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The sub-parsec structure of AGN with VLTI/GRAVITY

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 October 2024

Dieter Lutz*
Affiliation:
Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Postfach 1312, 85741 Garching, Germany
Taro Shimizu
Affiliation:
Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Postfach 1312, 85741 Garching, Germany
Eckhard Sturm
Affiliation:
Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Postfach 1312, 85741 Garching, Germany
Daryl Santos
Affiliation:
Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Postfach 1312, 85741 Garching, Germany
Ric Davies
Affiliation:
Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Postfach 1312, 85741 Garching, Germany
Oliver Pfuhl
Affiliation:
Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Postfach 1312, 85741 Garching, Germany European Southern Observatory Karl-Schwarzschild-Straße 2, 85748 Garching, Germany
Jason Dexter
Affiliation:
Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Postfach 1312, 85741 Garching, Germany Department of Astrophysics & Planetary Sciences, JILA, University of Colorado Duane Physics Bldg., 2000 Colorado Ave, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
Yixian Cao
Affiliation:
Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Postfach 1312, 85741 Garching, Germany
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Abstract

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The central parsec of AGN is a key region for the launching of winds, and near-infrared interferometry is a unique tool for its study. With GRAVITY at the VLT interferometer, we can now spatially resolve not just the hot dust continuum on milliarcsecond ‘torus’ scales through imaging but also the broad-line region (BLR) on microarcsecond scales through spectro-astrometry. We have mapped the kinematics of the BLR in seven nearby AGN, measured sizes of the hot dust for seventeen AGN, and reconstructed dust images for two AGN. BLR kinematics has allowed us to measure the BLR size and supermassive black hole mass independent of reverberation mapping. The ongoing GRAVITY+ upgrade will greatly enhance the sensitivity and sky coverage of GRAVITY, and first results demonstrate its power for AGN science at z∼2 and beyond.

Type
Contributed Paper
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution and reproduction, provided the original article is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of International Astronomical Union

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