No Arabic abstract
AGN driven outflows are invoked in numerical simulations to reproduce several observed properties of local galaxies. The z > 1 epoch is of particular interest as it was during this time that the volume averaged star formation and the accretion rate of black holes were maximum. Radiatively driven outflows are therefore believed to be common during this epoch. We aim to trace and characterize outflows in AGN hosts with high mass accretion rates at z > 1 using integral field spectroscopy. We obtain spatially-resolved kinematics of the [OIII]5007 line in two targets which reveal the morphology and spatial extension of the outflows. We present J and H+K band SINFONI observations of 5 AGNs at 1.2 < z < 2.2. To maximize the chance of observing radiatively driven outflows, our sample was pre-selected based on peculiar values of the Eddington ratio and the hydrogen column density of the surrounding interstellar medium. We observe high velocity (~600-1900 km/s) and kiloparsec scale extended ionized outflows in at least 3 of our targets, using [OIII]5007 line kinematics tracing the AGN narrow line region. We estimate the total mass of the outflow, the mass outflow rate, and the kinetic power of the outflows based on theoretical models and report on the uncertainties associated with them. We find mass outflow rates of ~1-10 M_sun/yr for the sample presented in this paper. Based on the high star formation rates of the host galaxies, the observed outflow kinetic power and the expected power due to the AGN, we infer that both star formation and AGN radiation could be the dominant source for the outflows. The outflow models suffer from large uncertainties, hence we call for further detailed observations for an accurate determination of the outflow properties to confirm the exact source of these outflows.
Active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback, driven by radiation pressure on dust, is an important mechanism for efficiently coupling the accreting black hole to the surrounding environment. Recent observations confirm that X-ray selected AGN samples respect the effective Eddington limit for dusty gas in the plane defined by the observed column density versus the Eddington ratio, the so-called $N_{rm H} - lambda$ plane. A `forbidden region occurs in this plane, where obscuring clouds cannot be long-lived, due to the action of radiation pressure on dust. Here we compute the effective Eddington limit by explicitly taking into account the trapping of reprocessed radiation (which has been neglected in previous works), and investigate its impact on the $N_{rm H} - lambda$ plane. We show that the inclusion of radiation trapping leads to an enhanced forbidden region, such that even Compton-thick material can potentially be disrupted by sub-Eddington luminosities. We compare our model results to the most complete sample of local AGNs with measured X-ray properties, and find good agreement. Considering the anisotropic emission from the accretion disc, we also expect the development of dusty outflows along the polar axis, which may naturally account for the polar dust emission recently detected in several AGNs from mid-infrared observations. Radiative feedback thus appears to be the key mechanism regulating the obscuration properties of AGNs, and we discuss its physical implications in the context of co-evolution scenarios.
We present the detection and morphological characterization of hot molecular gas outflows in nearby ultra-luminous infrared galaxies, using the near-IR integral-field spectrograph SINFONI on the VLT. We detect outflows observed in the 2.12 micron H$_{2}$ 1-0 S(1) line for three out of four ULIRGs analyzed; IRAS 12112+0305, 14348-1447, and 22491-1808. The outflows are mapped on scales of 0.7-1.6 kpc, show typical outflow velocities of 300-500 km/s, and appear to originate from the nuclear region. The outflows comprise hot molecular gas masses of ~6-8x10$^3$ M(sun). Assuming a hot-to-cold molecular gas mass ratio of 6x10$^{-5}$, as found in nearby luminous IR galaxies, the total (hot+cold) molecular gas mass in these outflows is expected to be ~1x10$^{8}$ M(sun). This translates into molecular mass outflow rates of ~30-85 M(sun)/yr, which is a factor of a few lower than the star formation rate in these ULIRGs. In addition, most of the outflowing molecular gas does not reach the escape velocity of these merger systems, which implies that the bulk of the outflowing molecular gas is re-distributed within the system and thus remains available for future star formation. The fastest H$_{2}$ outflow is seen in the Compton-thick AGN of IRAS 14348-1447, reaching a maximum outflow velocity of ~900 km/s. Another ULIRG, IRAS 17208-0014, shows asymmetric H$_{2}$ line profiles different from the outflows seen in the other three ULIRGs. We discuss several alternative explanations for its line asymmetries, including a very gentle galactic wind, internal gas dynamics, low-velocity gas outside the disk, or two superposed gas disks. We do not detect the hot molecular counterpart to the outflow previously detected in CO(2-1) in IRAS 17208-0014, but we note that our SINFONI data are not sensitive enough to detect this outflow if it has a small hot-to-cold molecular gas mass ratio of < 9x10$^{-6}$.
