In:
The Astrophysical Journal, American Astronomical Society, Vol. 938, No. 1 ( 2022-10-01), p. 87-
Abstract:
To understand the origin of nuclear (≲100 pc) millimeter-wave (mm-wave) continuum emission in active galactic nuclei (AGNs), we systematically analyzed subarcsecond resolution Band-6 (211–275 GHz) Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array data of 98 nearby AGNs ( z 〈 0.05) from the 70 month Swift/BAT catalog. The sample, almost unbiased for obscured systems, provides the largest number of AGNs to date with high mm-wave spatial resolution sampling (∼1–200 pc), and spans broad ranges of 14–150 keV luminosity { 40 〈 log [ L 14 − 150 / ( erg s − 1 ) ] 〈 45 }, black hole mass [ 5 〈 log ( M BH / M ⊙ ) 〈 10 ], and Eddington ratio ( − 4 〈 log λ Edd 〈 2 ). We find a significant correlation between 1.3 mm (230 GHz) and 14–150 keV luminosities. Its scatter is ≈0.36 dex, and the mm-wave emission may serve as a good proxy of the AGN luminosity, free of dust extinction up to N H ∼ 10 26 cm −2 . While the mm-wave emission could be self-absorbed synchrotron radiation around the X-ray corona according to past works, we also discuss different possible origins of the mm-wave emission: AGN-related dust emission, outflow-driven shocks, and a small-scale ( 〈 200 pc) jet. The dust emission is unlikely to be dominant, as the mm-wave slope is generally flatter than expected. Also, due to no increase in the mm-wave luminosity with the Eddington ratio, a radiation-driven outflow model is possibly not the common mechanism. Furthermore, we find independence of the mm-wave luminosity on indicators of the inclination angle from the polar axis of the nuclear structure, which is inconsistent with a jet model whose luminosity depends only on the angle.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
0004-637X
,
1538-4357
DOI:
10.3847/1538-4357/ac8794
Language:
Unknown
Publisher:
American Astronomical Society
Publication Date:
2022
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2207648-7
detail.hit.zdb_id:
1473835-1
SSG:
16,12
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