Spectropolarimetry of the changing-look active galactic nucleus Mrk 1018

Hutsemékers, Damien; González, B. Agís; Marin, Frédéric; Sluse, Dominique

doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202039760

Cited by 10 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…The optical spectroscopic observations reveal that Mrk 1018 is a type 1 AGN in 2010 December and a type 1.9 AGN in 2015 January (McElroy et al 2016;Kim et al 2018). The optical spectroscopic observation of Mrk 1018 in 2019 October shows a faint broad H𝛽 line component in Hutsemékers et al (2020), which is similar to the type 1.9 spectrum as reported in McElroy et al (2016).…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 70%

Long-term and multi-wavelength evolution of a changing-look AGN Mrk 1018

Lyu,

Yan,

et al. 2021

Preprint

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The physical mechanism for triggering the changing-look phenomenon in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) is still unclear. We explore this issue based on the multi-wavelength spectral and flux variations for a changing-look AGN Mrk 1018 with long-term observations in the X-ray, optical/ultraviolet(UV), and radio bands. Both the optical and the X-ray emission experience rapid decay in changing-look phase during 2010-2015, where a re-flare appears in the optical/UV and X-ray bands. We find a time lag of ∼ 20 days of optical/UV behind X-ray variations in type 1.9 phase. The 5 GHz radio flux decreases by ∼ 20% in type 1.9 phase during 2016-2017. We find both X-ray photon index (Γ) and the optical-to-X-ray spectral index (𝛼 ox ) are anti-correlated with the Eddington scaled 2-10 keV X-ray luminosity (𝐿 X /𝐿 Edd ) in the type 1.9 phase. However, the type 1 phase deviates from these two anti-correlations, which suggests that the change of broad emission lines might be regulated by the evolution of accretion disk (e.g., disappearing of the inner cold disk in the type 1.9 phase).

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 70%

Long-term and multi-wavelength evolution of a changing-look AGN Mrk 1018

Lyu,

Yan,

et al. 2021

Preprint

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“…This behavior is not observed in the variability of the broad Hα line. Additionally, Hutsemékers et al (2020) find no evidence for SMBHB evolution in spectropolarimetric observations of Mrk 1018. While we cannot directly rule out the SMBHB hypothesis from our radio observations, when considering the optical emission line properties, it is unlikely that Mrk 1018 hosts an SMBHB that gives rise to the proper motion we have observed.…”

Section: Smbh Binarymentioning

confidence: 66%

“…Thus, a second SMBH must be used to explain this inferred mass. As discussed in Section 4.3, we cannot rule this scenario out directly with our radio observations, though the Hα variability (Kim et al 2018) and absence of spectropolarimetric signatures (Hutsemékers et al 2020) provide evidence against the presence of a SMBHB.…”

Section: Recoiling Smbhmentioning

confidence: 74%

A VLBI Proper Motion Analysis of the Recoiling Supermassive Black Hole Candidate Mrk 1018

Walsh

Burke-Spolaor

Lazio

2023

ApJ

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Mrk 1018 is a nearby changing-look active galactic nucleus (AGN) that has oscillated between spectral Type 1.9 and Type 1 over a period of 40 yr. Recently, a recoiling supermassive black hole (rSMBH) scenario has been proposed to explain the spectral and flux variability observed in this AGN. Detections of rSMBHs are important for understanding the processes by which SMBH binaries merge and how rSMBHs influence their galactic environment through feedback mechanisms. However, conclusive identification of any rSMBHs has remained elusive to date. In this paper, we present an analysis of 6.5 yr of multifrequency Very Long Baseline Array monitoring of Mrk 1018. We find that the radio emission is compact down to 2.4 pc, and it displays flux density and spectral variability over the length of our campaign, typical of a flat-spectrum radio core. We observe proper motion in RA of the radio core at −36.4 ± 8.6 μas yr−1 (4.2σ), or 0.10c ± 0.02c at the redshift of Mrk 1018. No significant proper motion is found in DEC (31.3 ± 25.1 μas yr−1). We discuss possible physical mechanisms driving the proper motion, including an rSMBH. We conclude that the apparent velocity we observe of the VLBI radio core is too high to reconcile with theoretical predictions of rSMBH velocities and that the proper motion is most likely dominated by an unresolved, outflowing jet component. Future observations may yet reveal the true nature of Mrk 1018. However, our observations are not able to confirm it as a true rSMBH.

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“…Those local Seyferts instead exhibit a secular pattern. For example, according to the available data, Mrk 1018 was a Seyfert 1.9 in the year of 1979 and became type 1 in 1984; then the AGN brightness remained constant roughly (as a Seyfert 1), with a small rms (0.15 dex) for at least 10 yr (i.e., 2001-2011 with observations available), and steadily decreased after 2011 (returning to type 1.9 in 2015) by 3-4 magnitudes until a minimum around October 2016, and again gradually got brightening at a low level Krumpe et al 2017); it appears to keep the slow brightening so far, according to the latest observation reporting it as a faint type 1.5 (Hutsemékers et al 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 87%

Local Active Galactic Nuclei with Large Broad-Hα Variability Reside in Red Galaxies

Liu,

Lira,

Yao

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Inspired by our serendipitous discovery of six AGNs with varying broad-Hα fluxes over years out of our searching for intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs), we conduct a systematic investigation of changing-look (CL) and large-variability AGNs. We collect all the CL AGNs at z < 0.15 and the reverberation mapped AGNs with strongly variable broad Hα, and perform careful decomposition fittings to both their images and spectra. We find two observational facts: (1) The host galaxies of local CL and large-variability AGNs, mainly being Seyferts, are in the red (gas-poor) tail of the general Seyfert galaxy population. (2) In contrast, there is a significant trend that their more luminous counterparts namely CL and extremely variable quasars (CLQs and EVQs) are different: CLQs are generally in blue galaxies; in terms of the diagram of SFR and M ⋆ local CL Seyfert galaxies are located in the green valley, whereas CLQ hosts are in the star-forming main sequence. We propose explanations for those strongly variable Seyferts and quasars, respectively, under the thought that accretion disks broadly depend on nuclear fueling modes. Local large-variability and CL Seyferts are in nuclear famine mode, where cold-gas clumps can be formed stochastically in the fueling flow, and their episodic infall produces sharp peaks in the accretion-rate curve. CLQs and EVQs are in feast fueling mode, which may account for both their preference to blue galaxies and their variability pattern (high-amplitude tail of the continuous distribution). Lastly, we propose a new thinking: to search for IMBHs by optical variability in red galaxies.

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Spectropolarimetry of the changing-look active galactic nucleus Mrk 1018

Cited by 10 publications

References 29 publications

Long-term and multi-wavelength evolution of a changing-look AGN Mrk 1018

Long-term and multi-wavelength evolution of a changing-look AGN Mrk 1018

A VLBI Proper Motion Analysis of the Recoiling Supermassive Black Hole Candidate Mrk 1018

Local Active Galactic Nuclei with Large Broad-Hα Variability Reside in Red Galaxies

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