Bibcode
Marques-Chaves, R.; Pérez-Fournon, I.; Villar-Martín, M.; Gavazzi, R.; Riechers, D.; Rigopoulou, D.; Wardlow, J.; Cabrera-Lavers, A.; Clements, D. L.; Colina, L.; Cooray, A.; Farrah, D.; Ivison, R. J.; Jiménez-Ángel, C.; Martínez-Navajas, P.; Nayyeri, H.; Oliver, S.; Omont, A.; Scott, D.; Shu, Y.
Bibliographical reference
Astronomy and Astrophysics, Volume 629, id.A23, 12 pp.
Advertised on:
9
2019
Journal
Citations
11
Refereed citations
11
Description
We present the discovery of HLock01-LAB, a luminous and large Lyα
nebula at z = 3.326. Medium-band imaging and long-slit spectroscopic
observations with the Gran Telescopio Canarias reveal extended emission
in the Lyα 1215 Å, C IV 1550 Å, and He II 1640 Å
lines over ˜100 kpc, and a total luminosity LLyα
= (6.4 ± 0.1)×1044 erg s-1.
HLock01-LAB presents an elongated morphology aligned with two faint
radio sources contained within the central ˜8 kpc of the nebula.
The radio structures are consistent with faint radio jets or lobes of a
central galaxy, whose spectrum shows nebular emission characteristic of
a type-II active galactic nucleus (AGN). The continuum emission of the
AGN at short wavelengths is however likely dominated by stellar emission
of the host galaxy, for which we derive a stellar mass M*
≃ 2.3 × 1011 M⊙. Our kinematic
analysis shows that the ionized gas is perturbed almost exclusively in
the inner region between the radio structures, probably as a consequence
of jet-gas interactions, whereas in the outer regions the ionized gas
appears more quiescent. The detection of extended emission in C IV and C
III] indicates that the gas within the nebula is not primordial.
Feedback may have enriched the halo at at least 50 kpc from the nuclear
region. Using rest-frame UV emission-line diagnostics, we find that the
gas in the nebula is likely heated by the AGN. Nevertheless, at the
center of the nebula we find extreme emission line ratios of Lyα/C
IV ˜60 and Lyα/He II ˜80, one of the highest values
measured to date, and well above the standard values of photoionization
models (Lyα/He II ˜30 for case B photoionization). Our data
suggest that jet-induced shocks are likely responsible for the increase
of the electron temperature and, thus, the observed Lyα
enhancement in the center of the nebula. This scenario is further
supported by the presence of radio structures and perturbed kinematics
in this region. The large Lyα luminosity in HLock01-LAB is likely
due to a combination of AGN photoionization and jet-induced shocks,
highlighting the diversity of sources of energy powering Lyα
nebulae. Future follow-up observations of HLock01-LAB will help to
reveal the finer details of the excitation conditions of the gas induced
by jets and to investigate the underlying cooling and feedback processes
in this unique object.
The reduced images and 2D spectra are only available at the CDS via
anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr
(ftp://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/629/A23
Related projects
Formation and Evolution of Galaxies: Observations in Infrared and other Wavelengths
This IAC research group carries out several extragalactic projects in different spectral ranges, using space as well as ground-based telescopes, to study the cosmological evolution of galaxies and the origin of nuclear activity in active galaxies. The group is a member of the international consortium which built the SPIRE instrument for the
Ismael
Pérez Fournon