Active Galactic Nucleus Feedback in Quiescent Galaxies at Cosmic Noon Traced by Ionized Gas Emission
We analyze ionized gas emission lines in deep rest-frame optical spectra of 14 massive ( $\mathrm{log}{M}_{* }\gt 10.2$ M _⊙ ) quiescent galaxies at redshifts 1.7 < z < 3.5 observed with JWST/NIRSpec by the Blue Jay survey. Robust detection of emission lines in 71% of the sample indicates th...
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2025-01-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/adaeaf |
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| author | Letizia Bugiani Sirio Belli Minjung Park Rebecca L. Davies J. Trevor Mendel Benjamin D. Johnson Amir H. Khoram Chloë Benton Andrea Cimatti Charlie Conroy Razieh Emami Joel Leja Yijia Li Gabriel Maheson Elijah P. Mathews Rohan P. Naidu Erica J. Nelson Sandro Tacchella Bryan A. Terrazas Rainer Weinberger |
| author_facet | Letizia Bugiani Sirio Belli Minjung Park Rebecca L. Davies J. Trevor Mendel Benjamin D. Johnson Amir H. Khoram Chloë Benton Andrea Cimatti Charlie Conroy Razieh Emami Joel Leja Yijia Li Gabriel Maheson Elijah P. Mathews Rohan P. Naidu Erica J. Nelson Sandro Tacchella Bryan A. Terrazas Rainer Weinberger |
| author_sort | Letizia Bugiani |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We analyze ionized gas emission lines in deep rest-frame optical spectra of 14 massive ( $\mathrm{log}{M}_{* }\gt 10.2$ M _⊙ ) quiescent galaxies at redshifts 1.7 < z < 3.5 observed with JWST/NIRSpec by the Blue Jay survey. Robust detection of emission lines in 71% of the sample indicates the presence of ongoing ionizing sources in this passive population. The H α line luminosities confirm that the population is quiescent, with star formation rates that are at least 10 times lower than the main sequence of star formation at z ∼ 2. The quiescent sample is clearly separate from the star-forming population in line diagnostic diagrams, and occupies a region usually populated by active galactic nuclei (AGN). Analysis of the observed line ratios, equivalent widths, and velocity dispersions leads us to conclude that in most cases the gas is ionized by AGN activity, despite the lack of X-ray detections. We measure generally low values of the bolometric luminosity L _bol ∼ 10 ^44 erg s ^−1 and Eddington ratio λ ∼ 10 ^−2 –10 ^−3 for the central engines, typical of low-luminosity AGN. A subset of the sample also hosts ionized and neutral outflows, with ionized outflow velocities of the order of ∼1000 km s ^−1 . Our results show, for the first time using a representative sample, that low-luminosity AGN are extremely common among quiescent galaxies at high redshift. These low-luminosity AGN may play a key role in quenching star formation and in maintaining massive galaxies quiescent from Cosmic Noon to z ∼ 0. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ce952c54f3df4cd090aeadc91da91b4f |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1538-4357 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Astrophysical Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-ce952c54f3df4cd090aeadc91da91b4f2025-08-20T03:13:14ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal1538-43572025-01-0198112510.3847/1538-4357/adaeafActive Galactic Nucleus Feedback in Quiescent Galaxies at Cosmic Noon Traced by Ionized Gas EmissionLetizia Bugiani0Sirio Belli1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5615-6018Minjung Park2Rebecca L. Davies3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3324-4824J. Trevor Mendel4Benjamin D. Johnson5https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9280-7594Amir H. Khoram6Chloë Benton7https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5378-9998Andrea Cimatti8https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4409-5633Charlie Conroy9https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1590-8551Razieh Emami10Joel Leja11https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6755-1315Yijia Li12Gabriel Maheson13Elijah P. Mathews14Rohan P. Naidu15https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3997-5705Erica J. Nelson16https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7524-374XSandro Tacchella17https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8224-4505Bryan A. Terrazas18https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5529-7305Rainer Weinberger19https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6260-9709Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Università di Bologna , Bologna, Italy; INAF , Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio, Via Piero Gobetti 