Abstract We investigate the cold and warm gas content, kinematics, and spatial distribution of six local massive elliptical galaxies to probe the origin of the multiphase gas in their atmospheres. We report new observations, including Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy [C ii ], Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array CO, Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) H α +[N ii ], and Very Large Array (VLA) radio observations. These are complemented by a large suite of multiwavelength archival data sets, including thermodynamical properties of the hot gas and radio jets, which are leveraged to investigate the role of active galactic nucleus (AGN) feeding/feedback in regulating the multiphase gas content. Our galactic sample shows a significant diversity in cool gas content, spanning filamentary and rotating structures. In our noncentral galaxies, the distribution of such gas is often concentrated, at variance with the more extended features observed in central galaxies. Misalignment between the multiphase gas and stars suggest that stellar mass loss is not the primary driver. A fraction of the cool gas might be acquired via galaxy interactions, but we do not find quantitative evidence of mergers in most of our systems. Instead, key evidence supports the origin via condensation out of the diffuse halo. Comparing with chaotic cold accretion (CCA) simulations, we find that our cool gas-free galaxies are likely in the overheated phase of the self-regulated AGN cycle, while for our galaxies with cool gas, the k-plot and AGN power correlation corroborate the phase of CCA feeding in which the condensation rain is triggering more vigorous AGN heating. The related C-ratio further shows that central/noncentral galaxies are expected to generate an extended/inner rain, consistent with our sample.
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The formation channels of multiphase gas in nearby early-type galaxies
The processes responsible for the assembly of cold and warm gas in early-type galaxies (ETGs) are not well understood. We report on the multiwavelength properties of 15 non-central, nearby (z ≤ 0.008 89) ETGs primarily through Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) and Chandra X-ray observations, to address the origin of their multiphase gas. The MUSE data reveal that 8/15 sources contain warm ionized gas traced by the H α emission line. The morphology of this gas is found to be filamentary in 3/8 sources: NGC 1266, NGC 4374, and NGC 4684, which is similar to that observed in many group and cluster-centred galaxies. All H α filamentary sources have X-ray luminosities exceeding the expected emission from the stellar population, suggesting the presence of diffuse hot gas, which likely cooled to form the cooler phases. The morphologies of the remaining 5/8 sources are rotating gas discs, not as commonly observed in higher mass systems. Chandra X-ray observations (when available) of the ETGs with rotating H α discs indicate that they are nearly void of hot gas. A mixture of stellar mass-loss and external accretion was likely the dominant channel for the cool gas in NGC 4526 and NGC 4710. These ETGs show full kinematic alignment between their stars and gas, and are fast rotators. The H α features within NGC 4191 (clumpy, potentially star-forming ring), NGC 4643, and NGC 5507 (extended structures) along with loosely overlapping stellar and gas populations allow us to attribute external accretion to be the primary formation channel of their cool gas.
more » « less- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10473395
- Publisher / Repository:
- Oxford University Press
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
- Volume:
- 527
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 0035-8711
- Format(s):
- Medium: X Size: p. 1317-1332
- Size(s):
- ["p. 1317-1332"]
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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