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We present dynamical models of the narrow-line region (NLR) outflows in the nearby Seyfert galaxies Mrk 3, Mrk 78, NGC 1068, and NGC 4151 using observations from the Hubble Space Telescope and Apache Point Observatory. We employ long-slit spectroscopy to map the spatially resolved outflow and rotational velocities of the ionized gas. We also perform surface brightness decompositions of host galaxy images to constrain the enclosed stellar mass distributions as functions of distance from the supermassive black holes (SMBHs). Assuming that the NLR gas is accelerated by active galactic nuclei (AGN) radiation pressure, and subsequently decelerated by the host galaxy and SMBH gravitational potentials, we derive outflow velocity profiles where the gas is launched in situ at multiple distances from the SMBH. We find a strong correlation between the turnover (from acceleration to deceleration) radii from our models, with the turnovers seen in the observed velocities and spatially resolved mass outflow rates for the AGN with bolometric luminosities > 1044 erg s−1. This consistency indicates that radiation pressure is the dominant driving mechanism behind the NLR outflows in these moderate-luminosity AGNs, with a force multiplier ∼500 yielding the best agreement between the modeled and observed turnover radii. However, in Meena et al. we found that this trend may not hold at lower luminosities, where our modeled turnover distance for NGC 4051 is much smaller than in the observed kinematics. This result may indicate that either additional force(s) are responsible for accelerating the NLR outflows in low-luminosity AGNs, or higher spatial resolution observations are required to quantify their turnover radii. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We select a sample of 1437 active galactic nuclei (AGN) from the catalog of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey galaxy properties from the Portsmouth group by detection of the high-ionization [Ne v ] 3426 Å emission line. We compare the fluxes of [Ne III ] 3869 Å, [O III ] 5007 Å, [O II ] 3726, 3728 Å, and [O i ] 6300 Å to that of [Ne v]. All four lines show a strong linear correlation with [Ne v], although lines from ions with lower ionization potentials have a lower correlation coefficient. We investigate the use of two forbidden line ratio diagnostic diagrams that do not rely on H α in order to classify high-redshift galaxies. These use the [Ne III ]/[O II ] line ratio plotted against [O III ]/[O i ] and [O III ]/[O II ], respectively. We use photoionization modeling to characterize the behavior of the narrow-line region in AGN and star-forming regions and test the validity of our diagnostic diagrams. We also use a luminosity cutoff of log L [O III ] [erg s−1] = 42, which lowers the contamination of the AGN region by star-forming galaxies down to 10% but does not remove green pea and purple grape galaxies from the AGN region. We also investigate the OHNO diagram, which uses [Ne III ]/[O II ] plotted against [O III ]/H β. Using our new diagnostic diagrams, we are able to reliably classify AGN up to a redshift of z ≤ 1.06 and add more than 822 new AGN to the [Ne v]-selected AGN sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We explore the properties of ionized gas in the nuclear and circumnuclear environment of the narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 4051 using spectroscopic and imaging observations from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and Apache Point Observatory's ARC 3.5 m Telescope. We identify an unresolved moderate-density intermediate-width component and a high-density broad component in the optical emission lines from the active nucleus, as well as spatially resolved emission extending up to ∼1 kpc in the active galactic nucleus (AGN) ionized narrow-line region (NLR) and ∼8 kpc in the stellar ionized host galaxy. The HST narrowband image reveals a distinct conical structure in [O iii ] emission toward the NE, and the ionized gas kinematics shows up to two blueshifted velocity components, indicating outflows along the edges of a cone. We introduce an improved model of biconical outflow, with our line of sight passing through the wall of the cone, which suggests that the large number of outflowing UV absorbers seen in NGC 4051 are NLR clouds in absorption. Using the deprojection factors from the biconical geometry, we measure true outflow velocities up to 680 km s−1 at a distance of ∼350 pc; however, we do not find any rotational signature inside a projected distance of 10″ (∼800 pc) from the nucleus. We compare the gas kinematics with analytical models based on a radiation-gravity formalism, which show that most of the observed NLR outflows are launched within ∼0.5 pc of the nucleus and can travel up to ∼1 kpc from this low-luminosity AGN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Active galactic nuclei (AGN) can launch outflows of ionized gas that may influence galaxy evolution, and quantifying their full impact requires spatially resolved measurements of the gas masses, velocities, and radial extents. We previously reported these quantities for the ionized narrow-line region outflows in six low-redshift AGN, where the gas velocities and extents were determined from Hubble Space Telescope long-slit spectroscopy. However, calculating the gas masses required multicomponent photoionization models to account for radial variations in the gas densities, which span ∼6 orders of magnitude. To simplify this method for larger samples with less spectral coverage, we compare these gas masses with those calculated from techniques in the literature. First, we use a recombination equation with three different estimates for the radial density profiles. These include constant densities, those derived from [S ii ], and power-law profiles based on constant values of the ionization parameter (U). Second, we use single-component photoionization models with power-law density profiles based on constant U, and allow U to vary with radius based on the [O iii ]/H β ratios. We find that assuming a constant density of n H = 102 cmâˆ'3 overestimates the gas masses for all six outflows, particularly at small radii where the outflow rates peak. The use of [S ii ] marginally matches the total gas masses, but also overestimates at small radii. Overall, single-component photoionization models where U varies with radius are able to best match the gas mass and outflow rate profiles when there are insufficient emission