@article {2011A\&A...533A.111M, title = {{Detection of jet precession in the active nucleus of M 81}}, journal = {Astronomy and Astrophysics}, volume = {533}, year = {2011}, month = {sep}, pages = {A111}, abstract = {We report on very-long-baseline-interferometry (VLBI) monitoring observations of the low-luminosity active galactic nucleus (LLAGN) in the galaxy M 81 at the frequencies of 1.7, 2.3, 5.0, and 8.4 GHz. The observations reported here are phase-referenced to the supernova SN 1993J (located in the same galaxy) and cover from late 1993 to late 2005. The large amount of available observations allows us to study the stability of the AGN position in the frame of its host galaxy at different frequencies and chromatic effects in the jet morphology, together with their time evolution. The source consists at all frequencies of a slightly resolved core and a small jet extension towards the northeast direction (position angle of \~{}65 degrees) in agreement with previous publications. We find that the position of the intensity peak in the images at 8.4 GHz is very stable in the galactic frame of M 81 (proper motion upper limit about 10 {$μ$}as per year). We confirm previous reports that the peaks at all frequencies are systematically shifted among them, possibly due to opacity effects in the jet as predicted by the standard relativistic jet model. We use this model, under plausible assumptions, to estimate the magnetic field in the jet close to the jet base and the mass of the central black hole. We obtain a black-hole mass of \~{}2 {\times} 10$^{7}$ M$_{\&sun;}$, comparable to estimates previously reported using different approaches, but the magnetic fields obtained are 10$^{3}$-10$^{4}$ times lower than previous estimates. We find that the positions of the cores at 1.7, 2.3, and 5.0 GHz are less stable than that at 8.4 GHz and evolve systematically, shifting southward at a rate of several tens of {$μ$}as per year. The evolution in the jet orientation seems to be related to changes in the inclination of the cores at all frequencies. These results can be interpreted as due to a precessing jet. The evolving jet orientation also seems to be related to a flare in the peak flux densities at 5.0 and 8.4 GHz, which lasts \~{}4 years (from mid 1997 to mid 2001). An increase in the accretion rate of the black hole, and its correlation with the jet luminosity via the disk-jet connection model, seems insufficient to explain this long flare and the simultaneous evolution in the jet orientation. A continued monitoring of the flux density and the jet structure evolution in this LLAGN will be necessary to further confirm our jet precession model.}, keywords = {astrometry, galaxies: active, galaxies: individual: M 81, galaxies: jets, radiation mechanisms: non-thermal, radio continuum: galaxies}, doi = {10.1051/0004-6361/201117211}, url = {http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2011A\%26A...533A.111M}, author = {Mart{\'\i}-Vidal, I. and Marcaide, J.~M. and Alberdi, A. and M. A. P{\'e}rez-Torres and Ros, E. and Guirado, J.~C.} } @article {2011A\&A...528A..30C, title = {{Molecules as tracers of galaxy evolution: an EMIR survey. I. Presentation of the data and first results}}, journal = {Astronomy and Astrophysics}, volume = {528}, year = {2011}, month = {apr}, pages = {A30}, abstract = {
Aims: We investigate the molecular gas properties of a sample of 23 galaxies in order to find and test chemical signatures of galaxy evolution and to compare them to IR evolutionary tracers.
Methods: Observation at 3 mm wavelengths were obtained with the EMIR broadband receiver, mounted on the IRAM 30 m telescope on Pico Veleta, Spain. We compare the emission of the main molecular species with existing models of chemical evolution by means of line intensity ratios diagrams and principal component analysis.
Results: We detect molecular emission in 19 galaxies in two 8 GHz-wide bands centred at 88 and 112 GHz. The main detected molecules are CO, $^{13}$CO, HCN, HNC, HCO$^{+}$, CN, and C$_{2}$H. We also detect HC$_{3}$N J = 10-9 in the galaxies IRAS 17208, IC 860, NGC 4418, NGC 7771, and NGC 1068. The only HC$_{3}$N detections are in objects with HCO$^{+}$/HCN {\l}t} 1. Galaxies with the highest HC$_{3}$N/HCN ratios have warm IRAS colours (60/100 {$μ$}m {\gt} 0.8). The brightest HC$_{3}$N emission is found in IC 860, where we also detect the molecule in its vibrationally excited state. We find low HNC/HCN line ratios ({\l}t}0.5), that cannot be explained by existing PDR or XDR chemical models. The intensities of HCO+ and HNC appear anti-correlated. No correlation is found between the HNC/HCN line ratio and dust temperature. All HNC-bright objects are either luminous IR galaxies (LIRG) or Seyferts. Galaxies with bright polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) emission show low HNC/HCO$^{+}$ ratios. The CO/$^{13}$CO ratio is positively correlated with the dust temperature and is generally higher than in our galaxy. The emission of CN and C$^{18}$O is correlated.
Conclusions: Bright HC$_{3}$N emission in HCO$^{+}$-faint objects may imply that these are not dominated by X-ray chemistry. Thus the HCN/HCO$^{+}$ line ratio is not, by itself, a reliable tracer of XDRs. Bright HC$_{3}$N and faint HCO$^{+}$ could be signatures of embedded star-formation, instead of AGN activity. Mechanical heating caused by supernova explosions may be responsible for the low HNC/HCN and high HCO$^{+}$/HCN ratios in some starbursts. We cannot exclude, however, that the discussed trends are largely caused by optical depth effects or excitation. Chemical models alone cannot explain all properties of the observed molecular emission. Better constraints to the gas spacial distribution and excitation are needed to distinguish abundance and excitation effects. Appendices are only available in electronic form http://www.aanda.org}, keywords = {evolution, galaxies: active, galaxies: evolution, galaxies: ISM, ISM: molecules}, doi = {10.1051/0004-6361/201015628}, url = {http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2011A\%26A...528A..30C}, author = {F. Costagliola and Aalto, S. and M. Rodr{\'\i}guez and Muller, S. and Spoon, H.~W.~W. and Mart{\'\i}n, S. and M. A. P{\'e}rez-Torres and Alberdi, A. and Lindberg, J.~E. and Batejat, F. and J{\"u}tte, E. and van der Werf, P. and Lahuis, F.} }