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We report the results of Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) 1–2 kpc resolution, three rotational transition-line (J = 2–1, J = 3–2, and J = 4–3) observations of multiple dense molecular gas tracers (HCN, HCO+, and HNC) for 10 nearby (ultra)luminous infrared galaxies ((U)LIRGs). Following the matching of beam sizes to 1–2 kpc for each (U)LIRG, the high- J -to-low- J transition-line flux ratios of each molecule and the emission-line flux ratios of different molecules at each J transition are derived. We conduct RADEX non-LTE model calculations and find that, under a wide range of gas density and kinetic temperature, the observed HCN-to-HCO+ flux ratios in the overall (U)LIRGs are naturally reproduced with enhanced HCN abundance compared to HCO+. Thereafter, molecular gas properties are constrained primarily through the use of HCN and HCO+ data and the adoption of fiducial values for the HCO+ column density and HCN-to-HCO+ abundance ratio. We quantitatively confirm the following: (i) molecular gas at the (U)LIRGs' nuclei is dense (≳103–4 cm−3) and warm (≳100 K), (ii) the molecular gas density and temperature in nine ULIRGs' nuclei are significantly higher than those of one LIRG's nucleus, (iii) molecular gas in starburst-dominated sources tends to be less dense and cooler than ULIRGs with luminous AGN signatures. For six selected sources, we also apply a Bayesian approach by freeing all parameters and support the above main results. Our ALMA 1–2 kpc resolution, multiple transition-line data of multiple molecules are a very powerful tool for scrutinizing the properties of molecular gas concentrated around luminous energy sources in nearby (U)LIRGs' nuclei. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During galaxy merger events, the supermassive black holes in the center of the galaxies may form a pair of active galactic nuclei (AGN) with kiloparsec-scale or even parsec-scale separation. Recently, optical observations revealed a promising dual-AGN candidate at the center of the galaxy SDSS J101022.95+141300.9 (hereafter J1010+1413). The presence of two distinct [O iii ]-emitting point sources with a projected separation of ∼430 pc indicates a dual-AGN system. To search for AGN-dominated radio emission originating from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) point sources, we carried out very long baseline interferometry observations. We resolved the radio structure of J1010+1413 and detected a single feature offset from the HST point sources and also from the Gaia optical position of the object. Our multiwavelength analysis of J1010+1413 inferred two possible interpretations of the observed properties challenging its proposed dual-AGN classification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sombrero galaxy (M 104, NGC 4594) is associated with one of the nearest low-luminosity active galactic nuclei (AGNs). We investigated the detailed radio structure of the Sombrero nucleus using high-resolution, quasi-simultaneous, multi-frequency, phase-referencing Very Long Baseline Array observations. We obtained high-quality images of this nucleus at seven frequencies, where those at 15, 24, and 43 GHz are the first clear very long baseline interferometry detections. At 43 GHz, the nuclear structure was imaged on a linear scale under 0.01 pc or 100 Schwarzschild radii, revealing a compact, high-brightness-temperature (≳ 3 × 109 K) radio core. We discovered the presence of the extended structure emanating from the core on two sides in the northwest and southeast directions. The nuclear radio spectra show a clear spatial gradient, which is similar to that seen in more luminous AGNs with powerful relativistic jets. Moreover, the size and position of the core tend to be frequency dependent. These findings provide evidence that the central engine of the Sombrero is powering radio jets and the jets are overwhelming the emission from the underlying radiatively inefficient accretion flow over the observed frequencies. Based on these radio characteristics, we constrained the following physical parameters for the M 104 jets: (1) the northern side is approaching, whereas the southern one is receding; (2) the jet viewing angle is relatively close to our line-of-sight (≲ 25°); and (3) the intrinsic jet velocity is highly sub-relativistic (≲ 0.2c). The derived pole-on nature of the M 104 jets is consistent with the previous argument that this nucleus contains a true type II AGN, i.e., the broad line region is actually absent or intrinsically weak if the plane of the circumnuclear torus is perpendicular to the jet axis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe a new tool for studying the structure and physical characteristics of ultracompact active galactic nucleus (AGN) jets and their surroundings with μas precision. This tool is based on the frequency dependence of the light curves observed for intra-day variable radio sources, where the variability is caused by interstellar scintillation. We apply this method to PKS 1257-326 to resolve the core-shift as a function of frequency on scales well below ~12μas. We find that the frequency dependence of the position of the scintillating component is r ∝ ? -0.1±0.24 (99% confidence interval) and the frequency dependence of the size of the scintillating component is d ∝ v-0.64±0.006. Together, these results imply that the jet opening angle increases with distance along the jet: d ∝ rnd with nd > 1.8. We show that the flaring of the jet, and flat frequency dependence of the core position is broadly consistent with a model in which the jet is hydrostatically confined and traversing a steep pressure gradient in the confining medium with p ∝ r -np and np ≳ 7. Such steep pressure gradients have previously been suggested based on very long baseline interferometry studies of the frequency dependent core shifts in AGNs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyze differences in positions of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) between Gaia data release 2 and very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) and compare the significant VLBI-to-Gaia offsets in more than 1000 objects with their jet directions. Remarkably at least three-fourths of the significant offsets are confirmed to occur downstream or upstream of the jet representing a genuine astrophysical effect. Introducing redshift and Gaia color into analysis can help distinguish between the contribution of the host galaxy, jet, and accretion disk emission. We find that strong optical jet emission at least 20–50 pc long is required to explain the Gaia positions located downstream from VLBI ones. Offsets in the upstream direction of up to 2 mas are at least partly due to the dominant impact of the accretion disk on the Gaia coordinates and by the effects of the parsec-scale radio jet. The host galaxy was found not to play an important role in the detected offsets. BL Lacertae object and Seyfert 2 galaxies are observationally confirmed to have a relatively weak disk and consequently downstream offsets. The disk emission drives upstream offsets in a significant fraction of quasars and Seyfert 1 galaxies when it dominates over the jet in the optical band. The observed behavior of the different AGN classes is consistent with the unified scheme assuming varying contribution of the obscuring dusty torus and jet beaming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]