5 research outputs found
First results from the JWST Early Release Science Program Q3D: Ionization cone, clumpy star formation and shocks in a extremely red quasar host
Massive galaxies formed most actively at redshifts during the period
known as `cosmic noon.' Here we present an emission-line study of an extremely
red quasar SDSSJ165202.64+172852.3 host galaxy at , based on
observations with the Near Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) integral field unit
(IFU) on board JWST. We use standard emission-line diagnostic ratios to map the
sources of gas ionization across the host and a swarm of companion galaxies.
The quasar dominates the photoionization, but we also discover shock-excited
regions orthogonal to the ionization cone and the quasar-driven outflow. These
shocks could be merger-induced or -- more likely, given the presence of a
powerful galactic-scale quasar outflow -- these are signatures of wide-angle
outflows that can reach parts of the galaxy that are not directly illuminated
by the quasar. Finally, the kinematically narrow emission associated with the
host galaxy presents as a collection of 1 kpc-scale clumps forming stars at a
rate of at least 200 yr. The ISM within these clumps shows
high electron densities, reaching up to 3,000 cm with metallicities
ranging from half to a third solar with a positive metallicity gradient and V
band extinctions up to 3 magnitudes. The star formation conditions are far more
extreme in these regions than in local star-forming galaxies but consistent
with that of massive galaxies at cosmic noon. JWST observations reveal an
archetypical rapidly forming massive galaxy undergoing a merger, a clumpy
starburst, an episode of obscured near-Eddington quasar activity, and an
extremely powerful quasar outflow simultaneously.Comment: 19 pages, 8 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap
First results from the JWST Early Release Science Program Q3D: The Warm Ionized Gas Outflow in z ~ 1.6 Quasar XID 2028 and its Impact on the Host Galaxy
Quasar feedback may regulate the growth of supermassive black holes, quench
coeval star formation, and impact galaxy morphology and the circumgalactic
medium. However, direct evidence for quasar feedback in action at the epoch of
peak black hole accretion at z ~ 2 remains elusive. A good case in point is the
z = 1.6 quasar WISEA J100211.29+013706.7 (XID 2028) where past analyses of the
same ground-based data have come to different conclusions. Here we revisit this
object with the integral field unit of the Near Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec)
on board the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) as part of Early Release Science
program Q3D. The excellent angular resolution and sensitivity of the JWST data
reveal new morphological and kinematic sub-structures in the outflowing gas
plume. An analysis of the emission line ratios indicates that photoionization
by the central quasar dominates the ionization state of the gas with no obvious
sign for a major contribution from hot young stars anywhere in the host galaxy.
Rest-frame near-ultraviolet emission aligned along the wide-angle cone of
outflowing gas is interpreted as a scattering cone. The outflow has cleared a
channel in the dusty host galaxy through which some of the quasar ionizing
radiation is able to escape and heat the surrounding interstellar and
circumgalactic media. The warm ionized outflow is not powerful enough to impact
the host galaxy via mechanical feedback, but radiative feedback by the AGN,
aided by the outflow, may help explain the unusually small molecular gas mass
fraction in the galaxy host.Comment: 17 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical
Journa
First results from the JWST Early Release Science Program Q3D: The Warm Ionized Gas Outflow in z ~ 1.6 Quasar XID 2028 and its Impact on the Host Galaxy
International audienceQuasar feedback may regulate the growth of supermassive black holes, quench coeval star formation, and impact galaxy morphology and the circumgalactic medium. However, direct evidence for quasar feedback in action at the epoch of peak black hole accretion at z ~ 2 remains elusive. A good case in point is the z = 1.6 quasar WISEA J100211.29+013706.7 (XID 2028) where past analyses of the same ground-based data have come to different conclusions. Here we revisit this object with the integral field unit of the Near Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) on board the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) as part of Early Release Science program Q3D. The excellent angular resolution and sensitivity of the JWST data reveal new morphological and kinematic sub-structures in the outflowing gas plume. An analysis of the emission line ratios indicates that photoionization by the central quasar dominates the ionization state of the gas with no obvious sign for a major contribution from hot young stars anywhere in the host galaxy. Rest-frame near-ultraviolet emission aligned along the wide-angle cone of outflowing gas is interpreted as a scattering cone. The outflow has cleared a channel in the dusty host galaxy through which some of the quasar ionizing radiation is able to escape and heat the surrounding interstellar and circumgalactic media. The warm ionized outflow is not powerful enough to impact the host galaxy via mechanical feedback, but radiative feedback by the AGN, aided by the outflow, may help explain the unusually small molecular gas mass fraction in the galaxy host
ReveaLLAGN 0: First look at JWST MIRI data of Sombrero and NGC 1052
International audienceWe present the first results from the Revealing Low-Luminosity Active Galactic Nuclei (ReveaLLAGN) survey, a JWST survey of seven nearby LLAGNs. We focus on two observations with the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI)'s Medium-Resolution Spectrometer of the nuclei of NGC 1052 and Sombrero (NGC 4594/M104). We also compare these data to public JWST data of higher-luminosity AGNs, NGC 7319 and NGC 7469. JWST clearly separates the AGN spectrum from the galaxy light even in Sombrero, the faintest target in our survey; the AGN components have very red spectra. We find that the emission-line widths in both NGC 1052 and Sombrero increase with increasing ionization potential, with FWHM > 1000 km s‑1 for lines with ionization potential ≳ 50 eV. These lines are also significantly blueshifted in both LLAGNs. The high-ionization-potential lines in NGC 7319 show neither broad widths nor significant blueshifts. Many of the lower-ionization-potential emission lines in Sombrero show significant blue wings extending >1000 km s‑1. These features and the emission-line maps in both galaxies are consistent with outflows along the jet direction. Sombrero has the lowest-luminosity high-ionization-potential lines ([Ne V] and [O IV]) ever measured in the mid-infrared, but the relative strengths of these lines are consistent with higher-luminosity AGNs. On the other hand, the [Ne V] emission is much weaker relative to the [Ne III] and [Ne II] lines of higher-luminosity AGNs. These initial results show the great promise that JWST holds for identifying and studying the physical nature of LLAGNs