The Discovery of Water Maser Emission from Eight Nearby Galaxies

Using the Green Bank Telescope, we conducted a ``snapshot'' survey for water maser emission toward the nuclei of 611 galaxies and detected eight new sources. The sample consisted of nearby (v < 5000 km/s) and luminous (M_B < -19.5) galaxies, some with known nuclear activity but most not previously known to host AGNs. Our detections include both megamasers associated with AGNs and relatively low luminosity masers probably associated with star formation. The detection in UGC 3789 is particularly intriguing because the spectrum shows both systemic and high-velocity lines indicative of emission from an AGN accretion disk seen edge-on. Based on six months of monitoring, we detected accelerations among the systemic features ranging from 2 to 8 km/s/yr, the larger values belonging to the most redshifted systemic components. High-velocity maser lines in UGC 3789 show no detectable drift over the same period. Although UGC 3789 was not known to be an AGN prior to this survey, the presence of a disk maser is strong evidence for nuclear activity, and an optical spectrum obtained later has confirmed it. With follow up observations, it may be possible to measure a geometric distance to UGC 3789.Comment: to appear in Astrophysical Journal, 1 May 200

Magnetic Fields in the Center of the Perseus Cluster

We present Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) observations of the nucleus of NGC 1275, the central, dominant galaxy in the Perseus cluster of galaxies. These are the first observations to resolve the linearly polarized emission from 3C84, and from them we determine a Faraday rotation measure (RM) ranging from 6500 to 7500 rad/m^2 across the tip of the bright southern jet component. At 22 GHz some polarization is also detected from the central parsec of 3C84, indicating the presence of even more extreme RMs that depolarize the core at lower frequencies. The nature of the Faraday screen is most consistent with being produced by magnetic fields associated with the optical filaments of ionized gas in the Perseus Cluster.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRA

Polarimetry of Compact Symmetric Objects

We present multi-frequency VLBA observations of two polarized Compact Symmetric Objects (CSOs), J0000+4054 and J1826+1831, and a polarized CSO candidate, J1915+6548. Using the wavelength-squared dependence of Faraday rotation, we obtained rotation measures (RMs) of -180 \pm 10 rad m^-2 and 1540 \pm 7 rad m^-2 for the latter two sources. These are lower than what is expected of CSOs (several 1000 rad m^-2) and, depending on the path length of the Faraday screens, require magnetic fields from 0.03 to 6 \mu G. These CSOs may be more heavily affected by Doppler boosting than their unpolarized counterparts, suggesting that a jet-axis orientation more inclined towards the line of sight is necessary to detect any polarization. This allows for low RMs if the polarized components are oriented away from the depolarizing circumnuclear torus. These observations also add a fourth epoch to the proper motion studies of J0000+4054 and J1826+1831, constraining their kinematic age estimates to >610 yrs and 2600 \pm 490 yrs, respectively. The morphology, spectrum, and component motions of J1915+6548 are discussed in light of its new classification as a CSO candidate, and its angle to the line of sight (~50\deg) is determined from relativistic beaming arguments.Comment: 29 pages, including 9 figures; Accepted by Astrophysical Journal, 16 Feb 0

Dating COINS: Kinematic Ages for Compact Symmetric Objects

We present multi-epoch VLBA observations of Compact Symmetric Objects (CSOs) from the COINS sample (CSOs Observed In the Northern Sky). These observations allow us to make estimates of, or place limits on, the kinematic ages for those sources with well-identified hot spots. This study significantly increases the number of CSOs with well-determined ages or limits. The age distribution is found to be sharply peaked under 500 years, suggesting that many CSOs die young, or are episodic in nature, and very few survive to evolve into FR II sources like Cygnus A. Jet components are found to have higher velocities than hot spots which is consistent with their movement down cleared channels. We also report on the first detections of significant polarization in two CSOs, J0000+4054 (2.1%) and J1826+1831 (8.8%). In both cases the polarized emission is found in jet components on the stronger side of the center of activity.Comment: 34 pages including 7 figures, Accepted to ApJ on Dec 7, 200

