Subjects: Astronomy >> Astrophysical processes submitted time 2023-02-19
Hanae Inami
Jason Surace
Lee Armus
Aaron S. Evans
Kirsten L. Larson
Loreto Barcos-Munoz
Sabrina Stierwalt
Joseph M. Mazzarella
George C. Privon
Yiqing Song
Sean Linden
Christopher C. Hayward
Torsten Boker
Vivian U
Thomas Bohn
Vassilis Charmandaris
Tanio Diaz-Santos
Justin H. Howell
Thomas Lai
Anne M. Medling
Abstract： We have used the Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI) on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to obtain the first spatially resolved, mid-infrared (mid-IR) images of IIZw096, a merging luminous infrared galaxy (LIRG) at $z = 0.036$. Previous observations with the Spitzer Space Telescope suggested that the vast majority of the total IR luminosity (LIR) of the system originated from a small region outside of the two merging nuclei. New observations with JWST/MIRI now allow an accurate measurement of the location and luminosity density of the source that is responsible for the bulk of the IR emission. We estimate that 40-70% of the IR bolometric luminosity, or $3-5 \times 10^{11}\,{\rm{L_{\odot}}}$, arises from a source no larger than 175pc in radius, suggesting a luminosity density of at least $3-5 \times 10^{12} \, {\rm{L_{\odot} \, kpc^{-2}}}$. In addition, we detect 11 other star forming sources, five of which were previously unknown. The MIRI F1500W/F560W colors of most of these sources, including the source responsible for the bulk of the far-IR emission, are much redder than the nuclei of local LIRGs. These observations reveal the power of JWST to disentangle the complex regions at the hearts of merging, dusty galaxies.
Peer Review Status:
Awaiting Review
Subjects: Astronomy >> Astrophysical processes submitted time 2023-02-19
Vivian U
Thomas Lai
Marina Bianchin
Raymond P. Remigio
Lee Armus
Kirsten L. Larson
Tanio Diaz-Santos
Aaron Evans
Sabrina Stierwalt
David R. Law
Matthew A. Malkan
Sean Linden
Yiqing Song
Paul P. van der Werf
Tianmu Gao
George C. Privon
Anne M. Medling
Loreto Barcos-Muñoz
Christopher C. Hayward
Hanae Inami
Abstract： The nearby, luminous infrared galaxy (LIRG) NGC 7469 hosts a Seyfert nucleus with a circumnuclear star-forming ring and is thus the ideal local laboratory for investigating the starburst--AGN connection in detail. We present integral-field observations of the central 1.3 kpc region in NGC 7469 obtained with the JWST Mid-InfraRed Instrument. Molecular and ionized gas distributions and kinematics at a resolution of {\sim}100 pc over the 4.9 - 7.6{\mu}m region are examined to study gas dynamics influenced by the central AGN. The low-ionization [Fe II] {\lambda}5.34{\mu}m and [Ar II] {\lambda}6.99{\mu}m lines are bright on the nucleus and in the starburst ring, as opposed to H2 S(5) {\lambda}6.91{\mu}m which is strongly peaked at the center and surrounding ISM. The high-ionization [Mg V] line is resolved and shows a broad, blueshifted component associated with the outflow. It has a nearly face-on geometry that is strongly peaked on the nucleus, where it reaches a maximum velocity of -650 km/s, and extends about 400 pc to the East. Regions of enhanced velocity dispersion in H2 and [Fe II] {\sim}180 pc from the AGN that also show high L(H2)/L(PAH) and L([Fe II])/L(Pf{\alpha}) ratios to the W and N of the nucleus pinpoint regions where the ionized outflow is depositing energy, via shocks, into the dense interstellar medium between the nucleus and the starburst ring. These resolved mid-infrared observations of the nuclear gas dynamics demonstrate the power of JWST and its high-sensitivity integral-field spectroscopic capability to resolve feedback processes around supermassive black holes in the dusty cores of nearby LIRGs.
Peer Review Status:Awaiting Review
Hits
Hits
Downloads
Comment