Blowing Star Formation Away in Active Galactic Nuclei Hosts. I. Observation of Warm Molecular Outflows with JWST MIRI
Abstract
We use the James Webb Space Telescope Mid-Infrared Instrument medium-resolution spectrometer observations of the radio-loud active galactic nucleus (AGN) host UGC 8782 to map the warm molecular and ionized gas kinematics. The data reveal spatially resolved outflows in the inner 2 kpc, seen in low ionization (traced by the [Ar II] 6.99 μm emission) and in warm molecular gas (traced by the H2 rotational transitions). We find a maximum mass-outflow rate of 4.90 ± 2.04 M ⊙ yr‑1 at ∼900 pc from the nucleus for the warm outflow (198 K ≤ T ≤ 1000 K) and estimate an outflow rate of up to 1.22 ± 0.51 M ⊙ yr‑1 for the hotter gas phase (T > 1000 K). These outflows can clear the entire nuclear reservoir of warm molecular gas in about 1 Myr. The derived kinetic power of the molecular outflows leads to coupling efficiencies of 2%–5% of the AGN luminosity, way above the minimum expected for the AGN feedback to be effective in quenching the star formation.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- October 2024
- DOI:
- 10.3847/1538-4357/ad702a
- arXiv:
- arXiv:2408.06100
- Bibcode:
- 2024ApJ...974..127C
- Keywords:
-
- James Webb Space Telescope;
- Galaxy spectroscopy;
- Galaxy winds;
- Quasars;
- Galaxy kinematics;
- Galaxy jets;
- Active galaxies;
- 2291;
- 2171;
- 626;
- 1319;
- 602;
- 601;
- 17;
- Astrophysics - Astrophysics of Galaxies
- E-Print:
- Accepted for publication at APJ