Optical and mid-infrared line emission in nearby Seyfert galaxies

Abstract

Line ratio diagnostics provide valuable clues on the source of ionizing radiation in galaxies with intense black hole accretion and starbursting events, such as local Seyfert or galaxies at the peak of the star formation history. We aim to provide a reference joint optical and mid-IR analysis for studying AGN identification via line ratios and testing predictions from photoionization models. We obtained homogenous optical spectra with the Southern Africa Large Telescope for 42 Seyfert galaxies with Spitzer/IRS spectroscopy and X-ray to mid-IR multiband data available. After confirming the power of the main optical ([OIII]) and mid-IR ([NeV], [OIV], [NeIII]) emission lines in tracing AGN activity, we explore diagrams based on ratios of optical and mid-IR lines by exploiting photoionization models of different ionizing sources (AGN, star formation and shocks). We find that pure AGN photoionization models are good at reproducing observations of Seyfert galaxies with an AGN fractional contribution to the mid-IR (5-40 micron) emission larger than 50 per cent. For targets with a lower AGN contribution these same models do not fully reproduce the observed mid-IR line ratios. Mid-IR ratios like [NeV]/[NeII], [OIV]/[NeII] and [NeIII]/[NeII] show a dependence on the AGN fractional contribution to the mid-IR unlike optical line ratios. An additional source of ionization, either from star formation or radiative shocks, can help explain the observations in the mid-IR. Among combinations of optical and mid-IR diagnostics in line ratio diagrams, only those involving the [OI]/Halpha ratio are promising diagnostics for simultaneously unraveling the relative role of AGN, star formation and, shocks. A proper identification of the dominant ionizing source would require the exploitation of analysis tools based on advanced statistical techniques as well as spatially resolved data.

31 pages, 15 figures, 2 tables. Accepted for publication in A&A

References in corpus (73)

• SciPy 1.0--Fundamental Algorithms for Scientific Computing in Python
• The NumPy array: a structure for efficient numerical computation
• The Astropy Project: Sustaining and Growing a Community-oriented Open-source Project and the Latest Major Release (v5.0) of the Core Package
• The Host Galaxies and Classification of Active Galactic Nuclei
• Improving the full spectrum fitting method: accurate convolution with Gauss-Hermite functions
• The MAPPINGS III Library of Fast Radiative Shock Models
• The Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) on the James Webb Space Telescope I. Overview of the instrument and its capabilities
• PyNeb: a new tool for analyzing emission lines. I. Code description and validation of results
• Understanding Galaxy Evolution through Emission Lines
• An Objective Definition for the Main Sequence of Star-Forming Galaxies
• The Mass-Metallicity and the Fundamental Metallicity Relation revisited on a fully Te-based abundance scale for galaxies
• On the X-ray, optical emission line and black hole mass properties of local Seyfert galaxies
• Universal bolometric corrections for AGN over 7 luminosity decades
• Modelling the nebular emission from primeval to present-day star-forming galaxies
• Emission-line Diagnostics of Low Metallicity AGN
• The ALPINE-ALMA [CII] Survey: data processing, catalogs, and statistical source properties
• The Herschel Dwarf Galaxy Survey: I. Properties of the low-metallicity ISM from PACS spectroscopy
• The Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) on the James Webb Space Telescope II. Multi-object spectroscopy (MOS)
• Reionization Era Bright Emission Line Survey: Selection and Characterization of Luminous Interstellar Medium Reservoirs in the z>6.5 Universe
• AGN Emission Line Diagnostics and the Mass-Metallicity Relation up to Redshift z~2: the Impact of Selection Effects and Evolution
• The SAMI Galaxy Survey: Shocks and Outflows in a normal star-forming galaxy
• Large Population of ALMA Galaxies at z>6 with Very High [OIII]88um to [CII]158um Flux Ratios: Evidence of Extremely High Ionization Parameter or PDR Deficit?
• Kiloparsec-scale ALMA Imaging of [CII] and Dust Continuum Emission of 27 Quasar Host Galaxies at z~6
• Ionized outflows in local luminous AGN: what are the real densities and outflow rates?
• How do central and satellite galaxies quench? -- Insights from spatially resolved spectroscopy in the MaNGA survey
• Constraints on the production and escape of ionizing radiation from the emission-line spectra of metal-poor star-forming galaxies
• Diagnostics for PopIII galaxies and Direct Collapse Black Holes in the early universe
• Spitzer/IRS 5-35 um Low-Resolution Spectroscopy of the 12 um Seyfert Sample
• Missing [CII] emission from early galaxies
• The Correlation of Narrow Line Emission and X-ray Luminosity in Active Galactic Nuclei
• The ALMA Spectroscopic Survey in the HUDF: Multi-band constraints on line luminosity functions and the cosmic density of molecular gas
• Synthetic nebular emission from massive galaxies I: origin of the cosmic evolution of optical emission-line ratios
• Galaxies hosting an AGN: a view from the CALIFA survey
• Deep spectroscopy of the FUV-optical emission lines from a sample of radio galaxies at z~2.5: metallicity and ionization
• Far-infrared line spectra of active galaxies from the Herschel/PACS Spectrometer: the complete database
• High-z galaxies with JWST and local analogues -- it is not only star formation
• Dissecting Galaxies: Spatial and Spectral Separation of Emission Excited by Star Formation and AGN Activity
• Spitzer-IRS high resolution spectroscopy of the 12μm Seyfert galaxies: I. First results
• [Ne V] Emission in Optically Classified Starbursts
• Obscured AGN at 1.5 < z < 3.0 from the zCOSMOS-deep Survey I. Properties of the emitting gas in the Narrow Line Region
• A New Diagnostic to Separate Line Emission from Star Formation, Shocks, and AGN Simultaneously in IFU Data
• The Infrared Emission from the Narrow Line Region
• A physically-based model of the ionizing radiation from active galaxies for photoionization modeling
• Compton-Thick AGN in the NuSTAR era VI: The observed Compton-thick fraction in the Local Universe
• A bayesian-like approach to derive chemical abundances in Type-2 Active Galactic Nuclei based on photoionization models
• The Diagnostic Potential of JWST in Characterizing Elusive AGNs
• The Multi-Layer Variable Absorbers in NGC 1365 Revealed by XMM-Newton and NuSTAR
• The mass-metallicity relation of local active galaxies
• Compton-thick AGN in the NuSTAR era III: A systematic study of the torus covering factor
• Chemical abundances of Seyfert 2 AGNs I. Comparing oxygen abundances from distinct methods using SDSS
• Far-infrared line spectra of Seyfert galaxies from the Herschel-PACS Spectrometer
• Warm molecular gas temperature distribution in six local infrared bright Seyfert galaxies
• Emission Line Properties of Seyfert Galaxies in the 12 Micron Sample
• Ionised Gas Kinematics in MaNGA AGN. Extents of the Narrow Line and Kinematically Disturbed regions
• A Sensitive Search For [NII] Emission in a z=6.4 Quasar Host Galaxy
• Semi-empirical metallicity calibrations based on ultraviolet emission lines of type-2 AGNs
• A comparison of UV and optical metallicities in star-forming galaxies
• CLEAR: High-Ionization [Ne V] $\lambda$3426 Emission-line Galaxies at $1.4<z<2.3$
• Chemical abundances of Seyfert 2 AGNs IV. Composite models calculated by photoionization + shocks
• Active galactic nuclei winds as the origin of the H${}_2$ emission excess in nearby galaxies
• Simulating the infrared sky with a Spritz
• Chemical abundances in Seyfert galaxies -IX. Helium abundance estimates
• What drives the scatter of local star-forming galaxies in the BPT diagrams? A Machine Learning based analysis
• Optical and JWST Mid-IR Emission Line Diagnostics for Simultaneous IMBH and Stellar Excitation in z~0 Dwarf Galaxies
• Self-generated ultraviolet radiation in molecular shock waves II. CH+ and the interpretation of emission from shock ensembles
• A new superwind galaxy: XMM-Newton observations of NGC 6810
• A broadband X-ray spectral study of the Seyfert 1 galaxy ESO 141--G055 with XMM-Newton and NuSTAR
• Measuring chemical abundances in AGN from infrared nebular lines: HII-CHI-Mistry-IR for AGN
• SPICA and the Chemical Evolution of Galaxies: The Rise of Metals and Dust
• Where infall meets outflows: turbulent dissipation probed by CH${}^{+}$ and Ly$\alpha$ in the starburst/AGN galaxy group SMM J02399$-$0136 at z$\sim$2.8
• The molecular gas in the central region of NGC 7213
• Shock fronts in the long GRB031203 host galaxy
• Chemical abundances in Seyfert galaxies -- VII. Direct abundance determination of neon based on optical and infrared emission lines

