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arXiv · 1311.3446

Uncovering the deeply embedded AGN activity in the nuclear regions of the interacting galaxy Arp299

A. Alonso-Herrero·P. F. Roche·P. Esquej·O. Gonzalez-Martin·M. Pereira-Santaella·C. Ramos Almeida·N. A. Levenson·C. Packham·A. Asensio Ramos·R. E. Mason·J. M. Rodriguez Espinosa·C. Alvarez·L. Colina·I. Aretxaga·T. Diaz-Santos·E. Perlman·C. M. Telesco
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Abstract

We present mid-infrared (MIR) 8-13micron spectroscopy of the nuclear regions of the interacting galaxy Arp299 (IC694+NGC3690) obtained with CanariCam (CC) on the 10.4m Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC). The high angular resolution (~0.3-0.6arcsec) of the data allows us to probe nuclear physical scales between 60 and 120pc, which is a factor of 10 improvement over previous MIR spectroscopic observations of this system. The GTC/CC spectroscopy displays evidence of deeply embedded Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN) activity in both nuclei. The GTC/CC nuclear spectrum of NGC3690/Arp299-B1 can be explained as emission from AGN-heated dust in a clumpy torus with both a high covering factor and high extinction along the line of sight. The estimated bolometric luminosity of the AGN in NGC3690 is 3.2(+/-0.6)x10^44 erg/s. The nuclear GTC/CC spectrum of IC694/Arp299-A shows 11.3micron polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission stemming from a deeply embedded (A_V~24mag) region of less than 120pc in size. There is also a continuum-emitting dust component. If associated with th putative AGN in IC694, we estimate that it would be approximately 5 times less luminous than the AGN in NGC3690. The presence of dual AGN activity makes Arp299 a good example to study such phenomenon in the early coalescence phase of interacting galaxies.

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A. Alonso-Herrero, P. F. Roche, P. Esquej, O. Gonzalez-Martin, M. Pereira-Santaella, C. Ramos Almeida, N. A. Levenson, C. Packham, A. Asensio Ramos, R. E. Mason, J. M. Rodriguez Espinosa, C. Alvarez, L. Colina, I. Aretxaga, T. Diaz-Santos, E. Perlman, C. M. Telesco. 2013-11-14. Uncovering the deeply embedded AGN activity in the nuclear regions of the interacting galaxy Arp299. https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/779/1/l14

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