Search for High-excitation Emission Lines from a Quasar-scale Active Nucleus in Arp 220
The late-stage galaxy merger and prototypical ultraluminous infrared galaxy (ULIRG) Arp 220 is probed using the JWST Mid Infrared Instrument medium-resolution spectrometer to search for multiple diagnostic active galactic nuclei (AGN) emission lines in the low-interstellar-opacity spectral ranges of...
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IOP Publishing
2024-01-01
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| Series: | The Astrophysical Journal |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad7eb0 |
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| author | Charles E. Goldberg Victorine A. Buiten George H. Rieke Almudena Alonso-Herrero A. Paggi Paul van der Werf Meredith A. Stone Jane E. Morrison Stacey Alberts Dan Dicken Gillian Wright |
| author_facet | Charles E. Goldberg Victorine A. Buiten George H. Rieke Almudena Alonso-Herrero A. Paggi Paul van der Werf Meredith A. Stone Jane E. Morrison Stacey Alberts Dan Dicken Gillian Wright |
| author_sort | Charles E. Goldberg |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The late-stage galaxy merger and prototypical ultraluminous infrared galaxy (ULIRG) Arp 220 is probed using the JWST Mid Infrared Instrument medium-resolution spectrometer to search for multiple diagnostic active galactic nuclei (AGN) emission lines in the low-interstellar-opacity spectral ranges of 5.3–7.9 μ m and 12.9–16.0 μ m. We detect none of the characteristic high-excitation AGN emission lines. The most diagnostic nondetections are of the [Ne vi ] λ 7.652 μ m and [Ne v ] λ 14.32 μ m lines, for which the combined upper limit is ∼10–20 times fainter than the equivalent limit from Spitzer data. We also use X-ray measurements of the reflected Fe K α line to suggest a relatively low X-ray luminosity. These results suggest that the high obscuration observed along the line of sight to the nuclei of Arp 220 is isotropic and keeps any high-excitation emission from a putative AGN from escaping. An implication is that the observed mid-infrared output of the nuclei is essentially their bolometric luminosity, i.e., no significant additional energy escapes. We utilize this result to show that any embedded AGNs are accreting at no more than ∼5% of the Eddington rate, lower than many theoretical predictions for this stage of ULIRG evolution. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-69d1cd1f0f30469e8e7b57631bd9a278 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1538-4357 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Astrophysical Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-69d1cd1f0f30469e8e7b57631bd9a2782025-08-20T02:18:15ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal1538-43572024-01-0197715510.3847/1538-4357/ad7eb0Search for High-excitation Emission Lines from a Quasar-scale Active Nucleus in Arp 220Charles E. Goldberg0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4901-7693Victorine A. Buiten1https://orcid.org/0009-0003-4835-2435George H. Rieke2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2303-6519Almudena Alonso-Herrero3https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6794-2519A. Paggi4https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5646-2410Paul van der Werf5https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5434-5942Meredith A. Stone6https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9720-3255Jane E. Morrison7https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9288-9235Stacey Alberts8https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8909-8782Dan Dicken9https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0589-5969Gillian Wright10https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7416-7936Steward Observatory , 933 N. Cherry Ave., Tucson, AZ 85719, USA; Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, UC San Diego , 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA 92093, USALeiden Observatory, Leiden University , PO Box 9513, 2300 RA Leiden, The NetherlandsSteward Observatory , 933 N. Cherry Ave., Tucson, AZ 85719, USACentro de Astrobiología (CAB), CSIC-INTA , Camino Bajo del Castillo s/n, E-28692 Villanueva de la Cañada, Madrid, SpainInstitute of Astrophysics , Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, GR-70013 Heraklion, GreeceLeiden Observatory, Leiden University , PO Box 9513, 2300 RA Leiden, The NetherlandsSteward Observatory , 933 N. Cherry Ave., Tucson, AZ 85719, USASteward Observatory , 933 N. Cherry Ave., Tucson, AZ 85719, USASteward Observatory , 933 N. Cherry Ave., Tucson, AZ 85719, USAUK Astronomy Technology Centre , Royal Observatory Edinburgh, Blackford Hill, Edinburgh, EH9 3HJ, UKUK Astronomy Technology Centre , Royal Observatory Edinburgh, Blackford Hill, Edinburgh, EH9 3HJ, UKThe late-stage galaxy merger and prototypical ultraluminous infrared galaxy (ULIRG) Arp 220 is probed using the JWST Mid Infrared Instrument medium-resolution spectrometer to search for multiple diagnostic active galactic nuclei (AGN) emission lines in the low-interstellar-opacity spectral ranges of 5.3–7.9 μ m and 12.9–16.0 μ m. We detect none of the characteristic high-excitation AGN emission lines. The most diagnostic nondetections are of the [Ne vi ] λ 7.652 μ m and [Ne v ] λ 14.32 μ m lines, for which the combined upper limit is ∼10–20 times fainter than the equivalent limit from Spitzer data. We also use X-ray measurements of the reflected Fe K α line to suggest a relatively low X-ray luminosity. These results suggest that the high obscuration observed along the line of sight to the nuclei of Arp 220 is isotropic and keeps any high-excitation emission from a putative AGN from escaping. An implication is that the observed mid-infrared output of the nuclei is essentially their bolometric luminosity, i.e., no significant additional energy escapes. We utilize this result to show that any embedded AGNs are accreting at no more than ∼5% of the Eddington rate, lower than many theoretical predictions for this stage of ULIRG evolution.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad7eb0AGN host galaxiesActive galactic nucleiJames Webb Space Telescope |
| spellingShingle | Charles E. Goldberg Victorine A. Buiten George H. Rieke Almudena Alonso-Herrero A. Paggi Paul van der Werf Meredith A. Stone Jane E. Morrison Stacey Alberts Dan Dicken Gillian Wright Search for High-excitation Emission Lines from a Quasar-scale Active Nucleus in Arp 220 The Astrophysical Journal AGN host galaxies Active galactic nuclei James Webb Space Telescope |
| title | Search for High-excitation Emission Lines from a Quasar-scale Active Nucleus in Arp 220 |
| title_full | Search for High-excitation Emission Lines from a Quasar-scale Active Nucleus in Arp 220 |
| title_fullStr | Search for High-excitation Emission Lines from a Quasar-scale Active Nucleus in Arp 220 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Search for High-excitation Emission Lines from a Quasar-scale Active Nucleus in Arp 220 |
| title_short | Search for High-excitation Emission Lines from a Quasar-scale Active Nucleus in Arp 220 |
| title_sort | search for high excitation emission lines from a quasar scale active nucleus in arp 220 |
| topic | AGN host galaxies Active galactic nuclei James Webb Space Telescope |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad7eb0 |
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