English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Global: Zendy Free Plan

We present results from Chandra X-ray and Spitzer mid-infrared observationsof the interacting galaxy pair NGC6872/IC4970 in the Pavo galaxy group and showthat the smaller companion galaxy IC4970 hosts a highly obscured activegalactic nucleus (AGN). The 0.5-10 keV X-ray luminosity of the nucleus isvariable, increasing by a factor 2.9 to 1.7 x 10^{42} erg/s (bright state) on~100 ks timescales. The X-ray spectrum of the is heavily absorbed (N_H = 3 x10^{23} cm^{-2}) for power law models with Gamma = 1.5-2.0 and shows a clear6.4 keV Fe Kalpha line with equivalent width of 144-195 eV. Limits on thediffuse emission in IC4970 from Chandra X-ray data suggest that the availablepower from Bondi accretion of hot interstellar gas may be an order of magnitudetoo small to power the AGN. Spitzer images show that 8 micron nonstellaremission is concentrated in the central 1 kpc of IC4970, consistent with highobscuration in this region. The mid-infrared colors of the nucleus areconsistent with those expected for a highly obscured AGN. Taken together thesedata suggest that the nucleus of IC4970 is a Seyfert 2, triggered and fueled bycold material supplied to the central supermassive black hole as a result ofthe off-axis collision of IC4970 with the cold-gas rich spiral galaxy NGC6872.

The Active Nucleus of IC4970: A Nearby Example of Merger-Induced Cold-Gas Accretion