arXiv subjects

M. Perna

Publications and source records attributed to M. Perna.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2022

Supermassive Black Hole Winds in X-rays: SUBWAYS. II. HST UV spectroscopy of winds at intermediate redshifts

We present a UV spectroscopic study of ionized outflows in 21 active galactic nuclei (AGN), observed with the HST. The targets of the SUBWAYS sample were selected with the aim to probe the parameter space of the underexplored AGN between the local Seyfert galaxies and the luminous quasars at high redshifts. Our targets, spanning redshifts of 0.1-0.4 and bolometric luminosities (L_bol) of 10^45-10^46 erg/s, have been observed with a large multi-wavelength campaign. Here, we model the UV spectra and look for different types of AGN outflows. We find that 60% of our targets show a presence of outflowing H I absorption, while 40% exhibit ionized outflows seen as absorption by either C IV, N V, or O VI. This is comparable to the occurrence of ionized outflows seen in the local Seyfert galaxies. All UV absorption lines in the sample are relatively narrow, with outflow velocities reaching up to -3300 km/s. We did not detect any UV counterparts to the X-ray ultra-fast outflows (UFOs), most likely due to their being too highly ionized. However, all SUBWAYS targets with an X-ray UFO demonstrate the presence of UV outflows at lower velocities. We find significant correlations between the column density (N) of the UV ions and L_bol of the AGN, with N of H I decreasing with L_bol, while N of O VI is increasing with L_bol. This is likely to be a photoionization effect, where toward higher AGN luminosities, the wind becomes more ionized, resulting in less absorption by neutral or low-ionization ions and more absorption by high-ionization ions. In addition, we find that N of the UV ions decreases as their outflow velocity increases. This may be explained by a mechanical power that is evacuating the UV-absorbing medium. Our observed relations are consistent with multiphase AGN feeding and feedback simulations indicating that a combination of both radiative and mechanical processes are in play.

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arXiv2022

The PUMA project. III. Incidence and properties of ionised gas disks in ULIRGs, associated velocity dispersion and its dependence on starburstiness

A classical scenario suggests that ULIRGs transform colliding spiral galaxies into a spheroid dominated early-type galaxy. Recent high-resolution simulations have instead shown that, under some circumstances, rotation disks can be preserved during the merging process or rapidly regrown after coalescence. Our goal is to analyze in detail the ionised gas kinematics in a sample of ULIRGs to infer the incidence of gas rotational dynamics in late-stage interacting galaxies and merger remnants. We analysed MUSE data of a sample of 20 nearby (z<0.165) ULIRGs, as part of the "Physics of ULIRGs with MUSE and ALMA" (PUMA) project. We found that 27% individual nuclei are associated with kpc-scale disk-like gas motions. The rest of the sample displays a plethora of gas kinematics, dominated by winds and merger-induced flows, which make the detection of rotation signatures difficult. On the other hand, the incidence of stellar disk-like motions is ~2 times larger than gaseous disks, as the former are probably less affected by winds and streams. The eight galaxies with a gaseous disk present relatively high intrinsic gas velocity dispersion (sigma = 30-85 km/s), rotationally-supported motions (with gas rotation velocity over velocity dispersion vrot/sigma > 1-8), and dynamical masses in the range (2-7)x1e10 Msun. By combining our results with those of local and high-z disk galaxies from the literature, we found a significant correlation between sigma and the offset from the main sequence (MS), after correcting for their evolutionary trends. Our results confirm the presence of kpc-scale rotating disks in interacting galaxies and merger remnants, with an incidence going from 27% (gas) to ~50% (stars). The ULIRGs gas velocity dispersion is up to a factor of ~4 higher than in local normal MS galaxies, similar to high-z starbursts as presented in the literature.

