We present new ALMA band-7 data for a sample of six luminous quasars at , powered by fast-growing supermassive black holes (SMBHs) with rather uniform properties: the typical accretion rates and ...black hole masses are and . Our sample consists of three "FIR-bright" sources, which were individually detected in previous Herschel/SPIRE observations, with star formation rates of , and three "FIR-faint" sources for which Herschel stacking analysis implies a typical SFR of ∼400 . The dusty interstellar medium in the hosts of all six quasars is clearly detected in the ALMA data and resolved on scales of ∼2 kpc, in both continuum ( ) and line emission. The continuum emission is in good agreement with the expectations from the Herschel data, confirming the intense SF activity in the quasar hosts. Importantly, we detect companion sub-millimeter galaxies (SMGs) for three sources-one FIR-bright and two FIR-faint, separated by and from the quasar hosts. The -based dynamical mass estimates for the interacting SMGs are within a factor of ∼3 of the quasar hosts' masses, while the continuum emission implies . Our ALMA data therefore clearly support the idea that major mergers are important drivers for rapid early SMBH growth. However, the fact that not all high-SFR quasar hosts are accompanied by interacting SMGs and the gas kinematics as observed by ALMA suggest that other processes may be fueling these systems. Our analysis thus demonstrates the diversity of host galaxy properties and gas accretion mechanisms associated with early and rapid SMBH growth.
We present interferometric observations of the CN(1–0) line emission in Mrk 231 and combine them with previous observations of CO and other H
2
gas tracers to study the physical properties of the ...massive molecular outflow. We find a strong boost of the CN/CO(1–0) line luminosity ratio in the outflow of Mrk 231, which is unprecedented compared to any other known Galactic or extragalactic astronomical source. For the dense gas phase in the outflow traced by the HCN and CN emissions, we infer
X
CN
≡ CN/H
2
>
X
HCN
by at least a factor of three, with H
2
gas densities of
n
H
2
∼ 10
5−6
cm
−3
. In addition, we resolve for the first time narrow spectral features in the HCN(1–0) and HCO
+
(1–0) high-velocity line wings tracing the dense phase of the outflow. The velocity dispersions of these spectral features,
σ
v
∼ 7−20 km s
−1
, are consistent with those of massive extragalactic giant molecular clouds detected in nearby starburst nuclei. The H
2
gas masses inferred from the HCN data are quite high,
M
mol
∼ 0.3−5 × 10
8
M
⊙
. Our results suggest that massive complexes of denser molecular gas survive embedded into the more diffuse H
2
phase of the outflow, and that the chemistry of these outflowing dense clouds is strongly affected by UV radiation.
Context. Ionized outflows, revealed by broad asymmetric wings of the O III λ5007 line, are commonly observed in active galactic nuclei (AGN) but the low intrinsic spatial resolution of the ...observations has generally prevented a detailed characterization of their properties. The MAGNUM survey aims at overcoming these limitations by focusing on the nearest AGN, including NGC 1365, a nearby Seyfert galaxy (D ∼ 17 Mpc), hosting a low-luminosity active nucleus (Lbol ∼ 2 × 1043 erg s−1). Aims. We want to obtain a detailed picture of the ionized gas in the central ∼5 kpc of NGC 1365 in terms of physical properties, kinematics, and ionization mechanisms. We also aim to characterize the warm ionized outflow as a function of distance from the nucleus and its relation with the nuclear X-ray wind. Methods. We employed optical integral-field spectroscopic observations from VLT/MUSE to investigate the warm ionized gas and Chandra ACIS-S X-ray data for the hot highly-ionized phase. We obtained flux, kinematic, and diagnostic maps of the optical emission lines, which we used to disentangle outflows from gravitational motions in the disk and measure the gas properties down to a spatial resolution of ∼70 pc. We then performed imaging spectroscopy on Chandra ACIS-S data guided by the matching with MUSE maps. Results. The O III emission mostly traces a kpc-scale biconical outflow ionized by the AGN having velocities up to ∼200 km s−1. Hα emission traces instead star formation in a circumnuclear ring and along the bar, where we detect non-circular streaming gas motions. Soft X-rays are predominantly due to thermal emission from the star-forming regions, but we manage to isolate the AGN photoionized component which nicely matches the O III emission. The mass outflow rate of the extended ionized outflow is similar to that of the nuclear X-ray wind and then decreases with radius, implying that the outflow either slows down or that the AGN activity has recently increased. However, the hard X-ray emission from the circumnuclear ring suggests that star formation might in principle contribute to the outflow. The integrated mass outflow rate, kinetic energy rate, and outflow velocity are broadly consistent with the typical relations observed in more luminous AGN.
