VLTI/GRAVITY interferometric measurements of the innermost dust structure sizes around active galactic nuclei

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2024

Authors

Amorim, A (Author) Other; Bourdarot, G (Author) Other; Brandner, W (Author) Other; Cao, Y (Author) Other; Clénet, Y (Author) Other; Davies, R (Author) Other; de Zeeuw, PT (Author) Other; Dexter, J (Author) Other; Drescher, A (Author) Other; Eckart, A (Author) Other; Eisenhauer, F (Author) Other; Fabricius, M (Author) Other; Feuchtgruber, H (Author) Other; Schreiber, NMF (Author) Other; P. J. V. Garcia (Author) FEUP; Genzel, R (Author) Other; Gillessen, S (Author) Other; Gratadour, D (Author) Other; Hoenig, S (Author) Other; Kishimoto, M (Author) Other; Lacour, S (Author) Other; Lutz, D (Author) Other; Millour, F (Author) Other; Netzer, H (Author) Other; Ott, T (Author) Other; Perraut, K (Author) Other; Perrin, G (Author) Other; Peterson, BM (Author) Other; Petrucci, PO (Author) Other; Pfuhl, O (Author) Other; Prieto, A (Author) Other; Rabien, S (Author) Other; Rouan, D (Author) Other; Santos, DJD (Author) Other; Shangguan, J (Author) Other; Shimizu, T (Author) Other; Sternberg, A (Author) Other; Straubmeier, C (Author) Other; Sturm, E (Author) Other; Tacconi, LJ (Author) Other; Tristram, KRW (Author) Other; Widmann, F (Author) Other; Woillez, J (Author) Other

Journal

Title: Astronomy and Astrophysics

Vol. 690

Final page: A76

ISSN: 0004-6361

Publisher: EDP Sciences

Indexing

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Other information

Authenticus ID: P-017-9G2

DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/202450746

Abstract (EN): We present new Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI)/GRAVITY near-infrared interferometric measurements of the angular size of the innermost hot dust continuum for 14 type 1 active galactic nuclei (AGNs). The angular sizes are resolved on scales of similar to 0.7 mas and the inferred ring radii range from 0.028 to 1.33 pc, comparable to those reported previously and a factor of 10-20 smaller than the mid-infrared sizes in the literature. Combining our new data with previously published values, we compiled a sample of 25 AGNs with bolometric luminosity ranging from 10(42) to 10(47) erg s(-1), with which we studied the radius-luminosity (R - L) relation for the hot dust structure. Our interferometric measurements of radius are offset by a factor of 2 from the equivalent relation derived through reverberation mapping. Using a simple model to explore the dust structure's geometry, we conclude that this offset can be explained if the 2 mu m emitting surface has a concave shape. Our data show that the slope of the relation is in line with the canonical R proportional to L-0.5 when using an appropriately non-linear correction for bolometric luminosity. In contrast, using optical luminosity or applying a constant bolometric correction to it results in a significant deviation in the slope, suggesting a potential luminosity dependence on the spectral energy distribution. Over four orders of magnitude in luminosity, the intrinsic scatter around the R - L relation is 0.2 dex, suggesting a tight correlation between the innermost hot dust structure size and the AGN luminosity.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 14