Program: GN-2006B-Q-18
Title: | High Spatial Resolution MIR Spectroscopy of AGN |
PI: | Chris Packham |
Co-I(s): | Justin Schaefer, Rachel Mason, James Radomski, Nancy Levenson, Moshe Elitzur, Eric Perlman, Charlie Telesco |
Abstract
In the classical unified model of Seyfert AGN, the classification as a Seyfert 1 or 2 is dependent on the orientation to the line of sight of an optically and geometrically thick torus surrounding the central engine (i.e. Antonucci & Miller 1985). Detailed observations and models of the spatial extent and SED of the torus are therefore crucial to the advancement of unified models. The torus must intercept a significant fraction of the energy from the central engine, and will re-radiate this energy with the observed emission peaking at mid-infrared (MIR) wavelengths. Thus mid-IR observations of AGN provide a powerful diagnostic of the torus and central activity in AGN. However, recent MIR imaging and spectroscopy of AGN have demonstrated that a significant amount of mid-IR emission is commonly found to be extended around the nucleus and ionization cones, with properties that differ significantly from those of the nucleus. Hence, torus models based on low-spatial resolution (1 arcsec or worse) observations suffer significant contamination which greatly detracts from the validity of those models. To advance these models, we plan to make high spatial resolution spectroscopy of the central regions of 2 bright, nearby AGN and then use new models to account for the observed emission.
Publications using this program's data
-
[data]
[ADS] Torus and Active Galactic Nucleus Properties of Nearby Seyfert Galaxies: Results from Fitting Infrared Spectral Energy Distributions and Spectroscopy
-
[data]
[ADS] Nuclear Star Formation Activity and Black Hole Accretion in Nearby Seyfert Galaxies
-
[data]
[ADS] Investigating the sensitivity of observed spectral energy distributions to clumpy torus properties in Seyfert galaxies
-
[data]
[ADS] The subarcsecond mid-infrared view of local active galactic nuclei - I. The N- and Q-band imaging atlas
-
[data]
[ADS] Nuclear obscuration in LINERs. Clues from Spitzer/IRS spectra on the Compton thickness and the existence of the dusty torus
-
[data]
[ADS] The Differences in the Torus Geometry between Hidden and Non-hidden Broad Line Active Galactic Nuclei
-
[data]
[ADS] A mid-infrared statistical investigation of clumpy torus model predictions
-
[data]
[ADS] SOFIA/FORCAST resolves 30-40 μm extended dust emission in nearby active galactic nuclei
-
[data]
[ADS] Active Galactic Nucleus Ghosts: A Systematic Search for Faded Nuclei
-
[data]
[ADS] On the origin of X-ray oxygen emission lines in obscured AGN
-
[data]
[ADS] The Complex Infrared Dust Continuum Emission of NGC 1068: Ground-based N- and Q-band Spectroscopy and New Radiative Transfer Models