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 Searching for molecular gas inflows and outflows in the nuclear regions of five Seyfert galaxies.(EDP Sciences, 2020-11-13) Domínguez Fernández, A. J.; Alonso-Herrero, Almudena; García-Burillo, Santiago; Davies, R. I.; Usero, A.; Labiano, Alvaro; Levenson, Nancy A.; Pereira Santaella, Miguel; Imanishi, M.; Ramos Almeida, Cristina; Rigopoulou, Dimitra; Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI); Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO); Comunidad de Madrid; Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC); Ramos Almeida, C. [https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8353-649X]; Davies, R. [https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4949-7217]; Alonso Herrero, A. [https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6794-2519]; Unidad de Excelencia Científica María de Maeztu Centro de Astrobiología del Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial y CSIC, MDM-2017-0737Active galactic nucleus (AGN) driven outflows are believed to play an important role in regulating the growth of galaxies, mostly via negative feedback. However, their effects on their hosts are far from clear, especially for low- and moderate-luminosity Seyferts. To investigate this issue, we obtained cold molecular gas observations, traced by the CO(2-1) transition, using the NOEMA interferometer of five nearby (distances between 19 and 58 Mpc) Seyfert galaxies. The resolution of ∼0.3–0.8 (∼30–100 pc) and field of view of NOEMA allowed us to study the CO(2-1) morphology and kinematics in the nuclear regions (∼100 pc) and up to radial distances of ∼900 pc. We detected CO(2-1) emission in all five galaxies with disky or circumnuclear ring-like morphologies. We derived cold molecular gas masses on nuclear (∼100 pc) and circumnuclear (∼650 pc) scales in the range from 106 to 107 M⊙ and from 107 to 108 M⊙, respectively. In all of our galaxies, the bulk of this gas is rotating in the plane of the galaxy. However, noncircular motions are also present. In NGC 4253, NGC 4388, and NGC 7465, we can ascribe the streaming motions to the presence of a large-scale bar. In Mrk 1066 and NGC 4388, the noncircular motions in the nuclear regions are explained as outflowing material due to the interaction of the AGN wind with molecular gas in the galaxy disk. We conclude that for an unambiguous and precise interpretation of the kinematics of the cold molecular gas, we need detailed knowledge of the host galaxy (i.e., presence of bars, interactions, etc.), and also of the ionized gas kinematics and ionization cone geometry.Publicación Acceso Abierto AGN feedback in the Local Universe: Multiphase outflow of the Seyfert galaxy NGC 5506(EDP Sciences, 2024-06-01) Esposito, Federico; Alonso-Herrero, Almudena; García-Burillo, Santiago; Casasola, Viviana; Combes, Francoise; Dallacasa, Daniele; Davies, Richard; García-Bernete, Ismael; García-Lorenzo, Begoña; Hermosa Muñoz, Laura; Peralta de Arriba, L.; Pereira Santaella, Miguel; Pozzi, Francesca; Ramos Almeida, Cristina; Shimizu, Thomas Taro; Vallini, Livia; Bellocchi, Enrica ; González-Martín, Omaira; Hicks, Erin K. S.; Hönig, Sebastian; Labiano, Alvaro; Levenson, Nancy A.; Ricci, C.; Rosario, David J.; Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN); Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM); Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC); Ministero dell\u2019Istruzione, dell\u2019Università e della Ricerca (MIUR); European Commission (EC); Fondo Nacional de Desarrollo Científico y Tecnológico (FONDECYT); Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)We present new optical GTC/MEGARA seeing-limited (0.9″) integral-field observations of NGC 5506, together with ALMA observations of the CO(3 - 2) transition at a 0.2″ ( ~25 pc) resolution. NGC 5506 is a luminous (bolometric luminosity of ~1044 erg s-1) nearby (26 Mpc) Seyfert galaxy, part of the Galaxy Activity, Torus, and Outflow Survey (GATOS). We modelled the CO(3 - 2) kinematics with 3DBAROLO, revealing a rotating and outflowing cold gas ring within the central 1.2 kpc. We derived an integrated cold molecular gas mass outflow rate for the ring of ~8 M⊙ yr-1. We fitted the optical emission lines with a maximum of two Gaussian