The nuclear environment of NGC 2442: a Compton-thick low-luminosity AGN

Author(s)

da Silva, Patricia ^[1] ; Menezes, R. B. ^[2] ; Diaz, Y. ^[3] ; Lopez-Navas, Elena ^[3] ; Steiner, J. E. ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Astron, Inst Astron Geofis & Ciencias Atmosfer, BR-05508090 Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[2] Inst Maua Tecnol, Praca Maua 1, BR-09580900 Sao Caetano do Sul, SP - Brazil

^[3] Univ Valparaiso, Fac Ciencias, Inst Fis & Astron, Gran Bretana 1111, Valparaiso - Chile

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society; v. 505, n. 1, p. 223-235, JUL 2021.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

The detailed study of nuclear regions of galaxies is important because it can help understanding the active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback mechanisms, the connections between the nuclei and their host galaxies, and ultimately the galaxy formation processes. We present the analysis of an optical data cube of the central region of the galaxy NGC 2442, obtained with the integral field unit (IFU) of the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS). We also performed a multiwavelength analysis, with Chandra data, XMM-Newton and NuSTAR spectra, and Hubble Space Telescope (HST) images. The analysis revealed that the nuclear emission is consistent with a Low Ionization Nuclear Emission-line Region (LINER) associated with a highly obscured compact hard X-ray source, indicating a Compton-thick AGN. The HST image in the F658N filter (H alpha) reveals an arched structure corresponding to the walls of the ionization cone of the AGN. The gas kinematic pattern and the high gas velocity dispersion values in the same region of the ionization cone suggest an outflow emission. The stellar archaeology results indicate the presence of only old stellar populations (similar to 10 Gyr), with high metallicity (z = 0.02 and 0.05), and the absence of recent star formation in the central region of NGC 2442, which is possibly a consequence of the AGN feedback, associated with the detected outflow, shutting off star formation. NGC 2442 is a late-type galaxy similar to the Milky Way, and comparisons show that the main difference between them is the presence of a low-luminosity AGN. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 11/51680-6 - Exploring the universe: from the galaxies formation to Earth-like planets with the Giant Magellan Telescope
• Grantee: Laerte Sodré Junior
• Support Opportunities: Special Projects
• FAPESP's process: 20/13315-3 - Study of the galactic nuclei of the milky way morphological twins and SAbcs of the DIVING3D survey
• Grantee: Patricia da Silva
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral