ALMA Resolves the Torus of NGC 1068: Continuum and Molecular Line Emission

Journal
Date Issued
2016
Author(s)
García-Burillo, S.
•
Combes, F.
•
Ramos Almeida, C.
•
Usero, A.
•
Krips, M.
•
Alonso-Herrero, A.
•
Aalto, S.
•
•
•
Martín, S.
•
Viti, S.
•
Colina, L.
•
Costagliola, F.
•
Eckart, A.
•
Fuente, A.
•
Henkel, C.
•
Márquez, I.
•
Neri, R.
•
Schinnerer, E.
•
Tacconi, L. J.
•
van der Werf, P. P.
DOI
Abstract
We used the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) to map the emission of the CO(6-5) molecular line and the 432 μm continuum emission from the 300 pc sized circumnuclear disk (CND) of the nearby Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 1068 with a spatial resolution of ∼4 pc. These observations spatially resolve the CND and, for the first time, image the dust emission, the molecular gas distribution, and the kinematics from a 7-10 pc diameter disk that represents the submillimeter counterpart of the putative torus of NGC 1068. We fitted the nuclear spectral energy distribution of the torus using ALMA and near- and mid-infrared (NIR/MIR) data with CLUMPY torus models. The mass and radius of the best-fit solution for the torus are both consistent with the values derived from the ALMA data alone: {M}{{gas}}{{torus}}=(1+/- 0.3)× {10}5 {M}☉ and R torus = 3.5 ± 0.5 pc. The dynamics of the molecular gas in the torus show strong non-circular motions and enhanced turbulence superposed on a surprisingly slow rotation pattern of the disk. By contrast with the nearly edge-on orientation of the H2O megamaser disk, we found evidence suggesting that the molecular torus is less inclined (I = 34°-66°) at larger radii. The lopsided morphology and complex kinematics of the torus could be the signature of the Papaloizou-Pringle instability, long predicted to likely drive the dynamical evolution of active galactic nuclei tori.
Volume
823
Issue
1
Start page
L12
Uri
Url
Issn Identifier
2041-8205
Ads BibCode
2016ApJ...823L..12G
Rights
open.access
File(s)
Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Name

García-Burillo_2016_ApJL_823_L12.pdf

Description
PDF editoriale
Size

2.05 MB

Format

Adobe PDF

Checksum (MD5)

e1d0f9f55cfc8eabee92968b927dfd78