Exploring the inner parsecs of Active Galactic Nuclei using near-infrared high resolution polarimetric simulations with MontAGN

Abstract

Aims: In this paper, we aim to constrain the properties of dust structures in the central first parsecs of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). Our goal is to study the required optical depth and composition of different dusty and ionised structures. Methods: We developed a radiative transfer code, MontAGN, optimised for polarimetric observations in the infrared. With both this code and STOKES, designed to be relevant from the hard X-ray band to near-infrared wavelengths, we investigate the polarisation emerging from a characteristic model of the AGN environment. For that purpose, we compare predictions of our models with previous infrared observations of NGC 1068, and try to reproduce several key polarisation patterns revealed by polarisation mapping. Results: We constrain the required dust structures as well as their densities. More precisely, we find out that the electron density inside the ionisation cone is about $2.0\times 10^9$ m${}^{-3}$ . With structures constituted of spherical grains of constant density, we also highlight that the torus should be thicker than 20 in term of K band optical depth to block direct light from the centre. It should also have a stratification in density, with a lesser dense outer rim with an optical depth at 2.2 μm typically between 0.8 and 4 for observing the double scattering effect previously proposed. Conclusions: We bring constraints on the dust structures in the inner parsecs of an AGN model supposed to describe NGC 1068. When compared to observations, this leads to optical depth of at least 20 in Ks band for the torus of NGC 1068, corresponding to ${\tau }_V\approx 170$, which is within the range of current estimation based on observations. In the future, we will improve our study by including non uniform dust structures and aligned elongated grains to constrain other possible interpretations of the observations.

References in corpus (9)

• The evolution of amorphous hydrocarbons in the ISM: dust modelling from a new vantage point
• Resolving the obscuring torus in NGC 1068 with the power of infrared interferometry: Revealing the inner funnel of dust
• Kinematics of the Narrow-Line Region in the Seyfert 2 Galaxy NGC 1068: Dynamical Effects of the Radio Jet
• A compendium of AGN inclinations with corresponding UV/optical continuum polarization measurements
• Modeling optical and UV polarization of AGNs III. From uniform-density to clumpy regions
• The Origin of the Silicate Emission Features in the Seyfert 2 Galaxy, NGC 2110
• Probing the Active Galactic Nuclei Unified Model Torus Properties in Seyfert Galaxies
• Gemini Mid-IR Polarimetry of NGC1068: Polarized Structures Around the Nucleus
• Polarized radiative transfer modeling of warped and clumpy dusty tori

Cited by in corpus (8)

• ALMA images the many faces of the NGC1068 torus and its surroundings
• Modeling optical and UV polarization of AGNs V. Dilution by interstellar polarization and the host galaxy
• A complete disclosure of the hidden type-1 AGN in NGC 1068 thanks to 52 years of broadband polarimetric observation
• The origin of the mid-infrared nuclear polarization of active galactic nuclei
• The hot dust in the heart of NGC 1068's torus: A 3D radiative model constrained with GRAVITY/VLTi
• Stellar cusp and warm dust at the heart of NGC1068
• Tracking the state transitions in changing-look active galactic nuclei through their polarized-light echoes
• High angular resolution polarimetric imaging of the nucleus of NGC 1068: Disentangling the polarising mechanisms