Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics – Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2010-08-04
Burtscher et al. 2010, PASA 27(4) 490-495
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics
Accepted for the PASA special issue on Centaurus A
Scientific paper
10.1071/AS09068
We have observed Centaurus A with the MID-infrared Interferometric instrument (MIDI) at the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) at resolutions of 7 - 15 mas (at 12.5 micron) and filled gaps in the (u,v) coverage in comparison to earlier measurements. We are now able to describe the nuclear emission in terms of geometric components and derive their parameters by fitting models to the interferometric data. With simple geometrical models, the best fit is achieved for an elongated disk with flat intensity profile with diameter 76 +/- 9 mas x 35 +/- 2 mas (1.41 +/- 0.17 pc x 0.65 +/- 0.03 pc) whose major axis is oriented at a position angle (PA) of 10.1 +/- 2.2 degrees east of north. A point source contributes 47 +/- 11 % of the nuclear emission at 12.5 micron. There is also evidence that neither such a uniform nor a Gaussian disk are good fits to the data. This indicates that we are resolving more complicated small-scale structure in AGNs with MIDI, as has been seen in Seyfert galaxies previously observed with MIDI. The PA and inferred inclination i = 62.6 +2.1/-2.6 degrees of the dust emission are compared with observations of gas and dust at larger scales.
Burtscher Leonard
Jaffe Walter
Meisenheimer Klaus
R"ottgering Huub J. A.
Tristram Konrad R. W.
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