The broad scientific objective of this project is to take a major step forward in our understanding of active galactic nuclei (AGN) feedback by performing a multi-phase outflow census in a representative sample of nearby obscured quasars. This will serve to identify the outflow properties/phases that are most relevant to galaxy evolution by confronting them with contemporaneous galaxy properties (e.g. recent star formation, nuclear molecular gas reservoirs) and with the predictions from dedicated hydrodynamical simulations of galaxy formation.
The Quasar Feedback (QSOFEED) sample includes all the type-2 quasars (QSO2s) with L[OIII]>108.5L☉ (Lbol>1045.6 erg/s) and redshifts z<0.14 from the narrow emission line AGN catalogue of Reyes et al. (2008). It comprises 48 QSO2s with 45.6<log Lbol<46.5 erg/s. The host galaxies are massive and show different optical morphologies including early-type galaxies, spirals, and interacting/merger systems. See Ramos Almeida et al. (2022) for details on the sample.
QSOFEED observations.
This project represents a major observational effort to characterize the galaxy morphologies and the line-emitting gas kinematics using a multi-wavelength and multi-scale approach. The observations available are the following (PI Ramos Almeida unless otherwise specified):
- 7 QSO2s observed with ALMA in CO(2-1) at 0.2 arcsec resolution (2018.1.00870.S)
- 5 QSO2s to be observed with JWST/MIRI/MRS (program 3566, 30 hours)
- 44 QSO2s observed in the K-band with GTC/EMIR – seeing limited long-slit spectroscopy (GTC77-18A, GTC62-18B, GTCMULTIPLE2G-19A, GTC83-19B, GTC55-20A)
- 9 QSO2s observed in the K-band with VLT/SINFONI or Gemini/NIFS – seeing limited integral field spectroscopy (ESO and Gemini archives).
- 5 QSO2s observed in the optical with Keck/KCWI – seeing limited integral field spectroscopy (U052, 4 half nights, PI: Canalizo).
- 5 QSO2s observed in the optical with GTC/MEGARA – seeing limited integral field spectroscopy (GTC62-20B).
- 48 QSO2s with SDSS optical spectra.
- 48 QSO2s observed in the R-band with WFC/INT – seeing limited deep imaging (multiple observing runs, see Pierce et al. 2023).
QSOFEED Team.
QSOFEED collaborators at other institutions:
Almudena Alonso Herrero, Centro de Astrobiología, Madrid/Spain
Manuela Bischetti, Osservatorio Astronomico di Trieste, Trieste/Italy
Gabriela Canalizo, University of California, Riverside, California/USA
Claudia Cicone, Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics, University of Oslo, Oslo/Norway
Chiara Feruglio, Osservatorio Astronomico di Trieste, Trieste/Italy
Santiago García Burillo, Observatorio Astronómico Nacional, Madrid/Spain
Omaira González Martín, Instituto de Radioastronomía y Astrofísica, Morelia/Mexico
Dipanjan Mukherjee, IUCAA, Pune, India
Moun Meenakshi, IUCAA, Pune, India
Miguel Pereira Santaella, Centro de Astrobiología, Madrid/Spain
Jonnathon Pierce, University of Hertfordshire, Hertfordshire/UK
Clive Tadhunter, University of Sheffield, Sheffield/UK
QSOFEED Publications.
Jet-induced molecular gas excitation and turbulence in the Teacup
Audibert et al. 2023, A&A, 671, L12
Absence of nuclear polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon emission from a compact starburst: The case of the type-2 quasar Mrk 477
Ramos Almeida et al. 2023, A&A, 669, L5
Warm molecular and ionized gas kinematics in theType-2 quasar J0945+1737.
Speranza et al. 2022, A&A, 665, A55
- Ionized mass outflow rates versus bolometric luminosities compiled from the literature by Fiore et al. (2017) for a sample of AGN with z<0.5 (black points), and by Musiimenta et al. (in prep.) for AGN at z>0.5 (grey points). The red and blue stars correspond to the outflow rates calculated for J0945 using electron densities of 662 cm−3 and 200 cm−3.
Spatially resolved evidence of the impact of quasar driven outflows on recent star formation : The case of Mrk 34.
Bessiere & Ramos Almeida, 2022, MNRAS, 512, L54-L59
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The diverse cold molecular gas contents, morphologies, and kinematics of type-2 quasars as seen by ALMA.
Ramos Almeida et al. 2022, A&A, 658, A155
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Do AGN triggering mechanisms vary with radio power? II. The importance of mergers as a function of radio power and optical luminosity.
Pierce et al. 2022, MNRAS, 510, 1163-1183
A near-infrared study of the multiphase outflow in the type-2 quasar J1509+0434.
Ramos Almeida et al. 2019, MNRAS, 487, L18-L23
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An infrared view of AGN feedback in a type-2 quasar: the case of the Teacup galaxy.
Ramos Almeida et al. 2017, MNRAS, 470, 964-976
The various aspects of the QSOFEED research project are funded by:
- The European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No 860744 (BiD4BESt).
- The project “Feeding and feedback in active galaxies”, with reference PID2019-106027GB-C42, funded by MICINN-AEI/10.13039/501100011033.
- The MICIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and the European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR under project “Quantifying the impact of quasar feedback on galaxy evolution”, with reference EUR2020-112266.
- The Consejería de Economía, Conocimiento y Empleo del Gobierno de Canarias and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under grant “Quasar feedback and molecular gas reservoirs”, with reference ProID2020010105, ACCISI/FEDER, UE.