Discovery of Candidate H$_2$O Disk Masers in AGN and Estimations of Centripetal Accelerations

Based on spectroscopic signatures, about one-third of known H$_2$O maser sources in active galactic nuclei (AGN) are believed to arise in highly inclined accretion disks around central engines. These "disk maser candidates" are of interest primarily because angular structure and rotation curves can be resolved with interferometers, enabling dynamical study. We identify five new disk maser candidates in studies with the Green Bank Telescope, bringing the total number published to 30. We discovered two (NGC1320, NGC17) in a survey of 40 inclined active galaxies (v_{sys}< 20000 kms^{-1}). The remaining three disk maser candidates were identified in monitoring of known sources: NGC449, NGC2979, NGC3735. We also confirm a previously marginal case in UGC4203. For the disk maser candidates reported here, inferred rotation speeds are 130-500 kms^{-1}. Monitoring of three more rapidly rotating candidate disks (CG211, NGC6264, VV340A) has enabled measurement of likely orbital centripetal acceleration, and estimation of central masses (2-7x10^7 M_\odot) and mean disk radii (0.2-0.4pc). Accelerations may ultimately permit estimation of distances when combined with interferometer data. This is notable because the three AGN are relatively distant (10000<v_{sys}<15000 kms^{-1}). As signposts of highly inclined geometries at galactocentric radii of \sim0.1-1pc, disk masers also provide robust orientation references that allow analysis of (mis)alignment between AGN and surrounding galactic stellar disks, even without interferometric mapping. We find no preference among published disk maser candidates to lie in high-inclination galaxies, providing independent support for conclusions that central engines and galactic plane orientations are not correlated. (ABRIDGED)
Comment: 7 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ, Dec. 10, 2009