The "Green Bean" Galaxy SDSS J224024.1--092748: Unravelling the emission signature of a quasar ionization echo

Abstract

"Green Bean" Galaxies (GBs) are the most [O III]-luminous type-2 active galactic nuclei (AGN) at z~0.3. However, their infrared luminosities reveal AGN in very low activity states, indicating that their gas reservoirs must be ionized by photons from a recent high activity episode - we are observing quasar ionization echoes. We use integral field spectroscopy from the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph to analyse the 3D kinematics, ionization state, temperature and density of ionized gas in the GB SDSS J224024.1-092748. We model the emission line spectrum of each spaxel as a superposition of up to three Gaussian components and analyse the physical properties of each component individually. Two narrow components, tracing the velocity fields of the disc and an ionized gas cloud, are superimposed over the majority of the galaxy. Fast shocks produce hot ($T_e$ $\ge$ 20,000 K), dense ($n_e$ $\ge$ 100 cm${}^{-3}$), turbulent ($\sigma$ $\ge$ 600 km s${}^{-1}$), [O III]-bright regions with enhanced [N II]/H$\alpha$ and [S II]/H$\alpha$ ratios. The most prominent such spot is consistent with a radio jet shock-heating the interstellar medium. However, the AGN is still responsible for $\ge$ 82 per cent of the galaxy's total [O III] luminosity, strengthening the case for previous quasar activity. The ionized gas cloud has a strong kinematic link to the central AGN and is co-rotating with the main body of the galaxy, suggesting that it may be the remnant of a quasar-driven outflow. Our analysis of J224024.1-092748 indicates that GBs provide a unique fossil record of the transformation from the most luminous quasars to weak AGN.

arXiv comment24 pages, 15 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS; affiliations and acknowledgements updated

References in corpus (44)

• Theoretical Modeling of Starburst Galaxies
• Evolutionary tracks and isochrones for low- and intermediate-mass stars: from 0.15 to 7 M_sun, and from Z=0.0004 to 0.03
• Parametric Recovery of Line-of-Sight Velocity Distributions from Absorption-Line Spectra of Galaxies via Penalized Likelihood
• Adaptive spatial binning of integral-field spectroscopic data using Voronoi tessellations
• Theoretical isochrones in several photometric systems I. Johnson-Cousins-Glass, HST/WFPC2, HST/NICMOS, Washington, and ESO Imaging Survey filter sets
• Using Strong Lines to Estimate Abundances in Extragalactic HII Regions and Starburst Galaxies
• The MAPPINGS III Library of Fast Radiative Shock Models
• Mayavi: a package for 3D visualization of scientific data
• How Do Massive Black Holes Get Their Gas?
• A relationship between AGN jet power and radio power
• Theoretical Evolution of Optical Strong Lines across Cosmic Time
• Evolutionary Stellar Population Synthesis at High Spectral Resolution: Optical Wavelengths
• Space density of optically-selected type 2 quasars
• Narrow-line region gas kinematics of 24,264 optically-selected AGN: the radio connection
• Dusty, Radiation Pressure Dominated Photoionization. I. Model Description, Structure And Grids
• Galaxy Zoo : 'Hanny's Voorwerp', a quasar light echo?
• Feedback in Luminous Obscured Quasars
• Resolving the electron temperature discrepancies in HII Regions and Planetary Nebulae: kappa-distributed electrons
• The SDSS-III Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey: The Quasar Luminosity Function from Data Release Nine
• Observations of Feedback from Radio-Quiet Quasars: I. Extents and Morphologies of Ionized Gas Nebulae
• The SAMI Galaxy Survey: Shocks and Outflows in a normal star-forming galaxy
• Quasars Are Not Light-Bulbs: Testing Models of Quasar Lifetimes with the Observed Eddington Ratio Distribution
• The Galaxy Zoo survey for giant AGN-ionized clouds: past and present black-hole accretion events
• NGC 839: Shocks in an M82-like Superwind
• Searching for Evidence of Energetic Feedback in Distant Galaxies: A Galaxy Wide Outflow in a z~2 Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxy
• Measuring nebular temperatures: the effect of new collision strengths with equilibrium and kappa-distributed electron energies
• Extended Emission-Line Regions: Remnants of Quasar Superwinds?
• Mid-infrared properties of nearby low-luminosity AGN at high angular resolution
• The History and Environment of a Faded Quasar: Hubble Space Telescope observations of Hanny's Voorwerp and IC 2497
• Mid and Far Infrared Properties of a Complete Sample of Local AGNs
• SALT Long-slit Spectroscopy of Luminous Obscured Quasars: An Upper Limit on the Size of the Narrow-Line Region?
• Neon and Argon optical emission lines in ionized gaseous nebulae: Implications and applications
• The Jet-Driven Outflow in the Radio Galaxy SDSS J1517+3353: Implications for Double-Peaked Narrow-Line AGN
• Representations of spectral coordinates in FITS
• The Sudden Death of the Nearest Quasar
• Attenuation caused by a distant Isothermal Turbulent Screen
• Gemini Long-slit Observations of Luminous Obscured Quasars: Further Evidence for an Upper Limit on the Size of the Narrow-Line Region
• Formation and Hardening of Supermassive Black Hole Binaries in Minor Mergers of Disk Galaxies
• [NeIII]/[OII] as an Ionization Parameter Diagnostic in Star-Forming Galaxies
• Similarity of ionized gas nebulae around unobscured and obscured quasars
• A sample of Seyfert-2 galaxies with ultra-luminous galaxy-wide NLRs -- Quasar light echos?
• Galaxy Interactions in Compact Groups I : The Galactic Winds of HCG16
• Empirical Corrections for Charge Transfer Inefficiency and Associated Centroid Shifts for STIS CCD Observations
• Witnessing the Birth of a Quasar

Cited by in corpus (15)

• A tidal disruption flare in a massive galaxy? Implications for the fuelling mechanisms of nuclear black holes
• Fading AGN Candidates: AGN Histories and Outflow Signatures
• Sizes and Kinematics of Extended Narrow-Line Regions in Luminous Obscured AGN Selected by Broadband Images
• Radio Galaxy Zoo: A Search for Hybrid Morphology Radio Galaxies
• CHEERS Results from NGC 3393, II: Investigating the Extended Narrow Line Region using Deep Chandra Observations and Hubble Narrow Line Imaging
• Integral Field Spectroscopy of AGN Absorption Outflows: Mrk 509 and IRAS F04250-5718
• About AGN ionization echoes, thermal echoes, and ionization deficits in low redshift Lyman-alpha blobs
• NuSTAR Observations of AGN with Low Observed X-ray to [OIII] Luminosity Ratios: Heavily Obscured AGN or Turned-Off AGN?
• Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph Integral Field Unit Spectroscopy of the Double-peaked Broad Emission Line of a Red Active Galactic Nucleus
• NuSTAR hard X-ray data and Gemini 3D spectra reveal powerful AGN and outflow histories in two low-redshift Lyman-$\alpha$ blobs
• An interacting galaxy pair at the origin of a light echo
• Understanding Lyman-alpha Nebulae at Low Redshift I: The Sizes, Powering, and Kinematics of "Green Bean" Galaxies
• QSO MUSEUM III: the circumgalactic medium in Ly$\alpha$ emission around 120 $z\sim 3$ quasars covering the SDSS parameter space. Witnessing the instantaneous AGN feedback on halo scales
• Powerful yet lonely: Is 3C 297 a high-redshift fossil group?
• A Single Line-Emitter Identified in an Unbiased Search with JWST/NIRSpec: Multi-Object Coronagraphy for Slitless Spectroscopy