Searching for obscured AGN in z ∼ 2 submillimetre galaxies

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dc.contributor.author Chen, H.
dc.contributor.author Garrett, M.A.
dc.contributor.author Chi, S.
dc.contributor.author Thomson, A.P.
dc.contributor.author Barthel, P.D.
dc.contributor.author Alexander, D.M.
dc.contributor.author Muxlow, T.W.B.
dc.contributor.author Beswick, R.J.
dc.contributor.author Radcliffe, Jack Frederick
dc.contributor.author Wrigley, N.H.
dc.contributor.author Guidetti, D.
dc.contributor.author Bondi, M.
dc.contributor.author Prandoni, I.
dc.contributor.author Smail, I.
dc.contributor.author McHardy, I.
dc.contributor.author Argo, M.K.
dc.date.accessioned 2021-03-10T12:08:06Z
dc.date.available 2021-03-10T12:08:06Z
dc.date.issued 2020-06
dc.description.abstract AIMS: Submillimetre-selected galaxies (SMGs) at high redshift (z ∼ 2) are potential host galaxies of active galactic nuclei (AGN). If the local Universe is a good guide, ∼ 50% of the obscured AGN amongst the SMG population could be missed even in the deepest X-ray surveys. Radio observations are insensitive to obscuration; therefore, very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) can be used as a tool to identify AGN in obscured systems. A well-established upper limit to the brightness temperature of 105 K exists in star-forming systems, thus VLBI observations can distinguish AGN from star-forming systems via brightness temperature measurements. METHODS: We present 1.6 GHz European VLBI Network (EVN) observations of four SMGs (with measured redshifts) to search for evidence of compact radio components associated with AGN cores. For two of the sources, e-MERLIN images are also presented. RESULTS: Out of the four SMGs observed, we detect one source, J123555.14, that has an integrated EVN flux density of 201 ± 15.2 µJy, corresponding to a brightness temperature of 5.2 ± 0.7 × 105 K. We therefore identify that the radio emission from J123555.14 is associated with an AGN. We do not detect compact radio emission from a possible AGN in the remaining sources (J123600.10, J131225.73, and J163650.43). In the case of J131225.73, this is particularly surprising, and the data suggest that this may be an extended, jet-dominated AGN that is resolved by VLBI. Since the morphology of the faint radio source population is still largely unknown at these scales, it is possible that with a ∼ 10 mas resolution, VLBI misses (or resolves) many radio AGN extended on kiloparsec scales. en_ZA
dc.description.department Physics en_ZA
dc.description.librarian pm2021 en_ZA
dc.description.sponsorship Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), China Scholarship Council (CSC) and South Africa Radio Astronomy Observatory. en_ZA
dc.description.uri http://www.aanda.org en_ZA
dc.identifier.citation Chen, H., Garrett, M.A., Chi, S. et al. 2020, 'Searching for obscured AGN in z ∼ 2 submillimetre galaxies', Astronomy and Astrophysics, vol. 638, art. A113. en_ZA
dc.identifier.issn 0004-6361 (print)
dc.identifier.issn 1432-0746 (online)
dc.identifier.other 10.1051/0004-6361/201937162
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/2263/78981
dc.language.iso en en_ZA
dc.publisher EDP Sciences en_ZA
dc.rights © ESO 2020 en_ZA
dc.subject Interferometric en_ZA
dc.subject Galaxies: starburst en_ZA
dc.subject Galaxies: starburst en_ZA
dc.subject Nuclei en_ZA
dc.subject High angular resolution en_ZA
dc.subject Submillimetre-selected galaxies (SMGs) en_ZA
dc.subject Active galactic nuclei (AGN) en_ZA
dc.subject European VLBI Network (EVN) en_ZA
dc.title Searching for obscured AGN in z ∼ 2 submillimetre galaxies en_ZA
dc.type Article en_ZA


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