2006/10/12 by Ramiro D. Simões Lopes, Ramiro D. Simoes Lopes, Thaisa Storchi‐Bergmann +4 · 4 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Accretion (finance) #Active galactic nucleus #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations #Black hole (networking) #Dust lane #Elliptical galaxy #Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena #Galaxy #Stars #Supermassive black hole #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1086/510064
published as Astrophys.J.655:718-734,2007 · ApJ, in press. 35 pages, 8 figures, 2 tables
arxiv created 2006/10/12 · openalex publication_date 2007/01/23 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We present a detailed investigation of the incidence of circumnuclear dust structure in a large, well-matched sample of early-type galaxies with and without active galactic nuclei (AGNs). All 34 early-type AGN hosts in our sample have circumnuclear dust, while dust is only observed in 26% (9) of a pair-matched sample of 34 early-type, inactive galaxies. This result demonstrates a strong correlation between the presence of circumnuclear dust and accretion onto the central, supermassive black hole in elliptical and lenticular galaxies. This correlation is not present at later Hubble types, where a sample of 31 active and 31 inactive galaxies all contain circumnuclear dust. These archival, Hubble Space Telescope observations reveal a wide range of mostly chaotic dust morphologies. Current estimates suggest the dust settling or destruction time is on order of 10 8 yr, and therefore the presence of dust in ~50% of early-type galaxies requires frequent replenishment and similarly frequent fueling of their central supermassive black holes. The observed dust could be internally produced (via stellar winds) or externally accreted, although there are observational challenges for both of these scenarios. Our analysis also reveals that approximately one-third of the early-type galaxies without circumnuclear dust have nuclear stellar disks. These nuclear stellar disks may provide a preferred kinematic axis to externally accreted material, and this material may in turn form new stars in these disks. The observed incidence of nuclear stellar disks and circumnuclear dust suggests that episodic replenishment of nuclear stellar disks occurs and is approximately concurrent with the fueling of the central AGN.