Aims. We investigate the fueling and the feedback of nuclear activity in the nearby (D = 14 Mpc) Seyfert 2 barred galaxy NGC 1068 by studying the distribution and kinematics of molecular gas in the ...torus and its connections to the host galaxy disk. Methods. We used the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA ) to image the emission of a set of molecular gas tracers in the circumnuclear disk (CND) and the torus of the galaxy using the CO(2–1), CO(3–2), and HCO+(4–3) lines and their underlying continuum emission with high spatial resolutions (0.03″ − 0.09″ ≃ 2 − 6 pc). These transitions, which span a wide range of physical conditions of molecular gas (n(H2)⊂103 − 107 cm−3), are instrumental in revealing the density radial stratification and the complex kinematics of the gas in the torus and its surroundings. Results. The ALMA images resolve the CND as an asymmetric ringed disk of D ≃ 400 pc in size and ≃1.4 × 108 M⊙ in mass. The CND shows a marked deficit of molecular gas in its central ≃130 pc region. The inner edge of the ring is associated with the presence of edge-brightened arcs of NIR polarized emission, which are identified with the current working surface of the ionized wind of the active galactic nucleus (AGN). ALMA proves the existence of an elongated molecular disk/torus in NGC 1068 of Mtorusgas ≃ 3 × 105 M⊙ M torus gas ≃ 3 × 10 5 M ⊙ $ M_{\mathrm{torus}}^{\mathrm{gas}}\simeq3\times10^{5}\,M_{{\odot}} $ , which extends over a large range of spatial scales D ≃ 10 − 30 pc around the central engine. The new observations evidence the density radial stratification of the torus: the HCO+(4–3) torus, with a full size DHCO+(4 − 3) = 11 ± 0.6 pc, is a factor of between two and three smaller than its CO(2–1) and CO(3–2) counterparts, which have full sizes of DCO(3 − 2) = 26 ± 0.6 pc and DCO(2 − 1) = 28 ± 0.6 pc, respectively. This result brings into light the many faces of the molecular torus. The torus is connected to the CND through a network of molecular gas streamers detected inside the CND ring. The kinematics of molecular gas show strong departures from circular motions in the torus, the gas streamers, and the CND ring. These velocity field distortions are interconnected and are part of a 3D outflow that reflects the effects of AGN feedback on the kinematics of molecular gas across a wide range of spatial scales around the central engine. In particular, we estimate through modeling that a significant fraction of the gas inside the torus ( ≃ 0.4 − 0.6 × Mtorusgas ≃ 0.4 − 0.6 × M torus gas $ {\simeq}0.4{-}0.6 \times M_{\mathrm{torus}}^{\mathrm{gas}} $ ) and a comparable amount of mass along the gas streamers are outflowing. However, the bulk of the mass, momentum, and energy of the molecular outflow of NGC 1068 is contained at larger radii in the CND region, where the AGN wind and the radio jet are currently pushing the gas assembled at the Inner Lindblad Resonance (ILR) ring of the nuclear stellar bar. Conclusions. In our favored scenario a wide-angle AGN wind launched from the accretion disk of NGC1068 is currently impacting a sizable fraction of the gas inside the torus. However, a large gas reservoir (≃1.2 − 1.8 × 105 M⊙), which lies close to the equatorial plane of the torus, remains unaffected by the feedback of the AGN wind and can therefore continue fueling the AGN for at least ≃1 − 4 Myr. Nevertheless, AGN fueling currently seems thwarted on intermediate scales (15 pc ≤r ≤ 50 pc).
Understanding how super-massive black holes form and grow in the early Universe has become a major challenge
since it was discovered that luminous quasars existed only 700 million years after the Big ...Bang
. Simulations indicate an evolutionary sequence of dust-reddened quasars emerging from heavily dust-obscured starbursts that then transition to unobscured luminous quasars by expelling gas and dust
. Although the last phase has been identified out to a redshift of 7.6 (ref.
), a transitioning quasar has not been found at similar redshifts owing to their faintness at optical and near-infrared wavelengths. Here we report observations of an ultraviolet compact object, GNz7q, associated with a dust-enshrouded starburst at a redshift of 7.1899 ± 0.0005. The host galaxy is more luminous in dust emission than any other known object at this epoch, forming 1,600 solar masses of stars per year within a central radius of 480 parsec. A red point source in the far-ultraviolet is identified in deep, high-resolution imaging and slitless spectroscopy. GNz7q is extremely faint in X-rays, which indicates the emergence of a uniquely ultraviolet compact star-forming region or a Compton-thick super-Eddington black-hole accretion disk at the dusty starburst core. In the latter case, the observed properties are consistent with predictions from cosmological simulations
and suggest that GNz7q is an antecedent to unobscured luminous quasars at later epochs.
