BASS LIV. Physical Properties of AGN-Hosting Galaxy Mergers from Multiwavelength SED Fitting

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Main Authors: Troncoso, Marco, Treister, Ezequiel, Rojas, Alejandra, Boquien, Médéric, Bauer, Franz, Koss, Michael J., Assef, Roberto J., Tello, Miguel Parra, del Moral-Castro, Ignacio, Ricci, Claudio, Dai, Sophia, Oh, Kyuseok, Ricci, Frederica, Peca, Alessandro, Urry, C. Megan, Gupta, Kriti Kamal, Venturi, Giacomo, Signorini, Matilde, Mushotzky, Richard, Sanders, David
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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_version_ 1866909799594065920
author Troncoso, Marco
Treister, Ezequiel
Rojas, Alejandra
Boquien, Médéric
Bauer, Franz
Koss, Michael J.
Assef, Roberto J.
Tello, Miguel Parra
del Moral-Castro, Ignacio
Ricci, Claudio
Dai, Sophia
Oh, Kyuseok
Ricci, Frederica
Peca, Alessandro
Urry, C. Megan
Gupta, Kriti Kamal
Venturi, Giacomo
Signorini, Matilde
Mushotzky, Richard
Sanders, David
author_facet Troncoso, Marco
Treister, Ezequiel
Rojas, Alejandra
Boquien, Médéric
Bauer, Franz
Koss, Michael J.
Assef, Roberto J.
Tello, Miguel Parra
del Moral-Castro, Ignacio
Ricci, Claudio
Dai, Sophia
Oh, Kyuseok
Ricci, Frederica
Peca, Alessandro
Urry, C. Megan
Gupta, Kriti Kamal
Venturi, Giacomo
Signorini, Matilde
Mushotzky, Richard
Sanders, David
contents Galaxy mergers are believed to play an important role in triggering rapid supermassive black hole (SMBH) growth. As merging nuclei approach each other, the physical properties of the participating galaxies and the associated SMBH growth are expected to evolve significantly. This study measures and characterizes these physical properties throughout the merger sequence. We constructed multiwavelength Spectral Energy Distributions (SEDs) from hard X-rays to the far-infrared (FIR) for a sample of 72 nearby Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) host galaxies. The sample comprises 64 interacting systems, including single AGNs in mergers and dual AGNs, with nuclear separations $\leq$30 kpc, as well as eight isolated active galaxies with merging features. We carefully adapted available photometric measurements at each wavelength to account for their complex morphologies and varying spatial resolutions, to perform SED fitting using CIGALE, aimed to derive critical physical properties. Our results reveal that merging galaxies hosting AGN(s) show deviations from the star-forming main sequence, and a wide range of star formation rates (SFRs). Both AGN activity and star formation are significantly influenced by the merger process, but these effects are more prominent in major, mass ratios $<$4:1, interactions. We find that the projected nuclear separation is not a good tracer of the merger stage. Instead, morphological classification accurately assesses the merger progression. Based on this morphological analysis, late-stage mergers exhibit elevated SFRs (5.1$\times$), AGN luminosities (2.4$\times$), and nuclear obscuration (2.8$\times$) compared to earlier stages, supporting previous findings and reinforcing the link between merger-driven galaxy evolution and SMBH growth.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2509_17720
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle BASS LIV. Physical Properties of AGN-Hosting Galaxy Mergers from Multiwavelength SED Fitting
Troncoso, Marco
Treister, Ezequiel
Rojas, Alejandra
Boquien, Médéric
Bauer, Franz
Koss, Michael J.
Assef, Roberto J.
Tello, Miguel Parra
del Moral-Castro, Ignacio
Ricci, Claudio
Dai, Sophia
Oh, Kyuseok
Ricci, Frederica
Peca, Alessandro
Urry, C. Megan
Gupta, Kriti Kamal
Venturi, Giacomo
Signorini, Matilde
Mushotzky, Richard
Sanders, David
Astrophysics of Galaxies
Galaxy mergers are believed to play an important role in triggering rapid supermassive black hole (SMBH) growth. As merging nuclei approach each other, the physical properties of the participating galaxies and the associated SMBH growth are expected to evolve significantly. This study measures and characterizes these physical properties throughout the merger sequence. We constructed multiwavelength Spectral Energy Distributions (SEDs) from hard X-rays to the far-infrared (FIR) for a sample of 72 nearby Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) host galaxies. The sample comprises 64 interacting systems, including single AGNs in mergers and dual AGNs, with nuclear separations $\leq$30 kpc, as well as eight isolated active galaxies with merging features. We carefully adapted available photometric measurements at each wavelength to account for their complex morphologies and varying spatial resolutions, to perform SED fitting using CIGALE, aimed to derive critical physical properties. Our results reveal that merging galaxies hosting AGN(s) show deviations from the star-forming main sequence, and a wide range of star formation rates (SFRs). Both AGN activity and star formation are significantly influenced by the merger process, but these effects are more prominent in major, mass ratios $<$4:1, interactions. We find that the projected nuclear separation is not a good tracer of the merger stage. Instead, morphological classification accurately assesses the merger progression. Based on this morphological analysis, late-stage mergers exhibit elevated SFRs (5.1$\times$), AGN luminosities (2.4$\times$), and nuclear obscuration (2.8$\times$) compared to earlier stages, supporting previous findings and reinforcing the link between merger-driven galaxy evolution and SMBH growth.
title BASS LIV. Physical Properties of AGN-Hosting Galaxy Mergers from Multiwavelength SED Fitting
topic Astrophysics of Galaxies
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.17720