J16021+3326: New Multi-Frequency Observations of a Complex Source

We present multifrequency Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) observations of J16021+3326. These observations, along with variability data obtained from the Owens Valley Radio Observatory (OVRO) candidate gamma-ray blazar monitoring program, clearly indicate this source is a blazar. The peculiar characteristic of this blazar, which daunted previous classification attempts, is that we appear to be observing down a precessing jet, the mean orientation of which is aligned with us almost exactly.Comment: 16 pages, 7 Figures, 2 Tables, accepted to Ap

A survey of Low Luminosity Compact sources and its implication for evolution of radio-loud AGNs. I. Radio data

We present a new sample of Compact Steep Spectrum (CSS) sources with radio luminosity below 10^26 W/Hz at 1.4 GHz called the low luminosity compact (LLC) objects. The sources have been selected from FIRST survey and observed with MERLIN at L-band and C-band. The main criterion used for selection was luminosity of the objects and approximately one third of the CSS sources from the new sample have a value of radio luminosity comparable to FRIs. About 80% of the sources have been resolved and about 30% of them have weak extended emission and disturbed structures when compared with the observations of higher luminosity CSS sources. We studied correlation between radio power and linear size, and redshift with a larger sample that included also published samples of compact objects and large scale FRIIs and FRIs. The low luminosity compact objects occupy the space in radio power versus linear size diagram below the main evolutionary path of radio objects. We suggest that many of them might be short-lived objects, and their radio emission may be disrupted several times before becoming FRIIs. We conclude that there exists a large population of short-lived low luminosity compact objects unexplored so far and part of them can be precursors of large scale FRIs.Comment: 19 pages, 5 figures, 3 tables, MNRAS in pres

Atomic hydrogen in the one-sided "compact double" radio galaxy 2050+364

European VLBI Network spectral imaging of the "compact double" radio source 2050+364 in the UHF band at 1049 MHz has resolved the HI absorbing region, and has shown a faint continuum component to the North (N), in addition to the well-known East-West double (E, W). Re-examination of VLBI continuum images at multiple frequencies suggests that 2050+364 may well be a one-sided core-jet source, which appears as a double over a limited frequency range. One of the dominant features, W, would then be the innermost visible portion of the jet, and could be at or adjacent to the canonical radio core. The other, E, is probably related to shocks at a sudden bend of the jet, towards extended steep-spectrum region N. A remarkably deep and narrow HI absorption line component extends over the entire projected extent of 2050+364. It coincides in velocity with the [OIII] optical doublet lines to within 10 km/s. This HI absorption could arise in the atomic cores of NLR clouds, and the motion in the NLR is then remarkably coherent both along the line-of-sight and across a projected distance of > 300 pc on the plane of the sky. Broader, shallower HI absorption at lower velocities covers only the plausible core area W. This absorption could be due to gas which is either being entrained by the inner jet or is flowing out from the accretion region; it could be related to the BLR.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures. Accepted in A&

Compact symmetric objects and supermassive binary black holes in the VLBA Imaging and Polarimetry Survey

We present multifrequency Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) follow-up observations of VLBA Imaging and Polarimetry Survey sources identified as likely compact symmetric objects (CSOs) or supermassive binary black holes (SBBHs). We also present new spectroscopic redshifts for 11 sources observed with the Hobby-Eberly Telescope. While no new SBBHs can be confirmed from these observations, we have identified 24 CSOs in the sample, 15 of which are newly designated, and refuted 52 candidates leaving 33 unconfirmed candidates. This is the first large uniform sample of CSOs which can be used to elicit some of the general properties of these sources, including morphological evolution and environmental interaction. We have detected polarized emission from two of these CSOs the properties of which are consistent with active galactic nuclei unification schemes