We report ALMA observations of CO(3–2) emission in the Seyfert/nuclear starburst galaxy NGC 613, at a spatial resolution of 17 pc, as part of our NUclei of GAlaxies (NUGA) sample. Our aim is to ...investigate the morphology and dynamics of the gas inside the central kiloparsec, and to probe nuclear fueling and feedback phenomena. The morphology of CO(3–2) line emission reveals a two-arm trailing nuclear spiral at r ≲ 100 pc and a circumnuclear ring at a radius of ∼350 pc that is coincident with the star-forming ring seen in the optical images. Also, we find evidence for a filamentary structure connecting the ring and the nuclear spiral. The ring reveals two breaks into two winding spiral arms corresponding to the dust lanes in the optical images. The molecular gas in the galaxy disk is in a remarkably regular rotation, however the kinematics in the nuclear region are very skewed. The nuclear spectrum of CO and dense gas tracers HCN(4–3), HCO+(4–3), and CS(7–6) show broad wings up to ±300 km s−1, associated with a molecular outflow emanating from the nucleus (r ∼ 25 pc). We derive a molecular outflow mass Mout = 2 × 106 M⊙ and a mass outflow rate of Ṁout = 27 M⊙ yr−1. The molecular outflow energetics exceed the values predicted by AGN feedback models: the kinetic power of the outflow corresponds to PK, out = 20%LAGN and the momentum rate is Ṁoutv ∼ 400LAGN/c. The outflow is mainly boosted by the AGN through entrainment by the radio jet, but given the weak nuclear activity of NGC 613, we might be witnessing a fossil outflow resulting from a previously strong AGN that has now faded. Furthermore, the nuclear trailing spiral observed in CO emission is inside the inner Lindblad resonance ring of the bar. We compute the gravitational torques exerted in the gas to estimate the efficiency of the angular momentum exchange. The gravity torques are negative from 25 to 100 pc and the gas loses its angular momentum in a rotation period, providing evidence for a highly efficient inflow towards the center. This phenomenon shows that the massive central black hole has significant dynamical influence on the gas, triggering the inflowing of molecular gas to feed the black hole.
ABSTRACT We used the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) to map the emission of the CO(6-5) molecular line and the 432 m continuum emission from the 300 pc sized circumnuclear disk (CND) of the ...nearby Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 1068 with a spatial resolution of ∼4 pc. These observations spatially resolve the CND and, for the first time, image the dust emission, the molecular gas distribution, and the kinematics from a 7-10 pc diameter disk that represents the submillimeter counterpart of the putative torus of NGC 1068. We fitted the nuclear spectral energy distribution of the torus using ALMA and near- and mid-infrared (NIR/MIR) data with CLUMPY torus models. The mass and radius of the best-fit solution for the torus are both consistent with the values derived from the ALMA data alone: M gas torus = ( 1 0.3 ) × 10 5 M ☉ and Rtorus = 3.5 0.5 pc. The dynamics of the molecular gas in the torus show strong non-circular motions and enhanced turbulence superposed on a surprisingly slow rotation pattern of the disk. By contrast with the nearly edge-on orientation of the H2O megamaser disk, we found evidence suggesting that the molecular torus is less inclined (i = 34°-66°) at larger radii. The lopsided morphology and complex kinematics of the torus could be the signature of the Papaloizou-Pringle instability, long predicted to likely drive the dynamical evolution of active galactic nuclei tori.
We report ALMA observations of CO(3–2) emission in the Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 1433 at the unprecedented spatial resolution of 0.′′5 = 24 pc. Our aim is to probe active galactic nucleus (AGN) feeding ...and feedback phenomena through the morphology and dynamics of the gas inside the central kpc. The galaxy NGC 1433 is a strongly barred spiral with three resonant rings: one at the ultra-harmonic resonance near corotation, and the others at the outer and inner Lindblad resonances (OLR and ILR). A nuclear bar of 400 pc radius is embedded in the large-scale primary bar. The CO map, which covers the whole nuclear region (nuclear bar and ring), reveals a nuclear gaseous spiral structure, inside the nuclear ring encircling the nuclear stellar bar. This gaseous spiral is well correlated with the dusty spiral seen in Hubble Space Telescope (HST) images. The nuclear spiral winds up in a pseudo-ring at ~200 pc radius, which might correspond to the inner ILR. Continuum emission is detected at 0.87 mm only at the very centre, and its origin is more likely thermal dust emission than non-thermal emission from the AGN. It might correspond to the molecular torus expected to exist in this Seyfert 2 galaxy. The HCN(4–3) and HCO+(4–3) lines were observed simultaneously, but only upper limits are derived, with a ratio to the CO(3–2) line lower than 1/60 at 3σ, indicating a relatively low abundance of very dense gas. The kinematics of the gas over the nuclear disk reveal rather regular rotation only slightly perturbed by streaming motions due to the spiral; the primary and secondary bars are too closely aligned with the galaxy major or minor axis to leave a signature in the projected velocities. Near the nucleus, there is an intense high-velocity CO emission feature redshifted to 200 km s-1 (if located in the plane), with a blue-shifted counterpart, at 2′′ (100 pc) from the centre. While the CO spectra are quite narrow in the centre, this wide component is interpreted as an outflow involving a molecular mass of 3.6 × 106 M⊙ and a flow rate ~7 M⊙/yr. The flow could be in part driven by the central star formation, but is mainly boosted by the AGN through its radio jets.
