Investigating the Narrow-line Region Dynamics in Nearby Active Galaxies

Meena, Beena; Crenshaw, D. Michael; Schmitt, Henrique R.; Revalski, Mitchell; Chapman, Zo; Fischer, Travis C.; Kraemer, S. B.; Robinson, Justin H.; Falcone, Julia; Polack, Garrett E.

doi:10.3847/1538-4357/aca75f

Cited by 12 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 149 publications

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“…The STIS long-slit spectra of NGC 1068 and NGC 4151 show disturbed kinematics (indicating outflows) and several bright emissionline knots in the central few hundred parsecs, as noted by previous studies Das et al 2005Das et al , 2006Meena et al 2023). We extracted several apertures (integrated groupings of pixel rows) from the two-dimensional G430L and G750L spectra, with each aperture forming an integrated one-dimensional spectrum that corresponds to a certain spatial position along the slit.…”

Section: Aperture Selection and Extractionmentioning

confidence: 84%

“…The outflows in the NLR of NGC 1068 have been argued to be radiatively accelerated by some authors Das et al 2006;Revalski et al 2021;Meena et al 2023), while others have proposed they are driven by jet-induced shocks (Capetti et al 1997;Axon et al 1998). May & Steiner (2017) propose a scenario in which the radio jet impacts molecular clouds on small radial scales near the central AGN, accelerating high-velocity 'bullets' of gas that propagate within the bicone but constitute only a small fraction of the total outflowing mass.…”

Section: Ngc 1068mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Mukherjee et al 2018;Audibert et al 2023) and AGN radiationpressure-driven outflows (e.g. Crenshaw & Kraemer 2000c;Meena et al 2023) is able to explain outflow kinematics in different objects.…”

Section: The Outflow Ionisation and Acceleration Mechanisms In The Nl...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In order to enable accurate future comparisons to theoretical models and therefore accurately quantify the impact of the outflows in NGC 1068 and NGC 4151 -which have been conversely argued to be radiatively-accelerated (Crenshaw et al 2000;Crenshaw & Kraemer 2000c;Das et al 2005Das et al , 2006Revalski et al 2021;Meena et al 2023) and jet-accelerated (Capetti et al 1997;Axon et al 1998;May & Steiner 2017;May et al 2020) -the dominant outflow acceleration mechanisms in these objects need to be robustly identified.…”

Section: The Outflow Ionisation and Acceleration Mechanisms In The Nl...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Investigations into the impact of outflows on their host galaxies are further complicated by the fact that the dominant acceleration and ionisation mechanisms are unclear: while it is thought that outflows may be accelerated by radiation pressure from the AGN (either 'in situ': e.g. Crenshaw et al 2015;Fischer et al 2017;Revalski et al 2018;Meena et al 2023, or from the nucleus: e.g. Hopkins & Elvis 2010;Meena et al 2021), a study of a large sample of local AGN found a link between intermediate radio power AGN (L 1.4 GHz = 10 23−25 W Hz −1 ) and outflow kinematics (Mullaney et al 2013), suggesting that feedback from jets is also important in AGN that are classified as radio-quiet.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Outflow densities and ionization mechanisms in the NLRs of the prototypical Seyfert galaxies NGC 1068 and NGC 4151

Tadhunter

2023

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

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Despite being thought to play an important role in galaxy evolution, the true impact of outflows driven by active galactic nuclei (AGN) on their host galaxies is unclear. In part, this may be because electron densities of outflowing gas are often underestimated: recent studies that use alternative diagnostics have measured much higher densities than those from commonly used techniques, and consequently find modest outflow masses and kinetic powers. Furthermore, outflow ionisation mechanisms – which are often used to probe acceleration mechanisms – are also uncertain. To address these issues, we have analysed archival HST/STIS spectra of the inner regions (r <160 pc) of the nearby prototypical Seyfert galaxies NGC 1068 and NGC 4151, which show evidence of warm-ionised outflows driven by the central AGN. We derive high electron densities (103.6 <ne < 104.8 cm−3) using the transauroral [O ii] and [S ii] emission lines ratios for the first time with spatially-resolved observations. Moreover, we find evidence that the gas along the radio axis in NGC 1068 has a significant AGN-photoionised matter-bounded component, and there is evidence for shock-ionisation and/or radiation-bounded AGN-photoionisation along the radio axis in NGC 4151. We also note that the outflow extents are similar to those of the radio structures, consistent with acceleration by jet-induced shocks. Taken together, our investigation demonstrates the diversity of physical and ionisation conditions in the narrow line regions of Seyfert galaxies, and hence reinforces the need for robust diagnostics of outflowing gas densities and ionisation mechanisms.

