Blowing Star Formation Away in Active Galactic Nuclei Hosts. I. Observation of Warm Molecular Outflows with JWST MIRI

• Published in: The Astrophysical journal Vol. 974; no. 1; pp. 127 - 135
• Main Authors: Costa-Souza, J. H., Riffel, Rogemar A., Souza-Oliveira, Gabriel L., Zakamska, Nadia L., Bianchin, Marina, Storchi-Bergmann, Thaisa, Riffel, Rogério
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia The American Astronomical Society 01.10.2024; IOP Publishing
• Subjects: Active galactic nuclei; Active galaxies; Coupling (molecular); Galaxy jets; Galaxy kinematics; Galaxy spectroscopy; Galaxy winds; Infrared instruments; Infrared spectrometers; Infrared telescopes; Ionization; James Webb Space Telescope; Kinematics; Luminosity; Molecular gases; Outflow; Quasars; Space telescopes; Star & galaxy formation; Star formation; Vapor phases
• ISSN: 0004-637X; 1538-4357
• DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/ad702a

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 μ m emission) and in warm molecular gas (traced by the H 2 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.