DISCOVERY OF A FLAT-SPECTRUM RADIO NUCLEUS IN NGC 3115

Journal Article · Sat Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 2012 · Astronomical Journal (New York, N.Y. Online)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-6256/144/6/160· OSTI ID:22089809

Wrobel, J. M. ^[1]

---

1. National Radio Astronomy Observatory, P.O. Box O, Socorro, NM 87801 (United States)

The early-type galaxy NGC 3115, at a distance of 10.2 Mpc, hosts the nearest billion-solar-mass black hole. Wong et al. recently inferred a substantial Bondi accretion rate near the black hole. Bondi-like accretion is thought to fuel outflows, which can be traced through their radio emission. This paper reports the discovery of a radio nucleus in NGC 3115, with a diameter less than 0.''17 (8.4 pc), a luminosity at 8.5 GHz of 3.1 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 35} erg s{sup -1}, and a flat spectrum ({alpha} = -0.23 {+-} 0.20, S{proportional_to}{nu}{sup {alpha}}). The radio source coincides with the galaxy's photocenter and candidate X-ray nucleus. The emission is radio loud, suggesting the presence of an outflow on scales less than 10 pc. On such scales, the Bondi accretion could be impeded by heating due to disruption of the outflow.

• OSTI ID: 22089809
• Journal Information: Astronomical Journal (New York, N.Y. Online), Journal Name: Astronomical Journal (New York, N.Y. Online) Journal Issue: 6 Vol. 144; ISSN 1538-3881
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
ASTROPHYSICS
BLACK HOLES
COSMIC RADIO SOURCES
DISTANCE
GALAXY NUCLEI
GAMMA ASTRONOMY
GHZ RANGE
LUMINOSITY
MASS
PHOTON EMISSION
RADIOASTRONOMY
STAR ACCRETION
X RADIATION
X-RAY GALAXIES