The physical conditions of the gas forming the narrow line regions (NLR) in active galactic nuclei (AGN) have been extensively studied in the optical band. We take advantage of the spectacular extension ($\sim$15") of the NLR in the type II Seyfert galaxy NGC 5252 and of the complementary characteristics of $XMM$--$Newton$ and $Chandra$ to investigate the physical conditions of the gas in this galaxy. The X-ray data from $XMM$--$Newton$ are used to define the spectral properties of the ionising nuclear source. The $Chandra$ data are used to trace the spatial characteristics of the soft X-ray emission. This information is then compared to the HST characteristics. The X-ray spectrum of the nucleus of NGC 5252 is intrinsically flat and absorbed by neutral gas with a column density N~10$^{22}$ cm$^{-2}$. Below 1 keV a soft excess is detected. The high-resolution spectrum obtained with the XMM-Newton RGS shows the presence, in the 0.2-1.5 keV range, of emission lines which strongly indicate that the soft X-ray component is due to ionised gas. Moreover, the soft X-ray emission is spatially resolved around and well overlaps the images obtained in narrow [OIII] optical band. The [OIII]/soft-X flux ratios along the ionisation cones is basically constant. This indicates that the electron density does not significantly deviates from the r$^{-2}$ law (constant ionisation parameter). This result combined with previous optical studies suggest two plausible but different scenarios in the reconstruction of the last 30000 years history of the central AGN. The most promising one is that the source is indeed a "quasar relic" with steady and inefficient energy release from the accretion of matter onto the central super-massive black-hole. This scenario is suggested also by the flat nuclear X-ray spectrum that suggests an advection dominate accretion flow (ADAF) like emission mechanism.
In the optical spectra of galaxies, the separation of line emission from gas ionised by star formation and an AGN, or by star formation and shocks, are very well-understood problems. However, separating line emission between AGN and shocks has proven difficult. With the aid of a new three-dimensional diagnostic diagram, we show the simultaneous separation of line emission from star formation, shocks, and AGN in NGC 1068, and quantify the ratio of star formation, shocks, and AGN in each spaxel. The AGN, shock, and star formation luminosity distributions across the galaxy accurately align with X…
Despite the many studies in the last decades, the low-ionisation structures (LISs) of planetary nebulae (PNe) still hold several mysteries. Recent imaging surveys have demonstrated that LISs are composed of molecular gas. Here we report H$_2$ emission in the LISs of NGC 7009 and NGC 6543 by means of very deep narrow-band H$_2$ images taken with NIRI@Gemini. The surface brightness of the H2 1-0 S(1) line is estimated to be (0.46-2.9)$\times$10$^{-4}$ erg s$^{-1}$ cm$^{-2}$ sr$^{-1}$ in NGC 7009 and (0.29-0.48)$\times$10$^{-4}$ erg s$^{-1}$ cm$^{-2}$ sr$^{-1}$ in NGC 6543, with signal-to-noise r…
We present our analysis of high-resolution (R $\sim$ 20 000) GTC/MEGARA integral-field unit spectroscopic observations, obtained during the commissioning run, in the inner region (12.5 arcsec x 11.3 arcsec) of the active galaxy NGC7469, at spatial scales of 0.62 arcsec. We explore the kinematics, dynamics, ionisation mechanisms and oxygen abundances of the ionised gas, by modelling the H$α$-[NII] emission lines at high signal-to-noise (>15) with multiple Gaussian components. MEGARA observations reveal, for the first time for NGC7469, the presence of a very thin (20 pc) ionised gas disc support…
Galaxy mergers are central to our understanding of galaxy formation, especially within the context of hierarchical models. Besides having a large impact on the star formation history, mergers are also able to influence gas motions at the centre of galaxies and trigger an Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN). In this paper, we present a case study of the Seyfert galaxy NGC 2992, which together with NGC 2993 forms the early-stage merger system Arp 245. Using Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS) integral field unit (IFU) data from the inner 1.1 kpc of the galaxy we were able to spatially resolve the …
In this work we present the first attempt of modelling the deuterium chemistry in the massive young protostellar core NGC 2264 CMM3. We investigated the sensitivity of this chemistry to the physical conditions in its surrounding environment. The results showed that deuteration, in the protostellar gas, is affected by variations in the core density, the amount of gas depletion onto grain surfaces, the CR ionisation rate, but it is insensitive to variations in the H$_2$ ortho-to-para ratio. Our results, also, showed that deuteration is often enhanced in less-dense, partially depleted ($<$ 85\%),…
