High-resolution Optical IFU Spectroscopy of the Complex Galaxy Merger II Zw 096
Journal article, 2025
Luminous and ultraluminous IR galaxies are critical for investigating feedback mechanisms due to a combination of intense star formation episodes and active galactic nuclei (AGN), particularly in the context of complex galaxy interactions. We conduct a detailed analysis of the II ZW 096 merging system using the Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer on the Very Large Telescope, combining high-resolution narrow-field mode and large-area wide-field mode observations. We mapped the morphology, kinematics, and ionizing radiation of the system’s gas by fitting atomic emission lines and the optical continuum. We identify three or more distinct galaxies within II ZW 096, revealing rotational patterns and complex interactions consistent with a collapsing small galaxy group. The kinematics and ionization structures suggest high star formation rates and shock-driven processes, which align with this proposed scenario. Focusing on the D1 compact region, which contributes 40%-70% of the system’s IR emission, and combining information from archival multiwavelength observations, we find strong evidence of a heavily obscured AGN powering it. Our analysis of the internal structure, interactions, and merger state of II ZW 096 offers novel insights into the galaxy evolution processes in this dynamic and highly chaotic system.
Author
Clemente Riesco
Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile
E. Treister
Universidad de Tarapacá
Giacomo Venturi
Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa
F. E. Bauer
Universidad de Tarapacá
G. Privon
National Radio Astronomy Observatory
University of Virginia
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Carolina Finlez
Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile
Sandra Zamora
Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa
Dusan Tubín-Arenas
Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam
University of Potsdam
Y. Song
Atacama Large Millimeter-submillimeter Array (ALMA)
European Southern Observatory Santiago
Ignacio del Moral-Castro
Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile
C. Ricci
Diego Portales University
Beijing University of Technology
C. Ramos Almeida
University of La Laguna
Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias
Nancy A. Levenson
Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)
U. Vivian
University of California
Anne M. Medling
University of Toledo
Susanne Aalto
Chalmers, Space, Earth and Environment, Astronomy and Plasmaphysics
Giuseppe D’Ago
University of Cambridge
Valeria Olivares
University of Santiago, Chile
Loreto Barcos-Munoz
University of Virginia
National Radio Astronomy Observatory
Federica Ricci
Universita degli studi - Roma Tre
Gustav Olander
Chalmers, Space, Earth and Environment, Astronomy and Plasmaphysics
Francisco Muller-Sanchez
University of Memphis
Patricia B. Tissera
Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile
Astrophysical Journal
0004-637X (ISSN) 1538-4357 (eISSN)
Vol. 990 2 136Exploring the Hidden Dusty Nuclei of Galaxies (HIDDeN)
European Research Council (ERC) (789410), 2018-10-01 -- 2023-09-30.
Subject Categories (SSIF 2025)
Atom and Molecular Physics and Optics
Astronomy, Astrophysics, and Cosmology
DOI
10.3847/1538-4357/adee18