Polarized Broad H-alpha Emission from the LINER Nucleus of NGC 1052

Abstract

Optical spectropolarimetry of the nucleus of the LINER NGC 1052, obtained at the Keck Observatory, reveals a rise in polarization in the wings of the H-alpha line profile. The polarization vector of H-alpha is offset by 67 degrees from the parsec-scale radio axis and by 83 degrees from the kiloparsec-scale radio axis, roughly in accord with expectations for scattering within the opening cone of an obscuring torus. The broad component of H-alpha has FWHM ~ 2100 km/s in total flux and FWHM ~ 5000 km/s in polarized light. Scattering by electrons is the mechanism most likely responsible for this broadening, and we find T_e ~ 10^5 K for the scattering medium, similar to values observed in Seyfert 2 nuclei. This is the first detection of a polarized broad emission line in a LINER, demonstrating that unified models of active galactic nuclei are applicable to at least some LINERs.

6 pages, 2 figures, prepared using the emulateapj style file, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Letters

References in corpus (7)

• Maps of Dust IR Emission for Use in Estimation of Reddening and CMBR Foregrounds
• A Search for "Dwarf" Seyfert Nuclei. III. Spectroscopic Parameters and Properties of the Host Galaxies
• A Search for "Dwarf" Seyfert Nuclei. IV. Nuclei with Broad H-alpha Emission
• A Search for "Dwarf" Seyfert Nuclei. V. Demographics of Nuclear Activity in Nearby Galaxies
• Sub-milliarcsecond Imaging of Quasars and AGN
• Scattered Nuclear Continuum and Broad H-alpha in Cygnus A
• PKS 0116+082: An Optically Variable Compact Steep-Spectrum Source in an NLRG

Cited by in corpus (32)

• Nuclear Activity in Nearby Galaxies
• First X-ray-Based Statistical Tests for Clumpy-Torus Models: Eclipse Events from 230 Years of Monitoring of Seyfert AGN
• The Murmur of the Sleeping Black Hole: Detection of Nuclear Ultraviolet Variability in LINER Galaxies
• The Narrow-Line Regions of LINERs as Resolved with the Hubble Space Telescope
• X-ray nature of the LINER nuclear sources
• The Shroud Around the Twin Radio Jets in NGC 1052
• Study of LINER sources with broad H(alpha) emission. X-ray properties and comparision to luminous AGN and X-ray binaries
• On the relation of optical obscuration and X-ray absorption in Seyfert galaxies
• Polarized Broad-Line Emission from Low-Luminosity Active Galactic Nuclei
• The HST view of LINERs nuclei: evidence for a dual population?
• The Nature of LINERs
• ASCA Observations of "Type 2" LINERs: Evidence for a Stellar Source of Ionization
• Probing the Physics of Narrow Line Regions in Active Galaxies III: Accretion and Cocoon Shocks in the LINER NGC1052
• The Shocking Power Sources of LINERs
• Optical spectroscopy of local type-1 AGN LINERs
• Where is the [O III]4363 emitting region in active galactic nuclei?
• HST Observations and Photoionization Modeling of the LINER Galaxy NGC 1052
• The AGNIFS survey: distribution and excitation of the hot molecular and ionised gas in the inner kpc of nearby AGN hosts
• Spectral Analysis of the Accretion Flow in NGC 1052 with Suzaku
• Detection of faint broad emission lines in type 2 AGN: I. Near infrared observations and spectral fitting
• A Massive Molecular Torus inside a Gas-Poor Cirnumnuclear Disk in the Radio Galaxy NGC 1052 Discovered with ALMA
• Detection of Polarized Broad Emission in the Seyfert 2 Galaxy Mrk 573
• Unexplored outflows in nearby low luminosity AGNs: the case of NGC 1052
• Rotation and outflow in the central kiloparsec of the water megamaser galaxies IC 2560, NGC 1386, NGC 1052, and Mrk 1210
• The SED of Low-Luminosity AGNs at high-spatial resolution
• Optically-Selected BLR-less Active Galactic Nuclei from the SDSS Stripe82 Database I: The Sample
• Stellar and Dust Properties of Local Elliptical Galaxies: Clues to the Onset of Nuclear Activity
• A panchromatic spatially resolved study of the inner 500 pc of NGC 1052 - I: Stellar population
• Properties of the Obscuring Torus in NGC 1052 from Multi-epoch Broadband X-ray Spectroscopy
• A panchromatic spatially resolved study of the inner 500pc of NGC1052 -- II: Gas excitation and kinematics
• Probing Jet-Torus Interaction in the Radio Galaxy NGC 1052 by Sulfur-Bearing Molecules
• Subaru Spectropolarimetry of Mrk 573: The Hidden High-Ionization Nuclear Emission-Line Region inside the Dusty Torus