Speaker
Description
Active galactic nuclei (AGNs) play a crucial role in the coevolution of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) and their host galaxies from high redshift to the present. They influence their host galaxies through powerful winds and jets that generate massive outflows, and these feedback processes can either quench star formation by heating and expelling gas or trigger it by compressing the interstellar medium. The molecular phase, being the most substantial component of these outflows, can be traced through emissions from the $^{12}$CO line. In this talk, by leveraging data of CO(2-1), CO(3-2), and CO(6-5) transitions at $\sim0.1''$ ($\sim7\,\rm pc$) resolution from the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA), I will present temperature, density, and kinematics analyses within the circumnuclear disk (CND) of NGC 1068, focusing on molecular outflows. We find regions close to or within the AGN wind bicone exhibit a multicomponent molecular outflow with significant velocity departures from the galaxy's mean motion. We also observed lateral variations of the CO gas kinematics along the edge and center of the AGN wind bicone, as well as a misalignment of the orientation and spread between the molecular outflow and the ionized outflow. Overall, due to the optically thin condition of the outflowing CO gas, the dynamic impact of the ionized outflow to the molecular gas inside the CND might not be as substantial as expected, reflected by the small molecular mass outflow rate in most parts of the CND ($\lesssim\,5.5\,\rm M_{\odot}\,\rm yr^{-1}$). Regardless, the outflowing molecular gas across the CND exhibits complex kinematics, highlighted by an asymmetry between the northeastern and southern CND, consistent with the morphology of the large-scale radio jet. Future ALMA observations, particularly those with enhanced spatial resolution, could offer a more detailed understanding of the molecular gas kinematics near the AGN torus and its interaction with the surrounding interstellar medium (ISM). By mapping outflows from small-scale structures, such as the torus, to their large-scale interactions with the ISM, we can further elucidate the mechanisms linking AGN activity to the global properties of their host galaxies.
| Talk category | NOVA Network 1 |
|---|---|
| Preference for a talk or poster | Talk |
| Talk preference for PhD students | 2 |
