Active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback is postulated as a key mechanism for regulating star formation within galaxies. Studying the physical properties of the outflowing gas from AGNs is thus crucial for understanding the coevolution of galaxies and supermassive black holes. Here we report 55 pc resolution ALMA neutral atomic carbon [C
The center of the nearby galaxy NGC 253 hosts a population of more than a dozen super star clusters (SSCs) that are still in the process of forming. The majority of the star formation of the burst is concentrated in these SSCs, and the starburst is powering a multiphase outflow from the galaxy. In this work, we measure the 350 GHz dust continuum emission toward the center of NGC 253 at 47 mas (0.8 pc) resolution using data from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array. We report the detection of 350 GHz (dust) continuum emission in the outflow for the first time, associated with the prominent South-West streamer. In this feature, the dust emission has a width of ≈8 pc, is located at the outer edge of the CO emission, and corresponds to a molecular gas mass of ∼(8–17)×106
- Award ID(s):
- 2108140
- Publication Date:
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10369508
- Journal Name:
- The Astrophysical Journal
- Volume:
- 935
- Issue:
- 1
- Page Range or eLocation-ID:
- Article No. 19
- ISSN:
- 0004-637X
- Publisher:
- DOI PREFIX: 10.3847
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
Abstract i ]3P 1−3P 0observations toward the central 1 kpc of the nearby Type 2 Seyfert galaxy NGC 1068, supplemented by 55 pc resolution CO(J = 1−0) observations. We find that [Ci ] emission within the central kiloparsec is strongly enhanced by a factor of >5 compared to the typical [Ci ]/CO intensity ratio of ∼0.2 for nearby starburst galaxies (in units of brightness temperature). The most [Ci ]-enhanced gas (ratio > 1) exhibits a kiloparsec-scale elongated structure centered at the AGN that matches the known biconical ionized gas outflow entraining molecular gas in the disk. A truncated, decelerating bicone model explains well the kinematics of the elongated structure, indicating that the [Ci ] enhancement is predominantly driven by the interaction between the ISM in the disk and the highly inclined ionized gas outflow (which is likely driven by the radio jet). Our results strongly favor the “CO dissociation scenario” rather than the “in situ C formation” one,more » -
Abstract The nearby, luminous infrared galaxy NGC 7469 hosts a Seyfert nucleus with a circumnuclear star-forming ring and is thus the ideal local laboratory for investigating the starburst–AGN (active galactic nucleus) connection in detail. We present integral-field observations of the central 1.3 kpc region in NGC 7469 obtained with the JWST Mid-InfraRed Instrument. Molecular and ionized gas distributions and kinematics at a resolution of ∼100 pc over the 4.9–7.6
μ m region are examined to study the gas dynamics influenced by the central AGN. The low-ionization [Feii ]λ 5.34μ m and [Arii ]λ 6.99μ m lines are bright on the nucleus and in the starburst ring, as opposed to H2S(5)λ 6.91μ m, which is strongly peaked at the center and surrounding ISM. The high-ionization [Mgv ] line is resolved and shows a broad, blueshifted component associated with the outflow. It has a nearly face-on geometry that is strongly peaked on the nucleus, where it reaches a maximum velocity of −650 km s−1, and extends about 400 pc to the east. Regions of enhanced velocity dispersion in H2and [Feii ] ∼ 180 pc from the AGN that also show highL (H2)/L (PAH) andL ([Feii ])/L (Pfα ) ratios to the W and N of the nucleus pinpoint regions where the ionized outflow is depositing energy, via shocks, into themore » -
ABSTRACT We observed the Brackett α emission line (4.05 μm) within the nuclear starburst of NGC 253 to measure the kinematics of ionized gas, and distinguish motions driven by star formation feedback from gravitational motions induced by the central mass structure. Using NIRSPEC on Keck II, we obtained 30 spectra through a $0^{\prime \prime }_{.}5$ slit stepped across the central ∼5 arcsec × 25 arcsec (85 × 425 pc) region to produce a spectral cube. The Br α emission resolves into four nuclear sources: S1 at the infrared core (IRC), N1 at the radio core, and the fainter sources N2 and N3 in the northeast. The line profile is characterized by a primary component with Δvprimary ∼90–130 $\rm km\, s^{-1}$ (full width at half-maximum) on top of a broad blue 2wing with Δvbroad ∼300–350 $\rm km\, s^{-1}$, and an additional redshifted narrow component in the west. The velocity field generated from our cube reveals several distinct patterns. A mean NE–SW velocity gradient of +10 $\rm km\, s^{-1}$ arcsec−1 along the major axis traces the solid-body rotation curve of the nuclear disc. At the radio core, isovelocity contours become S-shaped, indicating the presence of secondary nuclear bar of total extent ∼5 arcsec (90 pc). The symmetry of the bar places the galactic centre, and potential supermassivemore »
-
Abstract We compare embedded young massive star clusters (YMCs) to (sub-)millimeter line observations tracing the excitation and dissociation of molecular gas in the starburst ring of NGC 1365. This galaxy hosts one of the strongest nuclear starbursts and richest populations of YMCs within 20 Mpc. Here we combine near-/mid-IR PHANGS–JWST imaging with new Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array multi-
J CO (1–0, 2–1 and 4–3) and [C i ] (1–0) mapping, which we use to trace CO excitation viaR 42=I CO(4−3)/I CO(2−1)andR 21=I CO(2−1)/I CO(1−0)and dissociation viaR CICO=I [CI](1−0)/I CO(2−1)at 330 pc resolution. We find that the gas flowing into the starburst ring from northeast to southwest appears strongly affected by stellar feedback, showing decreased excitation (lowerR 42) and increased signatures of dissociation (higherR CICO) in the downstream regions. There, radiative-transfer modeling suggests that the molecular gas density decreases and temperature and [CI/CO] abundance ratio increase. We compareR 42andR CICOwith local conditions across the regions and find that both correlate with near-IR 2μ m emission tracing the YMCs and with both polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (11.3μ m) and dust continuum (21μ m) emission. In general,R CICOexhibits ∼0.1 dex tighter correlations thanR 42, suggestingC i to be a more sensitive tracer of changing physical conditions in the NGC 1365 starburst than CO (4–3). Our results are consistent with a scenario where gas flows into the two armmore » -
Abstract Large-scale bars can fuel galaxy centers with molecular gas, often leading to the development of dense ringlike structures where intense star formation occurs, forming a very different environment compared to galactic disks. We pair ∼0.″3 (30 pc) resolution new JWST/MIRI imaging with archival ALMA CO(2–1) mapping of the central ∼5 kpc of the nearby barred spiral galaxy NGC 1365 to investigate the physical mechanisms responsible for this extreme star formation. The molecular gas morphology is resolved into two well-known bright bar lanes that surround a smooth dynamically cold gas disk (
R gal∼ 475 pc) reminiscent of non-star-forming disks in early-type galaxies and likely fed by gas inflow triggered by stellar feedback in the lanes. The lanes host a large number of JWST-identified massive young star clusters. We find some evidence for temporal star formation evolution along the ring. The complex kinematics in the gas lanes reveal strong streaming motions and may be consistent with convergence of gas streamlines expected there. Indeed, the extreme line widths are found to be the result of inter-“cloud” motion between gas peaks;ScousePy decomposition reveals multiple components with line widths of 〈σ CO,scouse〉 ≈ 19 km s−1and surface densities of
