Spectropolarimetry of the borderline Seyfert 1 galaxy ESO 323-G077

Abstract

We report the detection of high linear polarization in the bright Seyfert 1 galaxy ESO 323-G077. Based on optical spectropolarimetry with FORS1 at the VLT we find a continuum polarization which ranges from 2.2 % at 8300A to 7.5 % at 3600A. Similar amounts of linear polarization are found for the broad emission lines, while the narrow lines are not polarized. The position angle of the polarization is independent of the wavelength and found to be perpendicular to the orientation of the extended [OIII] emission cone of this galaxy. Within the standard model of Seyfert nuclei the observations can be well understood assuming that this AGN is observed at an inclination angle where the nucleus is partially obscured and seen mainly indirectly in the light scattered by dust clouds within or above the torus and the illuminated inner edge of the dust torus itself. Hence we conclude that ESO 323-G077 is a borderline Seyfert 1 galaxy which can provide important information on the geometric properties of active nuclei.

References in corpus (4)

• Maps of Dust IR Emission for Use in Estimation of Reddening and CMBR Foregrounds
• A Spectropolarimetric Atlas of Seyfert 1 Galaxies
• Polarimetry and Unification of Low-Redshift Radio Galaxies
• Near-infrared probing of embedded structures in starburst and Seyfert galaxies

Cited by in corpus (25)

• The subarcsecond mid-infrared view of local active galactic nuclei: I. The N- and Q-band imaging atlas
• The dusty heart of nearby active galaxies. I. High-spatial resolution mid-IR spectro-photometry of Seyfert galaxies
• Seyferts on the edge: polar scattering and orientation-dependent polarization in Seyfert 1 nuclei
• Mapping the radial structure of AGN tori
• The subarcsecond mid-infrared view of local active galactic nuclei: III. Polar dust emission
• Enhanced Star Formation in Narrow Line Seyfert 1 AGN revealed by Spitzer
• RXTE all-sky slew survey. Catalog of X-ray sources at |b|>10deg
• Discovery of kilogauss magnetic fields in three DA white dwarfs
• Statistical properties of local active galactic nuclei inferred from the RXTE 3-20 keV all-sky survey
• Long-term IR Photometry of Seyferts
• A compendium of AGN inclinations with corresponding UV/optical continuum polarization measurements
• New evidence for the dusty wind model: Polar dust and a hot core in the type-1 Seyfert ESO323-G77
• Are there reliable methods to estimate the nuclear orientation of Seyfert galaxies?
• The properties of the clumpy torus and BLR in the polar-scattered Seyfert 1 galaxy ESO 323-G77 through X-ray absorption variability
• Modeling optical and UV polarization of AGNs III. From uniform-density to clumpy regions
• Probing the Physics of Narrow Line Regions in Active Galaxies IV: Full data release of The Siding Spring Southern Seyfert Spectroscopic Snapshot Survey (S7)
• A Suzaku sample of unabsorbed narrow-line and broad-line Seyfert 1 galaxies: I. X-ray spectral properties
• A structure for quasars under the scope of polarisation I. The UV/optical polarisation dichotomy of type-1 and type-2 AGN
• Localization of Binary Black-Hole Mergers with Known Inclination
• Nicmos Polarimetry of "Polar Scattered" Seyfert 1 Galaxies
• Resolving the Hot Dust Disk of ESO323-G77
• Detection of blueshifted emission and absorption and a relativistic Iron line in the X-ray spectrum of ESO 323-G077
• Interstellar Polarization and the Position Angle Orientations of Seyfert 1 Galaxies
• The NuSTAR view of the changing look AGN ESO 323-G77
• The ionised X-ray outflowing torus in ESO 323-G77: low-ionisation clumps confined by homogeneous warm absorbers