TY - JOUR
T1 - UGC 4211
T2 - A Confirmed Dual Active Galactic Nucleus in the Local Universe at 230 pc Nuclear Separation
AU - Koss, Michael J.
AU - Treister, Ezequiel
AU - Kakkad, Darshan
AU - Casey-Clyde, J. Andrew
AU - Kawamuro, Taiki
AU - Williams, Jonathan
AU - Foord, Adi
AU - Trakhtenbrot, Benny
AU - Bauer, Franz E.
AU - Privon, George C.
AU - Ricci, Claudio
AU - Mushotzky, Richard
AU - Barcos-Munoz, Loreto
AU - Blecha, Laura
AU - Connor, Thomas
AU - Harrison, Fiona
AU - Liu, Tingting
AU - Magno, Macon
AU - Mingarelli, Chiara M.F.
AU - Muller-Sanchez, Francisco
AU - Oh, Kyuseok
AU - Shimizu, T. Taro
AU - Smith, Krista Lynne
AU - Stern, Daniel
AU - Tello, Miguel Parra
AU - Urry, C. Megan
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2023. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society.
PY - 2023/1/1
Y1 - 2023/1/1
N2 - 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, log M BH / M ⊙ ∼ 8.1 (south) and log M BH / M ⊙ ∼ 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 (<50 pc) continuum observations with ALMA to discover hidden growing SMBH pairs. While the exact occurrence rate of close-separation dual AGN is not yet known, it may be surprisingly high, given that UGC 4211 was found within a small, volume-limited sample of nearby hard X-ray detected AGN. Observations of dual SMBH binaries in the subkiloparsec regime at the final stages of dynamical friction provide important constraints for future gravitational wave observatories.
AB - 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, log M BH / M ⊙ ∼ 8.1 (south) and log M BH / M ⊙ ∼ 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 (<50 pc) continuum observations with ALMA to discover hidden growing SMBH pairs. While the exact occurrence rate of close-separation dual AGN is not yet known, it may be surprisingly high, given that UGC 4211 was found within a small, volume-limited sample of nearby hard X-ray detected AGN. Observations of dual SMBH binaries in the subkiloparsec regime at the final stages of dynamical friction provide important constraints for future gravitational wave observatories.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85146531815&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3847/2041-8213/aca8f0
DO - 10.3847/2041-8213/aca8f0
M3 - مقالة
SN - 2041-8205
VL - 942
JO - Astrophysical Journal Letters
JF - Astrophysical Journal Letters
IS - 1
M1 - L24
ER -