FAST MOLECULAR OUTFLOWS IN LUMINOUS GALAXY MERGERS: EVIDENCE FOR QUASAR FEEDBACK FROM HERSCHEL

By Sylvain Veilleux, M. Meléndez, E. Sturm, J. Graciá-Carpio, J. Fischer, E. González-Alfonso, A. Contursi, D. Lutz, Albrecht Poglitsch, Roger Davies and 11 more. 2013

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We report the results from a systematic search for molecular (OH 119 μm) outflows with Herschel/PACS in a sample of 43 nearby (z < 0.3) galaxy mergers, mostly ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) and QSOs. We find that the character of the OH feature (strength of the absorption relative to the emission) correlates with that of the 9.7 μm silicate feature, a measure of obscuration in ULIRGs. Unambiguous evidence for molecular outflows, based on the detection of OH absorption profiles with median velocities more blueshifted than −50 km s−1, is seen in 26 (70%) of the 37 OH-detected targets, suggesting a wide-angle (∼145°) outflow geometry. Conversely, unambiguous evidence for molecular inflows, based on the detection of OH absorption profiles with median velocities more redshifted than +50 km s−1, is seen in only four objects, suggesting a planar or filamentary geometry for the inflowing gas. Terminal outflow velocities of ∼−1000 km s−1 are measured in several objects, but median outflow velocities are typically ∼−200 km s−1. While the outflow velocities show no statistically significant dependence on the star formation rate, they are distinctly more blueshifted among systems with large active galactic nucleus (AGN) fractions and luminosities [log (LAGN/L☉) ⩾ 11.8 ± 0.3]. The quasars in these systems play a dominant role in driving the molecular outflows. However, the most AGN dominated systems, where OH is seen purely in emission, show relatively modest OH line widths, despite their large AGN luminosities, perhaps indicating that molecular outflows subside once the quasar has cleared a path through the obscuring material.

Subfields: Astronomy and Astrophysics, Instrumentation

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/525a2daf399691b2b30e7e3ffd60e277f1f241f7

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Citations in the corpus

• AGN wind scaling relations and the co-evolution of black holes and galaxies (2017, methodology): “…v84(OH) = 544 km s−1, vmax(OH) = 1200 km s−1, Veilleux et al. 2013; vmax(CO) = 500 km s−1, Feruglio et al. 2013b; I10565, v84(OH) = 489 vmax(OH) = 950, Veilleux et al. 2013, vmax(CO) = 600 km s−1 Cicone et al. 2014; I23365, v84(OH) = 604 km s−1, vmax(OH) = 1300 km s−1, Veilleux et al. 2013;…”
• EVIDENCE FOR WIDE-SPREAD ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEUS-DRIVEN OUTFLOWS IN THE MOST MASSIVE z ∼ 1–2 STAR-FORMING GALAXIES (2014, background): “Higher outflow velocities for AGN feedback is also characteristic for gas-rich, luminous AGN-ULIRGs at low-z (Sturm et al. 2011; Veilleux et al. 2013; Rupke & Veilleux 2013; Spoon et al. 2013).”
• The SAMI Galaxy Survey: shocks and outflows in a normal star-forming galaxy (2014, background): “The correlation between AGN luminosity and maximum velocity of molecular outflows in nearby ULIRGs, however, implies that AGN could be the powering source for materials of the highest velocities (Sturm et al. 2011; Veilleux et al. 2013).”
• Very extended cold gas, star formation and outflows in the halo of a bright QSO at z>6 (2014, background): “…particular, of massive kpcscale outflows of cold and dense molecular gas in nearby galaxies (Feruglio et al. 2010, 2013a,b; Alatalo et al. 2011; Sturm et al. 2011; Aalto et al. 2012; Veilleux et al. 2013; Spoon et al. 2013; Combes et al. 2013; Cicone et al. 2012, 2014; GarcíaBurillo et al. 2014).”
• Kiloparsec-scale outflows are prevalent among luminous AGN: outflows and feedback in the context of the overall AGN population (2014, background): “…is n broad agreement with other studies of the outflows in ULIRGs and quasars, in multiple different gas phases, that find the mostextreme outflows in the quasar-ULIRG composites (e.g., Harrison et al. 2012; Westmoquette et al. 2012; Veilleux et al. 2013; Ciconeet al. 2014; Hill & Zakamska 2014).”
• The multi-phase winds of Markarian 231: from the hot, nuclear, ultra-fast wind to the galaxy-scale, molecular outflow (2015, background): “Black symbols are the results of Tombesi et al. (2015) for IRAS F11119+3257, a galaxy exhibiting both an X-ray UFO and an OH outflow, as revealed by Herschel spectroscopy (Veilleux et al. 2013).”
• The Coevolution of Galaxies and Supermassive Black Holes: Insights from Surveys of the Contemporary Universe (2014, background): “Most recently, Veilleux et al. (2013) and Spoon et al. (2013) have summarized observations of an expanded sample of ULIRGs and QSOs at z < 0.3.”
• Ionised outflows in z $\sim$ 2.4 quasar host galaxies (2015, background): “Indeed, previous studies on more heterogenous samples, but smaller luminosity ranges, did not find any significant correlation between the outflow velocities and the AGN luminosities (e.g. Veilleux et al. 2013, Brusa et al. 2015).”
• Cool outflows in galaxies and their implications (2020, background): “Radiatively excited molecular emission of e.g. H2O and OH (van der Werf et al. 2011; González-Alfonso et al. 2012; Veilleux et al. 2013a; González-Alfonso et al. 2014; Falstad et al. 2015, 2017) are good probes of the nuclei as long as column densities stay below N(H2)= 1025 cm−2.”
• Cold Molecular Outflows in the Local Universe and Their Feedback Effect on Galaxies (2018, methodology): “…outflows have been detected through P-Cygni profiles of far-infrared (FIR) OH transitions (Fischer et al. 2010; Sturm 2011; Spoon et al. 2013; Veilleux et al. 2013; Stone et al. 2016; González-Alfonso et al. 2017) and through broad wings seen in interferometric observations of molecular…”
• Discovery of extreme [O III] λ5007 Å outflows in high-redshift red quasars (2015, background): “Another possibility is that the ultraviolet and optical continua are covered by a patchy screen of obscuring material, which lets only 5 per cent of the light through, while largely preserving its spectral shape (Veilleux et al. 2013b).”
• Massive molecular outflows and evidence for AGN feedback from CO observations (2013, methodology): “Out of the seven sources, five are extracted from the SHINING project, which is a Herschel-PACS spectroscopic guaranteed time key programme, that targets starbursts, Seyfert galaxies, and (ultra) luminous infrared galaxies (Fischer et al. 2010; Sturm et al. 2011; Veilleux et al. 2013).”