The Astrophysical Journal Letters (Jan 2024)
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Emission in the Central Regions of Three Seyferts and the Implication for Underlying Feedback Mechanisms
- Lulu Zhang,
- Ismael García-Bernete,
- Chris Packham,
- Fergus R. Donnan,
- Dimitra Rigopoulou,
- Erin K. S. Hicks,
- Ric I. Davies,
- Taro T. Shimizu,
- Almudena Alonso-Herrero,
- Cristina Ramos Almeida,
- Miguel Pereira-Santaella,
- Claudio Ricci,
- Andrew J. Bunker,
- Mason T. Leist,
- David J. Rosario,
- Santiago García-Burillo,
- Laura Hermosa Muñoz,
- Francoise Combes,
- Masatoshi Imanishi,
- Alvaro Labiano,
- Donaji Esparza-Arredondo,
- Enrica Bellocchi,
- Anelise Audibert,
- Lindsay Fuller,
- Omaira González-Martín,
- Sebastian Hönig,
- Takuma Izumi,
- Nancy A. Levenson,
- Enrique López-Rodríguez,
- Daniel Rouan,
- Marko Stalevski,
- Martin J. Ward
Affiliations
- Lulu Zhang
- ORCiD
- The University of Texas at San Antonio , One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA ; [email protected], [email protected]
- Ismael García-Bernete
- Centro de Astrobiología (CAB) , CSIC-INTA, Camino Bajo del Castillo s/n, E-28692 Villanueva de la Cañada, Madrid, Spain; Department of Physics, University of Oxford , Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3RH, UK
- Chris Packham
- ORCiD
- The University of Texas at San Antonio , One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA ; [email protected], [email protected]; National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, National Institutes of Natural Sciences (NINS) , 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588, Japan
- Fergus R. Donnan
- Department of Physics, University of Oxford , Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3RH, UK
- Dimitra Rigopoulou
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, University of Oxford , Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3RH, UK; School of Sciences, European University Cyprus , Diogenes street, Engomi, 1516 Nicosia, Cyprus
- Erin K. S. Hicks
- The University of Texas at San Antonio , One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA ; [email protected], [email protected]; Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alaska Anchorage , Anchorage, AK 99508-4664, USA; Department of Physics, University of Alaska , Fairbanks, AK 99775-5920, USA
- Ric I. Davies
- ORCiD
- Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik , Postfach 1312, D-85741, Garching, Germany
- Taro T. Shimizu
- ORCiD
- Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik , Postfach 1312, D-85741, Garching, Germany
- Almudena Alonso-Herrero
- ORCiD
- Centro de Astrobiología (CAB) , CSIC-INTA, Camino Bajo del Castillo s/n, E-28692 Villanueva de la Cañada, Madrid, Spain
- Cristina Ramos Almeida
- ORCiD
- Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias , Calle Vía Láctea, s/n, E-38205, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain; Departamento de Astrofísica, Universidad de La Laguna , E-38206, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
- Miguel Pereira-Santaella
- ORCiD
- Instituto de Física Fundamental , CSIC, Calle Serrano 123, 28006 Madrid, Spain
- Claudio Ricci
- ORCiD
- Instituto de Estudios Astrofísicos, Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Universidad Diego Portales , Av. Ejército Libertador 441, Santiago, Chile; Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Peking University , Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
- Andrew J. Bunker
- Department of Physics, University of Oxford , Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3RH, UK
- Mason T. Leist
- ORCiD
- The University of Texas at San Antonio , One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA ; [email protected], [email protected]
- David J. Rosario
- School of Mathematics, Statistics and Physics, Newcastle University , Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK
- Santiago García-Burillo
- ORCiD
- Observatorio Astronómico Nacional (OAN-IGN)-Observatorio de Madrid , Alfonso XII, 3, 28014, Madrid, Spain
- Laura Hermosa Muñoz
- Centro de Astrobiología (CAB) , CSIC-INTA, Camino Bajo del Castillo s/n, E-28692 Villanueva de la Cañada, Madrid, Spain
- Francoise Combes
- ORCiD
- LERMA, Observatoire de Paris, Collège de France, PSL University , CNRS, Sorbonne University, Paris, France
- Masatoshi Imanishi
- ORCiD
- National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, National Institutes of Natural Sciences (NINS) , 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588, Japan; Department of Astronomy, School of Science, Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI) , Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588, Japan