We explore the gas morphology and excitation mechanisms of the ionization cones of the Type II Seyfert galaxy NGC 5728. Near-IR and optical data from the SINFONI and MUSE IFUs on the VLT are combined with $HST$ optical images, $Chandra$ X-ray data and VLA radio observations. The complex nuclear structure has a star-forming (SF) ring with a diameter of 2 kpc. A radio jet impacts on the ISM at about 200 pc from the nucleus, with the SN remnants in the SF ring also present. Emission-line ratios of [Fe II] and H II show heavy extinction towards the nucleus, moderate extinction in the SF ring and r…
Stratification of the AGN-Driven multi-phase outflows in the dwarf Seyfert galaxy NGC 4395
Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, IUCAA（天文学与天体物理学大学间中心）；Indian Institute of Astrophysics（印度天体物理研究所）；Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), CSIC-INTA（天体生物学中心）；Departamento de Física, CCNE, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria（圣玛丽亚联邦大学）；Instituto de Física Fundamental, CSIC（基础物理研究所）；Fakultät für Physik, Universität Bielefeld（比勒费尔德大学物理系）；Assam Don Bosco University（阿萨姆唐博斯科大学）
We present the first gas-grain astrochemical model of the NGC 2264 CMM3 protostellar core. The chemical evolution of the core is affected by changing its physical parameters such as the total density and the amount of gas-depletion onto grain surfaces as well as the cosmic ray ionisation rate, $ζ$. We estimated $ζ_{\text {CMM3}}$ = 1.6 $\times$ 10$^{-17}$ s$^{-1}$. This value is 1.3 times higher than the standard CR ionisation rate, $ζ_{\text {ISM}}$ = 1.3 $\times$ 10$^{-17}$ s$^{-1}$. Species response differently to changes into the core physical conditions, but they are more sensitive to cha…
We explore the gas morphology and excitation mechanisms of the ionization cones of the Type II Seyfert galaxy NGC~5728. Kinematics derived from near-IR and optical data from the SINFONI and MUSE IFUs on the VLT reveal AGN-driven outflows powered by a super-massive black hole (SMBH) of mass 3.4$\times$10$^2$ M$_\odot$, bolometric luminosity of 1.46$\times$10$^{44}$ erg/s, Eddington ratio 3.3$\times$10$^{-2}$ and an accretion rate of 2.7$\times$10$^2$ M$_\odot$/yr. The symmetric bicone outflows show rapid acceleration to $\pm$250 km/s at $\sim$250 pc, then decelerating to $\sim$130 km/s at 500 p…
We investigated the interstellar medium properties of the disc and outflowing gas in the central regions of nine nearby Seyfert galaxies, all characterised by prominent outflows. These objects are part of the Measuring Active Galactic Nuclei Under MUSE Microscope survey, which aims to probe their physical conditions and ionisation mechanism by exploiting MUSE unprecedented sensitivity. We studied the different properties of the gas in the disc and outflow with spatially and kinematically resolved maps by dividing the strongest emission lines in velocity bins. We associated the core of the line…
Delving into the depths of NGC 3783 with XRISM VI. Evidence for a failed wind based on Fe xxv absorption line variability
Leiden University（莱顿大学）；SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research（荷兰空间研究所）；University of Michigan（密歇根大学）；James Madison University（詹姆斯麦迪逊大学）；ESA European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC)（欧洲空间研究与技术中心）；University of Teacher Education Fukuoka（福冈教育大学）；Technion（以色列理工学院）；Massachusetts Institute of Technology（麻省理工学院）；Tokyo University of Science（东京科学大学）
Outflows accelerated by AGN are commonly observed in the form of coherent, mildly collimated high-velocity gas directed along the AGN ionisation cones and kinetically powerful (>$10^{44-45}$ erg/s) jets. Recent works found that outflows can also be accelerated by low-power (<$10^{44}$ erg/s) jets, and the most recent cosmological simulations indicate that these are the dominant source of feedback on sub-kpc scales. We study the relation between radio jets and the distribution and kinematics of the ionised gas in IC 5063, NGC 5643, NGC 1068, and NGC 1386 as part of our MAGNUM survey of nearby S…
We use Cloudy photoionisation models to predict the flux profiles for optical/IR emission lines that trace the footprint of X-ray gas, such as [Fe X] 6375A and [Si X] 1.43$μ$m. These are a subset of coronal lines, from ions with ionisation potential $\geq$ that of O VII, i.e., 138eV. The footprint lines are formed in gas over the same range in ionisation state as the H and He-like of O and Ne ions, which are also the source of X-ray emission lines. The footprint lines can be detected with optical and IR telescopes, such as the Hubble Space Telescope/STIS and James Webb Space Telescope/NIRSpec,…
We present the analysis of an optical data cube of the central region of NGC 1448, obtained with the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE). Chandra X-ray data indicate that the active galactic nucleus (AGN) is not located at the apparent stellar nucleus of the galaxy, but at a projected distance of $1.75$ $\pm$ $0.22$ arcsec ($139 \pm 17$ pc). This is probably caused by the high interstellar extinction in the surroundings of the AGN, which corresponds to the true nucleus of the galaxy, as also proposed by previous studies. The morphology and classification of the optical line-emitting regio…
