Dust emission from a parsec-scale structure in the Seyfert 1 nucleus of NGC 4151

Abstract

We report mid-IR interferometric measurements with \sim 10 mas resolution, which resolve the warm (T = 285 +25 / -50 K) thermal emission at the center of NGC 4151. Using pairs of VLT 8.2 m telescopes with MIDI and by comparing the data to a Gaussian model, we determined the diameter of the dust emission region, albeit only along one position angle, to be 2.0 +/- 0.4 pc (FWHM). This is the first size and temperature estimate for the nuclear warm dust distribution in a Seyfert 1 galaxy. The parameters found are comparable to those in Seyfert 2 galaxies, thus providing direct support for the unified model. Using simple analytic temperature distributions, we find that the mid-infrared emission is probably not the smooth continuation of the hot nuclear source that is marginally resolved with K band interferometry. We also detected weak excess emission around 10.5 micron in our shorter baseline observation, possibly indicating that silicate emission is extended to the parsec scale.

5 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Letters

References in corpus (6)

• Resolving the complex structure of the dust torus in the active nucleus of the Circinus galaxy
• Resolving the obscuring torus in NGC 1068 with the power of infrared interferometry: Revealing the inner funnel of dust
• Spitzer IRS spectra of a large sample of Seyfert galaxies: a variety of infrared SEDs in the local AGN population
• Parsec-scale dust distributions in Seyfert galaxies - Results of the MIDI AGN snapshot survey
• Variation of Inner Radius of Dust Torus in NGC4151
• Probing the dusty environment of the Seyfert 1 nucleus in NGC 3783 with MIDI/VLTI interferometry

Cited by in corpus (53)

• Adaptive Optics for Astronomy
• Outflows from AGN: Kinematics of the Narrow-Line and Coronal-Line Regions in Seyfert Galaxies
• A diversity of dusty AGN tori: Data release for the VLTI/MIDI AGN Large Program and first results for 23 galaxies
• Torus and AGN properties of nearby Seyfert galaxies: Results from fitting IR spectral energy distributions and spectroscopy
• The dusty torus in the Circinus galaxy: a dense disk and the torus funnel
• The subarcsecond mid-infrared view of local active galactic nuclei: I. The N- and Q-band imaging atlas
• Mapping the radial structure of AGN tori
• The innermost dusty structure in active galactic nuclei as probed by the Keck interferometer
• Mid-infrared interferometry of 23 AGN tori: On the significance of polar-elongated emission
• AGN Obscuration and the Unified Model
• Mid-infrared properties of nearby low-luminosity AGN at high angular resolution
• Revealing the large nuclear dust structures in NGC 1068 with MIDI/VLTI
• Obscuration in AGNs: near-infrared luminosity relations and dust colors
• Traces of past activity in the Galactic Centre
• QSFit: Automatic analysis of optical AGN spectra
• Time-resolved infrared emission from radiation-driven central obscuring structures in Active Galactic Nuclei
• Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon and Emission Line Ratios in Active Galactic Nuclei and Starburst Galaxies
• Luminosity-variation independent location of the circum-nuclear, hot dust in NGC 4151
• Radiation-driven outflows from and radiative support in dusty tori of active galactic nuclei
• Torus model properties of an ultra-hard X-ray selected sample of Seyfert galaxies
• VLTI/AMBER observations of the Seyfert nucleus of NGC 3783
• Constraining properties of dusty environments by infrared variability
• On the size-luminosity relation of AGN dust tori in the mid-infrared
• Infrared Spectral Energy Distribution and Variability of Active Galactic Nuclei: Clues to the Structure of Circumnuclear Material
• Probing the Active Galactic Nuclei Unified Model Torus Properties in Seyfert Galaxies
• A Suzaku, NuSTAR, and XMM-Newton view on variable absorption and relativistic reflection in NGC 4151
• Spitzer Space Telescope Measurements of Dust Reverberation Lags in the Seyfert 1 Galaxy NGC 6418
• Torus and polar dust dependence on AGN properties
• Parsec-scale Dusty Winds in Active Galactic Nuclei: Evidence for Radiation Pressure Driving
• The Dusty Heart of NGC 4151 Revealed by $\lambda \sim$1-40 $\mu$m Reverberation Mapping and Variability: A Challenge to Current Clumpy Torus Models
• Radiation feedback on dusty clouds during Seyfert activity
• Modeling the Infrared Reverberation Response of the Circumnuclear Dusty Torus in AGN: The Effects of Cloud Orientation and Anisotropic Illumination
• Resolving the nucleus of Centaurus A at mid-IR wavelengths
• Multi-wavelength Probes of Obscuration Towards the Narrow Line Region in Seyfert Galaxies
• Monitoring the temperature and reverberation delay of the circumnuclear hot dust in NGC 4151
• The nuclear architecture of NGC 4151: on the path toward a universal outflow mechanism in light of NGC 1068
• Probing the unified model in NGC 7314
• The Nature of Obscuration in AGN: I. Insights from Host Galaxies
• Dust beyond the torus: Revealing the mid-infrared heart of local Seyfert ESO 428-G14 with JWST/MIRI
• AGN and quasar science with aperture masking interferometry on the James Webb Space Telescope
• Slicing the Torus: Obscuring Structures in Quasars
• Infrared Interferometry and AGNs: Parsec-scale Disks and Dusty Outflows
• Active Galactic Nuclei and their Role in Galaxy Evolution: The Infrared Perspective
• The complexity of parsec-scaled dusty tori in AGN
• Subaru Spectroscopy and Spectral Modeling of Cygnus A
• Polarized radiative transfer modeling of warped and clumpy dusty tori
• The nature of obscuration in AGN: II. insights from clustering properties
• Hot graphite dust in the inner regime of NGC 4151
• A recent history of science cases for interferometry
• Active Galactic Nuclei and their demography through cosmic time
• The restframe ultraviolet of superluminous supernovae -- I. Potential as cosmological probes
• Obscuring and feeding supermassive black holes with evolving nuclear star clusters
• Unravelling the origin of extended radio emission in narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies with the JVLA