VLBI Images of Water Maser Galaxies
Abstract
The goal of the Megamaser Cosmology Project (MCP) is to determine a precise value of the Hubble Constant by measuring angular diameter distances to galaxies in the Hubble flow using the megamaser technique. We search for new megamasers and monitor the most promising ones with the Green Bank Telescope. The best candidates are then followed up with high-resolution VLBI observations to map the maser distribution. These observations provide direct geometrical distances to the galaxies, precise black-hole masses, and offer the opportunity to study their physical properties on sub-parsec scales. We present here an atlas of all VLBI maps of megamaser galaxies observed to date by the MCP. The maser distribution in these galaxies is consistent with emission from edge-on accretion disks in the AGN. The variety of properties gives insight into the different physical conditions associated with accretion onto a black hole, and we discuss those implications here.
- Publication:
-
American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #217
- Pub Date:
- January 2011
- Bibcode:
- 2011AAS...21714257I