At present neutral atomic hydrogen (HI) gas in galaxies at redshifts above $z sim 0.3$ (the extent of 21-cm emission surveys in individual galaxies) and below $z sim 1.7$ (where the Lyman-$alpha$ line is not observable with ground-based telescopes) has remained largely unexplored. The advent of precursor telescopes to the Square Kilometre Array will allow us to conduct the first systematic radio-selected 21-cm absorption surveys for HI over these redshifts. While HI absorption is a tracer of the reservoir of cold neutral gas in galaxies available for star formation, it can also be used to reveal the extreme kinematics associated with jet-driven neutral outflows in radio-loud active galactic nuclei. Using the six-antenna Boolardy Engineering Test Array of the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder, we have demonstrated that in a single frequency tuning we can detect HI absorption over a broad range of redshifts between $z = 0.4$ and $1.0$. As part of our early science and commissioning program, we are now carrying out a search for absorption towards a sample of the brightest GPS and CSS sources in the southern sky. These intrinsically compact sources present us with an opportunity to study the circumunuclear region of recently re-started radio galaxies, in some cases showing direct evidence of mechanical feedback through jet-driven outflows. With the sensitivity of the full ASKAP array we will be able to study the kinematics of atomic gas in a few thousand radio galaxies, testing models of radio jet feedback well beyond the nearby Universe
Circumnuclear star formation and AGN feedback is believed to play a critical role in the context of galaxy evolution. The low-luminosity QSO (LLQSO) sample that contains 99 of the closest AGN with redshift z<=0.06 fills the gap between the local AGN population and high-redshift QSOs that is essential to understand the AGN evolution with redshift. In this paper, we present the results of near-infrared H+K-integral field spectroscopy of the inner kiloparsecs of the LLQSO HE 1029-1831 with SINFONI. Line maps show that ionized hydrogen gas is located in spiral arms within the stellar bar and in a circumnuclear ring. Line fluxes and diagnostic line ratios indicate recent or ongoing star formation in the circumnuclear region and the presence of young and intermediate-age stellar populations in the bulge. In particular, we find traces of an intense starburst in the circumnuclear region that has begun around 100 Myr ago but has declined to a fraction of the maximum intensity now. We estimate the dynamical bulge mass and find that the galaxy follows published M_BH-M_bulge relations. However, bulge-disk decomposition of the K-band image with BUDDA reveals that HE 1029-1831 does not follow the M_BH-L_bulge relations of inactive galaxies. We conclude that the deviation from M_BH-L_bulge relations of inactive galaxies in this source is rather caused by young stellar populations and not by an undermassive black hole.
Feedback likely plays a vital role in the formation of dwarf galaxies. While stellar processes have long been considered the main source of feedback, recent studies have revealed tantalizing signs of AGN feedback in dwarf galaxies. In this paper, we report the results from an integral-field spectroscopic study of a sample of eight dwarf galaxies with known AGN and suspected outflows. Outflows are detected in seven of them. The outflows are fast, with 50-percentile (median) velocity of up to $sim$240 km s$^{-1}$ and 80-percentile line width reaching $sim$1200 km s$^{-1}$, in clear contrast with the more quiescent kinematics of the host gas and stellar components. The outflows are generally spatially extended on a scale of several hundred pc to a few kpc, although our data do not clearly resolve the outflows in three targets. The outflows appear to be primarily photoionized by the AGN rather than shocks or young, massive stars. The kinematics and energetics of these outflows suggest that they are primarily driven by the AGN, although the star formation activity in these objects may also contribute to the energy input. A small but non-negligible portion of the outflowing material likely escapes the main body of the host galaxy and contributes to the enrichment of the circumgalactic medium. Overall, the impact of these outflows on their host galaxies is similar to those taking place in the more luminous AGN in the low-redshift universe.