We have obtained Keck NIR spectroscopy of a sample of nine M$_\star$ $<$ 10$^{10}$ M$_\odot$ dwarf galaxies to confirm AGN activity and the presence of galaxy-wide, AGN-driven outflows through coronal line (CL) emission. We find strong CL detections in 5/9 galaxies (55$\%$) with line ratios incompatible with shocks, confirming the presence of AGN in these galaxies. Similar CL detection rates are found in larger samples of more massive galaxies hosting type 1 and 2 AGN. We investigate the connection between the CLs and galaxy-wide outflows by analyzing the kinematics of the CL region, as well as the scaling of gas velocity with ionization potential of different CLs. In addition, using complementary Keck KCWI observations of these objects, we find that the outflow velocities measured in [Si VI] are generally faster than those seen in [O III]. The galaxies with the fastest outflows seen in [O III] also have the highest [Si VI] luminosity. The lack of $J$-band CN absorption features, which are often associated with younger stellar populations, provides further evidence that these outflows are driven by AGN in low mass galaxies.
We present observations of a remarkable compact group of galaxies at $z = 2.48$. Four galaxies, all within 40 kpc of each other, surround a powerful high redshift radio source. This group comprises two compact red passive galaxies and a pair of merging galaxies. One of the red galaxies, with an apparent stellar mass of $3.6\times10^{11} M_{\odot}$ and an effective radius of 470 pc, is one of the most extreme examples of a massive quiescent compact galaxy found so far. One of the pair of merging galaxies hosts the AGN producing the large powerful radio structure. The merger is massive and enric…
Many star-forming galaxies and those hosting active galactic nuclei (AGN) show evidence of massive outflows of material in a variety of phases including ionized, neutral atomic, and molecular. Molecular outflows in particular have been the focus of recent interest as they may be responsible for removing gas from the galaxy, thereby suppressing star formation. As material is ejected from the cores of galaxies, interactions of the outflowing material with the interstellar medium can accelerate cosmic rays and produce high-energy gamma rays. In this work, we search for gamma-ray emission from a s…
Probing AGN Feedback in Dwarf Galaxies with Spatially Resolved NIR Coronal Lines from JWST
University of California, Riverside(加州大学河滨分校);The University of Texas at Austin(德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校);Ehime University(爱媛大学);George Mason University(乔治梅森大学);California Institute of Technology(加州理工学院);Steward Observatory, University of Arizona(亚利桑那大学斯图尔德天文台);University of California, Los Angeles(加州大学洛杉矶分校)
Feedback from active galactic nuclei (AGN) has proven to be a critical ingredient in the current picture of galaxy assembly and growth. However, observational constraints on AGN-driven outflows face technical challenges and as a result, the cold molecular gas outflow properties of type-1 AGN are not well known. We present new IRAM NOrthern Extended Milimeter Array (NOEMA) observations of CO (1-0) in F07599+6508, Z11598$-$0112, F13342+3932, and PG1440+356, all nearby type-1 AGN and ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs). We achieve spatial resolution of 1-3 arcsec corresponding to physical sc…
As part of an extensive study of the physical properties of active galactic nuclei (AGN) we report high spatial resolution near-IR integral-field spectroscopy of the narrow-line region (NLR) and coronal-line region (CLR) of seven Seyfert galaxies. These measurements elucidate for the first time the two-dimensional spatial distribution and kinematics of the recombination line Brγ and high-ionization lines [Sivi], [Alix] and [Caviii] on scales <300 pc from the AGN. The observations reveal kinematic signatures of rotation and outflow in the NLR and CLR. The spatially resolved kinematics can be mo…
We use MUSE adaptive optics (AO) data in Narrow Field Mode to study the properties of the ionised gas in MR 2251-178 and PG 1126-041, two nearby (z~0.06) bright quasars hosting sub-pc scale Ultra Fast Outflows (UFOs) detected in the X-ray band. We decompose the optical emission from diffuse gas into a low- and a high-velocity components. The former is characterised by a clean, regular velocity field and a low (~80 km/s) velocity dispersion. It traces regularly rotating gas in PG 1126-041, while in MR 2251-178 it is possibly associated to tidal debris from a recent merger or flyby. The other co…
Massive black holes (BHs) in dwarf galaxies can provide strong constraints on BH seeds, however reliably detecting them is notoriously difficult. High resolution radio observations were recently used to identify accreting massive BHs in nearby dwarf galaxies, with a significant fraction found to be non-nuclear. Here we present the first results of our optical follow-up of these radio-selected active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in dwarf galaxies using integral field unit (IFU) data from Gemini-North. We focus on the dwarf galaxy J1220+3020, which shows no clear optical AGN signatures in its nuclear …
