A Complex Dust Morphology in the High-luminosity AGN Mrk 876
Recent models for the inner structures of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) advocate the presence of a radiatively accelerated dusty outflow launched from the outer regions of the accretion disk. Here, we present the first near-IR variable (rms) spectrum for the high-luminosity nearby AGN Mrk 876. We fi...
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IOP Publishing
2023-01-01
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| Series: | The Astrophysical Journal |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/acb92d |
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| author | Hermine Landt Jake A. J. Mitchell Martin J. Ward Paul Mercatoris Jörg-Uwe Pott Keith Horne Juan V. Hernández Santisteban Daksh Malhotra Edward M. Cackett Michael R. Goad Encarni Romero Colmenero Hartmut Winkler |
| author_facet | Hermine Landt Jake A. J. Mitchell Martin J. Ward Paul Mercatoris Jörg-Uwe Pott Keith Horne Juan V. Hernández Santisteban Daksh Malhotra Edward M. Cackett Michael R. Goad Encarni Romero Colmenero Hartmut Winkler |
| author_sort | Hermine Landt |
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| description | Recent models for the inner structures of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) advocate the presence of a radiatively accelerated dusty outflow launched from the outer regions of the accretion disk. Here, we present the first near-IR variable (rms) spectrum for the high-luminosity nearby AGN Mrk 876. We find that it tracks the accretion disk spectrum out to longer wavelengths than the mean spectrum, due to a reduced dust emission. The implied outer accretion disk radius is consistent with the IR results predicted by a contemporaneous optical accretion disk reverberation mapping campaign, and much larger than the self-gravity radius. The reduced flux variability of the hot dust could either be due to the presence of a secondary constant dust component in the mean spectrum or be introduced by the destructive superposition of the dust and accretion disk variability signals, or be some combination of the two. Assuming thermal equilibrium for optically thin dust, we derive the luminosity-based dust radii for different grain properties, using our measurement of the temperature. We find that in all the cases considered, the values are significantly larger than the dust response time measured by IR photometric monitoring campaigns, with the least discrepancy present relative to the result for a wavelength-independent dust emissivity law, i.e., a blackbody, which is appropriate for large grain sizes. This result can be well explained by assuming a flared disk-like structure for the hot dust. |
| format | Article |
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| issn | 1538-4357 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
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| series | The Astrophysical Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-e3d1cf5d7c8e4ba78910f0dc7c2b57f52025-07-25T12:27:42ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal1538-43572023-01-0194516210.3847/1538-4357/acb92dA Complex Dust Morphology in the High-luminosity AGN Mrk 876Hermine Landt0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8391-6900Jake A. J. Mitchell1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5493-1420Martin J. Ward2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1810-0889Paul Mercatoris3Jörg-Uwe Pott4https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4291-2078Keith Horne5https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1728-0304Juan V. Hernández Santisteban6https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6733-5556Daksh Malhotra7Edward M. Cackett8https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8294-9281Michael R. Goad9https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2908-7360Encarni Romero Colmenero10https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0607-1136Hartmut Winkler11https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2662-0526Centre for Extragalactic Astronomy, Department of Physics, Durham University , South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK ; hermine.landt@durham.ac.ukCentre for Extragalactic Astronomy, Department of Physics, Durham University , South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK ; hermine.landt@durham.ac.ukCentre for Extragalactic Astronomy, Department of Physics, Durham University , South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK ; hermine.landt@durham.ac.ukMax Planck Institut für Astronomie , Königstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg, GermanyMax Planck Institut für Astronomie , Königstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg, GermanySUPA Physics and Astronomy, University of St. Andrews , Fife, KY16 9SS, UKSUPA Physics and Astronomy, University of St. Andrews , Fife, KY16 9SS, UKSUPA Physics and Astronomy, University of St. Andrews , Fife, KY16 9SS, UK; Department of Physics, University of Alberta , 4-181 CCIS, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E1, CanadaWayne State University , Department of Physics & Astronomy, 666 W Hancock St, Detroit, MI 48201, USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester , University Road, Leicester, LE1 7RH, UKSouthern African Large Telescope (SALT) , P.O. Box 9, Observatory 7935, Cape Town, South Africa; The South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) , P.O. Box 9, Observatory 7935, Cape Town, South AfricaDepartment of Physics, University of Johannesburg , P.O. Box 524, 2006 Auckland Park, Johannesburg, South AfricaRecent models for the inner structures of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) advocate the presence of a radiatively accelerated dusty outflow launched from the outer regions of the accretion disk. Here, we present the first near-IR variable (rms) spectrum for the high-luminosity nearby AGN Mrk 876. We find that it tracks the accretion disk spectrum out to longer wavelengths than the mean spectrum, due to a reduced dust emission. The implied outer accretion disk radius is consistent with the IR results predicted by a contemporaneous optical accretion disk reverberation mapping campaign, and much larger than the self-gravity radius. The reduced flux variability of the hot dust could either be due to the presence of a secondary constant dust component in the mean spectrum or be introduced by the destructive superposition of the dust and accretion disk variability signals, or be some combination of the two. Assuming thermal equilibrium for optically thin dust, we derive the luminosity-based dust radii for different grain properties, using our measurement of the temperature. We find that in all the cases considered, the values are significantly larger than the dust response time measured by IR photometric monitoring campaigns, with the least discrepancy present relative to the result for a wavelength-independent dust emissivity law, i.e., a blackbody, which is appropriate for large grain sizes. This result can be well explained by assuming a flared disk-like structure for the hot dust.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/acb92dActive galactic nucleiQuasarsDust continuum emissionDust physicsNear infrared astronomy |
| spellingShingle | Hermine Landt Jake A. J. Mitchell Martin J. Ward Paul Mercatoris Jörg-Uwe Pott Keith Horne Juan V. Hernández Santisteban Daksh Malhotra Edward M. Cackett Michael R. Goad Encarni Romero Colmenero Hartmut Winkler A Complex Dust Morphology in the High-luminosity AGN Mrk 876 The Astrophysical Journal Active galactic nuclei Quasars Dust continuum emission Dust physics Near infrared astronomy |
| title | A Complex Dust Morphology in the High-luminosity AGN Mrk 876 |
| title_full | A Complex Dust Morphology in the High-luminosity AGN Mrk 876 |
| title_fullStr | A Complex Dust Morphology in the High-luminosity AGN Mrk 876 |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Complex Dust Morphology in the High-luminosity AGN Mrk 876 |
| title_short | A Complex Dust Morphology in the High-luminosity AGN Mrk 876 |
| title_sort | complex dust morphology in the high luminosity agn mrk 876 |
| topic | Active galactic nuclei Quasars Dust continuum emission Dust physics Near infrared astronomy |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/acb92d |
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