Persona: Alonso-Herrero, Almudena
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Centro de Astrobiologia
El Centro de Astrobiología (CAB) es un centro mixto de investigación en astrobiología, dependiente tanto del Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA) como del Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC).
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Alonso-Herrero
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Almudena
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Publicación Acceso Abierto Interactions between large-scale radio structures and gas in a sample of optically selected type 2 quasars(EDP Sciences, 2021-06-10) Villar Martín, M.; Emonts, Bjorn H. C.; Cabrera Lavers, A.; Bellocchi, Enrica; Storchi Bergmann, T.; Alonso-Herrero, Almudena; Humphrey, A.; Dall´Agnol de Oliveira, B.; Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI); Comunidad de Madrid; Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (FCT); Unidad de Excelencia Científica María de Maeztu Centro de Astrobiología del Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial y CSIC, MDM-2017-0737Context. The role of radio mode feedback in non radio-loud quasars needs to be explored in depth to determine its true importance. Its effects can be identified based on the evidence of interactions between the radio structures and the ambient ionised gas. Aims. We investigate this interaction in a sample of 13 optically selected type 2 quasars (QSO2) at z < 0.2 with the Very Large Array (VLA) FIRST Survey radio detections, none of which are radio-loud. The ranges of [OIII]λ5007 and monochromatic radio luminosities are log(L[OIII]/erg s−1) ∼ 42.08–42.79 and log(P1.4 GHz/erg s−1 Hz−1) ∼ 30.08−31.76. All of them show complex optical morphologies, with signs of distortion across tens of kpc due to mergers and interactions. Methods. We searched for evidence of interactions between the radio structures and the ionised gas by characterising and comparing their morphologies. The former was traced by narrow band Hα images obtained with the GTC 10.4 m Spanish telescope and the Osiris instrument. The latter is traced by VLA radio maps obtained with A and B configurations to achieve both high resolution and brightness sensitivity. Results. The radio luminosity has an active galatic nucleus (AGN) component in 11 our of 13 QSO2, which is spatially extended in our radio data in 9 of them (jets, lobes, or other). The relative contribution of the extended radio emission to the total P1.4 GHz is in most cases in the range from 30% to 90%. The maximum sizes are in the range of dRmax of around a few to 500 kpc. The QSO2 undergoing interaction or merger events appear to be invariably associated with ionised gas spread over large spatial scales with maximum distances from the AGN in the range rmax ∼ 12−90 kpc. The morphology of the ionised gas at < 30 kpc is strongly influenced by AGN related processes. Evidence for radio-gas interactions exist in 10 out of 13 QSO2; that is, in all but one with confirmed AGN radio components. The interactions are identified across different spatial scales, from the nuclear narrow line region up to tens of kpc. Conclusions. Although this sample cannot be considered representative of the general population of QSO2, it supports the idea that large-scale low to modest power radio sources can exist in radio-quiet QSO2, which can provide a source of feedback on scales of the spheroidal component of galaxies and well into the circumgalactic medium, in systems where radiative mode feedback is expected to dominate.Publicación Acceso Abierto Torus model properties of an ultra-hard X-ray selected sample of Seyfert galaxies(Oxford Academics: Oxford University Press, 2019-04-10) García Bernete, I.; Ramos Almeida, Cristina; Alonso-Herrero, Almudena; Ward, M. J.; Acosta Pulido, J. A.; Pereira Santaella, Miguel; Hernán Caballero, A.; Asensio Ramos, A.; González Martín, O.; Levenson, Nancy A.; Mateos, S.; Carrera, F. J.; Ricci, C. ; Roche, P. F.; Márquez