The census of nuclear activity of late-type galaxies in the Virgo cluster

Abstract

The first spectroscopic census of AGNs associated to late-type galaxies in the Virgo cluster is carried on by observing 213 out of a complete set of 237 galaxies more massive than M_dyn>10^{8.5} solar masses. Among them, 77 are classified as AGNs (including 21 transition objects, 47 LINERs and 9 Seyferts), and comprize 32% of the late-type galaxies in Virgo. Due to spectroscopic incompleteness at most 21 AGNs are missed in the survey, so that the fraction would increase up to 41%. Using corollary Near-IR observations, that enable us to estimate galaxies dynamical masses, it is found that AGNs are hosted exclusively in massive galaxies, i.e. M_dyn\gsim 10^{10} solar masses. Their frequency increases steeply with the dynamical mass from zero at M_dyn\approx10^{9.5} solar masses to virtually 1 at M_dyn>10^{11.5} solar masses. These frequencies are consistent with the ones of low luminosity AGNs found in the general field by the SDSS. Massive galaxies that harbor AGNs commonly show conspicuous r-band star-like nuclear enhancements. Conversely they often, but not necessarily contain massive bulges. Few well known AGNs (e.g. M61, M100, NGC4535) are found in massive Sc galaxies with little or no bulge. The AGN fraction seems to be only marginally sensitive to galaxy environment. We infer the black hole masses using the known scaling relations of quiescent black holes. No black holes lighter than $\sim 10^6$ \msol are found active in our sample.

The paper contains 13 figures and 5 tables; accepted for publication in MNRAS

References in corpus (9)

• The Host Galaxies and Classification of Active Galactic Nuclei
• The ACS Virgo Cluster Survey. VIII. The Nuclei of Early-Type Galaxies
• From Supermassive Black Holes to Dwarf Elliptical Nuclei: a Mass Continuum
• The fate of spiral galaxies in clusters: the star formation history of the anemic Virgo cluster galaxy NGC 4569
• Spectroscopic Confirmation of a Large AGN Population in Clusters of Galaxies
• Molecular Gas in NUclei of GAlaxies (NUGA): IX. The decoupled bars and gas inflow in NGC 2782
• The Star Formation History and Evolution of the Circumnuclear Region of M100
• The AGN fraction - velocity dispersion relation in clusters of galaxies
• Panchromatic Properties of 99,000 Galaxies Detected by SDSS, and (some by) ROSAT, GALEX, 2MASS, IRAS, GB6, FIRST, NVSS and WENSS Surveys

Cited by in corpus (8)

• A synthesis model for AGN evolution: supermassive black holes growth and feedback modes
• The Coincidence of Nuclear Star Clusters and Active Galactic Nuclei
• AMUSE-Virgo I. Super-massive black holes in low-mass spheroids
• Superkicks in Hyperbolic Encounters of Binary Black Holes
• The relationship between gas content and star formation rate in spiral galaxies. Comparing the local field with the Virgo cluster
• Compact massive objects in Virgo galaxies: the black hole population
• Imprints of recoiling massive black-holes on the hot gas of early type galaxies
• BH Accretion in Low-Mass Galaxies Since z~1