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DOE OSTI2014

The SINS/zC-SINF survey of z ∼ 2 galaxy kinematics: Evidence for powerful active galactic nucleus-driven nuclear outflows in massive star-forming galaxies

We report the detection of ubiquitous powerful nuclear outflows in massive (≥10{sup 11} M {sub ☉}) z ∼ 2 star-forming galaxies (SFGs), which are plausibly driven by an active galactic nucleus (AGN). The sample consists of the eight most massive SFGs from our SINS/zC-SINF survey of galaxy kinematics with the imaging spectrometer SINFONI, six of which have sensitive high-resolution adaptive optics-assisted observations. All of the objects are disks hosting a significant stellar bulge. The spectra in their central regions exhibit a broad component in Hα and forbidden [N II] and [S II] line emission, with typical velocity FWHM ∼ 1500 km s{sup –1}, [N II]/Hα ratio ≈ 0.6, and intrinsic extent of 2-3 kpc. These properties are consistent with warm ionized gas outflows associated with Type 2 AGN, the presence of which is confirmed via independent diagnostics in half the galaxies. The data imply a median ionized gas mass outflow rate of ∼60 M {sub ☉} yr{sup –1} and mass loading of ∼3. At larger radii, a weaker broad component is detected but with lower FWHM ∼485 km s{sup –1} and [N II]/Hα ≈ 0.35, characteristic for star formation-driven outflows as found in the lower-mass SINS/zC-SINF galaxies. The high inferred mass outflow rates and frequent occurrence suggest that the nuclear outflows efficiently expel gas out of the centers of the galaxies with high duty cycles and may thus contribute to the process of star formation quenching in massive galaxies. Larger samples at high masses will be crucial in confirming the importance and energetics of the nuclear outflow phenomenon and its connection to AGN activity and bulge growth.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Active galactic nucleus feedback in the hot halo of NGC 4649

Using the deepest available Chandra observations of NGC 4649, we find strong evidences of cavities, ripples, and ring-like structures in the hot interstellar medium that appear to be morphologically related with the central radio emission. These structures show no significant temperature variations in correspondence with higher pressure regions (0.5 kpc < r < 3 kpc). On the same spatial scale, a discrepancy between the mass profiles obtained from stellar dynamic and Chandra data represents the telltale evidence of a significant nonthermal pressure component in this hot gas, which is related to the radio jet and lobes. On a larger scale we find agreement between the mass profile obtained from Chandra data and planetary nebulae and globular cluster dynamics. The nucleus of NGC 4649 appears to be extremely radiatively inefficient, with highly sub-Bondi accretion flow. Consistent with this finding, the jet power evaluated from the observed X-ray cavities implies that a small fraction of the accretion power calculated for the Bondi mass accretion rate emerges as kinetic energy. Comparing the jet power to radio and nuclear X-ray luminosity, the observed cavities show behavior similar to those of other giant elliptical galaxies.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Modeling active galactic nucleus feedback in cool-core clusters: The balance between heating and cooling

We study the long-term evolution of an idealized cool-core galaxy cluster under the influence of momentum-driven active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback using three-dimensional high-resolution (60 pc) adaptive mesh refinement simulations. The feedback is modeled with a pair of precessing jets whose power is calculated based on the accretion rate of the cold gas surrounding the supermassive black hole (SMBH). The intracluster medium first cools into clumps along the propagation direction of the jets. As the jet power increases, gas condensation occurs isotropically, forming spatially extended structures that resemble the observed Hα filaments in Perseus and many other cool-core clusters. Jet heating elevates the gas entropy, halting clump formation. The cold gas that is not accreted onto the SMBH settles into a rotating disk of ∼10{sup 11} M {sub ☉}. The hot gas cools directly onto the disk while the SMBH accretes from its innermost region, powering the AGN that maintains a thermally balanced state for a few Gyr. The mass cooling rate averaged over 7 Gyr is ∼30 M {sub ☉} yr{sup –1}, an order of magnitude lower than the classic cooling flow value. Medium resolution simulations produce similar results, while in low resolution runs, the cluster experiences cycles of gas condensation and AGN outbursts. Owing to its self-regulating mechanism, AGN feedback can successfully balance cooling with a wide range of model parameters. Our model also produces cold structures in early stages that are in good agreement with the observations. However, the long-lived massive cold disk is unrealistic, suggesting that additional physical processes are still needed.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Grain physics and infrared dust emission in active galactic nucleus environments