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arXiv2021

SUPER. VI. A giant molecular halo around a z~2 quasar

We present the discovery of copious molecular gas in the halo of cid_346, a $z=2.2$ quasar studied as part of the SINFONI survey for Unveiling the Physics and Effect of Radiative feedback (SUPER). New Atacama Compact Array (ACA) CO(3-2) observations detect a much higher flux (by a factor of $14\pm5$) than measured on kiloparsec scales ($r\lesssim8$ kpc) using previous snapshot Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array data. Such additional CO(3-2) emission traces a structure that extends out to $r\sim200$ kpc in projected size, as inferred through direct imaging and confirmed by an analysis of the uv visibilities. This is the most extended molecular circumgalactic medium (CGM) reservoir that has ever been mapped. It shows complex kinematics, with an overall broad line profile (FWHM $= 1000$ km/s) that is skewed towards redshifted velocities up to at least $v\sim1000$ km/s. Using the optically thin assumption, we estimate a strict lower limit for the total molecular CGM mass observed by ACA of $M_{mol}^{CGM}>10^{10}~M_{\odot}$. There is however room for up to $M^{CGM}_{mol}\sim 1.7\times 10^{12}$ $M_{\odot}$, once optically thick CO emission with $α_{\rm CO}=3.6$ $\rm M_{\odot}~(K~km~s^{-1}~pc^2)^{-1}$ and $L^{\prime}_{CO(3-2)}/L^{\prime}_{CO(1-0)}=0.5$ are assumed. Since cid_346 hosts quasar-driven ionised outflows and since there is no evidence of merging companions or an overdensity, we suggest that outflows may have played a crucial rule in seeding metal-enriched, dense gas on halo scales. However, the origin of such an extended molecular CGM remains unclear.

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arXiv2021

Properties of the Multiphase Outflows in Local (Ultra)luminous Infrared Galaxies

Galactic outflows are known to consist of several gas phases, however, so far the connection between these multiple phases has been investigated little and only in a few objects. In this paper, we analyse MUSE/VLT data of 26 local (U)LIRGs and study their ionised and neutral atomic phases. We also include objects from the literature to obtain a total sample of 31 galaxies with spatially resolved multi-phase outflow information. We find that the ionized phase of the outflows has on average an electron density three times higher than the disc ($n_{\rm e, disc}$ $\sim$ 145 cm$^{-3}$ vs $n_{\rm e, outflow}$ $\sim$ 500 cm$^{-3}$), suggesting that cloud compression in the outflow is more important that cloud dissipation. We find that the difference in extinction between outflow and disc correlates with the outflow gas mass. Together with the analysis of the outflow velocities, this suggests that at least some of the outflows are associated with the ejection of dusty clouds from the disc. This may support models where radiation pressure on dust contributes to driving galactic outflows. The presence of dust in outflows is relevant for potential formation of molecules inside them. We combine our data with millimetre data to investigate the molecular phase. We find that the molecular phase accounts for more than 60 $\%$ of the total mass outflow rate in most objects and this fraction is higher in AGN-dominated systems. The neutral atomic phase contributes of the order of 10 $\%$, while the ionized phase is negligible. The ionized-to-molecular mass outflow rate declines slightly with AGN luminosity, although with a large scatter.

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arXiv2021

The eROSITA Final Equatorial-Depth Survey (eFEDS): The first archetypal Quasar in the feedback phase discovered by eROSITA

