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UGC 4211: A Confirmed Dual Active Galactic Nucleus in the Local Universe at 230 pc Nuclear Separation

Authors :
Michael J. Koss
Ezequiel Treister
Darshan Kakkad
J. Andrew Casey-Clyde
Taiki Kawamuro
Jonathan Williams
Adi Foord
Benny Trakhtenbrot
Franz E. Bauer
George C. Privon
Claudio Ricci
Richard Mushotzky
Loreto Barcos-Munoz
Laura Blecha
Thomas Connor
Fiona Harrison
Tingting Liu
Macon Magno
Chiara M. F. Mingarelli
Francisco Muller-Sanchez
Kyuseok Oh
T. Taro Shimizu
Krista Lynne Smith
Daniel Stern
Miguel Parra Tello
C. Megan Urry
Source :
The Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol 942, Iss 1, p L24 (2023)
Publication Year :
2023
Publisher :
IOP Publishing, 2023.

Abstract

We present multiwavelength high-spatial resolution (∼0.″1, 70 pc) observations of UGC 4211 at z = 0.03474, a late-stage major galaxy merger at the closest nuclear separation yet found in near-IR imaging (0.″32, ∼230 pc projected separation). Using Hubble Space Telescope/Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph, Very Large Telescope/MUSE+AO, Keck/OSIRIS+AO spectroscopy, and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations, we show that the spatial distribution, optical and near-infrared emission lines, and millimeter continuum emission are all consistent with both nuclei being powered by accreting supermassive black holes (SMBHs). Our data, combined with common black hole mass prescriptions, suggest that both SMBHs have similar masses, $\mathrm{log}\left({M}_{\mathrm{BH}}/{M}_{\odot }\right)$ ∼ 8.1 (south) and $\mathrm{log}\left({M}_{\mathrm{BH}}/{M}_{\odot }\right)$ ∼ 8.3 (north), respectively. The projected separation of 230 pc (∼6× the black hole sphere of influence) represents the closest-separation dual active galactic nuclei (AGN) studied to date with multiwavelength resolved spectroscopy and shows the potential of nuclear (

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
20418213 and 20418205
Volume :
942
Issue :
1
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
The Astrophysical Journal Letters
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.579db5f907af4274843115690c67e09b
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/aca8f0