We have carried out an extensive X-ray spectral analysis of a sample of galaxies exhibiting molecular outflows (MOX sample), to characterize the X-ray properties and investigate the effect of AGN on the dynamical properties of the molecular outflows. We find that the X-ray bolometric correction $(L_{2-10\rm keV}/L_{\rm AGN})$ of these sources ranges from $\sim10^{-4.5}$ to $10^{-0.5}$, with $\sim 70\%$ of the sources below $10^{-2}$, implying a weak X-ray emission relative to the AGN bolometric luminosity ($L_{\rm AGN}$). However, the upper limit on the $2-10\rm keV$ luminosity ($L_{\rm 2-10 k…
One of the canonical physical properties of ultra-fast outflows (UFOs) seen in a diverse population of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) is its seemingly very broad width (i.e. $Δv \sim 10,000$ km~s$^{-1}$) , a feature often required for X-ray spectral modeling. While unclear to date, this condition is occasionally interpreted and justified as internal turbulence within the UFOs for simplicity. In this work, we exploit a transverse motion of a three-dimensional accretion-disk wind, an essential feature of non-radial outflow morphology unique to magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) outflows. We argue that at …
Low-Luminosity Active Galactic Nuclei (LLAGN) are characterized for low radiative efficiency, much less than one percent of their Eddington limit. Nevertheless, their main energy release may be mechanical, opposite to powerful AGN classes like Seyfert and Quasars. This work reports on the jet-driven mechanical energy and the corresponding mass outflow deposited by the jet in the central 170~parsecs of the nearby LLAGN ESO428-G14. The jet kinetic output is traced through the coronal line [Si vi] $λ$19641 Å. It is shown that its radial extension, up to hundreds of parsecs, requires a combination…
We present the first intensive study of the variability of the near-infrared coronal lines in an active galactic nucleus (AGN). We use data from a one-year long spectroscopic monitoring campaign with roughly weekly cadence on NGC 5548 to study the variability in both emission line fluxes and profile shapes. We find that in common with many AGN coronal lines, those studied here are both broader than the low-ionisaton forbidden lines and blueshifted relative to them, with a stratification that implies an origin in an outflow interior to the standard narrow line region. We observe for the first t…
We present near-infrared integral field spectroscopy data obtained with VLT/SINFONI of "the Teacup galaxy". The nuclear K-band (1.95-2.45 micron) spectrum of this radio-quiet type-2 quasar reveals a blueshifted broad component of FWHM~1600-1800 km/s in the hydrogen recombination lines (Pa$α$, Br$δ$, and Br$γ$) and also in the coronal line [Si VI]$λ$1.963 micron. Thus the data confirm the presence of the nuclear ionized outflow previously detected in the optical and reveal its coronal counterpart. Both the ionized and coronal nuclear outflows are resolved, with seeing-deconvolved full widths at…
The systematic analysis of optical large-scale surveys has revealed a population of dwarf galaxies hosting AGN, which have been confirmed by X-ray follow-up observations. Recently, the MaNGA survey identified six dwarf galaxies that appear to have an AGN that is preventing on-going star formation. It is therefore timely to study the physical properties of dwarf galaxies, in particular whether the presence of an AGN can affect their evolution. Using the moving mesh code AREPO, we have investigated different models of AGN activity, ranging from simple energy-driven spherical winds to collimated,…
We present the first spatially resolved analysis of rest-frame optical and UV imaging and spectroscopy for a lensed galaxy at z = 2.39 hosting a Seyfert active galactic nucleus (AGN). Proximity to a natural guide star has enabled high signal-to-noise VLT SINFONI + adaptive optics observations of rest-frame optical diagnostic emission lines, which exhibit an underlying broad component with FWHM ~ 700 km/s in both the Balmer and forbidden lines. Measured line ratios place the outflow robustly in the region of the ionization diagnostic diagrams associated with AGN. This unique opportunity - combi…
Observational searches for intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs; $10^2 - 10^6$ $M_\odot$) include relatively isolated dwarf galaxies. For those that host active galactic nuclei (AGNs), the IMBH nature may be discerned through the accretion - jet activity. We present radio observations of four AGN-hosting dwarf galaxies (which potentially harbor IMBHs). Very large array (VLA) observations indicate steep spectra (indices of $-$0.63 to $-$1.05) between 1.4 and 9 GHz. A comparison with the 9 GHz in-band spectral index however shows a steepening for GH047 and GH158 (implying older/relic emission) a…