Theoretical models of galaxy-AGN co-evolution ascribe an important role for the feedback process to a short, luminous, obscured, and dust-enshrouded phase during which the accretion rate of the SMBH is expected to be at its maximum and the associated AGN-driven winds are also predicted to be maximally developed. To test this scenario, we have isolated a text-book candidate from the eROSITA Final Equatorial-Depth Survey (eFEDS) obtained within the Performance and Verification program of the eROSITA telescope on board Spectrum Roentgen Gamma. From an initial catalog of 246 hard X-ray selected sources matched with the photometric and spectroscopic information available within the eROSITA and Hyper Suprime-Cam consortia, three candidates Quasars in the feedback phase have been isolated applying the diagnostic proposed in Brusa et al. (2015). Only one source (eFEDSU J091157.5+014327) has a spectrum already available (from SDSS-DR16, z=0.603) and it unambiguously shows the presence of a broad component (FWHM~1650 km/s) in the [OIII]5007 line. The associated observed L_[OIII] is ~2.6x10^{42} erg/s, one to two orders of magnitude larger than that observed in local Seyferts and comparable to those observed in a sample of z~0.5 Type 1 Quasars. From the multiwavelength data available we derive an Eddington Ratio (L_bol/L_Edd) of ~0.25, and a bolometric correction in the hard X-ray of k_bol~10, lower than those observed for objects at similar bolometric luminosity. The presence of an outflow, the high X-ray luminosity and moderate X-ray obscuration (L_X~10^44.8 erg/s, N_H~2.7x10^22 cm^-2) and the red optical color, all match the prediction of quasars in the feedback phase from merger driven models. Forecasting to the full eROSITA all-sky survey with its spectroscopic follow-up, we predict that by the end of 2024 we will have a sample of few hundreds such objects at z=0.5-2.

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arXiv2021

Are local ULIRGs powered by AGN? The sub-kpc view of the 220 GHz continuum. PUMA II

We analyze high-resolution (400pc) 220GHz continuum and CO(2-1) ALMA observations of a representative sample of 23 local (z<0.165) ULIRG systems (34 individual nuclei) as part of the "Physics of ULIRGs with MUSE and ALMA" (PUMA) project. The deconvolved half-light radii of the 220GHz continuum sources are between <60-350 pc (median 90pc). We associate these regions with the regions emitting the bulk of the infrared luminosity. The good agreement, within a factor of 2, between the 220GHz fluxes and the extrapolation of the infrared gray-body, and the small synchrotron and free-free contributions support this assumption. The cold molecular gas emission sizes, r_CO, are 60-700 pc and are similar in advanced mergers and early interacting systems. On average, r_CO are 2.5 times larger than the continuum. We derive L_IR and cold molecular gas surface densities: log Sigma(L_IR)=11.5-14.3 Lsun/kpc^2 and log Sigma(H2)=2.9-4.2 Msun/pc^2. Assuming that the L_IR is produced by star-formation, this corresponds to median Sigma(SFR)=2500 Msun/yr/kpc^2 which would imply extremely short depletion times, <1-15 Myr, and unphysical SF efficiencies >1 for 70% of the sample. Therefore, this favors the presence of obscured AGN that could dominate the L_IR. We also classify the ULIRG nuclei in two groups: (a) compact nuclei (r<130 pc) with high mid-IR excess emission found in optically classified AGN; and (b) nuclei following a relation with decreasing mid-IR excess for decreasing r. 60% of the interacting nuclei lie in the low end (<130 pc) of this relation, while only 30% of the advanced mergers do so, suggesting that in the early interaction phases the activity occurs in more compact and obscured regions. About two thirds of the nuclei are above the Eddington limit which is consistent with the detection of massive outflows in local ULIRGs and the potential role of radiation pressure in the launching process.

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arXiv2021

Connecting X-ray nuclear winds with galaxy-scale ionised outflows in two $z\sim1.5$ lensed quasars

