The Astrophysical Journal (Jan 2024)
Pulling Back the Curtain on Shocks and Star Formation in NGC 1266 with Gemini-NIFS
- Justin Atsushi Otter,
- Katherine Alatalo,
- Kate Rowlands,
- Richard M. McDermid,
- Timothy A. Davis,
- Christoph Federrath,
- K. Decker French,
- Timothy Heckman,
- Patrick Ogle,
- Darshan Kakkad,
- Yuanze Luo,
- Kristina Nyland,
- Akshat Tripathi,
- Pallavi Patil,
- Andreea Petric,
- Adam Smercina,
- Maya Skarbinski,
- Lauranne Lanz,
- Kristin Larson,
- Philip N. Appleton,
- Susanne Aalto,
- Gustav Olander,
- Elizaveta Sazonova,
- J. D. T. Smith
Affiliations
- Justin Atsushi Otter
- ORCiD
- William H. Miller III Department of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, MD 21218, USA ; [email protected]
- Katherine Alatalo
- ORCiD
- William H. Miller III Department of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, MD 21218, USA ; [email protected]; Space Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Kate Rowlands
- ORCiD
- William H. Miller III Department of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, MD 21218, USA ; [email protected]; AURA for ESA, Space Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Richard M. McDermid
- ORCiD
- Astrophysics and Space Technologies Research Centre, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Macquarie University , Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia; ARC Centre of Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions (ASTRO 3D) , Australia
- Timothy A. Davis
- ORCiD
- Cardiff Hub for Astrophysics Research & Technology, School of Physics & Astronomy, Cardiff University , Queens Buildings, Cardiff, CF24 3AA, UK
- Christoph Federrath
- ORCiD
- ARC Centre of Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions (ASTRO 3D) , Australia; Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Australian National University , Canberra, ACT 2611, Australia
- K. Decker French
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy, University of Illinois , 1002 W. Green Street, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
- Timothy Heckman
- ORCiD
- William H. Miller III Department of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, MD 21218, USA ; [email protected]; School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University , Temple, AZ 85287, USA
- Patrick Ogle
- ORCiD
- Space Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Darshan Kakkad
- ORCiD
- Space Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Yuanze Luo
- ORCiD
- William H. Miller III Department of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, MD 21218, USA ; [email protected]
- Kristina Nyland
- ORCiD
- U.S. Naval Research Laboratory , 4555 Overlook Ave SW, Washington, DC 20375, USA
- Akshat Tripathi
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy, University of Illinois , 1002 W. Green Street, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
- Pallavi Patil
- ORCiD
- William H. Miller III Department of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, MD 21218, USA ; [email protected]
- Andreea Petric
- ORCiD
- Space Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Adam Smercina
- ORCiD
- Astronomy Department, University of Washington , Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Maya Skarbinski
- ORCiD
- William H. Miller III Department of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, MD 21218, USA ; [email protected]
- Lauranne Lanz
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, The College of New Jersey , Ewing, NJ 08628, USA
- Kristin Larson
- ORCiD
- Space Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Philip N. Appleton
- ORCiD
- Caltech/IPAC , MC 314-6, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
- Susanne Aalto
- ORCiD
- Department of Space, Earth and Environment, Chalmers University of Technology , 412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden
- Gustav Olander
- ORCiD
- Department of Space, Earth and Environment, Chalmers University of Technology , 412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden
- Elizaveta Sazonova
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Waterloo , 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
- J. D. T. Smith
- ORCiD
- Ritter Astrophysical Research Center, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Toledo , Toledo, OH 43606, USA
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad793a
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 975,
no. 1
p. 142
Abstract
We present Gemini near-infrared integral field spectrograph K -band observations of the central 400 pc of NGC 1266, a nearby ( D ≈ 30 Mpc) post-starburst galaxy with a powerful multiphase outflow and a shocked interstellar medium. We detect seven H _2 rovibrational emission lines excited thermally to T ∼ 2000 K, and weak Br γ emission, consistent with a fast continuous shock (or C-shock). With these bright H _2 lines, we observe the spatial structure of the shock with an unambiguous tracer for the first time. The Br γ emission is concentrated in the central ≲100 pc, indicating that any remaining star formation in NGC 1266 is in the nucleus, while the surrounding cold molecular gas has little ongoing star formation. Though it is unclear what fraction of this Br γ emission is from star formation or the active galactic nuclei (AGN), assuming it is entirely due to star formation we measure an instantaneous star formation rate of 0.7 M _⊙ yr ^−1 , though the star formation rate may be significantly higher in the presence of additional extinction. NGC 1266 provides a unique laboratory to study the complex interactions between AGN, outflows, shocks, and star formation, all of which are necessary to unravel the evolution of the post-starburst phase.
Keywords
