arXiv subjects

Hiroshi Nagai

Publications and source records attributed to Hiroshi Nagai.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2023

Cold gas in the heart of Perseus A

We present new JVLA and VLBA observations tracing the HI in the central region of 3C84 (Perseus A). This radio source is hosted by the bright cluster galaxy NGC 1275 in the centre of the iconic Perseus cluster. With the JVLA, we detected broad (FWHM~500 km/s) HI absorption at arcsecond resolution (~300 pc) centred at the systemic velocity of NGC 1275 against the bright radio continuum, suggesting that the detected gas is very close to the supermassive black hole (SMBH). However, we did not detect any absorption in the higher-resolution VLBA data against the parsec-scale radio core and jet. Based on a comparison of the properties of the HI absorption with those of the molecular circum-nuclear disc (CND) known to be present in NGC 1275, we argue that the HI seen in absorption arises from HI in this fast-rotating CND, and that neutral atomic hydrogen is present as close as ~20 pc from the SMBH. The radio continuum providing the background for absorption arises from non-thermal synchrotron emission from the star formation activity in the CND, whose presence has been reported by earlier VLBA studies. We did not detect any signature that the HI gas is affected by an interaction with the radio jet. Thus, at this stage of the evolution of the source, the impact of the radio jet on the gas in NGC 1275 mainly creates cavities on much larger galaxy scales. Overall, the properties of the CND in Perseus A present strong similarities with Mrk 231, suggesting that, unlike often assumed, HI absorption can arise against the radio emission from star formation in a CND. With the JVLA, we serendipitously detected a new, faint absorbing system that is redshifted by ~2660 km/s, in addition to the already known high-velocity absorption system that is redshifted 2850 km/s with respect to NGC 1275. We identify this new system as gas that is stripped from a foreground galaxy falling into the Perseus cluster.

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arXiv2023

The correlation between the 500 pc scale molecular gas masses and AGN powers for massive elliptical galaxies

Massive molecular clouds have been discovered in massive elliptical galaxies at the center of galaxy clusters. Some of this cold gas is expected to flow in the central supermassive black holes and activate galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback. In this study, we analyze archival ALMA data of 9 massive elliptical galaxies, focusing on CO line emissions, to explore the circumnuclear gas. We show that the mass of the molecular gas within a fixed radius (500 pc) from the AGNs (M_mol ~ 10^7-10^8 M_sun) is correlated with the jet power estimated from X-ray cavities (P_cav ~ 10^42-10^45 erg/s). The mass accretion rate of the circumnuclear gas \dot{M} also has a correlation with P_cav. On the other hand, the continuum luminosities at ~1.4 GHz and ~100-300 GHz have no correlation with M_mol. These results indicate that the circumnuclear gas is sustaining the long-term AGN activities (~10^7 yr) rather than the current ones. The circumnuclear gas mass is a better indicator of the jet power than the continuum luminosity, which probably changes on a shorter time scale. We also study the origin of the continuum emission from the AGNs at ~100-300 GHz and find that it is mostly synchrotron radiation. For low-luminosity AGNs, however, dust emission appears to contaminate the continuum.

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arXiv2023

ALMA ACA detection of submillimeter emission associated with the west hot spot of the radio galaxy Pictor A

In order to investigate the far-infrared excess detected from the west hot spot of the radio galaxy Pictor A with the Herschel observatory, a submillimeter photometry is performed with the Atacama Compact Array (ACA) of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array at Band 8 with the reference frequency of 405 GHz. A submillimeter source is discovered at the radio peak of the hot spot. Because the 405 GHz flux density of the source, $80.7\pm3.1$ mJy, agrees with the extrapolation of the synchrotron radio spectrum, the far-infrared excess is suggested to exhibit no major contribution at the ACA band. In contrast, by subtracting the power-law spectrum tightly constrained by the radio and ACA data, the significance of the excess in the Herschel band is well confirmed. No diffuse submillimeter emission is detected within the ACA field of view, and thus, the excess is ascribed to the west hot spot itself. In comparison to the previous estimate based on the Herschel data, the relative contribution of the far-infrared excess is reduced by a factor of $\sim 1.5$. The spectrum of the excess below the far-infrared band is determined to be harder than that of the diffusive shock acceleration. This strengthens the previous interpretation that the excess originates via the magnetic turbulence in the substructures within the hot spot. The ACA data are utilized to evaluate the magnetic field strength of the excess and of diffuse radio structure associated to the hot spot.