ABSTRACT
We present near-infrared observations of 42 gravitationally lensed galaxies obtained in the framework of the KMOS Lensed Emission Lines and VElocity Review (KLEVER) Survey, a programme aimed ...at investigating the spatially resolved properties of the ionized gas in 1.2 < z < 2.5 galaxies by means of a full coverage of the YJ, H, and K near-infrared bands. Detailed metallicity maps and gradients are derived for a subsample of 28 galaxies from reconstructed source-plane emission-line maps, exploiting the variety of different emission-line diagnostics provided by the broad wavelength coverage of the survey. About $85 {{\, per\ cent}}$ of these galaxies are characterized by metallicity gradients shallower than $0.05\ \rm dex\, kpc^{-1}$ and $89{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ are consistent with a flat slope within 3σ ($67{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ within 1σ), suggesting a mild evolution with cosmic time. In the context of cosmological simulations and chemical evolution models, the presence of efficient feedback mechanisms and/or extended star formation profiles on top of the classical ‘inside-out’ scenario of mass assembly is generally required to reproduce the observed flatness of the metallicity gradients beyond z ∼ 1. Three galaxies with significantly (>3σ) ‘inverted’ gradients are also found, showing an anticorrelation between metallicity and star formation rate density on local scales, possibly suggesting recent episodes of pristine gas accretion or strong radial flows in place. Nevertheless, the individual metallicity maps are characterized by a variety of different morphologies, with flat radial gradients sometimes hiding non-axisymmetric variations on kpc scales, which are washed out by azimuthal averages, especially in interacting systems or in those undergoing local episodes of recent star formation.
We present the host-galaxy molecular gas properties of a sample of 213 nearby (0.01 < z < 0.05) hard-X-ray-selected active galactic nucleus (AGN) galaxies, drawn from the 70-month catalog of Swift's ...Burst Alert Telescope (BAT), with 200 new CO(2-1) line measurements obtained with the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope and the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment telescope. We find that AGN in massive galaxies ( ) tend to have more molecular gas and higher gas fractions than inactive galaxies matched in stellar mass. When matched in star formation, we find AGN galaxies show no difference from inactive galaxies, with no evidence that AGN feedback affects the molecular gas. The higher molecular gas content is related to AGN galaxies hosting a population of gas-rich early types with an order of magnitude more molecular gas and a smaller fraction of quenched, passive galaxies (∼5% versus 49%) compared to inactive galaxies. The likelihood of a given galaxy hosting an AGN (Lbol > 1044 erg s−1 ) increases by ∼10-100 between a molecular gas mass of 108.7M and 1010.2M . AGN galaxies with a higher Eddington ratio (log(L/LEdd) > −1.3) tend to have higher molecular gas masses and gas fractions. The log(NH/ cm−2 ) > 23.4) of AGN galaxies with higher column densities are associated with lower depletion timescales and may prefer hosts with more gas centrally concentrated in the bulge that may be more prone to quenching than galaxy-wide molecular gas. The significant average link of host-galaxy molecular gas supply to supermassive black hole (SMBH) growth may naturally lead to the general correlations found between SMBHs and their host galaxies, such as the correlations between SMBH mass and bulge properties, and the redshift evolution of star formation and SMBH growth.
