A Kiloparsec-Scale Binary Active Galactic Nucleus Confirmed by the Expanded Very Large Array

Hai Fu; Zhi-Yu Zhang; Roberto J Assef; Alan Stockton; Adam D Myers; Lin Yan; S. G Djorgovski; J. M Wrobel; Dominik A Riechers

doi:10.1088/2041-8205/740/2/L44

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A Kiloparsec-Scale Binary Active Galactic Nucleus Confirmed by the Expanded Very Large Array

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A Kiloparsec-Scale Binary Active Galactic Nucleus Confirmed by the Expanded Very Large Array

Hai Fu, Zhi-Yu Zhang, Roberto J Assef, Alan Stockton, Adam D Myers, Lin Yan, S. G Djorgovski, J. M Wrobel and Dominik A Riechers

Astrophysical journal. Letters, Vol.740(2), L44

08/31/2011

DOI: 10.1088/2041-8205/740/2/L44

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Abstract

We report the confirmation of a kpc-scale binary active galactic nucleus (AGN) with high-resolution radio images from the Expanded Very Large Array (EVLA). SDSS J150243.1+111557 is a double-peaked [O III] AGN at z = 0.39 selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Our previous near-infrared adaptive optics imaging reveals two nuclei separated by 1.4" (7.4 kpc), and our optical integral-field spectroscopy suggests that they are a type-1--type-2 AGN pair. However, these data alone cannot rule out the single AGN scenario where the narrow emission-line region associated with the secondary is photoionized by the broad-line AGN in the primary. Our new EVLA images at 1.4, 5.0, and 8.5 GHz show two steep-spectrum compact radio sources spatially coincident with the optical nuclei. The radio power of the type-2 AGN is an order-of-magnitude in excess of star-forming galaxies with similar extinction-corrected [O II] 3727 luminosities, indicating that the radio emission is powered by accretion. Therefore, SDSS J150243.1+111557 is one of the few confirmed kpc-scale binary AGN systems. Spectral-energy-distribution modeling shows that SDSS J150243.1+111557 is a merger of two ~10^{11} M_sun galaxies. With both black hole masses around 10^8 Msun, the AGNs are accreting at ~10 times below the Eddington limit.

Details

Title: Subtitle: A Kiloparsec-Scale Binary Active Galactic Nucleus Confirmed by the Expanded Very Large Array
Creators: Hai Fu - California Institute of Technology
Zhi-Yu Zhang
Roberto J Assef - California Institute of Technology
Alan Stockton - University of Hawaii
Adam D Myers - University of Wyoming
Lin Yan - California Institute of Technology
S. G Djorgovski - California Institute of Technology
J. M Wrobel - National Radio Astronomy Observatory
Dominik A Riechers - California Institute of Technology
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Astrophysical journal. Letters, Vol.740(2), L44
DOI: 10.1088/2041-8205/740/2/L44
ISSN: 2041-8205
eISSN: 2041-8213
Publisher: The American Astronomical Society
Language: English
Date published: 08/31/2011
Academic Unit: Physics and Astronomy
Record Identifier: 9984199730302771

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