Outflows driven by active galactic nuclei (AGN) are expected to have a significant impact on the host galaxy evolution, but it is still debated how they are accelerated and propagate on galaxy-wide scales. This work addresses these questions by studying the link between X-ray, nuclear ultra-fast outflows (UFOs) and extended ionised outflows, for the first time in two quasars close to the peak of AGN activity ($z\sim2$), where AGN feedback is expected to be more effective. As targets, we selected two multiple-lensed quasars at $z\sim1.5$, HS 0810+2554 and SDSS J1353+1138, known to host UFOs and observed with the near-IR integral field spectrometer SINFONI at the VLT. We performed a kinematical analysis of the [O III]$λ$5007 optical emission line, in order to trace the presence of ionised outflows. We detected spatially resolved ionised outflows in both galaxies, extended more than 8 kpc and moving up to $v>2000$ km/s. We derived mass outflow rates of $\sim$12 M$_{sun}$/yr and $\sim$2 M$_{sun}$/yr for HS 0810+2554 and SDSS J1353+1138. Comparing with the co-hosted UFO energetics, the ionised outflow energetics in HS 0810+2554 is broadly consistent with a momentum-driven regime of wind propagation, while in SDSS J1353+1138 it differs by a factor of $\sim$100 from theoretical predictions, requiring either a massive molecular outflow or a high variability of the AGN activity to account for such a discrepancy. By additionally considering our results with those from the small sample of well-studied objects (all local but one), with both UFO and extended (ionised/atomic/molecular) outflow detections, we found that in 10 out of 12 galaxies the large-scale outflow energetics is consistent with the theoretical predictions of either a momentum- or an energy-driven scenario. This suggests that such models explain relatively well the acceleration mechanism of AGN-driven winds on large scales.

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arXiv2021

MAGNUM survey: Compact jets causing large turmoil in galaxies -- Enhanced line widths perpendicular to radio jets as tracers of jet-ISM interaction

Outflows accelerated by AGN are commonly observed in the form of coherent, mildly collimated high-velocity gas directed along the AGN ionisation cones and kinetically powerful (>$10^{44-45}$ erg/s) jets. Recent works found that outflows can also be accelerated by low-power (<$10^{44}$ erg/s) jets, and the most recent cosmological simulations indicate that these are the dominant source of feedback on sub-kpc scales. We study the relation between radio jets and the distribution and kinematics of the ionised gas in IC 5063, NGC 5643, NGC 1068, and NGC 1386 as part of our MAGNUM survey of nearby Seyfert galaxies. All these objects host a small-scale (<1 kpc) low-power (<$10^{44}$ erg/s) radio jet that has small inclinations (<45°) with respect to the galaxy disc. We employed seeing-limited optical integral field spectroscopic observations from MUSE at VLT to obtain flux, kinematic, and excitation maps of the extended ionised gas, that we compared with archival radio images and Chandra X-ray observations. We detect a strong (up to >800-1000 km/s), extended (>1 kpc) and shock-excited emission-line velocity spread perpendicular to the AGN ionisation cones and jets in all four targets. These broad and symmetric line profiles are not associated with a single coherent velocity of the gas, differently from the 'classical' asymmetric-line outflow observed along the ionisation cones and jets. We interpret the observed phenomenon as due to the action of the jets perturbing the gas in the galaxy disc. These intense and extended velocity spreads perpendicular to AGN jets and cones are indeed currently only observed in galaxies hosting a low-power jet whose inclination is sufficiently low with respect to the galaxy disc to impact on and strongly affect its material. In line with cosmological simulations, our results demonstrate that low-power jets are indeed capable of affecting the host galaxy.

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arXiv2020

SUPER IV. CO(J=3-2) properties of active galactic nucleus hosts at cosmic noon revealed by ALMA

Feedback from AGN is thought to be key in shaping the life cycle of their host galaxies by regulating star-formation activity. Therefore, to understand the impact of AGN on star formation, it is essential to trace the molecular gas out of which stars form. In this paper we present the first systematic study of the CO properties of AGN hosts at z~2 for a sample of 27 X-ray selected AGN spanning two orders of magnitude in AGN bolometric luminosity (Lbol= 10^44.7-10^46.9 erg/s) by using ALMA Band 3 observations of the CO(3-2) transition (~1" angular resolution). To search for evidence of AGN feedback on the CO properties of the host galaxies, we compared our AGN with a sample of inactive (i.e., non-AGN) galaxies from the PHIBSS survey with similar redshift, stellar masses, and SFRs. We used the same CO transition as a consistent proxy for the gas mass for the two samples in order to avoid systematics involved when assuming conversion factors. By adopting a Bayesian approach to take upper limits into account, we analyzed CO luminosities as a function of stellar masses and SFRs, as well as the ratio LCO(3-2)/M* (proxy for the gas fraction). The two samples show statistically consistent trends in the LCO(3-2)-Lfir and LCO(3-2)-M* planes. However, there are indications that AGN feature lower CO(3-2) luminosities (0.4-0.7 dex) than inactive galaxies at the 2-3sigma level when we focus on the subset of parameters where the results are better constrained and on the distribution of the mean LCO(3-2)/M*. Therefore, even by conservatively assuming the same excitation factor r31, we would find lower molecular gas masses in AGN, and assuming higher r31 would exacerbate this difference. We interpret our result as a hint of the potential effect of AGN activity (e.g., radiation and outflows), which may be able to heat, excite, dissociate, and/or deplete the gas reservoir of the host galaxies. (abridged)

