Nuclear Activity in Galaxies: a 3D Perspective from the Nucleus to the Outskirts

    General
    Description

    This project consists of two main research lines. First, the study of quasar-driven outflows in luminous and nearby obscured active galactic nuclei (AGN) and the impact that they have on their massive host galaxies (AGN feedback). To do so, we have obtained Gran Telescopio CANARIAS (GTC) infrared and optical observations with the instruments CanariCam, EMIR and MEGARA, as well as with ALMA in the sub-mm/mm regime. Part of this project is being done within the framework of the H2020 Innovative Training Network BID4BEST. The group is also devoted to obtain and exploit observing time with the JWST and ALMA as part of the GATOS consortium (Galactic Activity, Torus and Outflow Survey) with the aim of characterizing nuclear obscuration and the gas flow cycle in local AGN. Second, the application of integral field spectroscopy to the study of extended objects (active and star forming galaxies) to investigate the triggering of both phenomena. We also contribute to the development of new instruments and data analysis procedures related to 3D observing techniques. In particular, we participate in the development of HARMONI, the first-light high-spatial resolution integral field spectrograph for the ESO Extremely Large Telescope.

    Principal investigator
    Project staff
    1. Publication of a letter in MNRAS in which we studied the interplay between the ionized gas winds and the young stellar populations in the type-2 quasar Mrk 34 (Bessiere & Ramos Almeida 2022). We find evidence of positive and negative feedback happening in different parts of the same galaxy, induced by the ionized outflow. This study, part of the QSOFEED project, opens a new window to investigate the direct impact of nuclear activity on star formation in galaxies.

    2. Publication of a detailed study of the ionized and warm molecular gas kinematics in the type-2 quasar J0945+1737, part of the QSOFEED sample (Speranza et al. 2022). We reported measurements of an ionized outflow with a maximum outflow rate of 51 Msun/yr, and lack of its warm molecular counterpart.

    3. The European Network H2020-ITN-2019 "Big Data Applications for Black Hole Evolution Studies" (BID4BEST) started on March, 1st 2020 (end date Feb, 28th 2024). PhD student Giovanna Speranza started her contract at the IAC in September 2020.

    4. The total budget awarded to this project through external funding sources corresponds to 1.152.000 euros (452.000 euros - PI: C. Ramos & 700.000 euros - PI: B. García). This only includes projects starting in or after 2020, and most of the funding has been invested in hiring new researchers. Currently we are the IAC group with larger female participation.

    5. Publication of the two first papers based on the GATOS sample (García-Burillo et al. 2021; Alonso-Herrero et al. 2021). The GATOS collaboration was awarded two JWST proposals in Cycle 1, led by D. Rosario (University of Newcastle, UK) and T. Shimizu (MPE, Germany).

    6. Publication of a study of the morphology and kinematics of the cold molecular in a sample of type-2 quasars (QSO2s) at z=0.1 (Ramos Almeida et al. 2022). The study is based on data from the ALMA interferometer in the mm range, and it is part of the QSOFEED project.

    7. Publication of the work García-Lorenzo et al. (2022), which presents an analysis of the capabilities of HARMONI to reveal the stellar morpho-kinematic properties of the host galaxies of AGNs at cosmic noon.

