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arXiv · 2308.00209

GOALS-JWST: Gas Dynamics and Excitation in NGC7469 revealed by NIRSpec

Marina Bianchin·Vivian U·Yiqing Song·Thomas S. -Y. Lai·Raymond P. Remigio·Loreto Barcos-Munoz·Tanio Diaz-Santos·Lee Armus·Hanae Inami·Kirsten L. Larson·Aaron S. Evans·Torsten Boker·Justin A. Kader·Sean T. Linden·Vassilis Charmandaris·Matthew A. Malkan·Jeff Rich·Thomas Bohn·Anne M. Medling·Sabrina Stierwalt·Joseph M. Mazzarella·David R. Law·George C. Privon·Susanne Aalto·Philip Appleton·Michael J. I. Brown·Victorine A. Buiten·Luke Finnerty·Christopher C. Hayward·Justin Howell·Kazushi Iwasawa·Francisca Kemper·Jason Marshall·Jed McKinney·Francisco Muller-Sanchez·Eric J. Murphy·Paul P. van der Werf·David B. Sanders·Jason Surace
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Abstract

We present new JWST-NIRSpec IFS data for the luminous infrared galaxy NGC7469: a nearby (70.6Mpc) active galaxy with a Sy 1.5 nucleus that drives a highly ionized gas outflow and a prominent nuclear star-forming ring. Using the superb sensitivity and high spatial resolution of the JWST instrument NIRSpec-IFS, we investigate the role of the Seyfert nucleus in the excitation and dynamics of the circumnuclear gas. Our analysis focuses on the [Fe ii], H2, and hydrogen recombination lines that trace the radiation/shocked-excited molecular and ionized ISM around the AGN. We investigate the gas excitation through H2/Brγ and [Fe ii]/Pa\b{eta} emission line ratios and find that photoionization by the AGN dominates within the central 300 pc of the galaxy and together with a small region show ing signatures of shock-heated gas; these shock-heated regions are likely associated with a compact radio jet. In addition, the velocity field and velocity dispersion maps reveal complex gas kinematics. Rotation is the dominant feature, but we also identify non-circular motions consistent with gas inflows as traced by the velocity residuals and the spiral pattern in the Paα velocity dispersion map. The inflow is consistent with the mass outflow rate and two orders of magnitude higher than the AGN accretion rate. The compact nuclear radio jet has enough power to drive the highly ionized outflow. This scenario suggests that the inflow and outflow are in a self-regulating feeding-feedback process, with a contribution from the radio jet helping to drive the outflow.

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Marina Bianchin, Vivian U, Yiqing Song, Thomas S. -Y. Lai, Raymond P. Remigio, Loreto Barcos-Munoz, Tanio Diaz-Santos, Lee Armus, Hanae Inami, Kirsten L. Larson, Aaron S. Evans, Torsten Boker, Justin A. Kader, Sean T. Linden, Vassilis Charmandaris, Matthew A. Malkan, Jeff Rich, Thomas Bohn, Anne M. Medling, Sabrina Stierwalt, Joseph M. Mazzarella, David R. Law, George C. Privon, Susanne Aalto, Philip Appleton, Michael J. I. Brown, Victorine A. Buiten, Luke Finnerty, Christopher C. Hayward, Justin Howell, Kazushi Iwasawa, Francisca Kemper, Jason Marshall, Jed McKinney, Francisco Muller-Sanchez, Eric J. Murphy, Paul P. van der Werf, David B. Sanders, Jason Surace. 2024-02-15. GOALS-JWST: Gas Dynamics and Excitation in NGC7469 revealed by NIRSpec. https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357%2Fad2a50

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