Dense Molecular Gas around AGN: HCN/CO in NGC3227

TL;DR

This study investigates the dense molecular gas around the AGN in NGC3227, revealing high HCN/CO ratios likely due to X-ray ionization effects and dense, optically thick gas conditions near the galaxy's core.

Contribution

It provides the first spatially resolved analysis of HCN and CO emission ratios in NGC3227, linking molecular gas properties to AGN activity and X-ray ionization effects.

Findings

HCN/CO ratio varies significantly between nuclear and circumnuclear regions.

High HCN/CO ratios suggest very dense, optically thick gas or high abundance ratios.

X-ray ionization likely influences molecular gas chemistry near the AGN.

Abstract

There is now convincing evidence that the intensity of HCN molecular line emission is enhanced around active galactic nuclei. In this paper we examine the specific case of the Seyfert galaxy NGC3227, for which there are subarcsecond resolution data for the HCN (1-0) 88 GHz and CO (2-1) 230 GHz rotational lines, enabling us to spatially separate a circumnuclear ring at a radius of 140pc and an inner nuclear region within 40pc of the AGN. The HCN(1-0)/CO(2-1) flux ratio differs by more than an order of magnitude between these two regions. We carry out large velocity gradient (LVG) computations to determine the range of parameters (gas temperature and density, HCN/CO abundance ratio, column densities and velocity gradients) that yield physically plausible solutions for the observed flux ratio in the central 100pc. The observed HCN/CO intensity ratio in the nucleus is consistent with very optically thick thermalized emission in very dense (>=10^5cm^{-3}) gas, in which case the HCN/CO abundance ratio there is unconstrained. Alternatively, the HCN/CO intensity ratio could be due to optically thinner emissions but with very high (~10^{-2}) HCN/CO abundance ratios. This possibility is more consistent with the CO and HCN emissions seen in the nuclei of the Seyfert galaxies NGC1068 and NGC6951. It would imply the velocity gradients are large and the clouds may be gravitationally unbound. We estimate that the X-ray ionisation rate at radii less than 20pc in the centre of NGC3227 exceeds 10^{-13}s^{-1}. X-ray ionisation and heating may lead to high HCN/CO ratios in warm gas in a high-ionisation molecular phase near the AGN.