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arXiv2020

Physics of ULIRGs with MUSE and ALMA: The PUMA project I. Properties of the survey and first MUSE data results

Ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) are characterised by extreme starburst (SB) and AGN activity, and are therefore ideal laboratories for studying the outflow phenomena. We have recently started a project called Physics of ULIRGs with MUSE and ALMA (PUMA), which is a survey of 25 nearby (z < 0.165) ULIRGs observed with the integral field spectrograph MUSE and the interferometer ALMA. This sample includes systems with both AGN and SB nuclear activity in the pre- and post-coalescence phases of major mergers. The main goals of the project are to study the prevalence of multi-phase outflows as a function of the galaxy properties, to constrain the driving mechanisms of the outflows (e.g. distinguish between SB and AGN winds), and to identify feedback effects on the host galaxy. In this first paper, we present details on the sample selection, MUSE observations, and derive first data products. MUSE data were analysed to study the dynamical status of each of the 21 ULIRGs observed so far, taking the stellar kinematics and the morphological properties inferred from MUSE narrow-band images into account. We also located the ULIRG nuclei, using near-IR (HST) and mm (ALMA) data, and studied their optical spectra to infer the ionisation state through BPT diagnostics, and outflows in both ionised and neutral gas. We show that the morphological and stellar kinematic classifications are consistent: post-coalescence systems are more likely associated with ordered motions, while interacting (binary) systems are dominated by non-ordered and streaming motions. We also find broad and asymmetric [OIII] and NaID profiles in almost all nuclear spectra, with line widths in the range 300-2000 km/s, possibly associated with AGN- and SB-driven winds. This result reinforces previous findings that indicated that outflows are ubiquitous during the pre- and post-coalescence phases of major mergers.

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arXiv2020

SUPER III. Broad Line Region properties of AGN at z$\sim$2

The SINFONI survey for Unveiling the Physics and Effect of Radiative feedback (SUPER) was designed to conduct a blind search for AGN-driven outflows on X-ray selected AGN at redshift z$\sim$2 with high ($\sim$2 kpc) spatial resolution, and correlate them to the properties of the host galaxy and central black hole. The main aims of this paper are: a) to derive reliable estimates for the BH mass and accretion rates for the Type-1 AGN in this survey; b) to characterize the properties of the AGN driven winds in the BLR. We analyzed rest-frame optical and UV spectra of 21 Type-1 AGN. We found that the BH masses estimated from H$α$ and H$β$ lines are in agreement. We estimate BH masses in the range Log(M$\rm_{BH}/M_{\odot}$)=8.4-10.8 and Eddington ratios $\rmλ_{Edd}$ =0.04-1.3. We confirm that the CIV line width does not correlate with the Balmer lines and the peak of the line profile is blue-shifted with respect to the [OIII]-based systemic redshift. These findings support the idea that the CIV line is tracing outflowing gas in the BLR, with velocities up to $\sim$4700 km/s. We confirm the strong dependence of the BLR wind velocity with the UV-to-Xray continuum slope, L$\rm_{Bol}$ and $\rmλ_{Edd}$. We inferred BLR mass outflow rates in the range 0.005-3 M$_{\odot}$/yr, showing a correlation with the bolometric luminosity consistent with that observed for ionized winds in the NLR and X-ray winds detected in local AGN, and kinetic power $\sim$10$^{[-7:-4]}\times$ L$\rm_{Bol}$. Finally, we found an anti-correlation between the equivalent width of the [OIII] line with respect to the CIV shift, and a positive correlation with [OIII] outflow velocity. These findings, for the first time in an unbiased sample of AGN at z$\sim$2, support a scenario where BLR winds are connected to galaxy scale detected outflows, and are capable of affecting the gas in the NLR located at kpc scale.