We report Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations of CO(3-2) emission in a sample of seven Seyfert/LINER galaxies at the unprecedented spatial resolution of 0.″1 = 4−8 0 . ″ ...1 = 4 − 9 $ 0 {{\overset{\prime\prime}{.}}}1=4{-}9 $ pc. Our aim is to explore the close environment of active galactic nuclei (AGN), and the dynamical structures leading to their fueling, through the morphology and kinematics of the gas inside the sphere of influence of the black hole. The selected galaxies host low-luminosity AGN and have a wide range of activity types (Seyferts 1 to 2, LINERs), and barred or ringed morphologies. The observed maps reveal the existence of circumnuclear disk structures, defined by their morphology and decoupled kinematics, in most of the sample. We call these structures molecular tori, even though they often appear as disks without holes in the center. They have varying orientations along the line of sight, unaligned with the host galaxy orientation. The radius of the tori ranges from 6 to 27 pc, and their mass from 0.7 × 107 to 3.9 × 107 M⊙. The most edge-on orientations of the torus correspond to obscured Seyferts. In only one case (NGC 1365), the AGN is centered on the central gas hole of the torus. On a larger scale, the gas is always piled up in a few resonant rings 100 pc in scale that play the role of a reservoir to fuel the nucleus. In some cases, a trailing spiral is observed inside the ring, providing evidence for feeding processes. More frequently, the torus and the AGN are slightly off-centered with respect to the bar-resonant ring position, implying that the black hole is wandering by a few 10 pc amplitude around the center of mass of the galaxy. Our spatial resolution allows us to measure gas velocities inside the sphere of influence of the central black holes. By fitting the observations with different simulated cubes, varying the torus inclination and the black hole mass, it is possible to estimate the mass of the central black hole, which is in general difficult for such late-type galaxies, with only a pseudo-bulge. In some cases, AGN feedback is revealed through a molecular outflow, which will be studied in detail in a subsequent article.
Abstract
We present 1.3- and/or 3-mm continuum images and 3-mm spectral scans, obtained using Northern Extended Millimeter Array (NOEMA) and Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA), of 21 distant, ...dusty, star-forming galaxies. Our sample is a subset of the galaxies selected by Ivison et al. on the basis of their extremely red far-infrared (far-IR) colours and low Herschel flux densities; most are thus expected to be unlensed, extraordinarily luminous starbursts at z ≳ 4, modulo the considerable cross-section to gravitational lensing implied by their redshift. We observed 17 of these galaxies with NOEMA and four with ALMA, scanning through the 3-mm atmospheric window. We have obtained secure redshifts for seven galaxies via detection of multiple CO lines, one of them a lensed system at z = 6.027 (two others are also found to be lensed); a single emission line was detected in another four galaxies, one of which has been shown elsewhere to lie at z = 4.002. Where we find no spectroscopic redshifts, the galaxies are generally less luminous by 0.3–0.4 dex, which goes some way to explaining our failure to detect line emission. We show that this sample contains the most luminous known star-forming galaxies. Due to their extreme star-formation activity, these galaxies will consume their molecular gas in ≲ 100 Myr, despite their high molecular gas masses, and are therefore plausible progenitors of the massive, ‘red-and-dead’ elliptical galaxies at z ≈ 3.