Pérez, Isabel; Packham, Christopher; Masegosa, J.; Fuller, L.; Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI); Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC); Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO); Unidad de Excelencia Científica María de Maeztu Centro de Astrobiología del Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial y CSIC, MDM-2017-0737We characterize for the first time the torus properties of an ultra-hard X-ray (14–195 keV) volume-limited (DL < 40 Mpc) sample of 24 Seyfert (Sy) galaxies (BCS40 sample). The sample was selected from the Swift/BAT nine-month catalogue. We use high angular resolution nuclear infrared (IR) photometry and N-band spectroscopy, the CLUMPY torus models and a Bayesian tool to characterize the properties of the nuclear dust. In the case of the Sy1s, we estimate the accretion disc contribution to the subarcsecond resolution nuclear IR SEDs (∼0.4 arcsec) which is, on average, 46 ± 28, 23 ± 13, and 11 ± 5 per cent in the J, H, and K bands, respectively. This indicates that the accretion disc templates that assume a steep fall for longer wavelengths than 1 μm might underestimate its contribution to the near-IR emission. Using both optical (broad versus narrow lines) and X-ray (unabsorbed versus absorbed) classifications, we compare the global posterior distribution of the torus model parameters. We confirm that Sy2s have larger values of the torus covering factor (CT ∼ 0.95) than Sy1s (CT ∼ 0.65) in our volume-limited Seyfert sample. These findings are independent of whether we use an optical or X-ray classification. We find that the torus covering factor remains essentially constant within the errors in our luminosity range and there is no clear dependence with the Eddington ratio. Finally, we find tentative evidence that even an ultra-hard X-ray selection is missing a significant fraction of highly absorbed type 2 sources with very high covering factor tori.Publicación Acceso Abierto Physics of ULIRGs with MUSE and ALMA: The PUMA project II. Are local ULIRGs powered by AGN? The subkiloparsec view of the 220 GHz continuum(EDP Sciences, 2021-07-12) Pereira Santaella, Miguel; Colina, L. ; García-Burillo, Santiago; Lamperti, Isabella ; González Alfonso, E.; Perna, Michele; Arribas, Santiago; Alonso-Herrero, Almudena; Aalto, S.; Combes, Francoise; Labiano, Alvaro; Piqueras López, Javier; Rigopoulou, Dimitra; Van der Werf, P. P.; Comunidad de Madrid; Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI); Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC); Pereira Santaella, M. [0000-0002-4005-9619]; Unidad de Excelencia Científica María de Maeztu Centro de Astrobiología del Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial y CSIC, MDM-2017-0737We analyze new high-resolution (400 pc) ∼220 GHz continuum and CO(2–1) Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) observations of a representative sample of 23 local (z < 0.165) ultra-luminous infrared systems (ULIRGs; 34 individual nuclei) as part of the “Physics of ULIRGs with MUSE and ALMA” (PUMA) project. The deconvolved half-light radii of the ∼220 GHz continuum sources, rcont, are between < 60 pc and 350 pc (median 80–100 pc). We associate these regions with the regions emitting the bulk of the infrared luminosity (LIR). The good agreement, within a factor of 2, between the observed ∼220 GHz fluxes and the extrapolation of the infrared gray-body as well as the small contributions from synchrotron and free–free emission support this assumption. The cold molecular gas emission sizes, rCO, are between 60 and 700 pc and are similar in advanced mergers and early interacting systems. On average, rCO are ∼2.5 times larger than rcont. Using these measurements, we derived the nuclear LIR and cold molecular gas surface densities (ΣLIR = 1011.5 − 1014.3 L⊙ kpc−2 and ΣH2 = 102.9 − 104.2 M⊙ pc−2, respectively). Assuming that the LIR is produced by star formation, the median ΣLIR corresponds to ΣSFR = 2500 M⊙ yr−1 kpc−2. This ΣSFR implies extremely short depletion times, ΣH2/ΣSFR < 1–15 Myr, and unphysical star formation efficiencies > 1 for 70% of the sample. Therefore, this favors the