Spatially-resolved velocity maps at high resolutions of 1-10 pc are becoming available for many nearby AGNs in both optical/infrared atomic emission lines and sub-mm molecular lines. For the former, it has been known that a linear relationship appears to exist between the velocity of the ionized gas clouds and the distance from the nucleus in the inner ~100 pc region, where these clouds are outflowing. Here we demonstrate that, in such a case, we can actually derive the three-dimensional (3D) geometrical distribution of the clouds directly from the velocity map. Revisiting such a velocity map …
Galactic winds are associated with intense star formation and AGNs. Depending on their formation mechanism and velocity they may remove a significant fraction of gas from their host galaxies, thus suppressing star formation, enriching the intergalactic medium, and shaping the circumgalactic gas. However, the long-term evolution of these winds remains mostly unknown. We report the detection of a wind from NGC 3079 to at least 60 kpc from the galaxy. We detect the wind in FUV line emission to 60 kpc (as inferred from the broad FUV filter in GALEX) and in X-rays to at least 30~kpc. The morphology…
In this paper, we report a detailed study with a variety of data from optical, near-infrared, X-ray, and radio telescopes of the nuclear region of the galaxy NGC 613 with the aim of understanding its complexity. We detected an extended stellar emission in the nucleus that, at first, appears to be, in the optical band, two stellar nuclei separated by a stream of dust. The active galactic nucleus (AGN) is identified as a variable point-like source between these two stellar components. There is a central hard X-ray emission and an extended soft X-ray emission that closely coincides with the ioniz…
We present a study of the central 200 pc of the galaxy NGC 6951, SAB(rs)bc, an active twin of the Milky Way, at a distance of 24 Mpc. Its nucleus has been observed in the optical with the GMOS-IFU, showing an outflow, and with the HST/ACS, revealing two extended structures with similar orientation, suggesting the presence of a collimating and/or obscuring structure. In order to ascertain this hypothesis, adaptive optics assisted NIR integral field spectroscopic observations were obtained with the NIFS spectrograph in the Gemini North telescope. We detected a compact structure of H$_2$ molecula…
Dust destruction signals shock-accelerated outflows in the nearby active galaxy NGC 1068
University of Hertfordshire（赫特福德大学）；University of Sheffield（谢菲尔德大学）；University of Cambridge（剑桥大学）；University of Edinburgh（爱丁堡大学）；Technical University of Kenya（肯尼亚科技大学）；University of Manchester（曼彻斯特大学）
We employ MUSE/VLT data to study the ionised and highly ionised gas phases of the feedback in Circinus, the closest Seyfert 2 galaxy to us. The analysis of the nebular emission allowed us to detect a remarkable high-ionisation gas outflow beyond the galaxy plane traced by the coronal lines [Fe VII] $λ$6089 and [Fe X] $λ$6374, extending up to 700 pc and 350 pc NW from the nucleus, respectively. This is the first time that the [Fe X] emission is observed at such distances from the central engine in an AGN. The gas kinematics reveals expanding gas shells with velocities of a few hundred km s$^{-1…
The detailed study of nuclear regions of galaxies is important because it can help understanding the active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback mechanisms, the connections between the nuclei and their host galaxies, and ultimately the galaxy formation processes. We present the analysis of an optical data cube of the central region of the galaxy NGC 2442, obtained with the integral field unit (IFU) of the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS). We also performed a multiwavelength analysis, with Chandra data, XMM--Newton and NuSTAR spectra, and Hubble Space Telescope (HST) images. The analysis reve…
We present sub-arcsecond 7.5$-$13 $μ$m imaging- and spectro-polarimetric observations of NGC 1068 using CanariCam on the 10.4-m Gran Telescopio CANARIAS. At all wavelengths, we find: (1) A 90 $\times$ 60 pc extended polarized feature in the northern ionization cone, with a uniform $\sim$44$^{\circ}$ polarization angle. Its polarization arises from dust and gas emission in the ionization cone, heated by the active nucleus and jet, and further extinguished by aligned dust grains in the host galaxy. The polarization spectrum of the jet-molecular cloud interaction at $\sim$24 pc from the core is h…
