The extended radio jet of an off-nuclear low-mass AGN in NGC 5252

TL;DR

This study presents the discovery of a multi-component radio jet in a ULX associated with NGC 5252, indicating the presence of an intermediate-mass black hole or low-mass AGN, and rules out the background blazar scenario.

Contribution

First detection of a multi-component radio jet in a ULX, providing evidence for an intermediate-mass black hole or low-mass AGN in NGC 5252.

Findings

Resolved the ULX radio emission into two components with VLBA.

Constrained the black hole mass to between 3,162 and 2 million solar masses.

Identified the ULX as most likely powered by an intermediate-mass black hole.

Abstract

CXO J133815.6+043255 is an ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX) with ultraviolet, optical, and radio counterparts located 10 kpc away from the nucleus of the galaxy NGC 5252. Optical spectroscopic studies indicate that the ULX is kinematically associated with NGC 5252; yet, the compactness of its radio emission could not rule out the possibility that the ULX is a background blazar. We present follow-up VLBA radio observations that are able to resolve the compact radio emission of the ULX into two components, making the blazar scenario very unlikely. The east component is extended at 4.4 GHz and its detection also at 7.6 GHz reveals a steep spectral index. The west component is only detected at 4.4 GHz, is not firmly resolved, and has a flatter spectral index. Considering that the west component hosts the radio core, we constrain the black hole mass of the ULX to $10^{3.5} < M_\mathrm{BH} \lesssim 2 \times 10^{6}$ M$_{\odot}$ and its Eddington ratio to $\sim 10^{-3}$. The ULX is thus most likely powered by an intermediate-mass black hole or low-mass AGN. Our results constitute the first discovery of a multi-component radio jet in a ULX and possible intermediate-mass black hole.