New insights on selected radio galaxy nuclei

We are performing a survey of powerful 3CR radio galaxies and quasars in the mid-infrared. The purpose is to test for the presence of a powerful hidden quasar-like thermal nucleus by measuring the ‘waste heat’ that must be emitted by any obscuring dust. The dust is treated as a calorimeter for the c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:New astronomy reviews 2003-09, Vol.47 (4), p.219-223
Main Authors: Whysong, David, Antonucci, Robert
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Centaurus-A
Galaxies: individual: Cygnus-A
Infrared: galaxies
M87
Quasars: general
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Summary:We are performing a survey of powerful 3CR radio galaxies and quasars in the mid-infrared. The purpose is to test for the presence of a powerful hidden quasar-like thermal nucleus by measuring the ‘waste heat’ that must be emitted by any obscuring dust. The dust is treated as a calorimeter for the central engine. Three early mid-IR detections are particularly interesting: Cygnus A, M87, and Centaurus A. These are notable both as a demonstration of our technique and as an example of the great variety of objects that are classified as radio galaxies. We confirm the presence of hidden quasar-like nuclei in Cyg A and Cen A, but M87 shows only weak mid-IR emission, indicating its AGN is non-thermal, and consistent with only synchrotron emission. We also present a new near-infrared adaptive optics image of Cygnus A which shows a secondary point source.
ISSN:1387-6473
1872-9630
DOI:10.1016/S1387-6473(03)00029-0