Fast & Furious at z∼2: type-2 AGN host faster ionised winds than type-1 objects
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Although AGN-driven outflows are widely accepted to be a crucial ingredient of galaxy evolution, definitive observational evidence of their impact on the host galaxy is still missing. Cosmic noon (z∼2) is the epoch where AGN feedback is expected to be most effective, and a sweet spot for ground-based AO-assisted near-IR IFU observations, able to probe down to ∼1 kpc scales at higher spectral resolution compared to JWST. In this talk, I will present results from the SUPER survey, a completed AO VLT/SINFONI large program, aiming to investigate AGN feedback at z∼2. In particular, I will focus on the properties of the type-2 AGN subsample, for which we found evidence of spatially resolved ionised outflows, extending up to kpc scales and fast enough to reach 30-50 kpc from the galaxy centre. These type-2 AGN are all obscured systems and, interestingly, host faster ionised outflows than the type-1 AGN in SUPER of comparable bolometric luminosity. I will then discuss the main implications of these results, particularly the key role of dust in driving AGN outflows, the origin of the type-1/type-2 AGN dichotomy at high redshift, and the ejective/preventative ability of these winds. Finally, I will briefly show how the new VLT/ERIS IFU spectrograph, with performance superior to SINFONI, is now delivering a zoomed-in view of z∼2 galaxies, thus paving the way for future observations at cosmic noon with ELT/ MICADO and HARMONI.
Author: Tozzi, Giulia
Institution: Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7224327258