We report the first characterization of an extended outflow of high ionized gas in the Circinus Galaxy by means of the coronal line [FeVII] $λ$6087 Å. This emission is located within the ionization cone already detected in the [OIII] $λ$5007 Å line and is found to extend up to a distance of 700 pc from the AGN. The gas distribution appears clumpy, with several knots of emission. Its kinematics is complex, with split profiles and line centroids shifted from the systemic velocity. The physical conditions of the gas show that the extended coronal emission is likely the remnants of shells inflated…
Starburst-driven galactic outflows in star-forming galaxies have been observed to contain complex thermal structures and emission line features that are difficult to explain by adiabatic fluid models and plasmas in photoionization equilibrium (PIE) and collisional ionization equilibrium (CIE). We previously performed hydrodynamic simulations of starburst-driven outflows using the MAIHEM module for non-equilibrium atomic chemistry and radiative cooling functions in the hydrodynamics code FLASH, and calculated emission lines in combined CIE and PIE conditions. In the present study, we consider t…
Outflows have been shown to be prevalent in galaxies hosting luminous active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and present a physically plausible way to couple the AGN energy output with the interstellar medium of their hosts. Despite their prevalence, accurate characterization of these outflows has been challenging. In the second of a series of papers, we use Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph IFU data of 6 local (z<0.1) and moderate-luminosity Type 2 AGNs to study the ionization properties and energetics of AGN-driven outflows. We find strong evidence that connect the extreme kinematics of the ionized ga…
We report molecular gas observations of IRAS 20100-4156 and IRAS 03158+4227, two local ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) hosting some of the fastest and most massive molecular outflows known. Using ALMA and PdBI observations, we spatially resolve the CO(1-0) emission from the outflowing molecular gas in both and find maximum outflow velocities of $ v_{\rm max} \sim 1600$ and $\sim 1700$ km/s for IRAS 20100-4156 and IRAS 03158+4227, respectively. We find total gas mass outflow rates of $\dot M_{\rm OF} \sim 670$ and $\sim 350$ Msun/yr, respectively, corresponding to molecular gas depleti…
The GASP survey, based on MUSE data, is unveiling the properties of the gas in the so-called "jellyfish" galaxies: these are cluster galaxies with spectacular evidence of gas stripping by ram pressure. In a previous paper, we selected the seven GASP galaxies with the most extended tentacles of ionized gas, and based on individual diagnostic diagrams concluded that at least five of them present clear evidence for an Active Galactic Nucleus. Here we present a more detailed analysis of the emission lines properties in these galaxies. Our comparison of several emission line ratios with both AGN an…
We present here the results from dual-frequency phase-referenced VLBI observations of the Seyfert galaxy KISSR1494, which exhibits double peaked emission lines in its SDSS spectrum. We detect a single radio component at 1.6 GHz, but not at 5 GHz implying a spectral index steeper than $-1.5\pm0.5$ ($S_ν\proptoν^α$). The high brightness temperature of the radio component ($\sim1.4\times10^7$ K) and the steep radio spectrum support a non-thermal synchrotron origin. A crude estimate of the black hole mass derived from the $M_{BH}-σ_{\star}$ relation is $\sim1.4\pm1.0\times10^8$ Msun; it is accreti…
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)
NGC 7469 is a well known Luminous IR Galaxy, with a circumnuclear star formation ring ($\sim 830$ pc radius) surrounding a Seyfert 1 AGN. Nuclear unresolved winds were previously detected in X-rays and UV, as well as an extended biconical outflow in IR coronal lines. We search for extended outflows by measuring the kinematics of the $\mathrm{Hβ}$ and [O III] $λ5007$ optical emission lines, in data of the VLT/MUSE integral field spectrograph. We find evidence of two outflow kinematic regimes: one slower regime extending across most of the star formation ring -- possibly driven by the massive st…
The most accepted scenario for the evolution of massive galaxies across cosmic time predicts a regulation based on the interplay between AGN feedback, which injects large amounts of energy in the host environment, and galaxy mergers, being able to trigger massive star formation events and accretion onto the supermassive black holes. Interacting systems hosting AGN are useful laboratories to get key insights into both phenomena. In this context, we present the analysis of the optical spectral properties of IRAS 20210+1121 (I20210), a merging system at $z = 0.056$. According to X-ray data, this …
JWST/NIRSpec Reveals Diverse Nuclear Environments in Dwarf Galaxies Hosting AGN
