The Kiloparsec-scale Influence of the AGN in NGC 1068 with SALT RSS Fabry-Pérot Spectroscopy

Raphael E. Hviding; Ryan C. Hickox; Petri Väisänen; Rajin Ramphul; Kevin N. Hainline

doi:10.3847/1538-3881/ace718

The Kiloparsec-scale Influence of the AGN in NGC 1068 with SALT RSS Fabry-Pérot Spectroscopy

Raphael E. Hviding, Ryan C. Hickox, Petri Väisänen, Rajin Ramphul, Kevin N. Hainline

Steward Observatory

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

We present Fabry-Pérot (FP) imaging and longslit spectroscopy of the nearby Seyfert II galaxy NGC 1068 using the Robert Stobie Spectrograph (RSS) on the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) to observe the impact of the central active galactic nucleus (AGN) on the ionized gas in the galaxy on kiloparsec scales. With SALT RSS FP we are able to observe the Hα + [N ii] emission line complex over a ∼2.6 arcmin² field of view. Combined with the longslit observation, we demonstrate the efficacy of FP spectroscopy for studying nearby Type II Seyfert galaxies and investigate the kiloparsec-scale ionized gas in NGC 1068. We confirm the results of previous work from the TYPHOON/Progressive Integral Step Method survey that the kiloparsec-scale ionized features in NGC 1068 are driven by AGN photoionization. We analyze the spatial variation of the AGN intensity to put forward an explanation for the shape and structure of the kiloparsec-scale ionization features. Using a toy model, we suggest the ionization features may be understood as a light echo from a burst of enhanced AGN activity ∼2000 yr ago.

Original language	English (US)
Article number	111
Journal	Astronomical Journal
Volume	166
Issue number	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/ace718
State	Published - Sep 1 2023

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Astronomy and Astrophysics
Space and Planetary Science

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title = "The Kiloparsec-scale Influence of the AGN in NGC 1068 with SALT RSS Fabry-P{\'e}rot Spectroscopy",

abstract = "We present Fabry-P{\'e}rot (FP) imaging and longslit spectroscopy of the nearby Seyfert II galaxy NGC 1068 using the Robert Stobie Spectrograph (RSS) on the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) to observe the impact of the central active galactic nucleus (AGN) on the ionized gas in the galaxy on kiloparsec scales. With SALT RSS FP we are able to observe the Hα + [N ii] emission line complex over a ∼2.6 arcmin2 field of view. Combined with the longslit observation, we demonstrate the efficacy of FP spectroscopy for studying nearby Type II Seyfert galaxies and investigate the kiloparsec-scale ionized gas in NGC 1068. We confirm the results of previous work from the TYPHOON/Progressive Integral Step Method survey that the kiloparsec-scale ionized features in NGC 1068 are driven by AGN photoionization. We analyze the spatial variation of the AGN intensity to put forward an explanation for the shape and structure of the kiloparsec-scale ionization features. Using a toy model, we suggest the ionization features may be understood as a light echo from a burst of enhanced AGN activity ∼2000 yr ago.",

author = "Hviding, {Raphael E.} and Hickox, {Ryan C.} and Petri V{\"a}is{\"a}nen and Rajin Ramphul and Hainline, {Kevin N.}",

note = "Funding Information: R.E.H. acknowledges support from the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program under grant No. DGE-1746060. R.C.H. acknowledges support from the National Science Foundation CAREER Award No. 1554584. P.V. and R.R. acknowledge support from the National Research Foundation of South Africa. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2023. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society.",

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AU - Hviding, Raphael E.

AU - Hickox, Ryan C.

AU - Väisänen, Petri

AU - Ramphul, Rajin

AU - Hainline, Kevin N.

N1 - Funding Information: R.E.H. acknowledges support from the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program under grant No. DGE-1746060. R.C.H. acknowledges support from the National Science Foundation CAREER Award No. 1554584. P.V. and R.R. acknowledge support from the National Research Foundation of South Africa. Publisher Copyright: © 2023. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society.

PY - 2023/9/1

Y1 - 2023/9/1

N2 - We present Fabry-Pérot (FP) imaging and longslit spectroscopy of the nearby Seyfert II galaxy NGC 1068 using the Robert Stobie Spectrograph (RSS) on the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) to observe the impact of the central active galactic nucleus (AGN) on the ionized gas in the galaxy on kiloparsec scales. With SALT RSS FP we are able to observe the Hα + [N ii] emission line complex over a ∼2.6 arcmin2 field of view. Combined with the longslit observation, we demonstrate the efficacy of FP spectroscopy for studying nearby Type II Seyfert galaxies and investigate the kiloparsec-scale ionized gas in NGC 1068. We confirm the results of previous work from the TYPHOON/Progressive Integral Step Method survey that the kiloparsec-scale ionized features in NGC 1068 are driven by AGN photoionization. We analyze the spatial variation of the AGN intensity to put forward an explanation for the shape and structure of the kiloparsec-scale ionization features. Using a toy model, we suggest the ionization features may be understood as a light echo from a burst of enhanced AGN activity ∼2000 yr ago.

AB - We present Fabry-Pérot (FP) imaging and longslit spectroscopy of the nearby Seyfert II galaxy NGC 1068 using the Robert Stobie Spectrograph (RSS) on the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) to observe the impact of the central active galactic nucleus (AGN) on the ionized gas in the galaxy on kiloparsec scales. With SALT RSS FP we are able to observe the Hα + [N ii] emission line complex over a ∼2.6 arcmin2 field of view. Combined with the longslit observation, we demonstrate the efficacy of FP spectroscopy for studying nearby Type II Seyfert galaxies and investigate the kiloparsec-scale ionized gas in NGC 1068. We confirm the results of previous work from the TYPHOON/Progressive Integral Step Method survey that the kiloparsec-scale ionized features in NGC 1068 are driven by AGN photoionization. We analyze the spatial variation of the AGN intensity to put forward an explanation for the shape and structure of the kiloparsec-scale ionization features. Using a toy model, we suggest the ionization features may be understood as a light echo from a burst of enhanced AGN activity ∼2000 yr ago.

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The Kiloparsec-scale Influence of the AGN in NGC 1068 with SALT RSS Fabry-Pérot Spectroscopy

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