Spectral evolution and transient broad-line features in the isolated AGN UNAM-KIAS 613
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: ABSTRACT We present multi-epoch optical spectroscopy of the isolated elliptical galaxy UNAM-KIAS 613, hosting a low-luminosity type 1 active galactic nucleus (AGN). Analysis of archival Sloan Digital Sky Survey data from 2006 reveals a distinctive double-peaked broad H$\alpha$ profile, tentatively modelled by a relativistic accretion disc. Follow-up observations in 2018 and 2023 show the disappearance of the red and blue wings, leaving only a single-peaked, central broad component. No significant continuum variability is detected in ASAS-SN and Catalina light curves over 2012–2025, and multiwavelength data (radio, mid-IR, and X-ray) confirm a sub-Eddington, radio-quiet AGN (Eddington ratio $\approx$ 0.03–0.04, black hole mass $\approx 10^{7.2}$ M$_\odot$). We propose that the double-peak structure is in reality transient, and arose from a one-time bipolar outflow event rather than a stable disc or from a Tidal Disruption Event. The mid-IR spectral energy distribution and radio luminosity place UNAM-KIAS 613 on the boundary between AGN and star formation dominance, suggesting residual star formation, while we have found that the isolated environment seems to be prone to the rejuvenation of ellipticals by recent ($\lesssim$ 1 Gyr) cold gas. We also examined its location within the cosmic web with the aim of identifying possible distinctive effects imprinted on its spectroscopic properties. Ultimately, our results are consistent that UNAM-KIAS 613 might have undergone a ‘turn-off’ of the accretion disc emitting region or a transition between a radiatively inefficient and radiatively efficient accretion mode, and highlight the complex interplay of disc, outflow, host processes, and environment in low-accretion, low-black hole mass AGNs, an AGN population still largely unexplored to date.
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,046
OpenAlex ID: W7160304181