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We present the results of the analysis of 18 optical spectra covering the H α profile region of the active nucleus of the galaxy Pictor A obtained in different epochs along 12 yr. With these data, we model the variability of the double-peaked H α emission of the nucleus of this galaxy. We find small variations in the integrated flux of the broad component of H α, occurring on short time-scales, of the order of 40 d. In addition, significant variations in the relative intensities of the red and blue sides of the broad profile occur on time-scales of years. In order to explain the observations, we propose a scenario in which the double-peak profile is produced by a flattened distribution of clouds surrounding the accretion disc with Keplerian and relativistic orbits, inclined in relation to the sky plane, and with axially asymmetric surface emissivity with the radius of maximum emissivity. We find that, for the theoretical time-scales of the disc-like BLR to conform the time-scales of variation observed for the double-peak profile, it is necessary for the gas in the disc to orbit a SMBH with a mass of M• $\approx \, 2\times$ $10^{8}\, \mbox{M}_\odot$. In this scenario, the physical extension of the line-emitting region extends by 6–48 light-days from the SMBH.

The large- and small-scale environments around optically-selected AGN host galaxies and a control sample of non-active galaxies in the MaNGA survey have been investigated in order to evaluate the importance of the environment in AGN triggering. Using the MaNGA integral field spectroscopy, we quantify non-circular motions of the ionized gas and detect an excess of radial gas motions in AGN hosts relative to control galaxies, not associated to AGN feedback and are most likely the result of tidal interactions, possibly associated with the triggering of the AGN. We find that the large-scale environments are similar for the AGN hosts and control galaxies in our sample and are biased towards lower large-scale densities and group virial masses, suggestive that the large-scale environment properties is only relevant to the AGN phenomenon in an indirect way, in the form, e.g. of the morphology-density relation. The small-scale environment, as measured by the frequency and luminosity of close neighbours, was also found to be similar for AGN and control galaxies. However, we find a correlation between the intensity of the non-circular gas motions in AGN hosts and the strength of the tidal field, while the control sample does not present such correlation. Also, AGN hosts with the most intense radial gas motions present larger tidal fields than their control galaxies. These findings indicate that at least a fraction of the AGN hosts in our sample have been triggered by tidal interactions with nearby galaxies.

Despite the importance of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in galaxy evolution, accurate AGN identification is often challenging, as common AGN diagnostics can be confused by contributions from star formation and other effects (e.g., Baldwin–Phillips–Terlevich diagrams). However, one promising avenue for identifying AGNs is “coronal emission lines” (“CLs”), which are highly ionized species of gas with ionization potentials ≥100 eV. These CLs may serve as excellent signatures for the strong ionizing continuum of AGNs. To determine if CLs are in fact strong AGN tracers, we assemble and analyze the largest catalog of optical CL galaxies using the Sloan Digital Sky Survey's Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory (MaNGA) catalog. We detect CL emission in 71 MaNGA galaxies, out of the 10,010 unique galaxies from the final MaNGA catalog, with ≥5σconfidence. In our sample, we measure [Nev]λ3347,λ3427, [Fevii]λ3586,λ3760,λ6086, and [Fex]λ6374 emission and crossmatch the CL galaxies with a catalog of AGNs that were confirmed with broad-line, X-ray, IR, and radio observations. We find that [Nev] emission, compared to [Fevii] and [Fex] emission, is best at identifying high-luminosity AGNs. Moreover, we find that the CL galaxies with the least dust extinction yield the most iron CL detections. We posit that the bulk of the iron CLs are destroyed by dust grains in the galaxies with the highest [Oiii] luminosities in our sample, and that AGNs in the galaxies with low [Oiii] luminosities are possibly too weak to be detected using traditional techniques.