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| Mrk 231 | |
|---|---|
| Epoch | J2000 |
Mrk 231 Mrk 231 is an ultraluminous infrared galaxy hosting a luminous active nucleus classified as a Type 1 quasar. It is a nearby merger remnant with intense starburst activity, a powerful active galactic nucleus producing broad emission lines, and dramatic molecular and ionized outflows that influence its host. Studies of Mrk 231 have informed models of galaxy evolution, black hole growth, and feedback processes in the local Universe.
Mrk 231 lies in the local Universe as a luminous infrared object associated with the Markarian catalog and exhibits properties bridging Seyfert galaxy and quasar classifications; its luminosity rivals that of classical Sloan Digital Sky Survey quasars while its nuclear obscuration and merger morphology echo systems studied by Infrared Astronomical Satellite and Spitzer Space Telescope surveys. The system's bolometric output is dominated by an accreting supermassive black hole similar in scale to engines in NGC 1068, 3C 273, and Mrk 509, and its host shares morphological features with merging systems cataloged by Arp and imaged by Hubble Space Telescope instruments.
Mrk 231 was originally identified as a strong ultraviolet-excess object in the Markarian catalog compiled by Benjamin Markarian and later observed in infrared surveys such as IRAS where it was recognized as an ultraluminous infrared galaxy alongside sources like Arp 220 and NGC 6240. Follow-up spectroscopy with instruments on Palomar Observatory, Keck Observatory, and the Very Large Telescope revealed broad emission features analogous to those cataloged by Seyfert and classified in the early quasar census compiled by teams using the National Radio Astronomy Observatory and the Green Bank Telescope. Subsequent millimeter interferometry with IRAM and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array enabled detailed molecular gas mapping comparable to studies of M82 and NGC 253.
The host displays tidal tails, shells, and disturbed morphology characteristic of a major merger between gas-rich progenitors, reminiscent of systems in the Toomre sequence and classical mergers studied by Toomre & Toomre. High-resolution imaging from the Hubble Space Telescope and adaptive optics on Keck shows a compact nuclear bulge embedded in extended stellar debris similar to features seen in NGC 7252 and IC 4296. CO and HI mapping by VLA and ALMA reveal dense molecular reservoirs and rotating structures akin to circumnuclear disks observed in Centaurus A and NGC 1068, while near-infrared observations with Gemini Observatory disclose obscured star-forming knots comparable to clumps in NGC 1614.
The nuclear engine hosts a supermassive black hole with mass estimates derived from broad-line region dynamics and reverberation techniques used in studies of Fairall 9, NGC 5548, and 3C 273. Optical and ultraviolet spectroscopy from Hubble Space Telescope and ground-based facilities show broad Balmer lines and Fe II complexes similar to prototypes cataloged in Boroson & Green studies. X-ray observations with Chandra X-ray Observatory and XMM-Newton reveal a heavily absorbed continuum and reflection features resembling those in NGC 4151 and obscured quasars identified by Swift BAT. Radio continuum imaging by the Very Long Baseline Array shows compact jets and lobes compared to radio-quiet and radio-intermediate quasars studied in the FIRST and NVSS surveys.
Mrk 231 hosts an extreme circumnuclear starburst with star-formation rates measured using far-infrared diagnostics developed in comparisons with M82 and Arp 220. Mid-infrared spectroscopy from Spitzer Space Telescope and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon studies used in ISO analyses indicate coexisting nuclear star formation and AGN heating akin to systems in the Great Observatories All-sky LIRG Survey (GOALS). Near-infrared integral-field spectroscopy from Keck OSIRIS and VLT SINFONI reveals stellar population gradients and super star cluster candidates reminiscent of regions in NGC 4038/4039 (the Antennae) and NGC 3256.
Mrk 231 exhibits some of the fastest molecular and ionized outflows known in the local Universe, with velocities and mass outflow rates compared to those in PDS 456 and high-redshift quasars targeted by ALMA and NOEMA. Observations of OH, CO, and Na I D absorption using Herschel Space Observatory, IRAM, and optical spectrographs trace molecular and atomic winds analogous to feedback phenomena invoked in simulations by groups at Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics and Institute for Computational Cosmology. These outflows inform theoretical frameworks developed by researchers at Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Princeton University, and Cambridge University about quasar-mode feedback, black hole-host galaxy coevolution, and quenching processes noted in Lambda-CDM based semi-analytic models.
Multiwavelength campaigns spanning radio, millimeter, infrared, optical, ultraviolet, X-ray, and gamma-ray bands have built a spectral energy distribution comparable to composite quasar templates from the Elvis et al. atlas and surveys by SDSS and 2MASS. Far-infrared measurements from Herschel and Spitzer capture thermal dust emission like that in ULIRG catalogs, while submillimeter continuum imaging with SCUBA and ALMA resolves cold dust reservoirs analogous to those in SMM J02399-0136. Ultraviolet spectra from the Hubble Space Telescope show broad absorption features comparable to classical broad absorption line quasar studies compiled by teams at University of Arizona and University of Cambridge, and X-ray spectral complexity has been dissected with data analysis techniques employed by the Chandra X-ray Center and the European Space Agency.
Category:Ultraluminous infrared galaxies Category:Active galactic nuclei