We present the highest-resolution-15 pc (0 03)-ALMA 12CO(2-1) line emission and 1.3 mm continuum maps, tracers of the molecular gas and dust, respectively, in the nearby merging galaxy system NGC ...6240, which hosts two supermassive black holes growing simultaneously. These observations provide an excellent spatial match to existing Hubble Space Telescope (HST) optical and near-infrared observations of this system. A significant molecular gas mass, ∼9 × 109 M , is located between the two nuclei, forming a clumpy stream kinematically dominated by turbulence, rather than a smooth rotating disk, as previously assumed from lower-resolution data. Evidence for rotation is seen in the gas surrounding the southern nucleus but not in the northern one. Dynamical shells can be seen, likely associated with nuclear supernova remnants. We further detect the presence of significant high-velocity outflows, some of them reaching velocities >500 km s−1, affecting a significant fraction, ∼11%, of the molecular gas in the nuclear region. Inside the spheres of influence of the northern and southern supermassive black holes, we find molecular masses of 7.4 × 108 and 3.3 × 109 M , respectively. We are thus directly imaging the reservoir of gas that can accrete onto each supermassive black hole. These new ALMA maps highlight the critical need for high-resolution observations of molecular gas in order to understand the feeding of supermassive black holes and its connection to galaxy evolution in the context of a major galaxy merger.
We present a long-term, multi-wavelength project to understand the epoch of fastest growth of the most massive black holes by using a sample of 40 luminous quasars at z ≃ 4.8. These quasars have ...rather uniform properties, with typical accretion rates and black hole masses of L/LEdd ≃ 0.7 and MBH ≃ 109M⊙. The sample consists of “FIR-bright” sources with a previous Herschel/SPIRE detection, suggesting SFR > 1,000 M⊙ yr−1, as well as of “FIR-faint” sources for which Herschel stacking analysis implies a typical SFR of ~400 M⊙ yr−1. Six of the quasars have been observed by ALMA in C ii λ157.74μm line emission and adjacent rest-frame 150μm continuum, to study the dusty cold ISM. ALMA detected companion, spectroscopically confirmed sub-mm galaxies (SMGs) for three sources—one FIR-bright and two FIR-faint. The companions are separated by ~14–45 kpc from the quasar hosts, and we interpret them as major galaxy interactions. Our ALMA data therefore clearly support the idea that major mergers may be important drivers for rapid, early SMBH growth. However, the fact that not all high-SFR quasar hosts are accompanied by interacting SMGs, and their ordered gas kinematics observed by ALMA, suggest that other processes may be fueling these systems. Our analysis thus demonstrates the diversity of host galaxy properties and gas accretion mechanisms associated with early and rapid SMBH growth.
Abstract
We investigate quasar outflows at z ≥ 6 by performing zoom-in cosmological hydrodynamical simulations. By employing the smoothed particle hydrodynamics code gadget-3, we zoom in the 2R200 ...region around a 2 × 1012 M⊙ halo at z = 6, inside a (500 Mpc)3 comoving volume. We compare the results of our active galactic nuclei (AGN) runs with a control simulation in which only stellar/SN feedback is considered. Seeding 105 M⊙ black holes (BHs) at the centres of 109 M⊙ haloes, we find the following results. BHs accrete gas at the Eddington rate over z = 9–6. At z = 6, our most-massive BH has grown to MBH = 4 × 109 M⊙. Fast (vr > 1000 km s−1), powerful ($\dot{M}_{\rm out} \sim 2000\, {\rm M}_{{\odot }}$ yr−1) outflows of shock-heated low-density gas form at z ∼ 7, and propagate up to hundreds kpc. Star formation is quenched over z = 8–6, and the total star formation rate (SFR surface density near the galaxy centre) is reduced by a factor of 5 (1000). We analyse the relative contribution of multiple physical process: (i) disrupting cosmic filamentary cold gas inflows, (ii) reducing central gas density, (iii) ejecting gas outside the galaxy; and find that AGN feedback has the following effects at z = 6. The inflowing gas mass fraction is reduced by ∼ 12 per cent, the high-density gas fraction is lowered by ∼ 13 per cent, and ∼ 20 per cent of the gas outflows at a speed larger than the escape velocity (500 km s−1). We conclude that quasar-host galaxies at z ≥ 6 are accreting non-negligible amount of cosmic gas, nevertheless AGN feedback quenches their star formation dominantly by powerful outflows ejecting gas out of the host galaxy halo.
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