GOALS-JWST: Gas Dynamics and Excitation in NGC 7469 Revealed by NIRSpec
Artikel i vetenskaplig tidskrift, 2024

We present new JWST NIRSpec integral field spectroscopy (IFS) data for the luminous infrared galaxy NGC 7469, a nearby (70.6 Mpc) active galaxy with a Seyfert 1.5 nucleus that drives a highly ionized gas outflow and a prominent nuclear star-forming ring. Using the superb sensitivity and high spatial resolution of the JWST instrument NIRSpec IFS, we investigate the role of the Seyfert nucleus in the excitation and dynamics of the circumnuclear gas. Our analysis focuses on the [Fe ii], H2, and hydrogen recombination lines that trace the radiation/shocked-excited molecular and ionized interstellar medium around the active galactic nucleus (AGN). We investigate gas excitation through H2/Brγ and [Fe ii]/Paβ emission line ratios and find that photoionization by the AGN dominates within the central 300 pc of the galaxy except in a small region that shows signatures of shock-heated gas; these shock-heated regions are likely associated with a compact radio jet. In addition, the velocity field and velocity dispersion maps reveal complex gas kinematics. Rotation is the dominant feature, but we also identify noncircular motions consistent with gas inflows as traced by the velocity residuals and the spiral pattern in the Paα velocity dispersion map. The inflow is 2 orders of magnitude higher than the AGN accretion rate. The compact nuclear radio jet has enough power to drive the highly ionized outflow. This scenario suggests that the inflow and outflow are in a self-regulating feeding-feedback process, with a contribution from the radio jet helping to drive the outflow.

Författare

Marina Bianchin

University of California at Irvine (UCI)

U. Vivian

University of California at Irvine (UCI)

Y. Song

European Southern Observatory Santiago

Atacama Large Millimeter-submillimeter Array (ALMA)

Thomas Lai

California Institute of Technology (Caltech)

Raymond P. Remigio

University of California at Irvine (UCI)

Loreto Barcos-Munoz

University of Virginia

National Radio Astronomy Observatory

T. Diaz-Santos

European University Cyprus

Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas (FORTH)

Lee Armus

California Institute of Technology (Caltech)

H. Inami

Hiroshima University

K. Larson

Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)

Aaron S. Evans

University of Virginia

National Radio Astronomy Observatory

T. Boker

Europeiska rymdorganisationen (ESA)

Justin A. Kader

University of California at Irvine (UCI)

S. T. Linden

University of Massachusetts

V. Charmandaris

European University Cyprus

Panepistimio Kritis

Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas (FORTH)

M. A. Malkan

University of California

Jeff Rich

Carnegie Observatories

Thomas Bohn

Hiroshima University

Anne M. Medling

University of Toledo

ARC Centre of Excellence for All-sky Astrophysics

S. Stierwalt

Occidental College

J. Mazzarella

California Institute of Technology (Caltech)

David Law

Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)

G. Privon

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

University of Virginia

National Radio Astronomy Observatory

Susanne Aalto

Chalmers, Rymd-, geo- och miljövetenskap, Astronomi och plasmafysik

P. Appleton

California Institute of Technology (Caltech)

Michael J.I. Brown

Universiteit Leiden

Victorine A. Buiten

Universiteit Leiden

Luke Finnerty

University of California

Christopher C. Hayward

Flatiron Institute

Justin Howell

California Institute of Technology (Caltech)

K. Iwasawa

Universitat de Barcelona

Institucio Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avancats

F. Kemper

Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)

Institucio Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avancats

Centre Tecnològic de Telecomunicacions de Catalunya (CTTC)

Jason Marshall

Glendale Community College

Jed McKinney

University of Massachusetts

Francisco Muller-Sanchez

University of Memphis

Eric J. Murphy

National Radio Astronomy Observatory

P. van der Werf

Universiteit Leiden

David Sanders

University of Hawaii

J. A. Surace

California Institute of Technology (Caltech)

Astrophysical Journal

0004-637X (ISSN) 1538-4357 (eISSN)

Vol. 965 2 103

Ämneskategorier (SSIF 2011)

Astronomi, astrofysik och kosmologi

Atom- och molekylfysik och optik

DOI

10.3847/1538-4357/ad2a50

Mer information

Senast uppdaterat

2025-03-09