We study the effects of a detailed dust treatment on the properties and evolution of early-type galaxies containing central black holes, as determined by active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback. We find that during cooling flow episodes, radiation pressure on the dust in and interior to infalling shells of cold gas can greatly impact the amount of gas able to be accreted and therefore the frequency of AGN bursts. However, the overall hydrodynamic evolution of all models, including mass budget, is relatively robust to the assumptions on dust. We find that IR re-emission from hot dust can dominate the bolometric luminosity of the galaxy during the early stages of an AGN burst, reaching values in excess of 10{sup 46} erg s{sup –1}. The AGN-emitted UV is largely absorbed, but the optical depth in the IR does not exceed unity, so the radiation momentum input never exceeds L {sub BH}/c. We constrain the viability of our models by comparing the AGN duty cycle, broadband luminosities, dust mass, black hole mass, and other model predictions to current observations. These constraints force us towards models wherein the dust to metals ratios are ≅ 1% of the Galactic value, and only models with a dynamic dust to gas ratio are able to produce both quiescent galaxies consistent with observations and high obscured fractions during AGN 'on' phases. During AGN outbursts, we predict that a large fraction of the FIR luminosity can be attributed to warm dust emission (≅ 100 K) from dense dusty gas within ≤1 kpc reradiating the AGN UV emission.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Active galactic nucleus feedback in an isolated elliptical galaxy: The effect of strong radiative feedback in the kinetic mode

Based on two-dimensional high-resolution hydrodynamic numerical simulation, we study the mechanical and radiative feedback effects from the central active galactic nucleus (AGN) on the cosmological evolution of an isolated elliptical galaxy. The inner boundary of the simulation domain is carefully chosen so that the fiducial Bondi radius is resolved and the accretion rate of the black hole is determined self-consistently. It is well known that when the accretion rates are high and low, the central AGNs will be in cold and hot accretion modes, which correspond to the radiative and kinetic feedback modes, respectively. The emitted spectrum from the hot accretion flows is harder than that from the cold accretion flows, which could result in a higher Compton temperature accompanied by a more efficient radiative heating, according to previous theoretical works. Such a difference of the Compton temperature between the two feedback modes, the focus of this study, has been neglected in previous works. Significant differences in the kinetic feedback mode are found as a result of the stronger Compton heating. More importantly, if we constrain models to correctly predict black hole growth and AGN duty cycle after cosmological evolution, we find that the favored model parameters are constrained: mechanical feedback efficiency diminishes with decreasing luminosity (the maximum efficiency being ≅ 10{sup –3.5}), and X-ray Compton temperature increases with decreasing luminosity, although models with fixed mechanical efficiency and Compton temperature can be found that are satisfactory as well. We conclude that radiative feedback in the kinetic mode is much more important than previously thought.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Modeling active galactic nucleus feedback in cool-core clusters: The formation of cold clumps

We perform high-resolution (15-30 pc) adaptive mesh simulations to study the impact of momentum-driven active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback in cool-core clusters, focusing in this paper on the formation of cold clumps. The feedback is jet-driven with an energy determined by the amount of cold gas within 500 pc of the super-massive black hole. When the intracluster medium in the core of the cluster becomes marginally stable to radiative cooling, with the thermal instability to the free-fall timescale ratio t{sub TI}/t{sub ff} < 3-10, cold clumps of gas start to form along the propagation direction of the AGN jets. By tracing the particles in the simulations, we find that these cold clumps originate from low entropy (but still hot) gas that is accelerated by the jet to outward radial velocities of a few hundred km s{sup –1}. This gas is out of hydrostatic equilibrium and so can cool. The clumps then grow larger as they decelerate and fall toward the center of the cluster, eventually being accreted onto the super-massive black hole. The general morphology, spatial distribution, and estimated Hα morphology of the clumps are in reasonable agreement with observations, although we do not fully replicate the filamentary morphology of the clumps seen in the observations, probably due to missing physics.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