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arXiv2023

A ring-like accretion structure in M87 connecting its black hole and jet

The nearby radio galaxy M87 is a prime target for studying black hole accretion and jet formation^{1,2}. Event Horizon Telescope observations of M87 in 2017, at a wavelength of 1.3 mm, revealed a ring-like structure, which was interpreted as gravitationally lensed emission around a central black hole^3. Here we report images of M87 obtained in 2018, at a wavelength of 3.5 mm, showing that the compact radio core is spatially resolved. High-resolution imaging shows a ring-like structure of 8.4_{-1.1}^{+0.5} Schwarzschild radii in diameter, approximately 50% larger than that seen at 1.3 mm. The outer edge at 3.5 mm is also larger than that at 1.3 mm. This larger and thicker ring indicates a substantial contribution from the accretion flow with absorption effects in addition to the gravitationally lensed ring-like emission. The images show that the edge-brightened jet connects to the accretion flow of the black hole. Close to the black hole, the emission profile of the jet-launching region is wider than the expected profile of a black-hole-driven jet, suggesting the possible presence of a wind associated with the accretion flow.

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arXiv2023

The Past and Future of East Asia to Italy: Nearly Global VLBI

We present here the East Asia to Italy Nearly Global VLBI (EATING VLBI) project. How this project started and the evolution of the international collaboration between Korean, Japanese, and Italian researchers to study compact sources with VLBI observations is reported. Problems related to the synchronization of the very different arrays and technical details of the telescopes involved are presented and discussed. The relatively high observation frequency (22 and 43 GHz) and the long baselines between Italy and East Asia produced high-resolution images. We present example images to demonstrate the typical performance of the EATING VLBI array. The results attracted international researchers and the collaboration is growing, now including Chinese and Russian stations. New in progress projects are discussed and future possibilities with a larger number of telescopes and a better frequency coverage are briefly discussed herein.

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arXiv2022

Simultaneous Radio and Optical Polarimetry of GRB 191221B Afterglow

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are the most luminous transients in the universe and are utilized as probes of early stars, gravitational wave counterparts, and collisionless shock physics. In spite of studies on polarimetry of GRBs in individual wavelengths that characterized intriguing properties of prompt emission and afterglow, no coordinated multi-wavelength measurements have yet been performed. Here, we report the first coordinated simultaneous polarimetry in the optical and radio bands for the afterglow associated with the typical long GRB 191221B. Our observations successfully caught the radio emission, which is not affected by synchrotron self-absorption, and show that the emission is depolarized in the radio band compared to the optical one. Our simultaneous polarization angle measurement and temporal polarization monitoring indicate the existence of cool electrons that increase the estimate of jet kinetic energy by a factor of $>$ 4 for this GRB afterglow. Further coordinated multi-wavelength polarimetric campaigns would improve our understanding of the total jet energies and magnetic field configurations in the emission regions of various types of GRBs, which are required to comprehend the mass scales of their progenitor systems and the physics of collisionless shocks.

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arXiv2022

X-ray Polarization Observations of BL Lacertae

Blazars are a class of jet-dominated active galactic nuclei with a typical double-humped spectral energy distribution. It is of common consensus the Synchrotron emission to be responsible for the low frequency peak, while the origin of the high frequency hump is still debated. The analysis of X-rays and their polarization can provide a valuable tool to understand the physical mechanisms responsible for the origin of high-energy emission of blazars. We report the first observations of BL Lacertae performed with the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer ({IXPE}), from which an upper limit to the polarization degree $Π_X<$12.6\% was found in the 2-8 keV band. We contemporaneously measured the polarization in radio, infrared, and optical wavelengths. Our multiwavelength polarization analysis disfavors a significant contribution of proton synchrotron radiation to the X-ray emission at these epochs. Instead, it supports a leptonic origin for the X-ray emission in BL Lac.

