20 research outputs found
Megamaser Disks in Active Galactic Nuclei
Recent spectroscopic and VLBI-imaging observations of bright extragalactic
water maser sources have revealed that the megamaser emission often originates
in thin circumnuclear disks near the centers of active galactic nuclei (AGNs).
Using general radiative and kinematic considerations and taking account of the
observed flux variability, we argue that the maser emission regions are clumpy,
a conclusion that is independent of the detailed mechanism (X-ray heating,
shocks, etc.) driving the collisionally pumped masers. We examine scenarios in
which the clumps represent discrete gas condensations (i.e., clouds) and do not
merely correspond to velocity irregularities in the disk. We show that even two
clouds that overlap within the velocity coherence length along the line of
sight could account (through self-amplification) for the entire maser flux of a
high-velocity ``satellite'' feature in sources like NGC 4258 and NGC 1068, and
we suggest that cloud self-amplification likely contributes also to the flux of
the background-amplifying ``systemic'' features in these objects. Analogous
interpretations have previously been proposed for water maser sources in
Galactic star-forming regions. We argue that this picture provides a natural
explanation of the time-variability characteristics of extragalactic megamaser
sources and of their apparent association with Seyfert 2-like galaxies. We also
show that the requisite cloud space densities and internal densities are
consistent with the typical values of nuclear (broad emission-line region-type)
clouds.Comment: 55 pages, 7 figures, AASTeX4.0, to appear in The Astrophysical
Journal (1999 March 1 issue
Water maser emission and the parsec-scale jet in NGC 3079
We have conducted VLBI observations of water maser and radio continuum
emission in the nucleus of NGC 3079. The 22 GHz maser emission arises in
compact clumps, distributed along an axis that is aligned with the major axis
of the galactic disk. The velocities of the masers are consistent with their
lying in the inner parsec of a molecular disk rotating in the same sense as the
rest of the galaxy. However, the velocity field has a significant
non-rotational component, which may indicate supersonic turbulence. The bright
maser emission is not coincident with any detected compact 22 GHz continuum
source, suggesting the high apparent luminosity of the maser may not due to
beamed amplification of continuum emission. We observed two compact continuum
sources that have inverted spectra between 5 and 8 GHz, and steep spectra
between 8 and 22 GHz. NGC 3079 may be a nearby, low-luminosity example of the
class of compact symmetric gigahertz-peaked spectrum (GPS) radio sources. We
detected a third continuum component that lies along the same axis as the other
two, strongly suggesting that this galaxy possesses a nuclear jet. Faint maser
emission was detected near this axis, which may indicate a second population of
masers associated with the jet.Comment: 31 pages, includes 8 figures. To appear in ApJ, Vol 495, 10 March
1998. Full-resolution figures and color plate available at
http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/~trotter/ngc3079.htm
Observational Evidence for Massive Black Holes in the Centers of Active Galaxies
Naturally occurring water vapor maser emission at 1.35 cm wavelength provides
an accurate probe for the study of accretion disks around highly compact
objects, thought to be black holes, in the centers of active galaxies. Because
of the exceptionally fine angular resolution, 200 microarcseconds, obtainable
with very long baseline interferometry, accompanied by high spectral
resolution, < 0.1 km/s, the dynamics and structures of these disks can be
probed with exceptional clarity. The data on the galaxy NGC4258 are discussed
here in detail. The mass of the black hole binding the accretion disk is 3.9
times 10^7 solar masses. Although the accretion disk has a rotational period of
about 800 years, the physical motions of the masers have been directly measured
with VLBI over a period of a few years. These measurements also allow the
distance from the earth to the black hole to be estimated to an accuracy of 4
percent. The status of the search for other maser/black hole candidates is also
discussed.Comment: 24 pages, 11 figures, latex, uses aaspp4 style file. To be published
in the Journal of Astronomy and Astrophysics (India), proceedings of the
Discussion Meeting on the Physics of Black Holes, Bangalore, India: December
199
Theory of disk accretion onto supermassive black holes
Accretion onto supermassive black holes produces both the dramatic phenomena
associated with active galactic nuclei and the underwhelming displays seen in
the Galactic Center and most other nearby galaxies. I review selected aspects
of the current theoretical understanding of black hole accretion, emphasizing
the role of magnetohydrodynamic turbulence and gravitational instabilities in
driving the actual accretion and the importance of the efficacy of cooling in
determining the structure and observational appearance of the accretion flow.
Ongoing investigations into the dynamics of the plunging region, the origin of
variability in the accretion process, and the evolution of warped, twisted, or
eccentric disks are summarized.Comment: Mostly introductory review, to appear in "Supermassive black holes in
the distant Universe", ed. A.J. Barger, Kluwer Academic Publishers, in pres
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Evaluation of structure effects on the pharmacological behavior of radioiodinated phenylpentadecanoic acids
For studying the pharmacokinetic behaviour of fatty acids with different chemical structures four STI-labelled compounds, i.e., the ortho and para STI-isomers of 15-phenylpentadecanoic acid (IPPA) and 3-methyl-15-phenylpentadecanoic acid were prepared and the organ distribution determined in mice. The results show a significant decrease of the maximal heart uptake for the two ortho compounds. Further, the hypothesis of a blocked metabolism as an effect of the US -methylation could not be confirmed. Both US -methylated compounds show a biexponential elimination behavior from the heart. 5 refs., 2 figs
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The Softest Einstein AGN (Active Galactic Nuclei)
We have undertaken a coarse spectral study to find the softest sources detected with the Imaging Proportional Counter (IPC) on the Einstein Observatory. Of the nearly 7700 IPC sources, 226 have color ratios that make them candidate ultrasoft'' sources; of these, 83 have small enough errors that we can say with confidence that they have a spectral component similar to those of the white dwarfs Sirius and HZ 43, nearby stars such as {alpha} Cen and Procyon, and typical polar'' cataclysmic variables. By means of catalog searches and ground-based optical and radio observations we have thus far identified 96 of the 226 candidate soft sources; 37 of them are active galactic nuclei (AGN). In the more selective subset of 83 sources, 47 have been identified, 12 of them with AGN. The list of 47 identifications is given in Cordova et al. For one QSO in our sample, E0132.8--411, we are able to fit the pulse-height data to a power-law model and obtain a best fit for the energy spectral index of 2. 2{sub {minus}0.4}{sup +0.6}. For the remainder of the AGN in the higher confidence sample we are able to infer on the basis of their x-ray colors that they have a similar spectral component. Two-thirds of the AGN are detected below 0.5 keV only, while the remainder evidence a flatter spectral component in addition to the ultra-soft component. 14 refs., 5 figs