_version_ 1866912665529483264
author Lopez-Rodriguez, Enrique
Almeida, Cristina Ramos
Pereira-Santaella, Miguel
García-Bernete, Ismael
Nikutta, Robert
Alonso-Herrero, Almudena
Bellocchi, Enrica
Bunker, Andrew
Campbell, Steph
Combes, Françoise
Davies, Richard
Diaz-Santos, Tanio
Fuller, Lindsay
Gandhi, Poshak
García-Burillo, Santiago
González-Martín, Omaira
Hicks, Erin K. S.
Hönig, Sebastian
Ichikawa, Kohei
Imanishi, Masatoshi
Izumi, Takuma
Labiano, Alvaro
Levenson, Nancy A.
Packham, Christopher
Rosario, David
Rigopoulou, Dimitra
Rouan, Daniel
Shimizu, Taro
Stalevski, Marko
Ward, Martin
Zhang, Lulu
Ricci, Claudio
Esparza-Arredondo, Donaji
García-Lorenzo, Begoña
author_facet Lopez-Rodriguez, Enrique
Almeida, Cristina Ramos
Pereira-Santaella, Miguel
García-Bernete, Ismael
Nikutta, Robert
Alonso-Herrero, Almudena
Bellocchi, Enrica
Bunker, Andrew
Campbell, Steph
Combes, Françoise
Davies, Richard
Diaz-Santos, Tanio
Fuller, Lindsay
Gandhi, Poshak
García-Burillo, Santiago
González-Martín, Omaira
Hicks, Erin K. S.
Hönig, Sebastian
Ichikawa, Kohei
Imanishi, Masatoshi
Izumi, Takuma
Labiano, Alvaro
Levenson, Nancy A.
Packham, Christopher
Rosario, David
Rigopoulou, Dimitra
Rouan, Daniel
Shimizu, Taro
Stalevski, Marko
Ward, Martin
Zhang, Lulu
Ricci, Claudio
Esparza-Arredondo, Donaji
García-Lorenzo, Begoña
contents The polar mid-infrared (MIR) emission detected within 10-100s pcs in some active galactic nuclei (AGN) has been associated with dusty winds driven away by radiation pressure. The physical characterization of this extended polar emission remains uncertain. Here we combine 10-21 $μ$m JWST/MIRI imaging observations with 7-25 $μ$m JWST/MRS integral field spectroscopic observations of 6 nearby, $\bar{D}=35.4\pm4.6$ Mpc, AGN from the GATOS Survey to quantify the nature of the extended MIR emission at ~75 pc resolution at 21 $μ$m. These AGN have similar bolometric luminosities, $\log_{10}(\bar{L}_{bol}\,[erg\,s^{-1}])=44.0\pm0.3$, span a wide range of optical outflow rates, $\dot{M}=0.003-0.21$ M$_{\odot}$ yr$^{-1}$, column densities, $\log_{10}(N_{H}^{X-ray}[cm^{-2}])=22.2-24.3$, and Eddington ratios, $λ_{Edd}=0.005-0.06$. We cross-correlate the line-only and continuum-only images and find a poor correlation, which indicates that the extended MIR continuum emission is spatially uncorrelated with the warm outflows associated with narrow emission lines within 10-15 $μ$m. Line emission is resolved along the jet axis, while dust emission is perpendicular to it. The 75-450 pc continuum emission has a fairly constant dust temperature, $T_{d}=132^{+7}_{-7}$ K, and mass, $M_{d}=728^{+29}_{-27}$ M$_{\odot}$. Using the conditions of energy balance between radiation-pressure and gravity ($λ_{Edd}$ vs. N$_{H}$), we find that our AGN sample is in the gravitationally bounded regime consistent with no detection of dusty winds. At 10 $μ$m, the level of extended line emission contribution is correlated with the outflow kinetic energy and mass outflow rates. We find no correlation with the AGN properties. These results indicate that the radio jet may be triggering the gas outflow and line emission, while the extended dust emission is distributed in molecular clouds and/or shocked regions.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2507_19350
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle GATOS. VIII. On the physical origin of the extended MIR emission in AGN
Lopez-Rodriguez, Enrique
Almeida, Cristina Ramos
Pereira-Santaella, Miguel
García-Bernete, Ismael
Nikutta, Robert
Alonso-Herrero, Almudena
Bellocchi, Enrica
Bunker, Andrew
Campbell, Steph
Combes, Françoise
Davies, Richard
Diaz-Santos, Tanio
Fuller, Lindsay
Gandhi, Poshak
García-Burillo, Santiago
González-Martín, Omaira
Hicks, Erin K. S.
Hönig, Sebastian
Ichikawa, Kohei
Imanishi, Masatoshi
Izumi, Takuma
Labiano, Alvaro
Levenson, Nancy A.
Packham, Christopher
Rosario, David
Rigopoulou, Dimitra
Rouan, Daniel
Shimizu, Taro
Stalevski, Marko
Ward, Martin
Zhang, Lulu
Ricci, Claudio
Esparza-Arredondo, Donaji
García-Lorenzo, Begoña
Astrophysics of Galaxies
The polar mid-infrared (MIR) emission detected within 10-100s pcs in some active galactic nuclei (AGN) has been associated with dusty winds driven away by radiation pressure. The physical characterization of this extended polar emission remains uncertain. Here we combine 10-21 $μ$m JWST/MIRI imaging observations with 7-25 $μ$m JWST/MRS integral field spectroscopic observations of 6 nearby, $\bar{D}=35.4\pm4.6$ Mpc, AGN from the GATOS Survey to quantify the nature of the extended MIR emission at ~75 pc resolution at 21 $μ$m. These AGN have similar bolometric luminosities, $\log_{10}(\bar{L}_{bol}\,[erg\,s^{-1}])=44.0\pm0.3$, span a wide range of optical outflow rates, $\dot{M}=0.003-0.21$ M$_{\odot}$ yr$^{-1}$, column densities, $\log_{10}(N_{H}^{X-ray}[cm^{-2}])=22.2-24.3$, and Eddington ratios, $λ_{Edd}=0.005-0.06$. We cross-correlate the line-only and continuum-only images and find a poor correlation, which indicates that the extended MIR continuum emission is spatially uncorrelated with the warm outflows associated with narrow emission lines within 10-15 $μ$m. Line emission is resolved along the jet axis, while dust emission is perpendicular to it. The 75-450 pc continuum emission has a fairly constant dust temperature, $T_{d}=132^{+7}_{-7}$ K, and mass, $M_{d}=728^{+29}_{-27}$ M$_{\odot}$. Using the conditions of energy balance between radiation-pressure and gravity ($λ_{Edd}$ vs. N$_{H}$), we find that our AGN sample is in the gravitationally bounded regime consistent with no detection of dusty winds. At 10 $μ$m, the level of extended line emission contribution is correlated with the outflow kinetic energy and mass outflow rates. We find no correlation with the AGN properties. These results indicate that the radio jet may be triggering the gas outflow and line emission, while the extended dust emission is distributed in molecular clouds and/or shocked regions.
title GATOS. VIII. On the physical origin of the extended MIR emission in AGN
topic Astrophysics of Galaxies
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.19350