FIRST J143029.9+133912, IRAS F14281+1352, LEDA 1436754, NVSS J143030+133912, SDSS J1430+1339
The Teacup galaxy,[3] also known as the Teacup AGN[2] or SDSS J1430+1339 is a low redshift type 2 quasar,[4] showing an extended loop of ionized gas resembling a handle of a teacup, which was discovered by volunteers of the Galaxy Zoo project and labeled as a Voorwerpje.[5]
Galaxy
The Teacup galaxy is dominated by a bulge and has an asymmetric structure with a shell-like structure and a tidal tail. The shell and tail are signatures of a recent merger of two galaxies.[6]Dust lanes in the system are interpreted as a gas-rich merger.[7] Several candidate star clusters were identified in this galaxy with Hubble Space Telescope images.[6] Observations with the Gran Telescopio Canarias showed that the Teacup Galaxy has a giant reservoir of ionized gas extending up to 111 kpc. The optical/radio bubbles seem to be expanding across this intergalactic medium.[4]
Active galactic nucleus
Early studies of the Teacup AGN suggested that it is fading,[8] although there was no clear evidence.[9] Observations with VLT/SINFONI showed a blueshifted nuclear outflow with a velocity of 1600–1800 km/s.[10] Observations in x-rays with Swift, XMM-Newton and Chandra revealed a powerful, highly obscured active galactic nucleus. This new result suggests that the AGN might not require fading. The quasar has dimmed by only a factor of 25 or less over the past 100,000 years.[11][1]
Bubbles
One bubble was discovered by Galaxy Zoo volunteers in SDSS images as a 5 kpc loop of ionized gas.[5] The loop is dominated by emission lines, such as hydrogen alpha and doubly ionized oxygen, which gives the loop seen in SDSS images a purple color. The emission of [O II] is extremely strong in the Teacup AGN and the quasar 3C 48 shows a similar [O II]/Hβ ratio.[8]
Follow-up observations with the Very Large Array showed two 10-12 kpc bubbles, one "eastern bubble", consistent with the loop in optical observations and a "western bubble", only visible in radio wavelengths. The study also found a bright emission towards the north-east of the AGN, which is consistent with high-velocity ionized gas (-740 km/s). The bubbles are either created by small-scale radio jets or by quasar winds.[7]
Observations with Chandra revealed a loop in x-ray emission, consistent with the "eastern bubble". The Chandra data also show evidence for hotter gas within the bubble, which may imply that a wind of material is blowing away from the black hole. Such a wind, which was driven by radiation from the quasar, may have created the bubbles found in the Teacup.[11][1]
^ abKeel, William C.; Maksym, W. Peter; Bennert, Vardha N.; Lintott, Chris J.; Chojnowski, S. Drew; Moiseev, Alexei; Smirnova, Aleksandrina; Schawinski, Kevin; Urry, C. Megan; Evans, Daniel A.; Pancoast, Anna (2015-04-14). "HST Imaging of Fading AGN Candidates I: Host-Galaxy Properties and Origin of the Extended Gas". The Astronomical Journal. 149 (5): 155. arXiv:1408.5159. Bibcode:2015AJ....149..155K. doi:10.1088/0004-6256/149/5/155. ISSN1538-3881. S2CID14855152.
^ abHarrison, C. M.; Thomson, A. P.; Alexander, D. M.; Bauer, F. E.; Edge, A. C.; Hogan, M. T.; Mullaney, J. R.; Swinbank, A. M. (2015-02-06). "Storm in a "Teacup": a radio-quiet quasar with ~10kpc radio-emitting bubbles and extreme gas kinematics". The Astrophysical Journal. 800 (1): 45. arXiv:1410.4198. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/800/1/45. ISSN1538-4357. S2CID119219986.
^ abGagne, J. P.; Crenshaw, D. M.; Kraemer, S. B.; Schmitt, H. R.; Keel, W. C.; Rafter, S.; Fischer, T. C.; Bennert, V. N.; Schawinski, K. (2014-08-18). "Spatially-Resolved Spectra of the "Teacup" AGN: Tracing the History of a Dying Quasar". The Astrophysical Journal. 792 (1): 72. arXiv:1407.1729. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/792/1/72. ISSN1538-4357. S2CID34883241.