We have used narrow-band [OIII]λλ4959,5007 and Hα+ [NII]λλ6548, 84 Hubble Space Telescope (HST) images of 9 luminous (L[OIII]> 10 42 erg s −1 ) type 2 QSOs with redshifts 0.1 < z < 0.5 in order to constrain the geometry of their Extended Narrow-Line Regions (ENLR), as recent ground-based studies suggest these regions become more spherical at high luminosities due to destruction of the torus. We find instead elongated ENLRs reaching 4 to 19 kpc from the nucleus and bipolar ionization cones in [OIII]/(Hα+[NII]) excitation maps indicating that the torus survives these luminosities, allowing the escape of ≈ 10 times higher ionizing photon rates along the ionization axis than perpendicularly to it. The exceptional HST angular resolution was key to our success in arriving at these conclusions. Combining our measurements with previous ones based on similar HST data, we have revisited the relation between the ENLR radius R maj and L[OIII] over the range 39

We analyse optical datacubes of the inner kiloparsec of 30 local (z ≤ 0.02) active galactic nuclei (AGN) hosts that our research group, AGNIFS, has collected over the past decade via observations with the integral field units of the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrographs. Spatial resolutions range between 50 pc and 300 pc and spectral coverage is from 4800Å or 5600Å to 7000Å, at velocity resolutions of ≈50 $\rm ~km~s^{-1}$. We derive maps of the gas excitation and kinematics, determine the AGN ionisation axis – which has random orientation relative to the galaxy, and the kinematic major axes of the emitting gas. We find that rotation dominates the gas kinematics in most cases, but is disturbed by the presence of inflows and outflows. Outflows have been found in 21 nuclei, usually along the ionisation axis. The gas velocity dispersion is traced by W80 (velocity width encompassing 80 per cent of the line flux), adopted as a tracer of outflows. In 7 sources W80 is enhanced perpendicularly to the ionisation axis, indicating lateral expansion of the outflow. We have estimated mass-outflow rates $\dot{M}$ and powers $\dot{E}$, finding median values of $\log \, [\dot{M}/({\rm \, M_\odot \, yr^{-1}})]=-2.1_{-1.0}^{+1.6}$ and $\log \, [\dot{E}/({\rm \, erg\, s^{-1}})]=38.5_{-0.9}^{+1.8}$, respectively. Both quantities show a mild correlation with the AGN luminosity (LAGN). $\dot{E}$ is of the order of 0.01 LAGN for 4 sources, but much lower for the majority (9) of the sources, with a median value of $\log \, [\dot{E}/L_{\rm AGN} ]=-5.34_{-0.9}^{+3.2}$ indicating that typical outflows in the local Universe are unlikely to significantly impact their host galaxy evolution.

Context. The role of radio mode feedback in non radio-loud quasars needs to be explored in depth to determine its true importance. Its effects can be identified based on the evidence of interactions between the radio structures and the ambient ionised gas. Aims. We investigate this interaction in a sample of 13 optically selected type 2 quasars (QSO2) at z < 0.2 with the Very Large Array (VLA) FIRST Survey radio detections, none of which are radio-loud. The ranges of [OIII]λ5007 and monochromatic radio luminosities are log(L[OIII]/erg s−1) ∼ 42.08–42.79 and log(P1.4 GHz/erg s−1 Hz−1) ∼ 30.08−31.76. All of them show complex optical morphologies, with signs of distortion across tens of kpc due to mergers and interactions. Methods. We searched for evidence of interactions between the radio structures and the ionised gas by characterising and comparing their morphologies. The former was traced by narrow band Hα images obtained with the GTC 10.4 m Spanish telescope and the Osiris instrument. The latter is traced by VLA radio maps obtained with A and B configurations to achieve both high resolution and brightness sensitivity. Results. The radio luminosity has an active galatic nucleus (AGN) component in 11 our of 13 QSO2, which is spatially extended in our radio data in 9 of them (jets, lobes, or other). The relative contribution of the extended radio emission to the total P1.4 GHz is in most cases in the range from 30% to 90%. The maximum sizes are in the range of dRmax of around a few to 500 kpc. The QSO2 undergoing interaction or merger events appear to be invariably associated with ionised gas spread over large spatial scales with maximum distances from the AGN in the range rmax ∼ 12−90 kpc. The morphology of the ionised gas at < 30 kpc is strongly influenced by AGN related processes. Evidence for radio-gas interactions exist in 10 out of 13 QSO2; that is, in all but one with confirmed AGN radio components. The interactions are identified across different spatial scales, from the nuclear narrow line region up to tens of kpc. Conclusions. Although this sample cannot be considered representative of the general population of QSO2, it supports the idea that large-scale low to modest power radio sources can exist in radio-quiet QSO2, which can provide a source of feedback on scales of the spheroidal component of galaxies and well into the circumgalactic medium, in systems where radiative mode feedback is expected to dominate.

We investigate the role of the close environment on the nuclear activity of a sample of 436 nearby (z &lt; 0.3) QSO 2’s – selected from SDSS-III spectra, via comparison of their environment and interaction parameters with those of a control sample of 1308 galaxies. We have used the corresponding SDSS images to obtain the number of neighbour galaxies N, tidal strength parameter Q and asymmetry parameters. We find a small excess of N in the QSOs compared to its three controls, and no difference in Q. The main difference is an excess of asymmetry in the QSOs hosts, which is almost twice that of the control galaxies. This difference is not due to the hosts’ morphology, since there is no difference in their Galaxy Zoo classifications. HST images of two highly asymmetric QSO 2 hosts of our sample show that both sources have a close companion (at projected separations ∼ 5 kpc), which we thus conclude is the cause of the observed asymmetry in the lower resolution SDSS images. The mean projected radius of the controls is 〈r〉 = 8.53 ±0.06 kpc, while that of the QSO hosts is 〈r〉 = 9.39 ±0.12 kpc, supporting the presence of interaction signatures in the outer regions of the QSO hosts. Our results favour a scenario in which nuclear activity in QSO 2’s is triggered by close galaxy interactions – when the distance between the host and companion is of the order of the galaxy radius, implying that they are already in the process of merger.

We present ALMA CO (2-1) observations of the Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 3281 at ∼ 100 pc spatial resolution. This galaxy was previously known to present a bi-conical ionised gas outflow extending to 2 kpc from the nucleus. The analysis of the CO moment and channel maps, as well as kinematic modelling reveals two main components in the molecular gas: one rotating in the galaxy plane and another outflowing and extending up to ∼ 1.8 – 2.6 kpc from the nucleus, partially encasing the ionised component. The mass of the outflowing molecular gas component is Mmol, out = (2.5 ± 1.6) × 106 $\rm {M_{\odot }}$, representing ∼ 1.7 – 2 % of the total molecular gas seen in emission within the inner 2.3 kpc. The corresponding mass outflow rate and power are $\dot{M}_{\mathrm{out},\mathrm{mol}}$ = 0.12 – 0.72 $\rm {M_{\odot }\, yr^{-1}}$ and $\dot{E}_{\mathrm{out},\mathrm{mol}}$ = (0.045 – 1.6) ×  1040 $\rm {erg\, s^{-1}}$, which translates to a kinetic coupling efficiency with the AGN power of only 10−4 – 0.02 %. This value reaches up to 0.1 % when including both the feedback in the ionised and molecular gas, as well as considering that only part of the energy couples kinetically with the gas. Some of the non-rotating CO emission can also be attributed to inflow in the galaxy plane towards the nucleus. The similarity of the CO outflow – encasing the ionised gas one and the X-ray emission – to those seen in other sources, suggests that this may be a common property of galactic outflows.