- Alvaro Labiano
- ORCiD
- Telespazio UK for the European Space Agency (ESA) , ESAC, Camino Bajo del Castillo s/n, 28692 Villanueva de la Cañada, Spain
- Donaji Esparza-Arredondo
- Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias , Calle Vía Láctea, s/n, E-38205, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain; Departamento de Astrofísica, Universidad de La Laguna , E-38206, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
- Enrica Bellocchi
- Departmento de Física de la Tierra y Astroísica, Fac. de CC Físicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid , E-28040 Madrid, Spain; Instituto de Física de Partículas y del Cosmos IPARCOS, Fac. CC 833 Físicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid , E-28040 Madrid, Spain
- Anelise Audibert
- Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias , Calle Vía Láctea, s/n, E-38205, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain; Departamento de Astrofísica, Universidad de La Laguna , E-38206, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
- Lindsay Fuller
- The University of Texas at San Antonio , One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA ; [email protected], [email protected]
- Omaira González-Martín
- ORCiD
- Instituto de Radioastronomía and Astrofísica (IRyA-UNAM) , 3-72 (Xangari), 8701, Morelia, Mexico
- Sebastian Hönig
- School of Physics & Astronomy, University of Southampton , Hampshire SO17 1BJ, Southampton, UK
- Takuma Izumi
- ORCiD
- National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, National Institutes of Natural Sciences (NINS) , 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588, Japan; Department of Astronomy, School of Science, Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI) , Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588, Japan
- Nancy A. Levenson
- ORCiD
- Space Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Drive Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Enrique López-Rodríguez
- Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of South Carolina , Columbia, SC 29208, USA; Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics & Cosmology (KIPAC), Stanford University , Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Daniel Rouan
- LESIA, Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Université , Sorbonne Paris Citeé, 5 place Jules Janssen, 92195 Meudon, France
- Marko Stalevski
- ORCiD
- Astronomical Observatory , Volgina 7, 11060 Belgrade, Serbia; Sterrenkundig Observatorium, Universiteit Gent , Krijgslaan 281-S9, Gent B-9000, Belgium
- Martin J. Ward
- Centre for Extragalactic Astronomy, Durham University , South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ad81d0
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 975,
no. 1
p. L2
Abstract
We analyze JWST Mid-Infrared Instrument/Medium Resolution Spectrograph integral field unit observations of three Seyferts from the Galactic Activity, Torus, and Outflow Survey (GATOS) and showcase the intriguing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) and emission-line characteristics in regions of ∼500 pc scales over or around their active galactic nuclei (AGN). Combing the measurements and model predictions, we find that the central regions containing a high fraction of neutral PAHs with small sizes, e.g., those in ESO137-G034, are in highly heated environments, due to collisional shock heating, with hard and moderately intense radiation fields. Such environments are proposed to result in inhibited growth or preferential erosion of PAHs, decreasing their average size and overall abundance. We additionally find that the central regions containing a high fraction of ionized PAHs with large sizes, e.g., those in MCG-05-23-016, are likely experiencing severe photoionization because of the radiative effects from the radiative shock precursor besides the AGN. The severe photoionization can contribute to the ionization and further destruction of PAHs. Overall, different Seyferts, even different regions in the same galaxy, e.g., those in NGC 3081, can contain PAH populations of different properties. Specifically, Seyferts that exhibit similar PAH characteristics to ESO137-G034 and MCG-05-23-016 also tend to have similar emission-line properties to them, suggesting that the explanations for PAH characteristics of ESO137-G034 and MCG-05-23-016 may also apply generally. These results have promising application in the era of JWST, especially in diagnosing different (i.e., radiative and kinetic) AGN feedback modes.
Keywords