Kiloparsec-scale outflows are prevalent among luminous AGN: outflows and feedback in the context of the overall AGN population

By C. Harrison, D. M. Alexander, James Mullaney, A. M. Swinbank. 2014

357 citations recorded by the source corpus.

In this chapter we aim to address the question: how common are kilo-parsec scale ionised outflows in the host galaxies of powerful active galactic nuclei (AGN; i.e., quasars) and what are their properties (e.g., spatial extents, morphologies and energetics)? We select 16 targets for spatially-resolved spectroscopy (i.e., integral field unit [IFU] observations) from a well-constrained parent sample of $\approx $24,000 AGN. This means that we can place our observations into the context of the overall AGN population and therefore learn about the population as a whole. Our targets are $z<0.2$ type 2 quasars that are radio-quiet, with star formation rates ($\lesssim $[10–100]$\mathrm{M}_{\odot }\,\mathrm{yr}^{-1}$) that are consistent with normal star-forming galaxies. We present Gemini-GMOS IFU observations covering the [O iii]$\lambda \lambda 4959,5007$ and H$\beta $ emission lines. We find high-velocity ionised gas (velocity widths ${\approx }600$–1500 km s$^{-1}$; maximum velocities ${\le }1700$ km s$^{-1}$) with observed spatial extents of $\gtrsim $(6–16) kpc in all targets. We show that our targets are representative of $z<0.2$, type 2 quasars and that ionised outflows are not only common but also in $\ge $70 % (3$\sigma $ confidence) of cases, they are extended over kiloparsec scales. Both star formation and AGN activity appear to be energetically viable to drive the outflows and we find no definitive evidence that favours one process over the other. Although uncertain, we derive mass outflow rates (typically ${\approx }10 \times $ the SFRs), kinetic energies (${\approx }0.5$–10 % of $L_{\mathrm{AGN}}$) and momentum rates (typically ${\gtrsim }[10$–$20]\times L_{\mathrm{AGN}}/c$) consistent with theoretical models that predict that AGN-driven outflows play a significant role in shaping the evolution of galaxies.

Subfields: Astronomy and Astrophysics

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/3a3e3bc64750551ddd9396718f59b92ec93265e9

How researchers see this paper

The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.

In Astronomy and Astrophysics

Citations in the corpus

AGN wind scaling relations and the co-evolution of black holes and galaxies (2017, background): “Harrison et al. (2014) find 〈ne〉 = 200−1000 cm−3 in a sample of low-z AGN.”
Gravitational torque-driven black hole growth and feedback in cosmological simulations (2016, background): “…(vout = 104 km s−1, Ṗout = Lbol/c; e.g. Tombesi et al. 2013; Nardini et al. 2015) and galaxy-scale AGN-driven winds (vout = 103 km s−1, Ṗout = 20 Lbol/c; e.g. Faucher-Giguère & Quataert 2012; FaucherGiguère, Quataert & Murray 2012; Cicone et al. 2014; Harrison et al. 2014; Stern et al. 2016).”
Discovery of extreme [O III] λ5007 Å outflows in high-redshift red quasars (2015, methodology): “…from the galactic centre, as measured by spatially resolved long-slit and integral field unit observations (Nesvadba et al. 2006, 2008; Greene et al. 2011; Cano-Dı́az et al. 2012; Alexandroff et al. 2013; Liu et al. 2013a,b; Rupke & Veilleux 2013b; Harrison et al. 2014; Zakamska & Greene 2014).”
The multi-phase winds of Markarian 231: from the hot, nuclear, ultra-fast wind to the galaxy-scale, molecular outflow (2015, background): “…ionized and neutral gas with similar velocities is found on galactic scale (1-30 kpc) in a few tens AGN from the local Universe up to z=2-3 (Cano-Diaz et al. 2012, Rupke & Veilleux 2011, 2013; Harrison et al. 2014; Nesvadba et al. 2008; Harrison et al. 2012; Genzel et al. 2014, Cresci et al. 2015).”
Star-forming galaxies as the origin of diffuse high-energy backgrounds: gamma-ray and neutrino connections, and implications for starburst history (2014, background): “In addition, recent observations have shown that fast outflows from AGN are ubiquitous [88–90].”
Impact of supermassive black hole growth on star formation (2017, background): “What is even more pertinent is the direct detection of outflows on kiloparsec scales, in multiple gas phases, using spatially-resolved kinematic measurements[41, 49, 50, 51, 52].”
Ionised outflows in z $\sim$ 2.4 quasar host galaxies (2015, methodology): “…Zaurín et al. 2014; Aalto et al. 2015; Feruglio et al. 2015) and at high redshift (e.g. Alexander et al. 2010; Nesvadba et al. 2011; Harrison et al. 2012; Maiolino et al. 2012; CanoDíaz et al. 2012; Harrison et al. 2014; Cresci et al. 2015; Cicone et al. 2015) in ionised, atomic and molecular gas.”
Constraining the properties of AGN host galaxies with spectral energy distribution modelling (2015, background): “There is indeed increasing observational evidence for AGN-driven winds at both the local Universe and high redshift (e.g Crenshaw et al. 2003; Blustin et al. 2005; Tombesi et al. 2010, 2012; Saez & Chartas 2011; Lanzuisi et al. 2012; Cicone et al. 2012, 2014; Harrison et al. 2014).”
Neutral hydrogen in galaxy haloes at the peak of the cosmic star formation history (2014, background): “Recently, direct observational evidence for powerful, wide-angle, galaxy-scale, quasar-driven outflows has emerged (e.g., Moe et al. 2009; Feruglio et al. 2010; Sturm et al. 2011; Rupke & Veilleux 2011; Greene et al. 2012; Maiolino et al. 2012; Harrison et al. 2014; Cicone et al. 2014).”
Cold Molecular Outflows in the Local Universe and Their Feedback Effect on Galaxies (2018, background): “Several studies have investigated the warm-ionized phase of outflows, finding velocities up to several 1000 km s−1 and radii up to several kpc (e.g. Westmoquette et al. 2012; Arribas et al. 2014; Harrison et al. 2014; Rupke, Gültekin & Veilleux 2017).”
EVIDENCE FOR WIDE-SPREAD ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEUS-DRIVEN OUTFLOWS IN THE MOST MASSIVE z ∼ 1–2 STAR-FORMING GALAXIES (2014, background): “…Fabian 2012), in ionized winds from Seyfert 2 AGNs (e.g., Cecil et al. 1990; Veilleux et al. 2005; Westmoquette et al. 2012; Rupke & Veilleux 2013; Harrison et al. 2014), and in powerful neutral and ionized gas outflows from buried AGNs in late-stage, gas-rich mergers (Fischer et al. 2010;…”