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arXiv2020

The WISSH QSOs project IX. Cold gas content and environment of luminous QSOs at z~2.4-4.7

Sources at the brightest end of QSO luminosity function during the peak epoch of star formation and black hole accretion (z~2-4, i.e. Cosmic noon) are privileged sites to study the feeding & feedback cycle of massive galaxies. We perform the first systematic study of cold gas properties in the most luminous QSOs, by characterising their host-galaxies and environment. We analyse ALMA, NOEMA and JVLA observations of FIR continuum, CO and [CII] emission lines in eight QSOs ($L_{\rm Bol}>3\times10^{47}$ erg/s) from the WISSH sample at z~2.4-4.7. We report a 100% emission line detection rate and a 80% detection rate in continuum emission, and we find CO emission to be consistent with the steepest CO ladders observed so far. Sub-mm data reveal presence of (one or more) bright companion galaxies around 80% of WISSH QSOs, at projected distances of 6-130 kpc. We observe a variety of sizes for the molecular gas reservoirs (1.7-10 kpc), associated with rotating disks with disturbed kinematics. WISSH QSOs typically show lower CO luminosity and higher star formation efficiency than FIR matched, z~0-3 main-sequence galaxies, implying that, given the observed SFR ~170-1100 $M_\odot$/yr, molecular gas is converted into stars on <50 Myr. Most targets show extreme dynamical to black-hole mass ratios $M_{\rm dyn}/M_{\rm BH}\sim3-10$, two orders of magnitude smaller than local relations. The molecular gas fraction in WISSH hosts is lower by a factor of ~10-100 than in star forming galaxies with similar $M_*$. WISSH QSOs undergo an intense growth phase of both the central SMBH and host-galaxy. They pinpoint high-density sites where giant galaxies assemble and mergers play a major role in the build-up of the final host-galaxy mass. The observed low molecular gas fraction and short depletion timescale are likely due to AGN feedback, as traced by fast AGN-driven ionised outflows in all our targets.

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arXiv2020

Galaxy-scale ionised winds driven by ultra-fast outflows in two nearby quasars

We use MUSE adaptive optics (AO) data in Narrow Field Mode to study the properties of the ionised gas in MR 2251-178 and PG 1126-041, two nearby (z~0.06) bright quasars hosting sub-pc scale Ultra Fast Outflows (UFOs) detected in the X-ray band. We decompose the optical emission from diffuse gas into a low- and a high-velocity components. The former is characterised by a clean, regular velocity field and a low (~80 km/s) velocity dispersion. It traces regularly rotating gas in PG 1126-041, while in MR 2251-178 it is possibly associated to tidal debris from a recent merger or flyby. The other component is found to be extended up to a few kpc from the nuclei, and shows a high (~800 km/s) velocity dispersion and a blue-shifted mean velocity, as expected from AGN-driven outflows. We estimate mass outflow rates up to a few Mo/yr and kinetic efficiencies between 0.1-0.4 per cent, in line with those of galaxies hosting AGNs of similar luminosity. The momentum rates of these ionised outflows are comparable to those measured for the UFOs at sub-pc scales, consistent with a momentum-driven wind propagation. Pure energy-driven winds are excluded unless about 100x additional momentum is locked in massive molecular winds. By comparing the outflow properties of our sources with those of a small sample of well-studied QSOs hosting UFOs from the literature, we find that winds seem to systematically lie either in a momentum-driven or in an energy-driven regime, indicating that these two theoretical models bracket very well the physics of AGN-driven winds.