From starburst to quiescence: testing active galactic nucleus feedback in rapidly quenching post-starburst galaxies

Post-starbursts are galaxies in transition from the blue cloud to the red sequence. Although they are rare today, integrated over time they may be an important pathway to the red sequence. This work uses Sloan Digital Sky Survey, the Galaxy Evolution Explorer, and Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer observations to identify the evolutionary sequence from starbursts to fully quenched post-starbursts (QPSBs) in the narrow mass range log M(M {sub ☉}) = 10.3-10.7, and identifies 'transiting' post-starbursts (TPSBs) which are intermediate between these two populations. In this mass range, ∼0.3% of galaxies are starbursts, ∼0.1% are QPSBs, and ∼0.5% are the transiting types in between. The TPSBs have stellar properties that are predicted for fast-quenching starbursts and morphological characteristics that are already typical of early-type galaxies. The active galactic nucleus (AGN) fraction, as estimated from optical line ratios, of these post-starbursts is about three times higher (≳ 36% ± 8%) than that of normal star forming galaxies of the same mass, but there is a significant delay between the starburst phase and the peak of nuclear optical AGN activity (median age difference of ≳ 200 ± 100 Myr), in agreement with previous studies. The time delay is inferred by comparing the broadband near-NUV-to-optical photometry with stellar population synthesis models. We also find that starbursts and post-starbursts are significantly more dust obscured than normal star forming galaxies in the same mass range. About 20% of the starbursts and 15% of the TPSBs can be classified as 'dust-obscured galaxies' (DOGs), with a near-UV-to-mid-IR flux ratio of ≳ 900, while only 0.8% of normal galaxies are DOGs. The time delay between the starburst phase and AGN activity suggests that AGNs do not play a primary role in the original quenching of starbursts but may be responsible for quenching later low-level star formation by removing gas and dust during the post-starburst phase.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Extended structure and fate of the nucleus in Henize 2-10

We investigate the structure and nuclear region of the black hole (BH) hosting galaxy Henize 2-10. Surface brightness profiles are analyzed using Magellan/Megacam g- and r-band images. Excluding the central starburst, we find a best-fit two-component Sérsic profile with n {sub in} ∼ 0.6, r {sub eff,} {sub in} ∼ 260 pc and n {sub out} ∼ 1.8, r ∼ 1 kpc. Integrating out to our outermost data point (100'' ∼ 4.3 kpc), we calculate M{sub g} = –19.2 and M{sub r} = –19.8. The corresponding enclosed stellar mass is M {sub *} ∼ (10 ± 3) × 10{sup 9} M {sub ☉}, ∼3 × larger than previous estimates. Apart from the central ≲500 pc, with blue colors and an irregular morphology, the galaxy appears to be an early-type system. The outer color is quite red, (g – r){sub 0} = 0.75, suggesting a dominant old population. We study the nuclear region of the galaxy using archival Gemini/NIFS K-band adaptive optics spectroscopy and Hubble Space Telescope imaging. We place an upper limit on the BH mass of ∼10{sup 7} M {sub ☉} from the NIFS data, consistent with that from the M {sub BH}-radio-X-ray fundamental plane. No coronal lines are seen, but a Brγ source is located at the position of the BH with a luminosity consistent with the X-ray emission. The starburst at the center of Henize 2-10 has led to the formation of several super star clusters, which are within ∼100 pc of the BH. We examine the fate of the nucleus by estimating the dynamical masses and dynamical friction timescales of the clusters. The most massive clusters (∼10{sup 6} M {sub ☉}) have τ{sub dyn} ≲ 200 Myr, and thus Henize 2-10 may represent a rare snapshot of nuclear star cluster formation around a preexisting massive BH.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

THE MOSDEF SURVEY: OPTICAL ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEUS DIAGNOSTICS AT z ∼ 2.3

