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Register a new userNuSTAR observations of the powerful radio-galaxy Cygnus A
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Added by
Christopher S. Reynolds
Publication date
2015
fields
Physics
and research's language is
English
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We present NuSTAR observations of the powerful radio galaxy Cygnus A, focusing on the central absorbed active galactic nucleus (AGN). Cygnus A is embedded in a cool-core galaxy cluster, and hence we also examine archival XMM-Newton data to facilitate the decomposition of the spectrum into the AGN and intracluster medium (ICM) components. NuSTAR gives a source-dominated spectrum of the AGN out to >70keV. In gross terms, the NuSTAR spectrum of the AGN has the form of a power law (Gamma~1.6-1.7) absorbed by a neutral column density of N_H~1.6x10^23 cm^-2. However, we also detect curvature in the hard (>10keV) spectrum resulting from reflection by Compton-thick matter out of our line-of-sight to the X-ray source. Compton reflection, possibly from the outer accretion disk or obscuring torus, is required even permitting a high-energy cutoff in the continuum source; the limit on the cutoff energy is E_cut>111keV (90% confidence). Interestingly, the absorbed power-law plus reflection model leaves residuals suggesting the absorption/emission from a fast (15,000-26,000km/s), high column-density (N_W>3x10^23 cm^-2), highly ionized (xi~2,500 erg cm/s) wind. A second, even faster ionized wind component is also suggested by these data. We show that the ionized wind likely carries a significant mass and momentum flux, and may carry sufficient kinetic energy to exercise feedback on the host galaxy. If confirmed, the simultaneous presence of a strong wind and powerful jets in Cygnus A demonstrates that feedback from radio-jets and sub-relativistic winds are not mutually exclusive phases of AGN activity but can occur simultaneously.
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Broad-line radio galaxies (BLRGs) are active galactic nuclei that produce powerful, large-scale radio jets, but appear as Seyfert 1 galaxies in their optical spectra. In the X-ray band, BLRGs also appear like Seyfert galaxies, but with flatter spectra and weaker reflection features. One explanation for these properties is that the X-ray continuum is diluted by emission from the jet. Here, we present two NuSTAR observations of the BLRG 3C 382 that show clear evidence that the continuum of this source is dominated by thermal Comptonization, as in Seyfert 1 galaxies. The two observations were separated by over a year and found 3C 382 in different states separated by a factor of 1.7 in flux. The lower flux spectrum has a photon-index of $Gamma=1.68^{+0.03}_{-0.02}$, while the photon-index of the higher flux spectrum is $Gamma=1.78^{+0.02}_{-0.03}$. Thermal and anisotropic Comptonization models provide an excellent fit to both spectra and show that the coronal plasma cooled from $kT_e=330pm 30$ keV in the low flux data to $231^{+50}_{-88}$ keV in the high flux observation. This cooling behavior is typical of Comptonizing corona in Seyfert galaxies and is distinct from the variations observed in jet-dominated sources. In the high flux observation, simultaneous Swift data are leveraged to obtain a broadband spectral energy distribution and indicates that the corona intercepts $sim 10$% of the optical and ultraviolet emitting accretion disk. 3C 382 exhibits very weak reflection features, with no detectable relativistic Fe K$alpha$ line, that may be best explained by an outflowing corona combined with an ionized inner accretion disk.
We have analyzed archival VLBA data for Cygnus A between 2002 and 2013, to search for radio emission from the transient discovered in 2015 by citet{per18} approximately 0.4arcsec~ from the nucleus of Cygnus A (Cyg A-2). citet{per18} use VLA and VLBA archival data (between 1989 and 1997) to show that the transient rises in flux density by a factor of at least five in less than approximately 20 years. With the additional data presented here, we revise the rise time to between approximately four years and six years, based on a new detection of the source at 15.4 GHz from October 2011. Our results strengthen the interpretation of Cyg A-2 as the result of a Tidal Disruption Event (TDE), as we can identify the location of the compact object responsible for the TDE and can estimate the angular expansion speed of the resulting radio emitting structures, equivalent to an apparent expansion speed of $<0.9c$. While our results are consistent with recent X-ray analyses, we can rule out a previously suggested date of early 2013 for the timing of the TDE. We favour a timing between early 2009 and late 2011. Applying the model of citet{nak11}, we suggest a TDE causing a mildly relativistic outflow with a (density-dependent) total energy $>10^{49}$ erg. Due to the improved temporal coverage of our archival measurements, we find that it is unlikely that Cyg A-2 has previously been in a high luminosity radio state over the last 30 years.
