A near-infrared study of the multiphase outflow in the type-2 quasar J1509+0434

Fernández-Torreiro, M.; Cicone, C.; Tadhunter, C. N.; González-Fernández, C.; Acosta-Pulido, J. A.; Ramos Almeida, C.
Bibliographical reference

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters, Volume 487, Issue 1, p.L18-L23

Advertised on:
6
2019
Number of authors
6
IAC number of authors
2
Citations
31
Refereed citations
30
Description
Based on new near-infrared spectroscopic data from the instrument Espectrógrafo Multiobjeto Infra-Rojo (EMIR) on the 10.4 m Gran Telescopio Canarias, we report the presence of an ionized and warm molecular outflow in the luminous type-2 quasar J150904.22+043441.8 (z = 0.1118). The ionized outflow is faster than its molecular counterpart, although the outflow sizes that we derive for them are consistent within the errors (1.34 ± 0.18 and 1.46 ± 0.20 kpc, respectively). We use these radii, the broad emission-line luminosities and in the case of the ionized outflow, the density calculated from the trans-auroral [O II] and [S II] lines, to derive mass outflow rates and kinetic coupling efficiencies. While the ionized and warm molecular outflows represent a small fraction of the AGN power (≤0.033 and 0.0001 per cent of Lbol, respectively), the total molecular outflow, whose mass is estimated from an assumed warm-to-cold gas mass ratio of 6 × 10-5, has a kinetic coupling efficiency of ˜1.7 per cent Lbol. Despite the large uncertainty, this molecular outflow represents a significant fraction ofLbol and it could potentially have a significant impact on the host galaxy. In addition, the quasar spectrum reveals bright and patchy narrow Paα emission extending out to 4 arcsec (8 kpc) south-east and north-west from the active nucleus.
Related projects
Infrared spectra of the central region of five quasars observed with JWST show clear differences, especially in the silicate band, which reveals the presence of hotter or cooler dust around the black hole. Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA and C. Ramos Almeida. Composition: G. Pérez Díaz (SMM, IAC).
Nuclear Activity in Galaxies: a 3D Perspective from the Nucleus to the Outskirts
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 been granted time with the Gran Telescopio CANARIAS (GTC) in the optical and near-infrared ranges
Cristina
Ramos Almeida