Program: GS-2010A-C-6
Title: | Distinguishing the compact energy sources of nearby ULIRGs |
PI: | Masatoshi Imanishi |
Co-I(s): | Nagisa Oi, Keisuke Imase |
Abstract
We propose high-spatial-resolution mid-infrared 20 micron imaging
observations of nearby ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs)
at z ~ 0.1, for which our previous infrared spectroscopy
revealed that their energy sources are more centrally concentrated
than the surrounding dust.
Although these ULIRGs are naturally explained by buried AGNs (powered by
compact mass-accreting supermassive blackholes), rather
than normal starbursts (stellar energy sources and dust are
spatially mixed), exceptionally centrally-concentrated
starbursts remain a possibility.
Through the proposed 20 micron imaging observations, we estimate the
spatial extent of the 20 micron dust emission from these ULIRG's cores,
using the diffraction-limited imaging capability of the Gemini-South
8.1m and Subaru 8.2m telescopes at lambda ~ 20 micron.
Our scientific goal is to quantitatively confirm that the
emission surface brightnesses of the energy sources substantially exceed
the maximum value achieved by starburst phenomena (energy generation
efficiency eta ~ 0.5% * mc^2), and thereby to obtain
evidence that the energy sources must be buried AGNs (eta ~ 6-40% *
mc^2).
The high sensitivity and high spatial resolution (at lambda ~ 20 micron)
of a ground-based 8 m telescope at a dry site are crucial for
the success of this experiment.
Publications using this program's data
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[data]
[ADS] Subaru and Gemini High Spatial Resolution Infrared 18 μm Imaging Observations of Nearby Luminous Infrared Galaxies
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[data]
[ADS] Dust in active galactic nuclei. Mid-infrared T-ReCS/Gemini spectra using the new RedCan pipeline
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[data]
[ADS] Nuclear Star Formation Activity and Black Hole Accretion in Nearby Seyfert Galaxies
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[data]
[ADS] The Differences in the Torus Geometry between Hidden and Non-hidden Broad Line Active Galactic Nuclei
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[data]
[ADS] Circumnuclear Star Formation and AGN Activity: Clues from Surface Brightness Radial Profile of PAHs and [{\rm{S}}\,{\rm{IV}}]
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[data]
[ADS] Evidence for the absorption of crystalline silicates at 11.1 μm in the spectra of the nucleus of the Circinus galaxy