Pulling Back the Curtain on Shocks and Star Formation in NGC 1266 with Gemini-NIFS
Journal article, 2024
We present Gemini near-infrared integral field spectrograph K-band observations of the central 400 pc of NGC 1266, a nearby (D ≈ 30 Mpc) post-starburst galaxy with a powerful multiphase outflow and a shocked interstellar medium. We detect seven H2 rovibrational emission lines excited thermally to T ∼ 2000 K, and weak Brγ emission, consistent with a fast continuous shock (or C-shock). With these bright H2 lines, we observe the spatial structure of the shock with an unambiguous tracer for the first time. The Brγ emission is concentrated in the central ≲100 pc, indicating that any remaining star formation in NGC 1266 is in the nucleus, while the surrounding cold molecular gas has little ongoing star formation. Though it is unclear what fraction of this Brγ emission is from star formation or the active galactic nuclei (AGN), assuming it is entirely due to star formation we measure an instantaneous star formation rate of 0.7 M ⊙ yr−1, though the star formation rate may be significantly higher in the presence of additional extinction. NGC 1266 provides a unique laboratory to study the complex interactions between AGN, outflows, shocks, and star formation, all of which are necessary to unravel the evolution of the post-starburst phase.
Author
Justin A. Otter
Johns Hopkins University
K. Alatalo
Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)
Johns Hopkins University
Kate Rowlands
Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)
Johns Hopkins University
Richard M. McDermid
ARC Centre of Excellence for All-sky Astrophysics (CAASTRO)
Macquarie University
Timothy A. Davis
Cardiff University
C. Federrath
ARC Centre of Excellence for All-sky Astrophysics (CAASTRO)
Australian National University
K. Decker French
University of Illinois
Timothy Heckman
Arizona State University
Johns Hopkins University
Patrick Ogle
Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)
D. Kakkad
Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)
Yuanze Luo
Johns Hopkins University
K. Nyland
Naval Research Laboratory
Akshat Tripathi
University of Illinois
Pallavi Patil
Johns Hopkins University
Andreea O. Petric
Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)
Adam Smercina
University of Washington
Maya Skarbinski
Johns Hopkins University
Lauranne Lanz
The College of New Jersey
Kristin Larson
Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)
P. Appleton
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
Susanne Aalto
Chalmers, Space, Earth and Environment, Astronomy and Plasmaphysics
Gustav Olander
Chalmers, Space, Earth and Environment, Astronomy and Plasmaphysics
Elizaveta Sazonova
University of Waterloo
J. D.T. Smith
University of Toledo
Astrophysical Journal
0004-637X (ISSN) 1538-4357 (eISSN)
Vol. 975 1 142Exploring the Hidden Dusty Nuclei of Galaxies (HIDDeN)
European Research Council (ERC) (789410), 2018-10-01 -- 2023-09-30.
Subject Categories (SSIF 2011)
Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences
Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology
DOI
10.3847/1538-4357/ad793a