Subaru Infrared Adaptive Optics-assisted High-spatial-resolution Imaging Search for Luminous Dual Active Galactic Nuclei in Nearby Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies

Abstract

We present infrared K ′-band (2.1 μ m) and L ′-band (3.8 μ m) high-spatial-resolution (<0.″3) imaging observations of 17 nearby ( z  < 0.17) ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) assisted with the adaptive optics of the Subaru Telescope. We search for compact red K ′ − L ′ color emission as the indicator of luminous active galactic nuclei (AGNs) due to AGN-heated hot dust emission. Two luminous dual AGN candidates are revealed. Combining these results with those of our previous study, we can state that the detected fraction of luminous dual AGNs in nearby ULIRGs is much less than unity (<20%), even when infrared wavelengths >2 μ m are used that should be sensitive to buried AGNs due to small dust extinction effects. For ULIRGs with resolved multiple nuclear K ′-band emission, we estimate the activation of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in individual galaxy nuclei in the form of AGN luminosity normalized by SMBH mass inferred from the stellar luminosity of the host galaxy. We confirm a trend that more massive SMBHs in K ′-band brighter primary galaxy nuclei are generally more active, with higher SMBH-mass-normalized AGN luminosity, than less massive SMBHs in K ′-band fainter secondary galaxy nuclei, as predicted by numerical simulations of gas-rich major galaxy mergers. In two sources, the presence of even infrared-elusive extremely deeply buried AGNs is indicated by comparisons with available (sub)millimeter data. Non-synchronous SMBH activation (i.e., less activation of less massive SMBHs) and the possible presence of such infrared-elusive AGNs may be responsible for the small fraction of infrared-detected luminous dual AGNs in nearby merging ULIRGs.