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arXiv2020

The ALMA view of the high-redshift relation between supermassive black holes and their host galaxies

This work aims at studying the $M_{BH}-M_{dyn}$ relation of a sample of $2 5-10$) and the gas kinematics is spatially resolved and dominated by ordered rotation. The estimated dynamical masses place $6$ out of $10$ quasars above the local relation yielding to a $M_{BH}/M_{dyn}$ ratios $\sim10\times$ higher than those estimated in low-$z$ galaxies. On the other hand, we found that $4$ quasars at $z\sim 4-6$ have dynamical-to-BH mass ratios consistent with what is observed in early-type galaxies in the local Universe.

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arXiv2020

MUSE view of Arp220: Kpc-scale multi-phase outflow and evidence for positive feedback

Arp220 is the nearest and prototypical ULIRG, and shows evidence of pc-scale molecular outflows in its nuclear regions and strongly perturbed ionised gas kinematics on kpc scales. It is therefore the ideal system for investigating outflows and feedback phenomena in details. We investigate the feedback effects on the Arp220 ISM, deriving a detailed picture of the atomic gas in terms of physical and kinematic properties, with a spatial resolution never obtained before (0.56", i.e. ~ 210 pc). We use optical IFS observations from VLT/MUSE-AO to obtain spatially resolved stellar and gas kinematics, for both ionised ([N II]6583) and neutral (Na ID5891,96) components; we also derive dust attenuation, electron density, ionisation conditions and hydrogen column density maps to characterise the ISM properties. Arp220 kinematics reveal the presence of a disturbed, kpc-scale disk in the innermost nuclear regions, and highly perturbed, multi-phase (neutral and ionised) gas along the minor-axis of the disk, which we interpret as a galactic-scale outflow emerging from the Arp220 eastern nucleus. This outflow involves velocities up to ~ 1000 km/s at galactocentric distances of ~ 5 kpc, and has a mass rate of ~ 50 Msun/yr, and kinetic and momentum power of ~ 1e43 erg/s and ~ 1e35 dyne, respectively. The inferred energetics do not allow us to distinguish the origin of the outflows, i.e. whether they are AGN-driven or starburst-driven. We also present evidence for enhanced star formation at the edges of - and within - the outflow, with a star formation rate SFR ~ 5 Msun/yr (i.e. ~ 2% of the total SFR). Our findings suggest the presence of powerful winds in Arp220: they might be capable of removing or heating large amounts of gas from the host ("negative feedback"), but could be also responsible for triggering star formation ("positive feedback").

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arXiv2020

SUPER-II: Spatially resolved ionized gas kinematics and scaling relations in z~2 AGN host galaxies

The SINFONI survey for Unveiling the Physics and Effect of Radiative feedback (SUPER) aims at tracing and characterizing ionized gas outflows and their impact on star formation in a statistical sample of X-ray selected Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) at z$\sim$2. We present the first SINFONI results for a sample of 21 Type-1 AGN spanning a wide range in bolometric luminosity (log $\mathrm{L_{bol}}$ = 45.4-47.9 erg/s). The main aims of this paper are determining the extension of the ionized gas, characterizing the occurrence of AGN-driven outflows, and linking the properties of such outflows with those of the AGN. We use Adaptive Optics-assisted SINFONI observations to trace ionized gas in the extended narrow line region using the [OIII]5007 line. We classify a target as hosting an outflow if its non-parametric velocity of the [OIII] line, $\mathrm{w_{80}}$, is larger than 600 km/s. We study the presence of extended emission using dedicated point-spread function (PSF) observations, after modelling the PSF from the Balmer lines originating from the Broad Line Region. We detect outflows in all the Type-1 AGN sample based on the $\mathrm{w_{80}}$ value from the integrated spectrum, which is in the range 650-2700 km/s. There is a clear positive correlation between $\mathrm{w_{80}}$ and the AGN bolometric luminosity (99% correlation probability), but a weaker correlation with the black hole mass (80% correlation probability). A comparison of the PSF and the [OIII] radial profile shows that the [OIII] emission is spatially resolved for $\sim$35% of the Type-1 sample and the outflows show an extension up to $\sim$6 kpc. The relation between maximum velocity and the bolometric luminosity is consistent with model predictions for shocks from an AGN driven outflow. The escape fraction of the outflowing gas increase with the AGN luminosity, although for most galaxies, this fraction is less than 10%.

