MICONIC: JWST/MIRI MRS reveals a fast ionized gas outflow in the central region of Centaurus A
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: We present a kinematical study of the ionized and molecular gas in the central region (∼7–14″∼100–200 pc) of the nearby radio galaxy Centaurus A (Cen A). We used JWST/MIRI MRS ∼5−28 μm observations taken as part of the Mid-Infrared Characterization of Nearby Iconic galaxy Centers (MICONIC) of the MIRI European Consortium. The two gas phases present contrasting morphologies and kinematics in Cen A. The brightest emission from the ionized gas, traced with a range of ionization potential (IP) lines analyzed here (from [Fe II] to [Ne VI]), is extended along the direction of the radio jet. We also detected emission from low IP emission lines and H2 transitions in the galaxy disk region mapped with MRS. Both gas phases present rotational motions in the disk but also complex kinematics. The MRS observations reveal several ionized gas kinematical features that are consistent with simulation predictions of a jet-driven bubble and outflow interacting with the galaxy interstellar medium. These include broad components in the nuclear line profiles (σ∼600 km s−1 in [Ar II] and [Ne III]), high velocities (reaching approximately +1000, −1400 km s−1) confined within the nuclear region, velocities of hundreds of kilometers per second in several directions in the central 2″, and enhanced velocity dispersions perpendicular to the radio jet. Moreover, we find evidence of shock excitation in the nuclear region of Cen A based on mid-infrared line ratios. We compared the ionized gas mass outflow rate with Cen A's active galactic nucleus (AGN) luminosity and radio jet power and demonstrate that both mechanisms provide sufficient energy to launch the outflow. The noncircular motions observed in the mid-infrared H2 lines can be reproduced with either a warped rotating disk model or a radial component. The latter might be to related to gas streamers detected in cold molecular gas. Notably, there is no clear indication of a fast nuclear H2 outflow in Cen A, only a weak blueshifted component in the line profiles. This could be due to a relatively low nuclear warm H2 column density and/or the limited geometrical coupling of Cen A's inner radio jet with the circumnuclear disk of the galaxy.
Authors: A. Alonso Herrero, L. Hermosa Muñoz, A. Labiano, P. Guillard, M. García-Marín, D. Dicken, S. García-Burillo, L. Pantoni, V. Buiten, L. Colina, T. Böker, M. Baes, A. Eckart, L. Evangelista, G. Östlin, D. Rouan, P. van der Werf, F. Walter, M. J. Ward, G. Wright, M. Güdel, Th. Henning, P. -O. Lagage
Institutions: Centro de Astrobiología, European Space Agency, European Space Astronomy Centre, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut Universitaire de France, Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris, Sorbonne Université, Ministère de l'Enseignement Supérieur, de la Recherche et de l'Espace, Royal Observatory, UK Astronomy Technology Centre, Spanish National Observatory, Ghent University, Leiden University, Leiden Observatory, University of Cologne, Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy, Stockholm University, AlbaNova, Université Paris Cité, Université Paris Sciences et Lettres, Observatoire de Paris, Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Durham University, University of Vienna, ETH Zurich, Institute for Particle Physics and Astrophysics
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funders: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Northrop Grumman, Utah State University, California Institute of Technology, Space Telescope Science Institute, European Space Agency, University of Leicester, University College London, Cardiff University, Enterprise Ireland, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, Universiteit Leiden, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Universiteit van Amsterdam, Swedish National Space Agency, Belgian Federal Science Policy Office, Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales, Chalmers Tekniska Högskola, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Paul Scherrer Institut, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Universität zu Köln, Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie, Ames Research Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Goddard Space Flight Center, Science and Technology Facilities Council, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, European Regional Development Fund, Agencia Estatal de Investigación
Awards: G103270039, G121809054, G1338664626, G1622782223, G1855990336, G2072863431, G2121557134, G2262748287, G2309174360, G256731684, G2585926585, G2660406951, G3279881951, G3457489054, G3480869486, G3518538256, G425668148, G451917667, G4526231891, G5080475149, G5421974903, G5568641063, G5677826004, G586857820, G5967599077, G6080697404, G6750601693, G7084143925, G8083530641, G8430294048, G8920660035, G897484643
OpenAlex ID: W7111147460
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