presence of an obscured active galactic nucleus (AGN) in these objects that could dominate the LIR. We also classify the ULIRG nuclei in two groups: (a) compact nuclei (rcont < 120 pc) with high mid-infrared excess emission (ΔL6−20 μm/LIR) found in optically classified AGN; and (b) nuclei following a relation with decreasing ΔL6−20 μm/LIR for decreasing rcont. The majority, 60%, of the nuclei in interacting systems lie in the low-rcont end (<120 pc) of this relation, while this is the case for only 30% of the mergers. This suggests that in the early stages of the interaction, the activity occurs in a very compact and dust-obscured region while, in more advanced merger stages, the activity is more extended, unless an optically detected AGN is present. Approximately two-thirds of the nuclei have nuclear radiation pressures above the Eddington limit. This is consistent with the ubiquitous detection of massive outflows in local ULIRGs and supports the importance of the radiation pressure in the outflow launching process.Publicación Acceso Abierto Mid-IR cosmological spectrophotometric surveys from space: Measuring AGN and star formation at the cosmic noon with a SPICA-like mission(Cambridge University Press, 2021-04-23) Spignoglio, L.; Mordini, S.; Fernández Ontiveros, J. A.; Alonso-Herrero, Almudena; Armus, L.; Bisigello, L.; Calura, F.; Carrera, F. J.; Cooray, A.; Dannerbauer, H.; Decarli, R.; Egami, E.; Elbaz, D.; Franceschini, A.; González Alfonso, E.; Graziani, L.; Gruppioni, C.; Hatziminaoglou, Evanthia; Kaneda, H.; Kohno, K.; Labiano, Alvaro; Magdis, Georgios E.; Malkan, M. A.; Matsuhara, H.; Nagao, T.; Naylor, D.; Pereira Santaella, Miguel; Pozzi, F.; Rodighiero, G.; Roelfsema, Peter; Serjeant, S.; Vignali, C.; Wang, L.; Yamada, T.; Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI); Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI); Comunidad de Madrid; Spignoglio, L. [0000-0001-8840-1551]; Fernández Ontiveros, J. A. [0000-0001-9490-899X]; Gruppioni, C. [0000-0002-5836-4056]; Graziani, L. [0000-0002-9231-1505]; Unidad de Excelencia Científica María de Maeztu Instituto de Astrofísica de Cantabria, MDM-2017-0765; Unidad de Excelencia Científica María de Maeztu Centro de Astrobiología del Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial y CSIC, MDM-2017-0737We use the SPace Infrared telescope for Cosmology and Astrophysics (SPICA) project as a template to demonstrate how deep spectrophotometric surveys covering large cosmological volumes over extended fields (1– ) with a mid-IR imaging spectrometer (17– ) in conjunction with deep photometry with a far-IR camera, at wavelengths which are not affected by dust extinction can answer the most crucial questions in current galaxy evolution studies. A SPICA-like mission will be able for the first time to provide an unobscured three-dimensional (3D, i.e. x, y, and redshift z) view of galaxy evolution back to an age of the universe of less than 2 Gyrs, in the mid-IR rest frame. This survey strategy will produce a full census of the Star Formation Rate (SFR) in the universe, using polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) bands and fine-structure ionic lines, reaching the characteristic knee of the galaxy luminosity function, where the bulk of the population is distributed, at any redshift up to . Deep follow-up pointed spectroscopic observations with grating spectrometers onboard the satellite, across the full IR spectral range (17– ), would simultaneously measure Black Hole Accretion Rate (BHAR), from high-ionisation fine-structure lines, and SFR, from PAH and low- to mid-ionisation lines in thousands of galaxies from solar to low metallicities, down to the knee of their luminosity functions. The analysis of the resulting atlas of IR spectra will reveal the physical processes at play in evolving galaxies across cosmic time, especially its heavily dust-embedded phase during the activity peak at the cosmic noon ( –3), through IR emission lines and features that are insensitive to the dust obscuration.Publicación Acceso Abierto Modeling the Strongest Silicate Emission