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arXiv2019

AGN in Dusty Starbursts at Z=2: Feedback Still To Kick In

We investigate a sample of 152 dusty sources at 1:5 < z < 2:5 to understand the connection of enhanced Star-Formation-Rate (SFR) and Black-Hole-Accretion-Rate (BHAR). The sources are Herschel-selected, having stellar masses M*>10^10Msun and SFR (100-1000Msun/yr) elevated(>4?) above the star-forming "main sequence", classifying them as Starbursts (SB). Through a multiwavelength fitting approach (including a dusty torus component), we divided the sample into active SBs (dominated by an AGN emission, SBs-AGN, ? 23% of the sample) and purely star-forming SBs (SBs-SFR). We visually inspected their HST/UV-restframe maps: SBs-SFR are generally irregular and composite systems; ? 50% of SBs-AGN are instead dominated by regular compact morphologies. We then found archival ALMA continuum counterparts for 33 galaxies (12 SBs-AGN and 21 SBs-SFR). For these sources we computed dust masses, and, with standard assumptions, we also guessed total molecular gas-masses. SBs turn to be gas rich systems (fgas = Mgas=Mgas/(Mgas+M*) \sim 20%-70%), and the gas fractions of the two SB classes are very similar (fgas = 43 +/-4% and fgas = 42+/- 2%). Our results show that SBs are consistent with a mixture of: 1) highly star-forming merging systems (dominating the SBs-SFR), and 2) primordial galaxies, rapidly growing their M* together with their Black Hole (mainly the more compact SBs-AGN). Anyway, feedback effects have not reduced their fgas yet. Indeed, SBs at z = 2, with relatively low bolometric AGN luminosities in the range 10^44 < Lbol(AGN) < 10^46 erg/s (compared to bright optical and X-ray quasars), are still relatively far from the epoch when the AGN feedback will quench the SFR in the host and will substantially depress the gas fractions.

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arXiv2019

The MAGNUM survey: different gas properties in the outflowing and disk components in nearby active galaxies with MUSE

We investigated the interstellar medium properties of the disc and outflowing gas in the central regions of nine nearby Seyfert galaxies, all characterised by prominent outflows. These objects are part of the Measuring Active Galactic Nuclei Under MUSE Microscope survey, which aims to probe their physical conditions and ionisation mechanism by exploiting MUSE unprecedented sensitivity. We studied the different properties of the gas in the disc and outflow with spatially and kinematically resolved maps by dividing the strongest emission lines in velocity bins. We associated the core of the lines with the disc, consistent with the stellar velocity, and the redshifted and the blueshifted wings with the outflow. We find that the outflowing gas is characterised by higher values of density and ionisation parameter than the disc, which presents a higher dust extinction. Moreover, we distinguish high- and low-ionisation regions across the portion of spatially resolved narrow-line region traced by the outflowing gas. The high-ionisation regions characterised by the lowest [NII]/Hα and [SII]/Hα line ratios generally trace the innermost parts along the axis of the emitting cones where the [SIII]/[SII] line ratio is enhanced, while the low-ionisation regions follow the cone edges and/or the regions perpendicular to the axis of the outflows, also characterised by a higher [OIII] velocity dispersion. A possible scenario to explain these features relies on the presence of two distinct populations of line emitting clouds: one is optically thin to the radiation and is characterised by the highest excitation, while the other is optically thick and is impinged by a filtered, and thus harder, radiation field which generates strong low-excitation lines. The highest values of [NII]/Hα and [SII]/Hα line ratios may be due to shocks and/or a hard filtered radiation field from the AGN.

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