We present results from the MOSFIRE Deep Evolution Field (MOSDEF) survey on rest-frame optical active galactic nucleus (AGN) identification and completeness at z ∼ 2.3. With our sample of 50 galaxies and 10 X-ray and IR-selected AGNs with measured Hβ, [O III], Hα, and N II emission lines, we investigate the location of AGNs in the BPT, MEx (mass-excitation), and CEx (color-excitation) diagrams. We find that th BPT diagram works well to identify AGNs at z ∼ 2.3 and that the z ∼ 0 AGN/star-forming galaxy classifications do not need to shift substantially at z ∼ 2.3 to robustly separate these populations. However, the MEx diagram fails to identify all of the AGN identified in the BPT diagram, and the CEx diagram is substantially contaminated at high redshift. We further show that AGN samples selected using the BPT diagram have selection biases in terms of both host stellar mass and stellar population, in that AGNs in low mass and/or high specific star formation rate galaxies are difficult to identify using the BPT diagram. These selection biases become increasingly severe at high redshift, such that optically selected AGN samples at high redshift will necessarily be incomplete. We also find that the gas in the narrow-line region appears to be more enriched than gas in the host galaxy for at least some MOSDEF AGNs. However, AGNs at z ∼ 2 are generally less enriched than local AGNs with the same host stellar mass.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

ALMA OBSERVATIONS OF THE SUBMILLIMETER DENSE MOLECULAR GAS TRACERS IN THE LUMINOUS TYPE-1 ACTIVE NUCLEUS OF NGC 7469

We present Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) Cycle 1 observations of the central kiloparsec region of the luminous type 1 Seyfert galaxy NGC 7469 with unprecedented high resolution (0.″5 ×0.″4 = 165 × 132 pc) at submillimeter wavelengths. Utilizing the wide bandwidth of ALMA, we simultaneously obtained HCN(4–3), HCO{sup +}(4–3), CS(7–6), and partially CO(3–2) line maps, as well as the 860 μm continuum. The region consists of the central ∼1″ component and the surrounding starburst ring with a radius of ∼1.″5–2.″5. Several structures connect these components. Except for CO(3–2), these dense gas tracers are significantly concentrated toward the central ∼1″, suggesting their suitability to probe the nuclear regions of galaxies. Their spatial distribution resembles well those of centimeter and mid-infrared continuum emissions, but it is anticorrelated with the optical one, indicating the existence of dust-obscured star formation. The integrated intensity ratios of HCN(4–3)/HCO{sup +}(4–3) and HCN(4–3)/CS(7–6) are higher at the active galactic nucleus (AGN) position than at the starburst ring, which is consistent with our previous findings (submillimeter-HCN enhancement). However, the HCN(4–3)/HCO{sup +}(4–3) ratio at the AGN position of NGC 7469 (1.11 ± 0.06) is almost half of the corresponding value of the low-luminosity type 1 Seyfert galaxy NGC 1097 (2.0 ± 0.2), despite the more than two orders of magnitude higher X-ray luminosity of NGC 7469. But the ratio is comparable to that of the close vicinity of the AGN of NGC 1068 (∼1.5). Based on these results, we speculate that some heating mechanisms other than X-ray (e.g., mechanical heating due to an AGN jet) can contribute significantly for shaping the chemical composition in NGC 1097.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

BAR EFFECTS ON CENTRAL STAR FORMATION AND ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEUS ACTIVITY

Galactic bars are often suspected to be channels of gas inflow to the galactic center and to trigger central star formation and active galactic nucleus (AGN) activity. However, the current status on this issue based on empirical studies is unsettling, especially regarding AGNs. We investigate this question based on the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7. From the nearby (0.01 < z < 0.05) bright (M{sub r} < -19) database, we have constructed a sample of 6658 relatively face-on late-type galaxies through visual inspection. We found 36% of them to have a bar. Bars are found to be more common in galaxies with earlier morphology. This makes sample selection critical. Parameter-based selections would miss a large fraction of barred galaxies of early morphology. Bar effects on star formation or AGNs are difficult to understand properly because multiple factors (bar frequency, stellar mass, black hole mass, gas contents, etc.) seem to contribute to them in intricate manners. In the hope of breaking these degeneracies, we inspect bar effects for fixed galaxy properties. Bar effects on central star formation seem higher in redder galaxies. Bar effects on AGNs on the other hand are higher in bluer and less massive galaxies. These effects seem more pronounced with increasing bar length. We discuss possible implications in terms of gas contents, bar strength, bar evolution, fueling timescale, and the dynamical role of supermassive black hole.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Evidence of a slight nuclear transparency in the alpha-nucleus systems

