Post-starburst E+A galaxies show indications of a powerful starburst that was quenched abruptly. Their disturbed, bulge-dominated morphologies suggest that they are merger remnants. Themoremassive E+A galaxies are suggested to be quenched by active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback, yet little is known about AGN-driven winds in this short-lived phase. We present spatially resolved integral field unit spectroscopy by the Keck Cosmic Web Imager of SDSS J003443.68 + 251020.9, at z = 0.118. The system consists of two galaxies, the larger of which is a post-starburst E+A galaxy hosting an AGN. Our modelling suggests a 400 Myr starburst, with a peak star formation rate of 120 M⊙ yr-1. The observations reveal stationary and outflowing gas, photoionized by the central AGN. We detect gas outflows to a distance of 17 kpc from the central galaxy, far beyond the region of the stars (~3 kpc), inside a conic structure with an opening angle of 70 deg. We construct self-consistent photoionization and dynamical models for the different gas components and show that the gas outside the galaxy forms a continuous flow, with a mass outflow rate of about 24 M⊙ yr-1. The gas mass in the flow, roughly 109 M⊙, is larger than the total gas mass within the galaxy, some of which is outflowing too. The continuity of the flow puts a lower limit of 60 Myr on the duration of the AGN feedback. Such AGNs are capable of removing, in a single episode, most of the gas from their host galaxies and expelling enriched material into the surrounding circumgalactic medium.
Baron, D., Netzer, H., Xavier Prochaska, J., Cai, Z., Cantalupo, S., Christopher Martin, D., et al. (2018). Direct evidence of AGN feedback: A post-starburst galaxy stripped of its gas by AGN-driven winds. MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, 480(3), 3993-4016 [10.1093/MNRAS/STY2113].
Direct evidence of AGN feedback: A post-starburst galaxy stripped of its gas by AGN-driven winds
Cantalupo S.;
2018
Abstract
Post-starburst E+A galaxies show indications of a powerful starburst that was quenched abruptly. Their disturbed, bulge-dominated morphologies suggest that they are merger remnants. Themoremassive E+A galaxies are suggested to be quenched by active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback, yet little is known about AGN-driven winds in this short-lived phase. We present spatially resolved integral field unit spectroscopy by the Keck Cosmic Web Imager of SDSS J003443.68 + 251020.9, at z = 0.118. The system consists of two galaxies, the larger of which is a post-starburst E+A galaxy hosting an AGN. Our modelling suggests a 400 Myr starburst, with a peak star formation rate of 120 M⊙ yr-1. The observations reveal stationary and outflowing gas, photoionized by the central AGN. We detect gas outflows to a distance of 17 kpc from the central galaxy, far beyond the region of the stars (~3 kpc), inside a conic structure with an opening angle of 70 deg. We construct self-consistent photoionization and dynamical models for the different gas components and show that the gas outside the galaxy forms a continuous flow, with a mass outflow rate of about 24 M⊙ yr-1. The gas mass in the flow, roughly 109 M⊙, is larger than the total gas mass within the galaxy, some of which is outflowing too. The continuity of the flow puts a lower limit of 60 Myr on the duration of the AGN feedback. Such AGNs are capable of removing, in a single episode, most of the gas from their host galaxies and expelling enriched material into the surrounding circumgalactic medium.
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