Physical Conditions of the Ionized Superwind in NGC 253 with VLT/MUSE

Fuente: arXiv
Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Cronin, Serena A., Bolatto, Alberto D., Congiu, Enrico, Donaghue, Keaton, Kreckel, Kathryn, Leroy, Adam K., Levy, Rebecca C., Veilleux, Sylvain, Walter, Fabian, Nolasco, Lenin
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866915367662649344
author Cronin, Serena A.
Bolatto, Alberto D.
Congiu, Enrico
Donaghue, Keaton
Kreckel, Kathryn
Leroy, Adam K.
Levy, Rebecca C.
Veilleux, Sylvain
Walter, Fabian
Nolasco, Lenin
author_facet Cronin, Serena A.
Bolatto, Alberto D.
Congiu, Enrico
Donaghue, Keaton
Kreckel, Kathryn
Leroy, Adam K.
Levy, Rebecca C.
Veilleux, Sylvain
Walter, Fabian
Nolasco, Lenin
contents We present an analysis of the H$α$-emitting ionized gas in the warm phase of the NGC 253 outflow using integral field spectroscopy from the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE). In each spaxel, we decompose H$α$, [N II], and [S II] emission lines into a system of up to 3 Gaussian components, accounting for the velocity contributions due to the disk and both intercepted walls of an outflow cone. In the approaching southern lobe of the outflow, we find maximum deprojected outflow velocities down to ~ -500 km/s. Velocity gradients of this outflowing gas range from ~ -350 to -550 km/s/kpc with increasing distance from the nucleus. Additionally, [N II]/H$α$ and [S II]/H$α$ integrated line ratios are suggestive of shocks as the dominant ionization source throughout the wind. Electron densities, inferred from the [S II] doublet, peak at 2100 cm$^{-3}$ near the nucleus and reach $\lesssim 50 $cm$^{-3}$ in the wind. Finally, at an uncertainty of 0.3 dex on the inferred mass of $4\times10^{5}$ M$_{\odot}$, the mass-outflow rate of the H$α$-emitting gas in the southern outflow lobe is ~ 0.4 M$_{\odot}$/year. This yields a mass-loading factor of $η$ ~ 0.1 and a ~ 2% starburst energy efficiency.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2505_04707
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Physical Conditions of the Ionized Superwind in NGC 253 with VLT/MUSE
Cronin, Serena A.
Bolatto, Alberto D.
Congiu, Enrico
Donaghue, Keaton
Kreckel, Kathryn
Leroy, Adam K.
Levy, Rebecca C.
Veilleux, Sylvain
Walter, Fabian
Nolasco, Lenin
Astrophysics of Galaxies
We present an analysis of the H$α$-emitting ionized gas in the warm phase of the NGC 253 outflow using integral field spectroscopy from the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE). In each spaxel, we decompose H$α$, [N II], and [S II] emission lines into a system of up to 3 Gaussian components, accounting for the velocity contributions due to the disk and both intercepted walls of an outflow cone. In the approaching southern lobe of the outflow, we find maximum deprojected outflow velocities down to ~ -500 km/s. Velocity gradients of this outflowing gas range from ~ -350 to -550 km/s/kpc with increasing distance from the nucleus. Additionally, [N II]/H$α$ and [S II]/H$α$ integrated line ratios are suggestive of shocks as the dominant ionization source throughout the wind. Electron densities, inferred from the [S II] doublet, peak at 2100 cm$^{-3}$ near the nucleus and reach $\lesssim 50 $cm$^{-3}$ in the wind. Finally, at an uncertainty of 0.3 dex on the inferred mass of $4\times10^{5}$ M$_{\odot}$, the mass-outflow rate of the H$α$-emitting gas in the southern outflow lobe is ~ 0.4 M$_{\odot}$/year. This yields a mass-loading factor of $η$ ~ 0.1 and a ~ 2% starburst energy efficiency.
title Physical Conditions of the Ionized Superwind in NGC 253 with VLT/MUSE
topic Astrophysics of Galaxies
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.04707