Spatially Resolved Circumnuclear Dust in Centaurus A

Abstract

In this paper we present results from our exploratory mid-IR study of Centaurus A circumnuclear environment using high-angular resolution imaging at the Magellan 6.5m telescope with the MIRAC/BLINC camera. We detected emission from a compact region surrounding the nuclear source, and obtained photometry at 8.8 microns and in the N band. Our analysis suggests that the nuclear region is resolved with a size of approximately 3 pc. The mid-IR emission from this region is likely associated with cool dust with an estimated temperature of \~160 K, surrounding the central ``hidden'' AGN. We discuss the characteristics of this emission in relation to other mid-IR observations and the implications on models of dust formation in AGNs.

14 pages 3 figures, to appear in The Astrophysical Journal Letters

References in corpus (6)

• Centaurus A - NGC 5128
• A 1.2mm MAMBO/IRAM-30m Survey of Dust Emission from the Highest Redshift PSS Quasars
• Smoking Quasars: a New Source for Cosmic Dust
• Peering through the dust: Evidence for a supermassive Black Hole at the nucleus of Centaurus A from VLT IR spectroscopy
• Modelling the Infrared continuum of Centaurus A
• X-ray Arc Structures in Chandra Images of NGC5128 (Centaurus A)

Cited by in corpus (8)

• The subarcsecond mid-infrared view of local active galactic nuclei: I. The N- and Q-band imaging atlas
• The supermassive black hole in Centaurus A: a benchmark for gas kinematical measurements
• The Suzaku Observation of the Nucleus of the Radio-Loud Active Galaxy Centaurus A: Constraints on Abundances of the Accreting Material
• Gemini Imaging of Mid-IR Emission from the Nuclear Region of Centaurus A
• The infrared jet in Centaurus A: multiwavelength constraints on emission mechanisms and particle acceleration
• One-zone SSC model for the core emission of Centaurus A revisited
• INTEGRAL and RXTE Observations of Centaurus A
• Gamma Rays from Centaurus A