English

Properties of a Fading AGN from SDSS-IV MaNGA

Astrophysics of Galaxies 2024-03-15 v1

Abstract

We identify a fading AGN SDSS J220141.64+115124.3 from the internal Product Launch-11 (MPL-11) in Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory (MaNGA) survey. The central region with a projected radius of \sim2.4 kpc is characterized as LINER-like line ratios while the outskirts extended to \sim15 kpc show Seyfert-like line ratios. The [OIII]λ\lambda5007 luminosity of the Seyfert regions is a factor of 37 (2) higher than the LINER regions without (with) dust attenuation correction, suggesting that the AGN activity decreases at least \sim8 ×\times 103^3 yrs (\sim2.4 kpc/light-speed) ago. We model the emission line spectra in the central region with double Gaussian components (a narrow core and a broad wing) and analyze the properties of each component. The narrow core component mostly co-rotates with the stellar disc, whereas the broad wing component with a median of the velocity dispersion \sim300 km s1^{-1} is related to a wind outflow. The kinematic position angle (PA) of the ionized gas shows a \sim20{\deg} twist from the galaxy center to 1.5 effective radius. The median of the PA difference between the gas and stellar components is as large as \sim50{\deg} within 0.4 effective radius. The tidal feature in DESI image and star-gas misalignment suggest this galaxy is a merger remnant. Combining all these observational results as well as public available X-ray and MIR luminosities, we confirm this is a fading AGN, the merger process kick-started the central engine to quasar phase which ionized gas composed of tidal debris, and now the activity of the central black hole decreases. The discontinuity in [OIII]λ\lambda5007 flux and EQW maps is due to multiple AGN outbursts triggered by merger remnant gas inflows.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2403.09174,
  title  = {Properties of a Fading AGN from SDSS-IV MaNGA},
  author = {Hao Mo and Yan-Mei Chen and Zhi-Yun Zhang and Alexei Moiseev and Dmitry Bizyaev and Yong Shi and Qiu-Sheng Gu and Min Bao and Xiao Cao and Song-Lin Li},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2403.09174},
  year   = {2024}
}

Comments

Accepted for publication in MNRAS. 12 pages, 10 figures, 1 table