Digging deeper into NGC 6868 II: ionized gas and excitation mechanism

Abstract

We studied the ionized gas in the inner region ($\sim 680\times 470$ pc${}^2$) of the galaxy NGC 6868 using Gemini/GMOS integral field unit observations. Channel maps reveal complex kinematics and morphology, indicating multiple processes at work in NGC 6868. Through emission-line fitting, we identified two ubiquitous components in our data: a narrow ($\sigma \sim 110$ km s${}^{-1}$) tracing an ionized gas disc and a broad component ($\sigma \sim 300$ km s${}^{-1}$) mainly associated with inflowing/outflowing gas. The derived V-band reddening shows a spatial distribution consistent with that obtained from stellar population synthesis, although with generally higher values. For the first time, we measured the electron temperature in NGC 6868, finding values ranging from $\sim 14000$ K in the central region to $\gtrsim 20000$ K with an outward increasing temperature gradient. The electron density map exhibits an inverse relationship, with central values reaching $N_e\sim 4000$ cm${}^{-3}$ for the broad component decreasing to $N_e\sim 100$ cm${}^{-3}$ towards the edges of the field of view. Using BPT diagrams, we found that all spaxels are consistent with both AGN and shock ionization. However, when this information is combined with our kinematic and temperature findings, and further supported by the WHAN diagram, we argue that an AGN is the dominant ionisation mechanism in the central region of NGC 6868, while the extended outer component is ionized by a combination of hot low-mass evolved stars and shocks. According to our findings, shocks play a significant role in the ionization balance of this galaxy.

16 pages, 16 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

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