Features of Local Type 1 AGNs(The Institute of Physics (IOP), 2020-02-24) Martínez Paredes, M.; González Martín, O.; Esparza Arredondo, D.; Kim, M.; Alonso-Herrero, Almudena; Krongold, Y.; Hoang, T.; Ramos Almeida, Cristina; Aretxaga, I.; Dultzin, D.; Hodgson, J.; Martínez Paredes, M. [0000-0002-0088-0103]; González Martín, O. [0000-0002-2356-8358]; Hoang, T. [0000-0003-2017-0982]; Aretzaga, I. [0000-0002-6590-3994]; Unidad de Excelencia Científica María de Maeztu Centro de Astrobiología del Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial y CSIC, MDM-2017-0737We measure the 10 and 18 μm silicate features in a sample of 67 local (z < 0.1) type 1 active galactic nuclei (AGN) with available Spitzer spectra dominated by nonstellar processes. We find that the 10 μm silicate feature peaks at ${10.3}_{-0.9}^{+0.7}\,\mu {\rm{m}}$ with a strength (Sip = ln fp(spectrum)/fp(continuum)) of ${0.11}_{-0.36}^{+0.15}$, while the 18 μm one peaks at ${17.3}_{-0.7}^{+0.4}\,\mu {\rm{m}}$ with a strength of ${0.14}_{-0.06}^{+0.06}$. We select from this sample sources with the strongest 10 μm silicate strength (${\sigma }_{{\mathrm{Si}}_{10\mu {\rm{m}}}}\gt 0.28$, 10 objects). We carry out a detailed modeling of the infrared spectrometer/Spitzer spectra by comparing several models that assume different geometries and dust composition: a smooth torus model, two clumpy torus models, a two-phase medium torus model, and a disk+outflow clumpy model. We find that the silicate features are well modeled by the clumpy model of Nenkova et al., and among all models, those including outflows and complex dust composition are the best. We note that even in AGN-dominated galaxies, it is usually necessary to add stellar contributions to reproduce the emission at the shortest wavelengths.Publicación Acceso Abierto ALMA observations of CS in NGC 1068: Chemistry and excitation(Oxford Academics: Blackwell Publishing, 2020-07-02) Scourfield, M.; Viti, S.; García-Burillo, Santiago; Saintonge, A.; Combes, Francoise; Fuente, A.; Henkel, C.; Alonso-Herrero, Almudena; Harada, N.; Takano, S.; Nakajima, T.; Martín, S.; Krips, M.; Van der Werf, P. P.; Aalto, S.; Usero, A.; Kohno, K.; Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI); Alonso Herrero, A. [0000-0001-6794-2519]; Unidad de Excelencia Científica María de Maeztu Centro de Astrobiología del Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial y CSIC, MDM-2017-0737We present results from Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations of CS from the nearby galaxy NGC 1068 (∼14 Mpc). This Seyfert 2 barred galaxy possesses a circumnuclear disc (CND, r ∼ 200 pc) and a starburst ring (SB ring, r ∼ 1.3 kpc). These high-resolution maps (∼0.5 arcsec, ∼35 pc) allow us to analyse specific sub-regions in the galaxy and investigate differences in line intensity ratios and physical conditions, particularly those between the CND and SB ring. Local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) analysis of the gas is used to calculate CS densities in each sub-region, followed by the non-LTE analysis conducted using the radiative transfer code RADEX to fit observations and constrain gas temperature, CS column density and hydrogen density. Finally, the chemical code UCLCHEM is used to reconstruct the gas, allowing an insight into its origin and chemical history. The density of hydrogen in the CND is found to be ≥105 cm−2, although exact values vary, reaching 106 cm−2 at the active galactic nucleus. The conditions in the two arms of the SB ring appear similar to one another, though the density found (∼104 cm−2) is lower than in the CND. The temperature in the CND increases from east to west, and is also overall greater than found in the SB ring. These modelling methods indicate the requirement for multiphase gas components in order to fit the observed emission over the galaxy. A larger number of high-resolution transitions across the SLED may allow for further constraining of the conditions, particularly in the SB ring.Publicación Acceso Abierto Multiphase feedback processes in the Sy2 galaxy NGC 5643(EDP