Bibcode
Fuller, Lindsay; Lopez-Rodriguez, Enrique; Packham, Chris; Ichikawa, Kohei; Togi, Aditya; Alonso-Herrero, Almudena; Ramos-Almeida, C.; Diaz-Santos, Tanio; Levenson, N. A.; Radomski, James
Bibliographical reference
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 483, Issue 3, p.3404-3419
Advertised on:
3
2019
Citations
12
Refereed citations
12
Description
We present arcsecond-scale observations of the active galactic nuclei
(AGNs) of seven nearby Seyfert galaxies observed from the Stratospheric
Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) using the 31.5 and 37.1 μm
filters of the Faint Object infraRed CAmera for the SOFIA Telescope
(FORCAST). We isolate unresolved emission from the torus and find
extended diffuse emission in six 37.1 μm residual images in our
sample. Using Spitzer/IRS spectra, we determine the dominant
mid-infrared (MIR) extended emission source and attribute it to dust in
the narrow-line region (NLR) or star formation. We compare the optical
NLR and radio jet axes to the extended 37.1 μm emission and find
coincident axes for three sources. For those AGNs with extended emission
coincident with the optical axis, we find that spatial scales of the
residual images are consistent with 0.1-1 kpc scale distances to which
dust can be heated by the AGN. Using previously published subarcsecond
1-20 μm imaging and spectroscopic data along with our new
observations, we construct broad-band spectral energy distributions
(SEDs) of the AGNs at wavelengths 1-40 μm. We find that three AGNs in
our sample tentatively show a turnover in the SED between 30 and 40
μm. Using results from CLUMPY torus models and the Bayesian inference
tool BAYESCLUMPY, we find that the posterior outputs for AGNs with MIR
turnover revealed by SOFIA/FORCAST have smaller uncertainties than AGNs
that do not show a turnover.
Related projects
Nuclear Activity in Galaxies: a 3D Perspective from the Nucleus to the Outskirts
This project consists of two main research lines. First, the study of quasar-driven outflows in luminous and nearby obscured active galactic nuclei (AGN) and the impact that they have on their massive host galaxies (AGN feedback). To do so, we have obtained Gran Telescopio CANARIAS (GTC) infrared and optical observations with the instruments
Cristina
Ramos Almeida