    Related publications

    Quantifying Star Formation Activity in the Inner 1 kpc of Local MIR Bright QSOs 2019ApJ...871..190M
    SOFIA/FORCAST resolves 30-40 μm extended dust emission in nearby active galactic nuclei 2019MNRAS.483.3404F
    An imaging spectroscopic survey of the planetary nebula NGC 7009 with MUSE★ 2018A&A...620A.169W
    New active galactic nuclei science cases with interferometry. An incomplete preview 2018ExA....46..413H
    MUSE crowded field 3D spectroscopy in NGC 300. I. First results from central fields 2018A&A...618A...3R
    Nearly all the sky is covered by Lyman-α emission around high-redshift galaxies 2018Natur.562..229W
    Diffuse interstellar bands λ5780 and λ5797 in the Antennae Galaxy as seen by MUSE 2018A&A...615A..33M
    Quantifying the AGN-driven outflows in ULIRGs (QUADROS) - II. Evidencefor compact outflow regions from HST [O III] imaging observations 2018MNRAS.478.1558T
    The origin of the mid-infrared nuclear polarization of active galactic nuclei 2018MNRAS.478.2350L
    The host galaxy of the γ-ray-emitting narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy PKS 1502+036 2018MNRAS.478L..66D
    Resolving the Nuclear Obscuring Disk in the Compton-thick Seyfert Galaxy NGC 5643 with ALMA 2018ApJ...859..144A
    The Emission and Distribution of Dust of the Torus of NGC 1068 2018ApJ...859...99L
    Circumnuclear Star Formation and AGN Activity: Clues from Surface Brightness Radial Profile of PAHs and [{\rm{S}}\,{\rm{IV}}] 2018ApJ...859..124E
    Lyman-continuum leakage as dominant source of diffuse ionized gas in the Antennae galaxy 2018A&A...611A..95W
    Precision Determination of Corotation Radii in Galaxy Disks: Tremaine–Weinberg versus Font–Beckman for NGC 3433 2018ApJ...854..182B
    The largely unconstrained multiphase nature of outflows in AGN host galaxies 2018NatAs...2..176C
    An UXor among FUors: Extinction-related Brightness Variations of the Young Eruptive Star V582 Aur 2018ApJ...853...28A
    Quantifying the AGN-driven outflows in ULIRGs (QUADROS) - I: VLT/Xshooter observations of nine nearby objects 2018MNRAS.474..128R
    Morpho-kinematic properties of field S0 bulges in the CALIFA survey 2018MNRAS.474.1307M
    A 100 kpc nebula associated with the `Teacup' fading quasar 2018MNRAS.474.2302V
    Mapping diffuse interstellar bands in the local ISM on small scales via MUSE 3D spectroscopy. A pilot study based on globular cluster NGC 6397 2017A&A...607A.133W
    ALMA imaging of C2H emission in the disk of NGC 1068 2017A&A...608A..56G
    The ESO Diffuse Interstellar Bands Large Exploration Survey (EDIBLES) . I. Project description, survey sample, and quality assessment 2017A&A...606A..76C
    Nuclear obscuration in active galactic nuclei 2017NatAs...1..679R
    Galaxy-wide radio-induced feedback in a radio-quiet quasar 2017MNRAS.472.4659V
    The Wolf-Rayet star population in the dwarf galaxy NGC 625 2017A&A...603A.130M
    Polarization of the changing-look quasar J1011+5442 2017A&A...604L...3H
    A mid-infrared statistical investigation of clumpy torus model predictions 2017MNRAS.470.2578G
    The infrared to X-ray correlation spectra of unobscured type 1 active galactic nuclei 2017MNRAS.469..110G
    An infrared view of AGN feedback in a type-2 quasar: the case of the Teacup galaxy 2017MNRAS.470..964R
    A comparison between the soft X-ray and [O III] morphologies of active galactic nuclei 2017MNRAS.469.2720G
    Uncovering the host galaxy of the γ-ray-emitting narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy FBQS J1644+2619 2017MNRAS.469L..11D
    The complex, dusty narrow-line region of NGC 4388: gas-jet interactions, outflows and extinction revealed by near-IR spectroscopy 2017MNRAS.465..906R
    Hints on the Gradual Resizing of the Torus in AGNs through Decomposition of Spitzer/IRS Spectra 2017ApJ...841...37G
    Survival of the Obscuring Torus in the Most Powerful Active Galactic Nuclei 2017ApJ...841L..18M
    The dusty tori of nearby QSOs as constrained by high-resolution mid-IR observations 2017MNRAS.468....2M
    Young stellar populations in type II quasars: timing the onset of star formation and nuclear activity 2017MNRAS.466.3887B
    Kinematic Clues to Bar Evolution for Galaxies in the Local Universe: Why the Fastest Rotating Bars are Rotating Most Slowly 2017ApJ...835..279F
    Stellar kinematics across the Hubble sequence in the CALIFA survey: general properties and aperture corrections 2017A&A...597A..48F
    Infrared polarimetry of Mrk 231: scattering off hot dust grains in the central core 2017MNRAS.464.1762L

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