Sciences, 2021-01-12) García Bernete, I.; Alonso-Herrero, Almudena; García-Burillo, Santiago; Pereira Santaella, Miguel; García Lorenzo, B.; Carrera, F. J.; Rigopoulou, Dimitra; Ramos Almeida, Cristina; Villar Martín, M.; González Martín, O.; Hicks, Erin K. S.; Labiano, Alvaro; Ricci, C. ; Mateos, S.; Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO); Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC); Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI); Comunidad de Madrid; Fondo Nacional de Desarrollo Científico y Tecnológico (FONDECYT); García Lorenzo, M. B. [0000-0002-7228-7173]; Ramos Almeida, C. [0000-0001-8353-649X]; Carrero, F. J. [0000-0003-2135-9023]; Unidad de Excelencia Científica María de Maeztu Centro de Astrobiología del Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial y CSIC, MDM-2017-0737; Unidad de Excelencia Científica María de Maeztu AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS (CSIC), MDM-2017-0765We study the multiphase feedback processes in the central ∼3 kpc of the barred Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 5643. We used observations of the cold molecular gas (ALMA CO(2−1) transition) and ionized gas (MUSE IFU optical emission lines). We studied different regions along the outflow zone, which extends out to ∼2.3 kpc in the same direction (east-west) as the radio jet, as well as nuclear and circumnuclear regions in the host galaxy disk. The CO(2−1) line profiles of regions in the outflow and spiral arms show two or more different velocity components: one associated with the host galaxy rotation, and the others with out- or inflowing material. In the outflow region, the [O III]λ5007 Å emission lines have two or more components: the narrow component traces rotation of the gas in the disk, and the others are related to the ionized outflow. The deprojected outflowing velocities of the cold molecular gas (median Vcentral ∼ 189 km s−1) are generally lower than those of the outflowing ionized gas, which reach deprojected velocities of up to 750 km s−1 close to the active galactic nucleus (AGN), and their spatial profiles follow those of the ionized phase. This suggests that the outflowing molecular gas in the galaxy disk is being entrained by the AGN wind. We derive molecular and ionized outflow masses of ∼5.2 × 107 M⊙ (αCOGalactic) and 8.5 × 104 M⊙ and molecular and ionized outflow mass rates of ∼51 M⊙ yr−1 (αCOGalactic) and 0.14 M⊙ yr−1, respectively. This means that the molecular phase dominates the outflow mass and outflow mass rate, while the kinetic power and momentum of the outflow are similar in both phases. However, the wind momentum loads (Ṗout/ṖAGN) for the molecular and ionized outflow phases are ∼27−5 (αCOGalactic and αCOULIRGs) and < 1, which suggests that the molecular phase is not momentum conserving, but the ionized phase most certainly is. The molecular gas content (Meast ∼ 1.5 × 107 M⊙; αCOGalactic) of the eastern spiral arm is approximately 50−70% of the content of the western one. We interpret this as destruction or clearing of the molecular gas produced by the AGN wind impacting in the eastern side of the host galaxy (negative feedback process). The increase in molecular phase momentum implies that part of the kinetic energy from the AGN wind is transmitted to the molecular outflow. This suggests that in Seyfert-like AGN such as NGC 5643, the radiative or quasar and the kinetic or radio AGN feedback modes coexist and may shape the host galaxies even at kiloparsec scales through both positive and (mild) negative feedback.Publicación Acceso Abierto A proto-pseudobulge in ESO 320-G030 fed by a massive molecular inflow driven by a nuclear bar(EDP Sciences, 2021-01-07) González Alfonso, E.; Pereira Santaella, Miguel; Fischer, J.; García-Burillo, Santiago; Yang, C.; Alonso-Herrero, Almudena; Colina, L. ; Ashby, M. L. N.; Smith, H. A.; Rico Villas, F.; Martín Pintado, J.; Cazzoli, Sara; Stewart, F. P.; National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI); Comunidad de Madrid; European Commission (EC); 0000-0001-5285-8517; 0000-0001-6697-7808; 