We present evidence for very high gas fractions and extended molecular gas reservoirs in normal, near-infrared-selected (BzK) galaxies at z ∼ 1.5. Our results are based on multi-configuration CO2–1 ...observations obtained at the IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer. All six star-forming galaxies observed were detected at high significance. High spatial resolution observations resolve the CO emission in four of them, implying sizes of the gas reservoirs of order of 6–11 kpc and suggesting the presence of ordered rotation. The galaxies have UV morphologies consistent with clumpy, unstable disks, and UV sizes that are consistent with those measured in CO. The star formation efficiencies are homogeneously low within the sample and similar to those of local spirals—the resulting gas depletion times are ∼0.5 Gyr, much higher than what is seen in high-z submillimeter galaxies and quasars. The CO luminosities can be predicted to within 0.15 dex from the observed star formation rates (SFRs) and stellar masses, implying a tight correlation of the gas mass with these quantities. We use new dynamical models of clumpy disk galaxies to derive dynamical masses for our sample. These models are able to reproduce the peculiar spectral line shapes of the CO emission. After accounting for the stellar and dark matter masses, we derive molecular gas reservoirs with masses of (0.4–1.2)×1011 M☉. The implied conversion (CO luminosity-to-gas mass) factor is very high: αCO = 3.6 ± 0.8, consistent with a Galactic conversion factor but 4 times higher than that of local ultra-luminous IR galaxies that is typically used for high-redshift objects. The gas mass in these galaxies is comparable to or larger than the stellar mass, and the gas accounts for an impressive 50%–65% of the baryons within the galaxies' half-light radii. We are thus witnessing truly gas-dominated galaxies at z ∼ 1.5, a finding that explains the high specific SFRs observed for z > 1 galaxies. The BzK galaxies can be viewed as scaled-up versions of local disk galaxies, with low-efficiency star formation taking place inside extended, low-excitation gas disks. These galaxies are markedly different than local ULIRGs and high-z submillimeter galaxies and quasars, where higher excitation and more compact gas is found
We investigate the fueling and the feedback of star formation and nuclear activity in NGC 1068, a nearby Seyfert 2 barred galaxy, by analyzing the distribution and kinematics of the molecular gas in ...the disk. We aim to understand if and how gas accretion can self-regulate. We have used the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) to map the emission of a set of dense molecular gas and their underlying continuum emission in the central r ~ 2 kpc of NGC 1068 with spatial resolutions ~0.3" - 0.5". Molecular line and dust continuum emissions are detected from a r ~ 200 pc off-centered circumnuclear disk (CND), from the 2.6 kpc-diameter bar region, and from the r ~ 1.3 kpc starburst (SB) ring. The molecular outflow is likely launched when the ionization cone of the narrow line region sweeps the nuclear disk. The CND gas reservoir is likely replenished on longer timescales by efficient gas inflow from the outer disk.
We present the IRAM-30 m observations of multiple-J CO (Jup mostly from 3 up to 8) and C I(3P2 → 3P1) (C I(2–1) hereafter) line emission in a sample of redshift ~2–4 submillimeter galaxies (SMGs). ...These SMGs are selected among the brightest-lensed galaxies discovered in the Herschel-Astrophysical Terahertz Large Area Survey (H-ATLAS). Forty-seven CO lines and 7 C I(2–1) lines have been detected in 15 lensed SMGs. A non-negligible effect of differential lensing is found for the CO emission lines, which could have caused significant underestimations of the linewidths, and hence of the dynamical masses. The CO spectral line energy distributions (SLEDs), peaking around Jup ~ 5–7, are found to be similar to those of the local starburst-dominated ultra-luminous infrared galaxies and of the previously studied SMGs. After correcting for lensing amplification, we derived the global properties of the bulk of molecular gas in the SMGs using non-LTE radiative transfer modelling, such as the molecular gas density nH2 ~ 102.5–104.1 cm-3 and the kinetic temperature Tk ~ 20–750 K. The gas thermal pressure Pth ranging from~105 K cm-3 to 106 K cm-3 is found to be correlated with star formation efficiency. Further decomposing the CO SLEDs into two excitation components, we find a low-excitation component with nH2 ~ 102.8–104.6 cm-3 and Tk ~ 20–30 K, which is less correlated with star formation, and a high-excitation one (nH2 ~ 102.7–104.2 cm-3, Tk ~ 60–400 K) which is tightly related to the on-going star-forming activity. Additionally, tight linear correlations between the far-infrared and CO line luminosities have been confirmed for the Jup ≥ 5 CO lines of these SMGs, implying that these CO lines are good tracers of star formation. The C I(2–1) lines follow the tight linear correlation between the luminosities of the C I(2–1) and the CO(1–0) line found in local starbursts, indicating that C I lines could serve as good total molecular gas mass tracers for high-redshift SMGs as well. The total mass of the molecular gas reservoir, (1–30) × 1010M⊙, derived based on the CO(3–2) fluxes and αCO(1–0) = 0.8 M⊙ ( K km s-1 pc2)-1, suggests a typical molecular gas depletion time tdep ~ 20–100 Myr and a gas to dust mass ratio δGDR ~ 30–100 with ~20%–60% uncertainty for the SMGs. The ratio between CO line luminosity and the dust mass L′CO/Mdust appears to be slowly increasing with redshift for high-redshift SMGs, which need to be further confirmed by a more complete SMG sample at various redshifts. Finally, through comparing the linewidth of CO and H2O lines, we find that they agree well in almost all our SMGs, confirming that the emitting regions of the CO and H2O lines are co-spatially located.
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