Speaker
Description
Galaxy mergers represent a critical and complex phase in galaxy evolution, often triggering nuclear activity and intense episodes of central star formation that can profoundly influence the subsequent evolution of the system. In this talk, I present new insights into the impact of active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback on the multi-phase interstellar medium (ISM) in the central region ($\sim7-14^{\prime\prime}\sim100-200$ pc) of Centaurus A, the nearest active radio galaxy ($D_{\rm L} = 3.5$ Mpc).
This study is part of the Guaranteed Time Observations (GTO) program Mid-Infrared Characterization of Nearby Iconic Galaxy Centers (MICONIC) of the MIRI European Consortium. Leveraging the high spectral resolving power of JWST/MIRI-MRS across the $4.9-27.9\,\mu$m wavelength range, we obtained unprecedentedly rich mid-infrared spectra of the nuclear environment at sub-arcsecond angular resolution ($1^{\prime\prime}\sim17$ pc).
These observations reveal clear signatures of shock-excited gas and strong energetic processing driven by the AGN.
We identify and model emission from ionized gas (Alonso-Herrero et al. 2025), rotational transitions of molecular hydrogen (Evangelista et al. 2026), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) features (Pantoni et al. 2026). By combining diagnostic line ratios, gas kinematics, and detailed spectral line-profile fitting, we characterise the physical conditions of the ISM and assess the relative contributions of shocks and AGN radiation in shaping the circum-nuclear medium.
| Talk category | NOVA Network 1 |
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