0000-0003-0444-6897; 0000-0002-8117-9991; 0000-0001-6794-2519; 0000-0002-7705-2525; 0000-0001-8266-8298; Centros de Excelencia Severo Ochoa, INSTITUTO DE ASTROFISICA DE ANDALUCIA (IAA), SEV-2017-0709; Unidad de Excelencia Científica María de Maeztu Centro de Astrobiología del Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial y CSIC, MDM-2017-0737Galaxies with nuclear bars are believed to efficiently drive gas inward, generating a nuclear starburst and possibly an active galactic nucleus. We confirm this scenario for the isolated, double-barred, luminous infrared galaxy ESO 320-G030 based on an analysis of Herschel and ALMA spectroscopic observations. Herschel/PACS and SPIRE observations of ESO 320-G030 show absorption or emission in 18 lines of H2O, which we combine with the ALMA H2O 4(23)-3(30) 448 GHz line (E-upper similar to 400 K) and continuum images to study the physical properties of the nuclear region. Radiative transfer models indicate that three nuclear components are required to account for the multi-transition H2O and continuum data. An envelope, with radius R similar to 130-150 pc, dust temperature T-dust approximate to 50 K, and N-H2 similar to 2x10(23) cm(-2), surrounds a nuclear disk with R similar to 40 pc that is optically thick in the far-infrared (tau (100 mu m)similar to 1.5-3, N-H2 similar to 2x10(24) cm(-2)). In addition, an extremely compact (R similar to 12 pc), warm (approximate to 100 K), and buried (tau (100 mu m)> 5, N-H2 greater than or similar to 5x10(24) cm(-2)) core component is required to account for the very high-lying H2O absorption lines. The three nuclear components account for 70% of the galaxy luminosity (SFR similar to 16-18 M-circle dot yr(-1)). The nucleus is fed by a molecular inflow observed in CO 2-1 with ALMA, which is associated with the nuclear bar. With decreasing radius (r=450-225 pc), the mass inflow rate increases up to M-inf similar to 20 M yr(-1), which is similar to the nuclear star formation rate (SFR), indicating that the starburst is sustained by the inflow. At lower r, similar to 100-150 pc, the inflow is best probed by the far-infrared OH ground-state doublets, with an estimated M-inf similar to 30 M yr(-1). The inferred short timescale of similar to 20 Myr for nuclear gas replenishment indicates quick secular evolution, and indicates that we are witnessing an intermediate stage (< 100 Myr) proto-pseudobulge fed by a massive inflow that is driven by a strong nuclear bar. We also apply the H2O model to the Herschel far-infrared spectroscopic observations of H218O, OH, 18OH, OH+, H2O+, H3O+, NH, NH2, NH3, CH, CH+, 13CH+, HF, SH, and C3, and we estimate their abundances.Publicación Acceso Abierto Molecular gas stratification and disturbed kinematics in the Seyfert galaxy MCG-05-23-16 revealed by JWST and ALMA(EDP Sciences, 2025-01-15) Esparza Arredondo, D. S.; Ramos Almeida, Cristina; Audibert, A.; Pereira Santaella, Miguel; García-Bernete, Ismael; García-Burillo, Santiago; Shimizu, T.; Davies, R.; Hermosa Muñoz, Laura; Alonso-Herrero, Almudena; Combes, Francoise; Speranza, G.; Zhang, Lulu; Campbell, Stephanie; Bellocchi, Enrica; Bunker, Andrew J.; Díaz Santos, T.; García Lorenzo, B.; González Martín, O.; Hicks, Erin K. S.; Labiano, Alvaro; Levenson, Nancy A.; Ricci, C.; Rosario, D.; Hönig, Sebastian; Packham, Christopher, C.; Stalevski, Marko; Fuller, L.; Izumi, T.; López Rodríguez, Enrique, E.; Rigopoulou, Dimitra; Rouan, D.; Ward, Martin; European Research Council (ERC); Comunidad de Madrid; Agencia Estatal de Investigación (España); Fondo Nacional de Desarrollo Científico y Tecnológico (FONDECYT); Space Telescope Science Institute (US); Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation; Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo (Chile)Understanding the processes that drive the morphology and kinematics of molecular gas in galaxies is crucial for comprehending star formation and, ultimately, galaxy evolution. Using data from the Galactic Activity, Torus and Outflow Survey (GATOS) obtained with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and the archival