ABSTRACT We present a study of the stellar host galaxy, CO (1–0) molecular gas distribution and AGN emission on 50–500 pc-scales of the gravitationally lensed dust-obscured AGN MG J0751+2716 and JVAS B1938+666 at redshifts 3.200 and 2.059, respectively. By correcting for the lensing distortion using a grid-based lens modelling technique, we spatially locate the different emitting regions in the source plane for the first time. Both AGN host galaxies have 300–500 pc-scale size and surface brightness consistent with a bulge/pseudo-bulge, and 2 kpc-scale AGN radio jets that are embedded in extended molecular gas reservoirs that are 5–20 kpc in size. The CO (1–0) velocity fields show structures possibly associated with discs (elongated velocity gradients) and interacting objects (off-axis velocity components). There is evidence for a decrement in the CO (1–0) surface brightness at the location of the host galaxy, which may indicate radiative feedback from the AGN, or offset star formation. We find CO–H2 conversion factors of around αCO = 1.5 ± 0.5 (K km s−1 pc2)−1, molecular gas masses of >3 × 1010 M⊙, dynamical masses of ∼1011 M⊙, and gas fractions of around 60 per cent. The intrinsic CO line luminosities are comparable to those of unobscured AGN and dusty star-forming galaxies at similar redshifts, but the infrared luminosities are lower, suggesting that the targets are less efficient at forming stars. Therefore, they may belong to the AGN feedback phase predicted by galaxy formation models, because they are not efficiently forming stars considering their large amount of molecular gas.
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Evidence for extended gaseous reservoirs around AGN at cosmic noon from ALMA CO(3−2) observations
Gaseous outflows are key phenomena in the evolution of galaxies, as they affect star formation (either positively or negatively), eject gas from the core or disc, and directly cause mixing of pristine and processed material. Active outflows may be detected through searches for broad spectral line emission or high-velocity gas, but it is also possible to determine the presence of past outflows by searching for extended reservoirs of chemically enriched molecular gas in the circumgalactic medium (CGM) around galaxies. In this work, we examine the CO(3−2) emission of a set of seven z ∼ 2.0–2.5 active galactic nuclei (AGN) host galaxies, as observed with ALMA. Through a 3D stacking analysis, we find evidence for extended CO emission of radius r ∼ 13 kpc. We extend this analysis to the HST/ACS i-band images of the sample galaxies, finding a complex small-scale (r < 10 kpc) morphology but no robust evidence for extended emission. In addition, the dust emission (traced by rest-frame FIR emission) shows no evidence for significant spatial extension. This indicates that the diffuse CO emission revealed by ALMA is morphologically distinct from the stellar component, and thus traces an extended reservoir of enriched gas. The presence of a diffuse, enriched molecular reservoir around this sample of AGN host galaxies at cosmic noon hints at a history of AGN-driven outflows that likely had strong effects on the star formation history of these objects.
more » « less- PAR ID:
- 10380599
- Publisher / Repository:
- Oxford University Press
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
- Volume:
- 518
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 0035-8711
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- p. 691-708
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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