Ionized regions in the central arcsecond of NGC 1068. YJHK spatially resolved spectroscopy

0581657 - ASÚ 2024 RIV FR eng J - Journal Article
Vermot, Pierre - Barna, A. - Ehlerová, Soňa - Morris, M. - Palouš, Jan - Wünsch, Richard
Ionized regions in the central arcsecond of NGC 1068. YJHK spatially resolved spectroscopy.
Astronomy & Astrophysics. Roč. 678, October (2023), č. článku A206. ISSN 0004-6361. E-ISSN 1432-0746
Institutional support: RVO:67985815
Keywords : astrophysics of galaxies * cosmology and nongalactic astrophysics * high energy astrophysical phenomena
OECD category: Astronomy (including astrophysics,space science)
Impact factor: 6.5, year: 2022
Method of publishing: Open access

We aim to determine the properties and ionization mechanism of three regions of NGC 1068: the nucleus (B) and two clouds located at 0.3″ and 0.7″ north of it (C and D). We combined SPHERE (0.95-1.65 μm) and SINFONI (1.5-2.45 μm) spectra for the three regions B, C, and D. We compared these spectra to several CLOUDY photoionization models and to the MAPPINGS III Library of Fast Radiative Shock Models. The emission line spectra of the three regions are almost identical to each other and contribute to most of the emission line flux in the nuclear region. The emitting media contain multiple phases, the most luminous of which have temperatures ranging from 104.8 K to 106 K. Central photoionization models can reproduce some features of the spectra, but the fast radiative shock model provides the best fit to the data. The similarity between the three regions indicates that they belong to the same class of objects. Based on our comparisons, we conclude that they are shock regions located where the jet of the active galactic nucleus impacts massive molecular clouds.
Permanent Link: https://hdl.handle.net/11104/0349764