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| Paper: |
Morphology of AGN in the Central Kiloparsec |
| Volume: |
249, The Central Kiloparsec of Starbursts and AGN: the La Palma Connection |
| Page: |
98 |
| Authors: |
Martini, Paul |
| Abstract: |
Hubble Space Telescope observations of the central kiloparsec of AGN have revealed a wealth of structure, particularly nuclear bars and spirals, that are distinct from analogous features in the disks of spiral galaxies. WFPC2 and NICMOS images of a large sample of AGN observed at high spatial resolution make it possible to quantify the frequency and detailed properties of these structures. Nearly all AGN have nuclear spiral dust lanes in the central kiloparsec, while only a small minority contain nuclear bars. If these nuclear dust spirals trace shocks in the circumnuclear, gaseous disks, they may dissipate sufficient angular momentum to fuel the active nucleus. I would like to thank my collaborators in this project---Rick Pogge, John Mulchaey, and Mike Regan---for allowing me to present this work in advance of publication, as well as Johan Knapen for organizing such an interesting meeting. Support for this work was provided by NASA through grant numbers GO-7867 and GO-8597 from the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS5-26555. |
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