components to separate rotation from non-circular motions. We detected high [OIII]λ5007 projected velocities (up to ~1000 km s-1) at the active galactic nucleus (AGN) position, decreasing with radius to an average ~330 km s-1 around ~350 pc. We also modelled the [OIII] gas kinematics with a non-parametric method, estimating the ionisation parameter and electron density in every spaxel, from which we derived an ionised mass outflow rate of 0.076 M⊙ yr-1 within the central 1.2 kpc. Regions of high CO(3 - 2) velocity dispersion, extending to projected distances of ~350 pc from the AGN, appear to be the result from the interaction of the AGN wind with molecular gas in the galaxy's disc. Additionally, we find the ionised outflow to spatially correlate with radio and soft X-ray emission in the central kiloparsec. We conclude that the effects of AGN feedback in NGC 5506 manifest as a large-scale ionised wind interacting with the molecular disc, resulting in outflows extending to radial distances of 610 pc.Publicación Acceso Abierto GATOS – XI. Excess dust heating in the narrow-line regions of nearby AGN revealed with JWST/MIRI(Blackwell Publishing, 2026-01-26) Haidar, Houda; Rosario, David J.; García-Bernete, Ismael; Alonso-Herrero, Almudena; Audibert, Anelise; Campbell, Steph; Harrison, Chris; Costa, Tiago; Hermosa Muñoz, Laura; Combes, Françoise; Rigopoulou, Dimitra; Ricci, Claudio; Ramos Almeida, Cristina; Bellocchi, Enrica; Boorman, Peter; Bunker, Andrew; Davies, Richard; Delaney, Daniel; Díaz Santos, Tanio; Esposito, Federico; Fawcett, Victoria; Gandhi, Poshak; García-Burillo, Santiago; González-Martín, Omaira; Hicks, E.K.S.; Hönig, Sebastian F.; Labiano, Alvaro; Levenson, Nancy A.; Lopez-Rodriguez, Enrique; Packham, Chris; Pereira-Santaella, Miguel; Riffel, Rogemar A.; Rodríguez Ardila, Alberto; Schneider, John; Thomas Shimizu, Taro; Stalevski, Marko; Villar Martín, Montserrat; Ward, Martin; Zhang, Lulu; Leeds, Gillian; Donnan, Fergus; European Commission (EC); Comunidad de Madrid; Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN); Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF); Fondo Nacional de Desarrollo Científico y Tecnológico (FONDECYT); Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia; Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI); European Research Council (ERC); UK Research and Innovation (UKRI); Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq); Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES); Foundation of Rio Grande do Sul State for Research Support (FAPERGS)We present James Webb Space Telescope/Mid-Infrared Instrument imaging of eight nearby active galactic nuclei (AGN) from the GATOS (Galactic Activity, Torus, and Outflow Survey) survey to investigate the physical conditions of extended dust in their narrow-line regions (NLRs). In four galaxies (ESO 428–G14, NGC 4388, NGC 3081, and NGC 5728), we detect spatially resolved dust structures extending ∼100–200 pc along the NLR. In these systems, we find a strong link between the morphology of the dust, the radio ejecta, and the coronal [Sivi] emission, implying that dust carries imprints of the processes shaping the NLR. Using spatially resolved spectral energy distributions, we show that dust in the NLR has systematically steeper slopes than star-forming clumps. This dust emits at temperatures in the range $150 \text{-} 220\, \rm K$, at a distance of ∼150 pc from the nucleus. Using simple models, we show that, even under optimistic assumptions of grain size and AGN luminosity, the excess mid-infrared emission cannot be explained by AGN illumination alone. We interpret this excess heating as in situ. We show that shocks with velocities v ∼ 200 - 400 km s in dense gas can close this gap, and in some cases even account for the total observed emission. This, combined with multiple lines of evidence for shocks in these regions, supports a scenario in which shocks not only coexist with dust but may be playing a key role in heating it. Our findings reveal shocks may be an important and previously overlooked driver of extended dust emission in the central hundreds of parsecs in AGN.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 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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