The Discovery and Evolution of a Radio Continuum and Excited-OH Spectral-line Outburst in the Nearby Galaxy NGC 660

Journal article, 2024

Arecibo 305 m Telescope observations between 2008 and 2018 detected a radio continuum and spectral-line outburst in the nearby galaxy, NGC 660. Excited-OH maser emission/absorption lines near 4.7 GHz, and H2CO absorption at 4.83 GHz varied on timescales of months. Simultaneously, a continuum outburst occurred in which a new compact component appeared, with a GHz-peaked spectrum and a 5 GHz flux density that rose to a peak value of about 500 mJy from 2008.0 to 2012.0. Follow-up interferometric continuum images from the Very Large Array at 10 GHz of this new continuum component determined it to be located at the nucleus of NGC 660. Subsequent High Sensitivity Array line and continuum very long baseline interferometry observations of the NGC 660 nucleus revealed a morphology that appears to be consistent with rapidly precessing, mildly relativistic jets from the central black hole. While requiring detailed modeling, this strongly suggests that the outburst is due to nuclear activity. From its timescale, the shape of the continuum light curve, and the milliarcsec radio structure, the most likely cause of the outburst is active galactic nuclei-type activity of accretion of a gas cloud onto the central black hole.