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arXiv2022

Collimation of the relativistic jet in the quasar 3C 273

The collimation of relativistic jets launched from the vicinity of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) at the centers of active galactic nuclei (AGN) is one of the key questions to understand the nature of AGN jets. However, little is known about the detailed jet structure for AGN like quasars since very high angular resolutions are required to resolve these objects. We present very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) observations of the archetypical quasar 3C 273 at 86 GHz, performed with the Global Millimeter VLBI Array, for the first time including the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array. Our observations achieve a high angular resolution down to $\sim$60 ${\rm μ}$as, resolving the innermost part of the jet ever on scales of $\sim 10^5$ Schwarzschild radii. Our observations, including close-in-time High Sensitivity Array observations of 3C 273 at 15, 22, and 43 GHz, suggest that the inner jet collimates parabolically, while the outer jet expands conically, similar to jets from other nearby low luminosity AGN. We discovered the jet collimation break around $10^{7}$ Schwarzschild radii, providing the first compelling evidence for structural transition in a quasar jet. The location of the collimation break for 3C 273 is farther downstream the sphere of gravitational influence (SGI) from the central SMBH. With the results for other AGN jets, our results show that the end of the collimation zone in AGN jets is governed not only by the SGI of the SMBH but also by the more diverse properties of the central nuclei.

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arXiv2022

Massive Molecular Gas as a Fuel Tank for Active Galactic Nuclei Feedback in Central Cluster Galaxies

Massive molecular gas has been discovered in giant elliptical galaxies at the centers of galaxy clusters. To reveal its role in active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback in those galaxies, we construct a semianalytical model of gas circulation. This model especially focuses on the massive molecular gas (interstellar cold gas on a scale of ~ 10 kpc) and the circumnuclear disk (~< 0.5 kpc). We consider the destruction of the interstellar cold gas by star formation and the gravitational instability for the circumnuclear disk. Our model can reproduce the basic properties of the interstellar cold gas and the circumnuclear disk, such as their masses. We also find that the circumnuclear disk tends to stay at the boundary between stable and unstable states. This works as an 'adjusting valve' that regulates mass accretion toward the supermassive black hole. On the other hand, the interstellar cold gas serves as a 'fuel tank' in the AGN feedback. Even if the cooling of the galactic hot gas is prevented, the interstellar cold gas can sustain the AGN activity for ~> 0.5 Gyr. We also confirm that the small entropy of the hot gas (~< 30 keV cm^2) or the short cooling time (~< 1 Gyr) is a critical condition for the existence of the massive amounts of molecular gas in the galaxy. The dissipation time of the interstellar cold gas may be related to the critical cooling time. The galaxy behavior is described by a simple relation among the disk stability, the cloud dissipation time, and the gas cooling rate.

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arXiv2021

Morphological transition of the compact radio lobe in 3C84 via the strong jet-cloud collision

We report multi-epoch Very Long Baseline Interferometric (VLBI) observations of the compact radio lobe in the radio galaxy 3C84 (NGC1275) during 2016 - 2020. The image sequence of 3C84 reveals that the hotspot in the radio lobe showed the one-year long frustration in 2017 within a compact region of about 0.07 parsec, suggesting a strong collision between the jet and a compact dense cloud with the estimated average density about $(4\-- 6)\times 10^{5}~{\rm cm^{-3}}$. Although the hotspot and the radio lobe began to move south again after its breakout, the radio lobe showed a morphological transition from FR II- to FR I-class radio lobe and its radio flux became fainter. This is the first detection of the dynamical feedback from the cloud to the jet where the cloud located on the jet axis significantly interferes with the jet propagation and evolution at the central one-parsec region in active galactic nucleus.

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arXiv2021

Diffuse Synchrotron Emission Associated with the Starburst in the Circumnuclear Disk of NGC 1275

Recent Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations found a positive correlation between the mass of dense molecular gas in the circumnuclear disks (CNDs) and accretion rate to the active galactic nuclei (AGNs). This indicates that star formation activity in the CNDs is essential for triggering the accretion of mass to AGNs. Although the starburst-driven turbulence is a key mechanism for the transfer of angular momentum and the resultant mass accretion from the CND scale to the inner radius, the observational evidence is lacking. We report the very-long-baseline-interferometry (VLBI) detection of the diffuse synchrotron emission on a scale of several tens-pc coinciding spatially with the molecular gas disk recently discovered by ALMA observations in NGC~1275. The synchrotron emissions are most likely resulted from the relativistic electrons produced by the supernova explosions. This is an unambiguous evidence of the star formation activity in a CND. The turbulent velocity and the scale height of the CND predicted from the supernova-driven turbulence model agree with the observations, although the model-predicted accretion rate disagrees with the bolometric luminosity. This might indicate that additional mechanisms to enhance the turbulence is required for the inner disk. We discuss the multiphase nature of the CND by combining the information of the CO emission, synchrotron emission, and free-free absorption.

