Description
Low-luminosity active galactic nuclei (LLAGN), loosely defined by bolometric luminosities below L$_{\text{bol}}$ < 10$^{44}$ erg s$^{-1}$, constitute the majority of the local AGN population. These systems are assumed to accrete at lower rates, resulting in possible state changes such as radiatively inefficient accretion flows, non-thermal continuum emission, and a jet-dominated structure which contrasts with their higher-luminosity counterparts. A variety of active galaxies within our local universe means that a broad class of objects fall under this description of “low-luminosity”, and therefore we can ask whether these varying instances of AGN can be described under the same central engine.
In this work, we investigated a sample of 5 nearby LLAGN using high angular resolution multi-wavelength data—now supplemented by recent JWST observations—to disentangle nuclear emission from host galaxy contamination. We apply a semi-analytical, multi-zone jet model to reproduce the non-thermal broadband SED of each source, presenting the first consistent jet modeling effort applied to these systems. We constrain the role of the jet as it contributes to the emission in low-power systems, compare the dominant radiative mechanisms across a range of LLAGN, and assess the impact of obscuring material on how we study the nuclear region. By studying these objects jointly, we find that “low-luminosity” systems, despite their variety, show trends of the same underlying energy dissipation mechanisms and emission geometries.
| Talk category | NOVA Network 3 |
|---|---|
| Preference for a talk or poster | Talk |