In earlier works, we proposed a model for the nuclear potential of the α + α and α + ¹²C systems. In addition, this theoretical model successfully described data related to the elastic and inelastic scattering processes as well as resonances that correspond to the capture reaction channel. In the present work, we extend the same model to obtain bare nuclear potentials for several α-nucleus systems. We adopt this parameter-free interaction to analyze fusion, elastic, and inelastic scattering data within the context of the coupled-channel formalism. Our results indicate that, for these systems, the absorption of flux of the elastic channel at internal distances of interaction is not complete. In addition, we present new experimental angular distributions for the 2⁺ inelastic target excitation of α on ¹²⁰ , ¹³⁰Te.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Structure of beta-decaying states in the deformed, neutron-rich nucleus 104 Nb

Excited structures in 104 Mo were populated by β decays of the ground and isomeric states in the neutron-rich nucleus 104 Nb. The beams were produced by the CARIBU facility at Argonne National Laboratory, re-accelerated by the ATLAS accelerator and implanted on a moving-tape system in the middle of the GAMMASPHERE array. Separate decay schemes for the two β-decaying states in 104 Nb were constructed for the first time. The structure of the isomers are discussed in the framework of the deformed Nilsson model and systematics of known quasiparticle structures in neighboring nuclei.

Nilsson model↗
DOE OSTI2022

Investigating color screening in proton-nucleus collisions with complex potentials*

Abstract Color screening and parton inelastic scattering modify the heavy-quark antiquark potential in mediums consisting of particles from quantum chromodynamics (QCD), leading to the suppression of quarkonium production in relativistic heavy-ion collisions. Owing to the small charm/anti-charm ( ) pair production number in proton-nucleus ( pA ) collisions, the correlation between different pairs is negligible, which makes the Schrödinger equation viable for tracking the evolution of only one pair. We employ the time-dependent Schrödinger equation with an in-medium potential to study the evolution of charmonium wave functions in a hydrodynamic-like QCD medium produced in pA collisions. We explore different parametrizations of real and imaginary parts of the potential and calculate the nuclear modification factors ( ) of and in TeV energy p -Pb collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Comparing strong and weak screening scenarios with experimental data in this approach, we arrive at the conclusion that color screening is weak at temperatures close to the deconfined phase transition. Moreover, the imaginary part of the potential is crucial in describing the experimental data, which is consistent with widely studied semi-classical approaches, where dissociation rates are essential.

Physics↗
DOE OSTI2016

Results of the engineering run of the Coherent Neutrino Nucleus Interaction Experiment (CONNIE)

The CONNIE detector prototype is operating at a distance of 30 m from the core of a 3.8 GW(th) nuclear reactor with the goal of establishing Charge-Coupled Devices (CCD) as a new technology for the detection of coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering. We report on the results of the engineering run with an active mass of 4 g of silicon. The CCD array is described, and the performance observed during the first year is discussed. A compact passive shield was deployed around the detector, producing an order of magnitude reduction in the background rate. The remaining background observed during the run was stable, and dominated by internal contamination in the detector packaging materials. The in-situ calibration of the detector using X-ray lines from fluorescence demonstrates good stability of the readout system. The event rates with the reactor ON and OFF are compared, and no excess is observed coming from nuclear fission at the power plant. The upper limit for the neutrino event rate is set two orders of magnitude above the expectations for the standard model. The results demonstrate the cryogenic CCD-based detector can be remotely operated at the reactor site with stable noise below 2 e – RMS and stable background rates. In conclusion, the success of the engineering test provides a clear path for the upgraded 100 g detector to be deployed during 2016.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2011

CHANDRA OBSERVATIONS OF A 1.9 kpc SEPARATION DOUBLE X-RAY SOURCE IN A CANDIDATE DUAL ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEUS GALAXY AT z = 0.16