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arXiv2021

ALMA and NOEMA constraints on synchrotron nebular emission from embryonic superluminous supernova remnants and radio-gamma-ray connection

Fast-rotating pulsars and magnetars have been suggested as the central engines of super-luminous supernovae (SLSNe) and fast radio bursts, and this scenario naturally predicts non-thermal synchrotron emission from their nascent pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe). We report results of high-frequency radio observations with ALMA and NOEMA for three SLSNe (SN 2015bn, SN 2016ard, and SN 2017egm), and present a detailed theoretical model to calculate non-thermal emission from PWNe with an age of about 1-3 yr. We find that the ALMA data disfavors a PWN model motivated by the Crab nebula for SN 2015bn and SN 2017egm, and argue that this tension can be resolved if the nebular magnetization is very high or very low. Such models can be tested by future MeV-GeV gamma-ray telescopes such as AMEGO.

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arXiv2021

Polarimetric properties of Event Horizon Telescope targets from ALMA

We present the results from a full polarization study carried out with ALMA during the first VLBI campaign, which was conducted in Apr 2017 in the $λ$3mm and $λ$1.3mm bands, in concert with the Global mm-VLBI Array (GMVA) and the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), respectively. We determine the polarization and Faraday properties of all VLBI targets, including Sgr A*, M87, and a dozen radio-loud AGN. We detect high linear polarization fractions (2-15%) and large rotation measures (RM $>10^{3.3}-10^{5.5}$ rad m$^{-2}$). For Sgr A* we report a mean RM of $(-4.2\pm0.3) \times10^5$ rad m$^{-2}$ at 1.3 mm, consistent with measurements over the past decade, and, for the first time, an RM of $(-2.1\pm0.1) \times10^5$ rad m$^{-2}$ at 3 mm, suggesting that about half of the Faraday rotation at 1.3 mm may occur between the 3 mm photosphere and the 1.3 mm source. We also report the first unambiguous measurement of RM toward the M87 nucleus at mm wavelengths, which undergoes significant changes in magnitude and sign reversals on a one year time-scale, spanning the range from -1.2 to 0.3 $\times\,10^5$ rad m$^{-2}$ at 3 mm and -4.1 to 1.5 $\times\,10^5$ rad m$^{-2}$ at 1.3 mm. Given this time variability, we argue that, unlike the case of Sgr A*, the RM in M87 does not provide an accurate estimate of the mass accretion rate onto the black hole. We put forward a two-component model, comprised of a variable compact region and a static extended region, that can simultaneously explain the polarimetric properties observed by both the EHT and ALMA. These measurements provide critical constraints for the calibration, analysis, and interpretation of simultaneously obtained VLBI data with the EHT and GMVA.

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arXiv2021

Observing the Time Evolution of the Multi-Component Nucleus of 3C\,84

The advent of global mm-band Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) in recent years has finally revealed the morphology of the base of the two most prominent nearby, bright, extragalactic radio jets in M\,87 and 3C\,84. The images are quite surprising considering the predictions of jet theory and current numerical modeling. The jet bases are extremely wide compared to expectations and the nucleus of 3C\,84 is very complicated. It appears as a double in 86\,GHz observations with 50\,$μ$as resolution and a triple nucleus with 30\,$μ$as resolution with space-based VLBI by RadioAstron at 22\,GHz. What is even odder is that the double and triple are arranged along an east-west line that is approximately orthogonal to the north-south large scale jet on 150\,$μ$as $-$ 4\,mas scales. We explore the emergence of an (east-west) double nucleus in the lower resolution 43\,GHz Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) imaging from August 2018 to April 2020. The double is marginally resolved. We exploit the east-west resolution associated with the longest baselines, $\sim 0.08$\,mas, to track a predominantly east-west separation speed of $\approx 0.086\pm 0.008$\,c. We estimate that the observed mildly relativistic speed persists over a de-projected distance of $\sim 1900-9800$ times the central, supermassive black hole, gravitational radius ($\sim 0.3-1.5$\,lt-yrs) from the point of origin.

