Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.3/91965

Title

Hanny's Voorwerp: evidence of AGN activity and a nuclear starburst in the central regions of IC 2497

Author(s)

Rampadarath, H.;  Garrett, M. A.;  Jozsa, G. I. G.;  Muxlow, T.;  Oosterloo, T. A.;  Paragi, Z.;  Beswick, R.;  van Arkel, H.;  Keel, W. C.;  Schawinski, K.

Abstract

Letter to the editor presenting high- and intermediate resolution radio observations of the central region in the spiral galaxy IC 2497, performed using the European VLBI Network (EVN) at 18 cm, and the Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network (MERLIN) at 18 cm and 6 cm. We detect two compact radio sources, with brightness temperatures above 105 K, suggesting that they are related to AGN activity. We show that the total 18 cm radio emission from the galaxy is dominated neither by these compact sources nor large-scale emission, but extended emission confined within a sub-kpc central region. IC 2497 therefore appears as a typical luminous infrared galaxy that exhibits a nuclear starburst with a massive star formation rate (M > 5 ) of 12.4 /yr. These results are in line with the hypothesis that the ionisation nebula “Hanny's Voorwerp” at a distance of ~ 15–25 kpc from the galaxy is ionised by the radiation cone of the AGN.

Publication type

Journal article

Research centre

Swinburne University of Technology. Faculty of Information and Communication Technologies. Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing

Source

Astronomy & Astrophysics, Vol. 517 (Jul 2010), article no. L8

Publication year

2010

FOR Code(s)

0201 Astronomical and Space Sciences

Keyword(s)

Active galaxies;  IC 2497;  ISM galaxies;  Star formation

Publisher

EDP Sciences

ISSN

0004-6361

Publisher URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201014782

Copyright

Copyright © ESO 2010.