We report Chandra observations of a double X-ray source in the z = 0.1569 galaxy SDSS J171544.05+600835.7. The galaxy was initially identified as a dual active galactic nucleus (AGN) candidate based on the double-peaked [O III] {lambda}5007 emission lines, with a line-of-sight velocity separation of 350 km s{sup -1}, in its Sloan Digital Sky Survey spectrum. We used the Kast Spectrograph at Lick Observatory to obtain two long-slit spectra of the galaxy at two different position angles, which reveal that the two Type 2 AGN emission components have not only a velocity offset, but also a projected spatial offset of 1.9 h {sup -1}{sub 70} kpc on the sky. Chandra/ACIS observations of two X-ray sources with the same spatial offset and orientation as the optical emission suggest that the galaxy most likely contains Compton-thick dual AGNs, although the observations could also be explained by AGN jets. Deeper X-ray observations that reveal Fe K lines, if present, would distinguish between the two scenarios. The observations of a double X-ray source in SDSS J171544.05+600835.7 are a proof of concept for a new, systematic detection method that selects promising dual AGN candidates from ground-based spectroscopy that exhibits both velocity and spatial offsets in the AGN emission features.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

THE ORIGIN OF [O II] EMISSION IN RECENTLY QUENCHED ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEUS HOSTS

We have employed emission-line diagnostics derived from DEIMOS and NIRSPEC spectroscopy to determine the origin of the [O II] emission line observed in six active galactic nucleus (AGN) hosts at z {approx} 0.9. These galaxies are a subsample of AGN hosts detected in the Cl1604 supercluster that exhibit strong Balmer absorption lines in their spectra and appear to be in a post-starburst or post-quenched phase, if not for their [O II] emission. Examining the flux ratio of the [N II] to H{alpha} lines, we find that in five of the six hosts the dominant source of ionizing flux is AGN continuum emission. Furthermore, we find that four of the six galaxies have over twice the [O II] line luminosity that could be generated by star formation alone given their H{alpha} line luminosities. This strongly suggests that AGN-excited narrow-line emission is contaminating the [O II] line flux. A comparison of star formation rates calculated from extinction-corrected [O II] and H{alpha} line luminosities indicates that the former yields a five-fold overestimate of the current activity in these galaxies. Our findings reveal the [O II] line to be a poor indicator of star formation activity in a majority of these moderate-luminosity Seyferts. This result bolsters our previous findings that an increased fraction of AGN at high redshifts is hosted by galaxies in a post-starburst phase. The relatively high fraction of AGN hosts in the Cl1604 supercluster that show signs of recently truncated star formation activity may suggest that AGN feedback plays an increasingly important role in suppressing ongoing activity in large-scale structures at high redshift.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

A KILOPARSEC-SCALE BINARY ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEUS CONFIRMED BY THE EXPANDED VERY LARGE ARRAY

We report the confirmation of a kiloparsec-scale binary active galactic nucleus (AGN) with high-resolution radio images from the Expanded Very Large Array (EVLA). SDSS J150243.1+111557 is a double-peaked [O III] AGN at z = 0.39 selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Our previous near-infrared adaptive optics imaging reveals two nuclei separated by 1.''4 (7.4 kpc), and our optical integral-field spectroscopy suggests that they are a type-1-type-2 AGN pair. However, these data alone cannot rule out the single AGN scenario where the narrow emission-line region associated with the secondary is photoionized by the broad-line AGN in the primary. Our new EVLA images at 1.4, 5.0, and 8.5 GHz show two steep-spectrum compact radio sources spatially coincident with the optical nuclei. The radio power of the type-2 AGN is an order-of-magnitude in excess of star-forming galaxies with similar extinction-corrected [O II] {lambda}3727 luminosities, indicating that the radio emission is powered by accretion. Therefore, SDSS J150243.1+111557 is one of the few confirmed kiloparsec-scale binary AGN systems. Spectral energy distribution modeling shows that SDSS J150243.1+111557 is a merger of two {approx}10{sup 11} M{sub sun} galaxies. With both black hole masses around 10{sup 8} M{sub sun}, the AGNs are accreting at {approx}10 times below the Eddington limit.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