We present observations of the Cygnus OB2 region obtained with the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) at the frequencies of 325 MHz and 610 MHz. In this contribution we focus on the study of proplyd-like objects (also known as free-floating Evaporating Gas Globules or frEGGs) that typically show an extended cometary morphology. We identify eight objects previously studied at other wavelengths and derive their physical properties by obtaining their optical depth at radio-wavelengths. Using their geometry and the photoionization rate needed to produce their radio-continuum emission, we find that these sources are possibly ionized by a contribution of the stars Cyg OB2 #9 and Cyg OB2 #22. Spectral index maps of the eight frEGGs were constructed, showing a flat spectrum in radio frequencies in general. We interpret these as produced by optically-thin ionized gas, although it is possible that a combination of thermal emission, not necessarily optically thin, produced by a diffuse gas component and the instrument response (which detects more diffuse emission at low frequencies) can artificially generate negative spectral indices. In particular, for the case of the Tadpole we suggest that the observed emission is not of non-thermal origin despite the presence of regions with negative spectral indices in our maps.
Aims. Study the connection between the masing disk and obscuring torus in Seyfert 2 galaxies. Methods. We present a uniform X-ray spectral analysis of the high energy properties of 14 nearby megamaser Active Galactic Nuclei observed by NuSTAR. We use a simple analytical model to localize the maser disk and understand its connection with the torus by combining NuSTAR spectral parameters with available physical quantities from VLBI mapping. Results. Most of the sources analyzed are heavily obscured, showing a column density in excess of $sim 10^{23}$ cm$^{-2}$. In particular, $79%$ are Compton-thick ($N_{rm H} > 1.5 times 10^{24}$ cm$^{-2}$). Using column densities measured by NuSTAR, with the assumption that the torus is the extension of the maser disk, and further assuming a reasonable density profile, the torus dimensions can be predicted. They are found to be consistent with mid-IR interferometry parsec-scale observations of Circinus and NGC 1068. In this picture, the maser disk is intimately connected to the inner part of the torus. It is probably made of a large number of molecular clouds connecting the torus and the outer part of the accretion disk, giving rise to a thin disk rotating in most cases in Keplerian or sub-Keplerian motion. This toy model explains the established close connection between water megamaser emission and nuclear obscuration as a geometric effect.
Prior to the launch of NuSTAR, it was not feasible to spatially resolve the hard (E > 10 keV) emission from galaxies beyond the Local Group. The combined NuSTAR dataset, comprised of three ~165 ks observations, allows spatial characterization of the hard X-ray emission in the galaxy NGC 253 for the first time. As a follow up to our initial study of its nuclear region, we present the first results concerning the full galaxy from simultaneous NuSTAR, Chandra, and VLBA monitoring of the local starburst galaxy NGC 253. Above ~10 keV, nearly all the emission is concentrated within 100 of the galactic center, produced almost exclusively by three nuclear sources, an off-nuclear ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX), and a pulsar candidate that we identify for the first time in these observations. We detect 21 distinct sources in energy bands up to 25 keV, mostly consisting of intermediate state black hole X-ray binaries. The global X-ray emission of the galaxy - dominated by the off-nuclear ULX and nuclear sources, which are also likely ULXs - falls steeply (photon index >~ 3) above 10 keV, consistent with other NuSTAR-observed ULXs, and no significant excess above the background is detected at E > 40 keV. We report upper limits on diffuse inverse Compton emission for a range of spatial models. For the most extended morphologies considered, these hard X-ray constraints disfavor a dominant inverse Compton component to explain the {gamma}-ray emission detected with Fermi and H.E.S.S. If NGC 253 is typical of starburst galaxies at higher redshift, their contribution to the E > 10 keV cosmic X-ray background is < 1%.
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