We performed a detailed photometric analysis and photoionisation modelling on three high excitation multiple shell planetary nebulae: NGC 3242, NGC 6826 and NGC 7662. Archival HST/WFPC2 narrow band filter images were used to investigate shocked regions by two independent methods: using low excitation ions (via H alpha/[N II] vs H alpha/[S II] extended diagnostic diagrams) and by means of high excitation species looking for regions of enhanced [O III]/H alpha line ratios. Shocked region analysis via low excitation ions shows that major deviations from the general inside to outside ionisation tr…
We present the ALMA detection of molecular outflowing gas in the central regions of NGC4945, one of the nearest starbursts and also one of the nearest hosts of an active galactic nucleus (AGN). We detect four outflow plumes in CO (3-2) at ~0.3" resolution that appear to correspond to molecular gas located near the edges of the known ionized outflow cone and its (unobserved) counterpart behind the disk. The fastest and brightest of these plumes has emission reaching observed line-of-sight projected velocities of over 450 km/s beyond systemic, equivalent to an estimated physical outflow velocity…
We explore the properties of ionized gas in the nuclear and circumnuclear environment of the narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 4051 using spectroscopic and imaging observations from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and Apache Point Observatory (APO)'s ARC 3.5m Telescope. We identify an unresolved moderate-density intermediate width component and a high-density broad component in the optical emission lines from the active nucleus, as well as spatially-resolved emission extending up to $\sim$1 kpc in the AGN ionized narrow-line region (NLR) and $\sim$8 kpc in the stellar ionized host galaxy. The …
The most rapidly evolving regions of galaxies often display complex optical spectra with emission lines excited by massive stars, shocks and accretion onto supermassive black holes. Standard calibrations (such as for the star formation rate) cannot be applied to such mixed spectra. In this paper we isolate the contributions of star formation, shock excitation and active galactic nucleus (AGN) activity to the emission line luminosities of individual spatially resolved regions across the central 3 $\times$ 3 kpc$^2$ region of the active barred spiral galaxy NGC$\sim$613. The star formation rate …
We have analysed Chandra/High Energy Transmission Gratings spectra of the X-ray emission line gas in the Seyfert galaxy NGC 4151. The zeroth order spectral images show extended H- and He-like O and Ne, up to a distance $r \sim$ 200 pc from the nucleus. Using the 1st order spectra, we measure an average line velocity $\sim -230$ km s$^{-1}$, suggesting significant outflow of X-ray gas. We generated Cloudy photoionisation models to fit the 1st order spectra. We required three emission-line components, with column density, log$N_{H}$, and ionisation parameter, log$U$, of 22.5/1.0, 22.5/0.19, and …
We use Gemini Near-Infrared Integral Field Spectrograph (NIFS) observations of the inner 3.5$\times$3.5 kpc$^2$ of the radio galaxy Cygnus A to map the gas excitation and kinematics at a spatial resolution of 200 pc. The emission of the ionised gas shows a biconical morphology, with half-opening angle of 45$^\circ$ and oriented along the position angle of the radio jet. Coronal line emission is seen within the cone, up to 1.75 kpc from the nucleus, with higher ionisation gas observed in the easterly side. The H$_2$ and [Fe II] emission lines are consistent with excitation by the central AGN, w…
We use integral field spectroscopic (IFS) observations from the Gemini North Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS-N) to study the central H II region in a nearby blue compact dwarf (BCD) galaxy NGC 4449. The IFS data enable us to explore the variation of physical and chemical conditions of the star-forming region and the surrounding gas on spatial scales as small as 5.5 pc. Our kinematical analysis shows possible signatures of shock ionisation and shell structures in the surroundings of the star-forming region. The metallicity maps of the region, created using direct T$_e$ and indirect strong line …
The central regions of galaxies harbouring active galactic nuclei (AGNs) can be quite complex, especially at high activity, presenting, besides variability, a variety of phenomena related, e.g. to ionization/excitation mechanisms. A detailed study is necessary in order to understand better those objects. For that reason, we performed a multiwavelength analysis of the nuclear region of the nearby Seyfert galaxy NGC 7314, using an optical data cube obtained with the Integral Field Unit from the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph, together with Hubble Space Telescope images, X-ray data from the XMM…
AGN feedback, acting through strong outflows accelerated in the nuclear region of AGN hosts, is invoked as a key ingredient for galaxy evolution by many models to explain the observed BH-galaxy scaling relations. Recently, some direct observational evidence of radiative mode feedback in action has been finally found in quasars at $z$>1.5. However, it is not possible to study outflows in quasars at those redshifts on small scales ($\lesssim$100 pc), as spatial information is limited by angular resolution. This is instead feasible in nearby active galaxies, which are ideal laboratories to explor…
