Late-time radio brightening and emergence of a radio jet in the changing-look AGN 1ES 1927+654

TL;DR

This paper reports the discovery of late-time radio brightening and jet emergence in the changing-look AGN 1ES 1927+654, revealing new jet activity years after the initial optical outburst and contributing to understanding AGN evolution.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed radio and X-ray observations showing jet formation and brightening in a changing-look AGN years after the optical outburst.

Findings

Radio flux increased 60-fold starting in 2023.

Resolved bipolar outflow observed at 23.5 GHz.

Concurrent X-ray increase suggests jet-driven shocks.

Abstract

We present multi-frequency (5-345 GHz) and multi-resolution radio observations of 1ES 1927+654, widely considered one of the most unusual and extreme changing-look active galactic nuclei (CL-AGN). The source was first designated a CL-AGN after an optical outburst in late 2017 and has since displayed considerable changes in X-ray emission, including the destruction and rebuilding of the X-ray corona in 2019-2020. Radio observations prior to 2023 show a faint and compact radio source typical of radio-quiet AGN. Starting in February 2023, 1ES 1927+654 began exhibiting a radio flare with a steep exponential rise, reaching a peak 60 times previous flux levels, and has maintained this higher level of radio emission for over a year to date. The 5-23 GHz spectrum is broadly similar to gigahertz-peaked radio sources, which are understood to be young radio jets less than ~1000 years old. Recent high-resolution VLBA observations at 23.5 GHz now show resolved extensions on either side of the core, with a separation of ~0.15 pc, consistent with a new and mildly relativistic bipolar outflow. A steady increase in the soft X-ray band (0.3-2 keV) concurrent with the radio may be consistent with jet-driven shocked gas, though further observations are needed to test alternate scenarios. This source joins a growing number of CL-AGN and tidal disruption events which show late-time radio activity, years after the initial outburst.