Kiloparsec-Scale Radio Emission in Seyfert Galaxies: Evidence for Starburst-driven Superwinds?

Details Kiloparsec-Scale Radio Emission in Seyfert Galaxies: Evidence for Starburst-driven Superwinds? Kiloparsec-Scale Radio Emission in Seyfert Galaxies: Evidence for Starburst-driven Superwinds?

Dec 1993

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1993apj...419..553b&link_type=abstract

Astrophysical Journal v.419, p.553

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

107

Galaxies: Seyfert, Galaxies: Stellar Content, Radio Continuum: Galaxies, Stars: Formation

Scientific paper

We report the results of a pilot program to search for kiloparsec-scale radio emission in 13 Seyfert galaxies, using the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope. While it has been known for some time now that Seyfert galaxies generally contain nuclear, subkiloparsec-scale radio sources, this is the first systematic attempt to image larger scale radio emission in Seyfert galaxies. These observations reveal the presence of kiloparsec-scale, diffuse, sometimes bubble-like radio emission in 12 of these sources. This large-scale, "extra-nuclear" radio emission is randomly oriented with respect to the small-scale nuclear radio source axis but tends to align with the minor axis of the host galaxy disk. We find that the ratio of nuclear to extra-nuclear radio flux density varies greatly in some sources the nuclear emission dominates and in others the extra-nuclear component contributes the majority of the source's radio flux density. The radio flux density of the extra-nuclear radio emission agrees roughly with the flux density predicted from the 60 microns flux density, using the empirical relationship between radio and far-IR flux densities found for star-forming regions.
The radio morphology and orientation of the extra-nuclear radio emission we have detected in these Seyfert galaxies, its radio luminosity, and the correlation of that luminosity with the far-IR luminosity of the galaxy all suggest that this radio emission may be the manifestation of a circumnuclear starburst In this model, the starburst generates the cosmic-ray electrons responsible for the extra-nuclear radio emission and then sweeps the radio-emitting plasma out along the minor axis of the galaxy disk in a starburst-driven superwind We have found extra-nuclear, minor axis radio emission both in Seyfert galaxies whose radio and far-IR properties appear to be dominated by a starburst and Seyfert galaxies in which an AGN dominates the radio and far-IR emission. We present independent evidence taken from the literature that minor axis radio emission and starbursts are not uncommon in Seyfert galaxies. Thus, while the relative importance of the AGN and starburst components seems to vary greatly from Seyfert to Seyfert, circumnuclear starbursts and starburst-driven winds may be a common feature of Seyfert galaxies.

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