Cited by in corpus (15)

• The Galaxy Activity, Torus, and Outflow Survey (GATOS). (IV): Exploring Ionized Gas Outflows in Central Kiloparsec Regions of GATOS Seyferts
• A biconical ionised gas outflow and evidence for positive feedback in NGC 7172 uncovered by MIRI/JWST
• MICONIC: Dual active galactic nuclei, star formation, and ionised gas outflows in NGC 6240 seen with MIRI/JWST
• JWST MIRI reveals the diversity of nuclear mid-infrared spectra of nearby type-2 quasars
• Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Emission in the Central Regions of Three Seyferts the Implication for Underlying Feedback Mechanisms
• Disentangling the co-evolution of galaxies and supermassive black holes with PRIMA
• Euclid preparation. Optical emission-line predictions of intermediate-z galaxy populations in GAEA for the Euclid Deep and Wide Surveys
• Emission Line Diagnostics for IMBHs in Dwarf Galaxies: Accounting for BH Seeding and ULX Excitation
• Cosmic-ray impact on optical and mid-infrared emission line diagnostics in NGC 5728
• MIRACLE II: Unveiling the multi-phase gas interplay in the circumnuclear region of NGC 1365 via multi-cloud modeling
• Extended coronal line emission and new clues to a possible dual AGN in the merger J1356+1026
• The Galaxy Activity, Torus, and Outflow Survey (GATOS): N. Unveiling physical processes in local active galaxies. Unsupervised hierarchical clustering of JWST MIRI/MRS observations
• MICONIC: JWST/MIRI-MRS reveals heavily reprocessed PAH emission in the circum-nuclear disc of Centaurus A
• Jet-driven shocks and turbulence in radio-loud Active Galactic Nuclei observed with JWST MIRI/MRS
• ReveaLLAGN 1: JWST Emission-Line Spectra Reveal Low-Luminosity AGN with UV-Deficient SEDs and Warm Molecular Gas