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Section: Aperture Selection and Extractionmentioning

confidence: 84%

Section: Ngc 1068mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Outflow Ionisation and Acceleration Mechanisms In The Nl...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Outflow Ionisation and Acceleration Mechanisms In The Nl...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Outflow densities and ionization mechanisms in the NLRs of the prototypical Seyfert galaxies NGC 1068 and NGC 4151

Tadhunter

2023

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

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Complex AGN feedback in the Teacup galaxy

Venturi,

Treister,

Finlez

et al. 2023

A&A

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Context. The z ∼ 0.1 type-2 QSO J1430+1339, known as the “Teacup”, is a complex galaxy showing a loop of ionised gas ∼10 kpc in diameter, co-spatial radio bubbles, a compact (∼1 kpc) jet, and outflow activity. Its closeness offers the opportunity to study in detail the intricate interplay between the central supermassive black hole (SMBH) and the material in and around the galaxy, both the interstellar medium (ISM) and circumgalactic medium (CGM). Aims. We characterise the spatially resolved properties and effects of the galactic ionised gas outflow and compare them with those of the radio jet and with theoretical predictions to infer its acceleration mechanism. Methods. We used VLT/MUSE optical integral field spectroscopic observations to obtain flux, kinematic, and excitation maps of the extended (up to ∼100 kpc) ionised gas and to characterise the properties of stellar populations. We built radial profiles of the outflow properties as a function of distance from the active nucleus, from kiloparsec up to tens of kiloparsec scales, at ∼1 kpc resolution. Results. We detect a velocity dispersion enhancement (≳300 km s−1) elongated over several kiloparsecs perpendicular to the radio jet, the active galactic nucleus (AGN) ionisation lobes, and the fast outflow, similar to what is found in other galaxies hosting compact, low-power jets, indicating that the jet strongly perturbs the host ISM during its passage. We observe a decreasing trend with distance from the nucleus for the outflow properties (mass outflow rate, kinetic rate, momentum rate). The mass outflow rate drops from around 100 M⊙ yr−1 in the inner 1–2 kpc to ≲0.1 M⊙ yr−1 at 30 kpc. The mass outflow rate of the ionised outflow is significantly higher (∼1–8 times) than the molecular one, in contrast with what is often quoted in AGN. Based on energetic and morphological arguments, the driver of the multi-phase outflow is likely a combination of AGN radiation and the jet, or AGN radiation pressure on dust alone. The outflow mass-loading factor is ∼5–10 and the molecular gas depletion time due to the multi-phase outflow is ≲108 yr, indicating that the outflow can significantly affect the star formation and the gas reservoir in the galaxy. However, the fraction of the ionised outflow that is able to escape the dark matter halo potential is likely negligible. We detect blue-coloured continuum emission co-spatial with the ionised gas loop. Here, stellar populations are younger (≲100–150 Myr) than in the rest of the galaxy (∼0.5–1 Gyr). This constitutes possible evidence for star formation triggered at the edge of the bubble due to the compressing action of the jet and outflow (“positive feedback”), as predicted by theory. All in all, the Teacup constitutes a rich system in which AGN feedback from outflows and jets, in both its negative and positive flavours, co-exist.

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Gas-phase metallicity for the Seyfert galaxy NGC 7130

Amiri,

Knapen,

Comerón

et al. 2024

A&A

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Metallicity measurements in galaxies can provide valuable clues about galaxy evolution. One of the mechanisms postulated for metallicity redistribution in galaxies is gas flows induced by active galactic nuclei (AGNs), but the details of this process remain elusive. We report the discovery of a positive radial gradient in the gas-phase metallicity of the narrow-line region of the Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 7130, which is not found when considering the star-forming (SF) components in the galaxy disc. To determine gas-phase metallicities for each kinematic component, we used both AGN and SF strong-line abundance relations, as well as Baldwin–Phillips–Terlevich diagnostic diagrams. These relations involve sensitive strong emission lines, namely iii lambda 5007 ii lambda 6584, Halpha , Hbeta ii lambda 6716, and ii lambda 6731, observed with the adaptive-optics-assisted mode of the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer at the Very Large Telescope. The presence of a positive radial metallicity gradient in only the ionised AGN component suggests that metals may be transported from central areas of a galaxy to its purlieus by AGN activity.

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Investigating the Narrow-line Region Dynamics in Nearby Active Galaxies

Cited by 12 publications

References 149 publications

Outflow densities and ionization mechanisms in the NLRs of the prototypical Seyfert galaxies NGC 1068 and NGC 4151

Outflow densities and ionization mechanisms in the NLRs of the prototypical Seyfert galaxies NGC 1068 and NGC 4151

Complex AGN feedback in the Teacup galaxy

Gas-phase metallicity for the Seyfert galaxy NGC 7130

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