We present the first VLBI maps of H _ { 2 } O maser emission ( \lambda 1.3 Â cm ) in the nucleus of the Circinus Galaxy , constructed from data obtained with the Australia Telescope Long Baseline Array .
The maser emission traces a warped , edge-on accretion disk between radii of 0.11 \pm 0.02 and \sim 0.40 pc , as well as a wide-angle outflow that extends up to \sim 1 Â pc from the estimated disk center .
The disk rotation is close to Keplerian ( v \propto r ^ { -0.5 } ) , the maximum detected rotation speed is 260 { { ~ { } km~ { } s } ^ { -1 } } , and the inferred central mass is 1.7 \pm 0.3 \times 10 ^ { 6 } { { ~ { } M } _ { \odot } } .
The outflowing masers are irregularly distributed above and below the disk , with relative outflow velocities up to \sim \pm 160  km s ^ { -1 } , projected along the line of sight .
The flow probably originates closer than 0.1Â pc to the central engine , possibly in an inward extension of the accretion disk , though there is only weak evidence of rotation in the outward moving material .
We observe that the warp of the disk appears to collimate the outflow and to fix the extent of the ionization cone observed on larger angular scales .
This study provides the first direct evidence ( i.e. , through imaging ) of dusty , high-density , molecular material in a nuclear outflow < 1 Â pc from the central engine of a Seyfert galaxy , as well as the first graphic evidence that warped accretion disks can channel outflows and illumination patterns in AGN .
We speculate that the same arrangement , which in some ways obviates the need for a geometrically thick , dusty torus , may apply to other type-2 AGN .