data from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), we study the behavior of the warm molecular gas at temperatures of hundreds of Kelvin and the cold molecular gas at tens of Kelvin in the galaxy MCG−05−23−16, which hosts an active galactic nucleus (AGN). Hubble Space Telescope (HST) images of this spheroidal galaxy, classified in the optical as S0, show a dust lane resembling a nuclear spiral and a surrounding ring. These features are also detected in CO(2−1) and H2, and their morphologies and kinematics are consistent with rotation plus local inward gas motions along the kinematic minor axis in the presence of a nuclear bar. The H2 transitions 0-0 S(3), 0-0 S(4), and 0-0 S(5), which trace warmer and more excited gas, show more disrupted kinematics than 0-0 S(1) and 0-0 S(2), including clumps of high velocity dispersion (of up to ∼160 km s−1), in regions devoid of CO(2−1). The kinematics of one of these clumps, located ∼350 pc westward of the nucleus, are consistent with outflowing gas, possibly driven by localized star formation traced by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon emission at 11.3 μm. Overall, we observe a stratification of the molecular gas, with the colder gas located in the nuclear spiral, ring, and connecting arms, and most of the warmer gas with a higher velocity dispersion filling the inter-arm space. The compact jet, approximately 200 pc in size, detected with Very Large Array (VLA) observations, does not appear to significantly affect the distribution and kinematics of the molecular gas, possibly due to its limited intersection with the molecular gas disk.Publicación Acceso Abierto ALMA Polarimetry Measures Magnetically Aligned Dust Grains in the Torus of NGC 1068(The Institute of Physics (IOP), 2020-04-14) López Rodríguez, Enrique; Alonso-Herrero, Almudena; García-Burillo, Santiago; Gordon, M. S.; Ichikawa, K.; Imanishi, M.; Kameno, S.; Levenson, Nancy A.; Nikutta, R.; Packham, Christopher; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/; National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI); 0000-0001-5357-6538; 0000-0002-1913-2682; 0000-0002-4377-903X; 0000-0001-6186-8792; 0000-0002-5158-0063; Unidad de Excelencia Científica María de Maeztu Centro de Astrobiología del Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial y CSIC, MDM-2017-0737The obscuring structure surrounding active galactic nuclei (AGN) can be explained as a dust and gas flow cycle that fundamentally connects the AGN with their host galaxies. This structure is believed to be associated with dusty winds driven by radiation pressure. However, the role of magnetic fields, which are invoked in almost all models for accretion onto a supermassive black hole and outflows, has not been thoroughly studied. Here we report the first detection of polarized thermal emission by means of magnetically aligned dust grains in the dusty torus of NGC 1068 using ALMA Cycle 4 polarimetric dust continuum observations (007, 4.2 pc; 348.5 GHz, 860 mu m). The polarized torus has an asymmetric variation across the equatorial axis with a peak polarization of 3.7% 0.5% and position angle of 109 degrees 2 degrees (B-vector) at similar to 8 pc east from the core. We compute synthetic polarimetric observations of magnetically aligned dust grains assuming a toroidal magnetic field and homogeneous grain alignment. We conclude that the measured 860 mu m continuum polarization arises from magnetically aligned dust grains in an optically thin region of the torus. The asymmetric polarization across the equatorial axis of the torus arises from (1) an inhomogeneous optical depth and (2) a variation of the velocity dispersion, i.e., a variation of the magnetic field turbulence at subparsec scales, from the eastern to the western region of the torus. These observations and modeling constrain the torus properties beyond spectral energy distribution results. This study strongly supports that magnetic fields up to a few parsecs contribute to the accretion flow onto the active nuclei.
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