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arXiv2020

The Explosion in Orion-KL as Seen by Mosaicking the Magnetic Field with ALMA

We present the first linear-polarization mosaicked observations performed by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). We mapped the Orion-KLeinmann-Low (Orion-KL) nebula using super-sampled mosaics at 3.1 and 1.3 mm as part of the ALMA Extension and Optimization of Capabilities (EOC) program. We derive the magnetic field morphology in the plane of the sky by assuming that dust grains are aligned with respect to the ambient magnetic field. At the center of the nebula, we find a quasi-radial magnetic field pattern that is aligned with the explosive CO outflow up to a radius of approximately 12 arc-seconds (~ 5000 au), beyond which the pattern smoothly transitions into a quasi-hourglass shape resembling the morphology seen in larger-scale observations by the James-Clerk-Maxwell Telescope (JCMT). We estimate an average magnetic field strength $\langle B\rangle = 9.4$ mG and a total magnetic energy of 2 x 10^45 ergs, which is three orders of magnitude less than the energy in the explosive CO outflow. We conclude that the field has been overwhelmed by the outflow and that a shock is propagating from the center of the nebula, where the shock front is seen in the magnetic field lines at a distance of ~ 5000 au from the explosion center.

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arXiv2020

Herschel SPIRE discovery of far-infrared excess synchrotron emission from the west hot spot of the radio galaxy Pictor A

A far-infrared counterpart to the west hot spot of the radio galaxy Pictor A is discovered with the Spectral and Photometric Imaging REceiver (SPIRE) onboard Herschel. The color-corrected flux density of the source is measured as $70.0 \pm 9.9$ mJy at the wavelength of 350 $μ$m. A close investigation into its radio-to-optical spectrum indicates that the mid-infrared excess over the radio synchrotron component, detected with WISE and Spitzer, significantly contributes to the far-infrared band. Thanks to the SPIRE data, it is revealed that the spectrum of the excess is described by a broken power-law model subjected to a high-energy cutoff. By applying the radiative cooling break under continuous energy injection ($Δα= 0.5$), the broken power-law model supports an idea that the excess originates in 10-pc scale substructures within the hot spot. From the break frequency, $ν_{\rm b} = 1.6_{-1.0}^{+3.0} \times 10^{12}$ Hz, the magnetic field was estimated as $B\simeq1$-$4$ mG. This is higher than the minimum-energy magnetic field of the substructures by a factor of $3$--$10$. Even if the origin of the excess is larger than $\sim 100$ pc, the magnetic field stronger than the minimum-energy field is confirmed. It is proposed that regions with a magnetic field locally boosted via plasma turbulence are observed as the substructures. The derived energy index below the break, $α\sim 0.22$ (conservatively $<0.42$), is difficult to be attributed to the strong-shock acceleration ($α= 0.5$). Stochastic acceleration and magnetic reconnection are considered as a plausible alternative mechanism.

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arXiv2020

Characterizing the accuracy of ALMA linear-polarization mosaics

We characterize the accuracy of linear-polarization mosaics made using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). First, we observed the bright, highly linearly polarized blazar 3C 279 at Bands 3, 5, 6, and 7 (3 mm, 1.6 mm, 1.3 mm, and 0.87 mm, respectively). At each band, we measured the blazar's polarization on an 11$\times$11 grid of evenly-spaced offset pointings covering the full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) area of the primary beam. After applying calibration solutions derived from the on-axis pointing of 3C 279 to all of the on- and off-axis data, we find that the residual polarization errors across the primary beam are similar at all frequencies: the residual errors in linear polarization fraction $P_\textrm{frac}$ and polarization position angle $χ$ are $\lesssim$0.001 ($\lesssim$0.1% of Stokes $I$) and $\lesssim$1$^\circ$ near the center of the primary beam; the errors increase to $\sim$0.003-0.005 ($\sim$0.3-0.5% of Stokes $I$) and $\sim$1-5$^\circ$ near the FWHM as a result of the asymmetric beam patterns in the (linearly polarized) $Q$ and $U$ maps. We see the expected double-lobed "beam squint" pattern in the circular polarization (Stokes $V$) maps. Second, to test the polarization accuracy in a typical ALMA project, we performed observations of continuum linear polarization toward the Kleinmann-Low nebula in Orion (Orion-KL) using several mosaic patterns at Bands 3 and 6. We show that after mosaicking, the residual off-axis errors decrease as a result of overlapping multiple pointings. Finally, we compare the ALMA mosaics with an archival 1.3 mm CARMA polarization mosaic of Orion-KL and find good consistency in the polarization patterns.

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arXiv2019

Studying black holes on horizon scales with space-VLBI

The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) recently produced the first horizon-scale image of a supermassive black hole. Expanding the array to include a 3-meter space telescope operating at >200 GHz enables mass measurements of many black holes, movies of black hole accretion flows, and new tests of general relativity that are impossible from the ground.

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