Gemini Near-Infrared Field Spectrograph Observations of the Seyfert 2 Galaxy Mrk 3: Feeding and Feedback on Galactic and Nuclear Scales

Storchi‐Bergmann

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

et al. 2021

Self Cite

We study the gas distribution and kinematics of the inner kpc of six moderately luminous (43.43 ≤ log Lbol ≤ 44.83) nearby (0.004 ≤ z ≤ 0.014) Seyfert galaxies observed with the Near-infrared Integral Field Spectrograph (NIFS) in the J(1.25μm) and K(2.2μm) bands. We analyse the most intense emission lines detected on these spectral wavebands: [Fe ii] 1.2570 μm and Paβ, which trace the ionised gas in the partially and fully ionised regions, and H2 2.1218 μm, that traces the hot (∼2000 K) molecular gas. The dominant kinematic component is rotation in the disc of the galaxies, except for the ionised gas in NGC 5899 which shows only weak signatures of a disc component. We find ionised gas outflow in four galaxies, while signatures of H2 outflows are seen in three galaxies. The ionised gas outflows display velocities of a few hundred km s−1, and their mass-outflow rates are in the range 0.005 − 12.49 M⊙yr−1. Their kinetic powers correspond to 0.005 − 0.7 per cent of the AGN bolometric luminosities. Besides rotation and outflows signatures in some cases, the H2 kinematics reveals also inflows in three galaxies. The inflow velocities are 50 − 80 km s−1and the mass inflow rates are in the range 1 − 9 × 10−4 M⊙yr−1 for hot molecular gas. These inflows might be only the hot skin of the total inflowing gas, which is expected to be dominated by colder gas. The mass inflow rates are lower than the current accretion rates to the AGN, and the ionised outflows are apparently disturbing the gas in the inner kpc.

supporting

confidence: 53%

Gemini NIFS survey of feeding and feedback in nearby active galaxies – V. Molecular and ionized gas kinematics

Storchi‐Bergmann

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

et al. 2021

Self Cite

“…Due to the dynamical configuration observed, with the gas significantly misaligned and in a polar configuration with respect to the major axis of the galaxy, the origin of the gas can be clearly identified as external, as also seen for several other galaxies in similar configurations (e.g. Sil'chenko et al 2019, Gnilka et al 2020, as secular processes are not able to explain large quantities of misaligned gas (Caldwell et al 1986, Kannappan & Fabricant 2001. The properties of NGC 5077 match rather well the predictions from numerical simulations by van de Voort et al (2015), where an early type galaxy can show a misaligned gas distribution caused by late-time gas accretion after a gas-rich major merger.…”

Section: Origin Of the Gasmentioning

confidence: 53%

“…NGC 4993 has a relatively weak AGN (L X (0.5−8keV) = 2×10 39 erg s −1 ), and Levan et al (2017) argue that the line ratios observed are not caused by the AGN but by hot post-AGB stars or shocks, similar to what has been found in other early-type galaxies without AGN. Mrk 3, another S0 galaxy with ionised gas out to ∼ 5 kpc scales, also shows excitation by AGN (Gnilka et al 2020), although the AGN in Mrk 3 is more luminous (L bol = 2 × 10 45 erg s −1 ) than NGC 5077. NGC 5077 appears to have a weak AGN but bright enough to dominate as the excitation mechanism.…”

Section: Excitation Mechanismsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We hypothesised that NGC 4993 may have had a similar history of external accretion as NGC 5077, possibly explained by the scenario of van de Voort et al (2015). The S0 galaxy Mrk 3 (Gnilka et al 2020), is another example of a galaxy with a large decoupled distribution of gas and the presence of dust lanes caused by accretion of gas from a companion galaxy. Such similarities point towards a common set of observables after an external accretion event in S0 galaxies.…”

Section: Group Environmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

External gas accretion provides a fresh gas supply to the active S0 galaxy NGC 5077

Raimundo

2021

A&A

In early-type galaxies, externally accreted gas is thought to be the main source of gas replenishment at late times. We use MUSE integral field spectroscopy data to study the active S0 galaxy NGC 5077, which is known to have disturbed dynamics that are indicative of a past external interaction. We confirm the presence of a stellar kinematically distinct core with a diameter of 2.8 kpc that is counter-rotating with respect to the main stellar body of the galaxy. We find that the counter-rotating core consists of an old stellar population that is not significantly different from the rest of the galaxy. The ionised gas is strongly warped and extends out to 6.5 kpc in the polar direction and in a filamentary structure. The gas dynamics is complex, with significant changes in the position angle as a function of radius. The ionised gas line ratios are consistent with LINER excitation by the active galactic nucleus, both in the nucleus and at kiloparsec scales. We discover a nuclear outflow with projected velocity V ∼ 400 km s−1, consistent with a hollow outflow cone intersecting the plane of the sky. The properties of the misaligned gas match predictions from numerical simulations of misaligned gas infall after a gas-rich merger. The warp and change in the gas orientation as a function of radius are consistent with gas relaxation due to stellar torques; these are stronger at small radii where the gas aligns faster than in the outer regions, driving gas to the nucleus. The stellar and gas dynamics indicate that NGC 5077 has had at least two external interactions, one that resulted in the formation of the counter-rotating core, followed by the second, late-time external gas accretion. NGC 5077 illustrates the importance of external interactions in the replenishment of the galaxy gas reservoir and the nuclear gas content available for black hole fuelling.

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

“…More recently, there have been studies using ground-based integral field units (IFUs) observations (e.g. Barbosa et al 2006;Storchi-Bergmann et al 2010;Fischer et al 2017;Gnilka et al 2020). There have been several analyses of the outflow kinematics (e.g.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Hubble Space Telescope[O iii] emission-line kinematics in two nearby QSO2s: a case for X-ray feedback

Falcão

Kraemer

Fischer

et al. 2021

We present a dynamical study of the narrow-line regions in two nearby QSO2s. We construct dynamical models based on detailed photoionisation models of the emission-line gas, including the effects of internal dust, to apply to observations of large-scale outflows from these AGNs. We use Mrk 477 and Mrk 34 in order to test our models against recent HST STIS observations of [O III] emission-line kinematics, since these AGNs possess more energetic outflows than found in Seyfert galaxies. We find that the outflows within 500 pc are consistent with radiative acceleration of dusty gas, however the outflows in Mrk 34 are significantly more extended and may not be directly accelerated by radiation. We characterise the properties of X-ray winds found from the expansion of [O III]-emitting gas close to the black hole. We show that such winds possess the kinetic energy density to disturb [O III] gas at ∼ 1.8 kpc, and have sufficient energy to entrain the [O III] clouds at ∼ 1.2 kpc. Assuming that the X-ray wind possesses the same radial mass distribution as the [O III] gas, we find that the peak kinetic luminosity for this wind is 2 per cent of Mrk 34’s bolometric luminosity, which is in the 0.5 per cent - 5 per cent range required by some models for efficient feedback. Our work shows that, although the kinetic luminosity as measured from [O III]-emitting gas is frequently low, X-ray winds may provide more than one order of magnitude higher kinetic power.