Possible evidence for truncated thin disks in the low-luminosity active galactic nuclei M81 and NGC 4579

Citation
E. Quataert et al., Possible evidence for truncated thin disks in the low-luminosity active galactic nuclei M81 and NGC 4579, ASTROPHYS J, 525(2), 1999, pp. L89-L92
Citations number
31
Categorie Soggetti
Space Sciences
Journal title
ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
ISSN journal
0004637X → ACNP
Volume
525
Issue
2
Year of publication
1999
Part
2
Pages
L89 - L92
Database
ISI
SICI code
0004-637X(19991110)525:2<L89:PEFTTD>2.0.ZU;2-M
Abstract
M81 and NGC 4579 are two of the few low-luminosity active galactic nuclei t hat have an estimated mass for the central black hole, detected hard X-ray emission, and detected optical/UV emission. In contrast to the canonical "b ig blue bump," both have optical/UV spectra that decrease with increasing f requency in a vL(v) plot. Barring significant reddening by dust and/or larg e errors in the black hole mass estimates, the optical/UV spectra of these systems require that the inner edge of a geometrically thin, optically thic k accretion disk lies at similar to 100 Schwarzschild radii. The observed X -ray radiation can be explained by an optically thin, two-temperature, adve ction-dominated accretion flow at smaller radii.