lines to construct detailed models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using simultaneous Very Long Baseline Array and Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory X-ray Telescope observations of the active galactic nucleus (AGN) in NGC 2992 over a six-month observing campaign, we observed a large drop in core 5 cm radio luminosity, by a factor of >3, in tandem with a factor of >5 increase in 2â€"10 keV X-ray luminosity. While NGC 2992 has long been an important object for studies of X-ray variability, our study is the first simultaneous X-ray and radio variability campaign for this object. We observe that the X-ray spectral index does not change over the course of the flare, consistent with a change in the bulk amount of Comptonizing plasma, potentially due to a magnetic reconnection event in the accretion disk. The drop in apparent radio luminosity can be explained by a change in freeâ€"free absorption, which we calculate to correspond to an ionized region with a physical extent and electron density consistent with the broad-line region (BLR). Our results are consistent with magnetic reconnection events in the dynamic accretion disk creating outbursts of ionizing material, increasing Compton up-scattering of UV accretion disk photons and feeding material into the BLR. These findings present an important physical picture for the dynamical relationship between X-ray and radio emission in AGNs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the Navy Precision Optical Interferometer, we measured the angular diameters of 10 stars that have previously measured solar-like oscillations. Our sample covered a range of evolutionary stages but focused on evolved subgiant and giant stars. We combined our angular diameters with Hipparcos parallaxes to determine the stars' physical radii, and used photometry from the literature to calculate their bolometric fluxes, luminosities, and effective temperatures. We then used our results to test the scaling relations used by asteroseismology groups to calculate radii and found good agreement between the radii measured here and the radii predicted by stellar oscillation studies. The precision of the relations is not as well constrained for giant stars as it is for less evolved stars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Outflows of ionized gas driven by active galactic nuclei (AGN) may significantly impact the evolution of their host galaxies. However, determining the energetics of these outflows is difficult with spatially unresolved observations that are subject to strong global selection effects. We present part of an ongoing study using Hubble Space Telescope and Apache Point Observatory spectroscopy and imaging to derive spatially resolved mass outflow rates and energetics for narrow-line region outflows in nearby AGN that are based on multi-component photoionization models to account for spatial variations in gas ionization, density, abundances, and dust content. This expanded analysis adds Mrk 3, Mrk 78, and NGC 1068, doubling our earlier sample. We find that the outflows contain total ionized gas masses of M ≈ 105.5–107.5M⊙ and reach peak velocities of v ≈ 800–2000 km s−1. The outflows reach maximum mass outflow rates of yr−1 and encompass total kinetic energies of E ≈ 1054–1056 erg. The outflows extend to radial distances of r ≈ 0.1–3 kpc from the nucleus, with the gas masses, outflow energetics, and radial extents positively correlated with AGN luminosity. The outflow rates are consistent with in situ ionization and acceleration where gas is radiatively driven at multiple radii. These radial variations indicate that spatially resolved observations are essential for localizing AGN feedback and determining the most accurate outflow parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the first results from the Fundamental Reference active galactic nucleus (AGN) Monitoring Experiment, an observational campaign dedicated to understanding the physical processes that affect the apparent positions and morphologies of AGNs. In this work, we obtained simultaneous Swift X-ray Telescope and Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) radio observations for a snapshot campaign of 25 local AGNs that form a volume-complete sample with hard X-ray (14–195 keV) luminosities above 1042 erg s−1, out to a distance of 40 Mpc. Despite achieving an observation depth of ∼20 μJy, we find that 16 of 25 AGNs in our sample are not detected with the VLBA on milliarcsecond (subparsec) scales, and the corresponding core radio luminosity upper limits are systematically below predictions from the Fundamental Plane of black hole activity. Using archival Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) radio measurements, our sample jumps back onto the Fundamental Plane, suggesting that extended radio emission is responsible for the apparent correlation between radio emission, X-ray emission, and black hole mass. We suggest that this discrepancy is likely due to extranuclear radio emission produced via interactions between the AGN and host environment. We compare VLBA observations of AGNs to VLA observations of nearby Galactic black holes, and we find a mass-independent correlation between radio and X-ray luminosities of black holes of / ∼10−6, in line with predictions for coronal emission, but allowing for the possibility of truly radio-silent AGNs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a detailed study of active galactic nucleus feedback in the narrow-line region (NLR) of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 4151. We illustrate the data and techniques needed to determine the mass outflow rate () and kinetic luminosity (LKE) of the outflowing ionized gas as a function of position in the NLR. We find that peaks at a value of 3.0 M☼ yr–1 at a distance of 70 pc from the central supermassive black hole (SMBH), which is about 10 times the outflow rate coming from inside 13 pc, and 230 times the mass accretion rate inferred from the bolometric luminosity of NGC 4151. Thus, most of the outflow must arise from in situ acceleration of ambient gas throughout the NLR. LKE peaks at 90 pc and drops rapidly thereafter, indicating that most of the kinetic energy is deposited within about 100 pc from the SMBH. Both values exceed the and LKE determined for the UV/X-ray absorber outflows in NGC 4151, indicating the importance of NLR outflows in providing feedback on scales where circumnuclear star formation and bulge growth occur. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]