The Jet-Driven Outflow in the Radio Galaxy SDSS J1517+3353: Implications for Double-Peaked Narrow-Line Active Galactic Nucleus

Abstract

We report on the study of an intriguing active galaxy that was selected as a potential multiple supermassive black hole merger in the early-type host SDSS J151709.20+335324.7 (z = 0.135) from a complete search for double-peaked [O III] lines from the SDSS spectroscopic QSO database. Ground-based SDSS imaging reveals two blue structures on either side of the photometric center of the host galaxy, separated from each other by about 5.7 kpc. From a combination of SDSS fibre and Keck/HIRES long-slit spectroscopy, it is demonstrated that, in addition to these two features, a third distinct structure surrounds the nucleus of the host galaxy. All three structures exhibit highly-ionized line emission with line ratios characteristic of Seyfert II AGN. The analysis of spatially resolved emission line profiles from the HIRES spectrum reveal three distinct kinematic subcomponents, one at rest and the other two moving at -350 kms −1 and 500 kms −1 with respect to the systemic velocity of the host galaxy. A comparison of imaging and spectral data confirm a strong association between the kinematic components and the spatial knots, which implies a highly disturbed and complex active region in this object. A comparative analysis of the broadband positions, colors, kinematics and spectral properties of the knots in this system lead to two plausible explanations: a.) a multiple-AGN produced due to a massive dry merger, or, b.) a very powerful radio jet-driven outflow. Subsequent VLA radio imaging reveals a clear jet aligned with the emission line gas, confirming the latter explanation. We use the broadband radio measurements to examine the impact of the jet on the ISM of the host galaxy, and find that the energy in the radio lobes can heat a significant fraction of the gas to the virial temperature. Finally, we discuss tests that may help future surveys distinguish between jet-driven kinematics and true black-hole binaries. J1517+3353 is a remarkable laboratory for AGN feedback and warrants deeper follow-up study.In the Appendix, we present high-resolution radio imaging of a second AGN with double-peaked [O III] lines, SDSS J112939.78+605742.6, which shows a sub-arcsecond radio jet. If the double-peaked nature of the narrow lines in radio-loud AGN are generally due to radio jet interactions, we suggest that extended radio structure should be expected in most of such systems.

Integral field spectroscopy of the circum-nuclear region of the radio Galaxy Pictor A

“…This has been observed in several galaxies, on small and large scales (Nesvadba et al 2009;Tremblay et al 2009;Rosario et al 2010;Couto et al 2013;Reynaldi & Feinstein 2013;Santoro et al 2014). Theoretical studies are in agreement with this scenario, suggesting that the radio activity influences the energetics and thermodynamics of the hot, space-filling medium in these hosts (Reynolds et al 2002;Fragile et al 2004;Wagner & Bicknell 2011).…”

CHANDRAX-RAY ANDHUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPEIMAGING OF OPTICALLY SELECTED KILOPARSEC-SCALE BINARY ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI. I. NATURE OF THE NUCLEAR IONIZING SOURCES

“…A major obstacle in identifying binary AGNs using the NEL splitting signature, however, is that such profiles can also arise from NLR gas kinematics around single AGNs, such as rotating disks or bi-conical outflows (Axon et al 1998;Veilleux et al 2001;Crenshaw et al 2010;Shen et al 2011a;Rosario et al 2010;Fischer et al 2011;Smith et al 2011Smith et al , 2012. Nevertheless, our followup observations (Liu et al 2010a;Shen et al 2011a) of a subset of a systematically selected sample of 167 AGNs with double-peaked NELs (Liu et al 2010b; see also Smith et al 2010;Wang et al 2009), as well as studies by other groups Fu et al 2012), have demonstrated the feasibility and importance of combining higher resolution NIR imaging (Fu et al 2011a;Rosario et al 2011) and spatially resolved optical spectroscopy (Comerford et al 2012) to discriminate kpcscale binary AGNs from single-AGN-NLR gas kinematics.…”

Mergers in Double-Peaked [O Iii] Active Galactic Nuclei

“…Jet-cloud interactions are an important mechanism in producing double-peaked [O iii] lines (e.g., Stockton et al 2007;Rosario et al 2010). Although the radio-detected fraction of type-2 double-peaked AGNs is similar to that of the general type-2 AGN population (∼35%; Liu et al 2010b), Smith et al (2010) found that radio sources are three times overrepresented in type-1 double-peaked AGNs than in the general type-1 AGN population.…”

“…If double-peaked [O iii] emission is indicative of a binary AGN, such emission most likely represents systems with transverse separations of ∼100 pc to ∼10 kpc (Liu et al 2010a), because each fiber of the SDSS spectrograph covers only 3 on the sky. But double-peaked emission-line profile may also arise from other mechanisms, such as peculiar narrow-line regions, extended emission-line nebulae (e.g., Fu & Stockton 2009), or jet-cloud interactions (e.g., Stockton et al 2007;Rosario et al 2010).…”