We present high-sensitivity eMERLIN radio images of the Seyfert galaxy NGC 4151 at 1.5 GHz. We compare the new eMERLIN images to those from archival MERLIN observations in 1993 to determine the change in jet morphology in the 22 years between observations. We report an increase by almost a factor of 2 in the peak flux density of the central core component, C4, thought to host the black hole, but a probable decrease in some other components, possibly due to adiabatic expansion. The core flux increase indicates an AGN which is currently active and feeding the jet. We detect no significant motion…
Polarisation is a decisive method to study the inner region of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) since it is not affected by contrast issues similarly to how classical imaging is. When coupled to high angular resolution (HAR), polarisation can help to disentangle the location of the various polarising mechanisms and then give an insight on the physics taking place on the core of AGNs. We obtained a new data set of HAR polarimetric images of the archetypal Seyfert 2 nucleus of NGC 1068 observed with SPHERE/VLT and we aim in this paper at presenting the polarisation maps and at spatially separating …
We present the spatial analysis of five Compton thick (CT) active galactic nuclei (AGNs), including MKN 573, NGC 1386, NGC 3393, NGC 5643, and NGC 7212, for which high resolution Chandra observations are available. For each source, we find hard X-ray emission (>3 keV) extending to ~kpc scales along the ionization cone, and for some sources, in the cross-cone region. This collection represents the first, high-signal sample of CT AGN with extended hard X-ray emission for which we can begin to build a more complete picture of this new population of AGN. We investigate the energy dependence of the…
MAUVE: Cold neutral gas in the outflow of NGC 4383 and evidence for a fountain flow
International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research, University of Western Australia（西澳大利亚大学国际射电天文研究中心）；University of Kentucky（肯塔基大学）；National Research Council of Canada, Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Centre（加拿大国家研究委员会赫茨伯格天体物理学研究中心）；University of Victoria（维多利亚大学）；Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, CNES, LAM（艾克斯-马赛大学，法国国家科学研究中心，法国国家空间研究中心，拉格朗日天体物理实验室）；Astronomical Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences（捷克科学院天文研究所）；University of Nottingham（诺丁汉大学）；University of Vienna（维也纳大学）；University of New South Wales（新南威尔士大学）；Universidad Diego Portales（迭戈·波塔莱斯大学）
We report near-infrared integral field spectroscopic observations of the active galactic nucleus NGC 4151 with archive data from the NIFS-Gemini North Telescope. We have selected best-seeing observations ($\lesssim$0.3 arcsec) that, allied to our methodology of image processing techniques, show structures with spatial resolution comparable to those of the HST. The intricate outflow of NGC 4151 is revisited in light of the results found for NGC 1068, in a previous work, and a very similar dynamic is found: the low-velocity [Fe II] emission depicts the glowing walls of an hourglass structure, wh…
A multi-wavelength approach of AGN feedback in LINERs: The case of NGC 4438
Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía - CSIC（安达卢西亚天体物理研究所）；IRyA - Instituto de Radioastronomía y Astrofísica（射电天文学与天体物理研究所）；Centro de Astrobiología (CAB) CSIC-INTA（天体生物学中心）；Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Manchester（曼彻斯特大学天体物理学约德雷尔银行中心）
NGC 7582 is an SB(s)ab galaxy which displays evidences of simultaneous nuclear activity and star formation in its centre. Previous optical observations revealed, besides the H II regions, an ionization cone and a gas disc in its central part. Hubble Space Telescope (HST) images in both optical and infrared bands show the active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and a few compact structures that are possibly associated with young stellar clusters. In order to study in detail both the AGN and evidence for star formation, we analyse optical (Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph) and near-infrared (Spectrograph …
Context. Massive star-formation leads to enrichment with heavy elements of the interstellar medium. On the other hand, the abundance of heavy elements is a key parameter to study the star-formation history of galaxies. Furthermore, the total molecular hydrogen mass, usually determined by converting CO or [C ii] 158 $μ$m luminosities, depends on the metallicity as well. The excitation of metallicity-sensitive emission lines, however, depends on the gas density of H ii regions, where they arise. Aims. We used spectroscopic observations from SOFIA, Herschel, and Spitzer of the nuclear region of t…
