Optical detection of the hidden nuclear engine in NGC 4258

The subparsec masing disk recently found to be orbiting a central mass of ~3.6 X 10⁷ M_ʘ in the Seyfert/LINER galaxy NGC 4258 (Miyoshi and coworkers) provides the most compelling evidence to date for the existence of a massive black hole in the nucleus of a galaxy. The disk is oriented nearly edge-on, and the X-ray spectrum is heavily absorbed. Therefore, in this galaxy, the optical emission-line spectrum generally exhibited by an active galactic nucleus is perhaps best sought using polarized light: probing for light scattered off material surrounding the central source. New polarimetry of NGC 4258 has uncovered a compact polarized nucleus whose spectrum consists of a faint blue continuum similar to those of unobscured quasars (F_v Ɓ v^-1.1), plus broadened (~1000 km s^-1) emission lines. The lines are strongly linearly polarized (5%-10%) at a position angle (85° ± 2°) coincident with the plane of the maser disk. This result provides substantiating evidence for a weakly active central engine in NGC 4258 and for the existence of obscuring, orbiting tori, which impart many of the perceived distinctions between various types of active galaxies.