Bibcode
Martínez-Paredes, M.; Aretxaga, I.; González-Martín, O.; Alonso-Herrero, A.; Levenson, N. A.; Ramos Almeida, C.; López-Rodríguez, E.
Bibliographical reference
The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 871, Issue 2, article id. 190, 9 pp. (2019).
Advertised on:
2
2019
Journal
Citations
8
Refereed citations
8
Description
We examine star formation activity in a distant (z < 0.1) and
flux-limited sample of quasars (QSOs). Midinfrared (MIR) spectral
diagnostics at high spatial resolution (∼0.4 arcsec) yield star
formation rates (SFRs) in the inner regions (∼300 pc–1 kpc)
for 13 of 20 of the sample members. We group these objects according to
the size probed by the high angular resolution spectroscopy, with
characteristic scales of <0.7 and ∼0.7–1 kpc. Using the
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) feature at 11.3 μm, we measure
SFRs around 0.2 and 1.6 M ⊙ yr‑1. We
also measure the larger aperture PAH-derived SFRs in the individual
IRS/Spitzer spectra of the sample and obtain a clear detection in
∼58% of them. We compare smaller and larger aperture measurements
and find that they are similar, suggesting that star formation activity
in these QSOs is more centrally concentrated, with the inner region
(≲1 kpc) accounting for the majority of star formation measured on
these scales, and that PAH molecules can be present in most local
MIR-bright QSOs within a few hundred parsecs from the central engine. By
comparison with merger simulations, we find that our estimation of the
SFR and black hole (BH) accretion rates are consistent with a scenario
in which the star formation activity is centrally peaked as predicted by
simulations.
Related projects
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 obtained Gran Telescopio CANARIAS (GTC) infrared and optical observations with the instruments
Cristina
Ramos Almeida