J. León-Tavares, J. Kotilainen, V. Chavushyan, C. Añorve, I. Puerari, I. Cruz-González, V. Patiño-Alvarez, S. Antón, A. Carramiñana, L. Carrasco, J. Guichard, K. Karhunen, A. Olguín-Iglesias, J. Sanghvi, J. Valdes
Abstract
We present optical and near-infrared (NIR) imaging data of the radio-loud, narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy 1H 0323+342, which shows intense and variable gamma-ray activity discovered by the Fermi satellite with the Large Area Telescope. Near-infrared and optical images are used to investigate the structural properties of the host galaxy of 1H 0323+342; this together with optical spectroscopy allows us to examine its black hole mass. Based on two-dimensional (2D) multiwavelength surface-brightness modeling, we find that statistically, the best model fit is a combination of a nuclear component and a Sérsic profile (n ~ 2.8). However, the presence of a disk component (with a small bulge n ~ 1.2) also remains a possibility and cannot be ruled out with the present data. Although at first glance a spiral-arm-like structure is revealed in our images, a 2D Fourier analysis of the imagery suggests that this structure corresponds to an asymmetric ring, likely associated with a recent violent dynamical interaction. We discuss our results in the context of relativistic jet production and galaxy evolution.
Keywords
galaxies: evolution, galaxies: individual: 1H 0323+342, galaxies: interactions, galaxies: jets, galaxies: Seyfert, gamma rays: galaxies
The Astrophysical Journal
Volume 795, Number 1, Page 58_1
2014 October