Research Center for Space and Cosmic Evolution, Ehime University(爱媛大学宇宙演化研究中心);Department of Astronomy, The University of Texas at Austin(德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校天文学系);Cosmic Frontier Center, The University of Texas at Austin(德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校宇宙前沿中心);Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Riverside(加州大学河滨分校物理与天文系);Department of Physics, Texas State University(德州州立大学物理系);Department of Physics and Astronomy, George Mason University(乔治梅森大学物理与天文系);Ehime University(爱媛大学);Division of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California, Los Angeles(加州大学洛杉矶分校天文与天体物理系);IPAC, MC 320-6, Caltech(加州理工学院IPAC);Hiroshima University(广岛大学);Steward Observatory, University of Arizona(亚利桑那大学斯图尔德天文台);Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias(加那利群岛天体物理学研究所)
We investigate the effects of ram pressure on the ordered magnetic field of a galaxy hosting a radio halo and strong nuclear outflows. New radio images in total and polarized intensity of the edge-on Virgo galaxy NGC\,4388 were obtained within the CHANG-ES EVLA project. The unprecedented noise level reached allows us to detect striking new features of the ordered magnetic field. The nuclear outflow extends far into the halo to about 5\,kpc from the center and is spatially correlated with the $\rm{H}α$ and X-ray emission. For the first time, the southern outflow is detected. Above and below bot…
Recent observations and simulations have challenged the long-held paradigm that mergers are the dominant mechanism driving the growth of both galaxies and supermassive black holes (SMBH), in favour of non-merger (secular) processes. In this pilot study of merger-free SMBH and galaxy growth, we use Keck Cosmic Web Imager spectral observations to examine four low-redshift ($0.043 < z < 0.073$) disk-dominated `bulgeless' galaxies hosting luminous AGN, assumed to be merger-free. We detect blueshifted broadened [OIII] emission from outflows in all four sources, which the \oiii/\hbeta~ratios reveal …
We present a sample of 17 objects from the CALIFA survey where we find initial evidence of galactic winds based on their off-axis ionization properties. We identify the presence of outflows using various optical diagnostic diagrams (e.g., EW(H$α$), [Nii]/H$α$, [Sii]/H$α$, [Oi]/H$α$ line-ratio maps). We find that all 17 candidate outflow galaxies lie along the sequence of active star formation in the M$_\star$ vs. star-formation rate diagram, without a clear excess in the integrated SFR. The location of galaxies along the star-formation main sequence (SFMS) does not influence strongly the prese…
We present the results of an outflow and infall survey towards a distance limited sample of 31 massive star forming regions drawn from the RMS survey. The presence of young, active outflows is identified from SiO (8-7) emission and the infall dynamics are explored using HCO$^+$/H$^{13}$CO$^+$ (4-3) emission. We investigate if the infall and outflow parameters vary with source properties, exploring whether regions hosting potentially young active outflows show similarities or differences with regions harbouring more evolved, possibly momentum driven, "fossil" outflows. SiO emission is detected …
AGN-driven outflows in dwarf galaxies from cosmological simulations: Internal properties and observational signatures
Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias(加那利天体物理研究所);Universidad de La Laguna(拉古纳大学);Astrophysics Research Institute, Liverpool John Moores University(利物浦约翰摩尔斯大学天体物理研究所);Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Riverside(加州大学河滨分校物理与天文系);School of Physics, HH Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol(布里斯托大学HH威尔斯物理实验室物理学院);Astronomy Centre, University of Sussex(萨塞克斯大学天文学中心)
It is well-known that active galactic nuclei (AGN) are accompanied by winds and outflows, some of which may reach weakly relativistic speeds of about $10$ percent the speed of light. Yet, in spite of their ubiquity, the impact of AGN outflows in modulating surface habitability of terrestrial planets on galactic scales, using the Milky Way as the basis for comparison, is poorly investigated and inadequately understood. In this work, we address this issue by focusing on two key mechanisms: AGN winds can heat atmospheres and drive atmospheric escape, as well as stimulate the formation of nitrogen…
We present an update of our on-going project to characterise the impact of radio jets on the ISM by tracing molecular gas at high spatial resolution using ALMA. The radio active galactic nuclei (AGN) studied show recently born radio jets. In this stage, the plasma jets can have the largest impact on the ISM, as also predicted by state-of-the-art simulations. The two targets have quite different ages, allowing us to get snapshots of the effects of radio jets as they grow. Interestingly, both also host powerful quasar emission. The largest mass outflow rate of molecular gas is found in a radio g…