases, the IR nucleus is shifted by several tens of pc
from the optical peak and its location is behind a dust filament, prompting to
this being a major, if not the only, cause of the nucleus obscuration. These
nuclear dust lanes have extinctions mag, sufficient to at least
hide the low-luminosity AGN class, and in some cases are observed to connect
with kpc-scale dust structures, suggesting that these are the nuclear fueling
channels. A precise location of the ionised gas H and
[\textsc{Si\,vii}] 2.48 m coronal emission lines relative to those of the
IR nucleus and dust is determined. The H peak emission is often shifted
from the nucleus location and its sometimes conical morphology appears not to
be caused by a nuclear --torus-- collimation but to be strictly defined by the
morphology of the nuclear dust lanes. Conversely, [\textsc{Si\,vii}] 2.48
m emission, less subjected to dust extinction, reflects the truly, rather
isotropic, distribution of the ionised gas. All together, the precise location
of the dust, ionised gas and nucleus is found compelling enough to cast doubts
on the universality of the pc-scale torus and supports its vanishing in
low-luminosity AGN. Finally, we provide the most accurate position of the NGC
1068 nucleus, located at the South vertex of cloud B.Comment: 23 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
Embedded AGN and star formation in the central 80 pc of IC 3639
[Abridged] Methods: We use interferometric observations in the -band with
VLTI/MIDI to resolve the mid-IR nucleus of IC 3639. The origin of the nuclear
infrared emission is determined from: 1) the comparison of the correlated
fluxes from VLTI/MIDI with the fluxes measured at subarcsec resolution
(VLT/VISIR, VLT/ISAAC); 2) diagnostics based on IR fine-structure line ratios,
the IR continuum emission, IR bands produced by polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons (PAH) and silicates; and 3) the high-angular resolution spectral
energy distribution. Results: The unresolved flux of IC 3639 is at , measured with three different baselines in
VLTI (UT1-UT2, UT3-UT4, and UT2-UT3; -), making this the
faintest measurement so far achieved with mid-IR interferometry. The correlated
flux is a factor of - times fainter than the VLT/VISIR total flux
measurement. The observations suggest that most of the mid-IR emission has its
origin on spatial scales between and (-). A composite scenario where the star formation component dominates
over the AGN is favoured by the diagnostics based on ratios of IR
fine-structure emission lines, the shape of the IR continuum, and the PAH and
silicate bands. Conclusions: A composite AGN-starburst scenario is able to
explain both the mid-IR brightness distribution and the IR spectral properties
observed in the nucleus of IC 3639. The nuclear starburst would dominate the
mid-IR emission and the ionisation of low-excitation lines (e.g. [NeII]) with a net contribution of . The AGN accounts for the
remaining of the mid-IR flux, ascribed to the unresolved component
in the MIDI observations, and the ionisation of high-excitation lines (e.g.
[NeV] and [OIV]).Comment: Accepted for publication in A&
The central parsecs of M87: jet emission and an elusive accretion disc
We present the first simultaneous spectral energy distribution (SED) of M87
core at a scale of 0.4 arcsec () across the electromagnetic
spectrum. Two separate, quiescent, and active states are sampled that are
characterized by a similar featureless SED of power-law form, and that are thus
remarkably different from that of a canonical active galactic nuclei (AGN) or a
radiatively inefficient accretion source. We show that the emission from a jet
gives an excellent representation of the core of M87 core covering ten orders
of magnitude in frequency for both the active and the quiescent phases. The
inferred total jet power is, however, one to two orders of magnitude lower than
the jet mechanical power reported in the literature. The maximum luminosity of
a thin accretion disc allowed by the data yields an accretion rate of , assuming 10% efficiency. This power
suffices to explain M87 radiative luminosity at the jet-frame, it is however
two to three order of magnitude below that required to account for the jet's
kinetic power. The simplest explanation is variability, which requires the core
power of M87 to have been two to three orders of magnitude higher in the last
200 yr. Alternatively, an extra source of power may derive from black hole
spin. Based on the strict upper limit on the accretion rate, such spin power
extraction requires an efficiency an order of magnitude higher than predicted
from magnetohydrodynamic simulations, currently in the few hundred per cent
range.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA
Low optical polarisation at the core of the optically-thin jet of M87
We study the optical linear and circular polarisation in the optically-thin
regime of the core and jet of M87. Observations were acquired two days before
the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) campaign in early April 2017. A high degree
( per cent) of linear polarisation (P) is detected in the
bright jet knots resolved at to
(-) from the centre, whereas the nucleus and inner jet
show P per cent. The position angle of the linear
polarisation shifts by degrees from each knot to the adjacent ones,
with the core angle perpendicular to the first knot. The nucleus was in a low
level of activity (P- per cent), and no emission was
detected from HST-1. No circular polarisation was detected either in the
nucleus or the jet above a level of P per cent,
discarding the conversion of P into P. A disordered
magnetic field configuration or a mix of unresolved knots polarised along axes
with different orientations could explain the low P. The latter
implies a smaller size of the core knots, in line with current interferometric
observations. Polarimetry with EHT can probe this scenario in the future. A
steep increase of both P and P with increasing
frequency is expected for the optically-thin domain, above the turnover point.
This work describes the methodology to recover the four Stokes parameters using
a wave-plate polarimeter.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. 10 pages, 8 figure
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