93/3, I-40129 Bologna, ItalyDipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Università di Bologna , Bologna, ItalyCenter for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian , Cambridge, MA, USACentre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology , Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia; ARC Centre of Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions (ASTRO 3D) , AustraliaARC Centre of Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions (ASTRO 3D) , Australia; Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Australian National University , Canberra, ACT, AustraliaCenter for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian , Cambridge, MA, USADipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Università di Bologna , Bologna, Italy; INAF , Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio, Via Piero Gobetti 93/3, I-40129 Bologna, ItalyDepartment for Astrophysical and Planetary Science, University of Colorado , Boulder, CO, USADipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Università di Bologna , Bologna, Italy; INAF , Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio, Via Piero Gobetti 93/3, I-40129 Bologna, ItalyCenter for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian , Cambridge, MA, USACenter for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian , Cambridge, MA, USADepartment of Astronomy & Astrophysics, The Pennsylvania State University , University Park, PA, USA; Institute for Gravitation and the Cosmos, The Pennsylvania State University , University Park, PA, USA; Institute for Computational & Data Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University , University Park, PA, USADepartment of Astronomy & Astrophysics, The Pennsylvania State University , University Park, PA, USA; Institute for Gravitation and the Cosmos, The Pennsylvania State University , University Park, PA, USAKavli Institute for Cosmology, University of Cambridge , Cambridge, UK; Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge , Cambridge, UKDepartment of Astronomy & Astrophysics, The Pennsylvania State University , University Park, PA, USA; Institute for Gravitation and the Cosmos, The Pennsylvania State University , University Park, PA, USA; Institute for Computational & Data Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University , University Park, PA, USAMIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research , Cambridge, MA, USADepartment for Astrophysical and Planetary Science, University of Colorado , Boulder, CO, USAKavli Institute for Cosmology, University of Cambridge , Cambridge, UK; Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge , Cambridge, UKColumbia Astrophysics Laboratory, Columbia University , New York, NY, USALeibniz Institute for Astrophysics , Potsdam, GermanyWe analyze ionized gas emission lines in deep rest-frame optical spectra of 14 massive ( $\mathrm{log}{M}_{* }\gt 10.2$ M _⊙ ) quiescent galaxies at redshifts 1.7 < z < 3.5 observed with JWST/NIRSpec by the Blue Jay survey. Robust detection of emission lines in 71% of the sample indicates the presence of ongoing ionizing sources in this passive population. The H α line luminosities confirm that the population is quiescent, with star formation rates that are at least 10 times lower than the main sequence of star formation at z ∼ 2. The quiescent sample is clearly separate from the star-forming population in line diagnostic diagrams, and occupies a region usually populated by active galactic nuclei (AGN). Analysis of the observed line ratios, equivalent widths, and velocity dispersions leads us to conclude that in most cases the gas is ionized by AGN activity, despite the lack of X-ray detections. We measure generally low values of the bolometric luminosity L _bol ∼ 10 ^44 erg s ^−1 and Eddington ratio λ ∼ 10 ^−2 –10 ^−3 for the central engines, typical of low-luminosity AGN. A subset of the sample also hosts ionized and neutral outflows, with ionized outflow velocities of the order of ∼1000 km s ^−1 . Our results show, for the first time using a representative sample, that low-luminosity AGN are extremely common among quiescent galaxies at high redshift. These low-luminosity AGN may play a key role in quenching star formation and in maintaining massive galaxies quiescent from Cosmic Noon to z ∼ 0.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/adaeafGalaxy evolutionGalaxy quenchingQuenched galaxiesActive galactic nucleiWarm ionized mediumInterstellar medium |
| spellingShingle | Letizia Bugiani Sirio Belli Minjung Park Rebecca L. Davies J. Trevor Mendel Benjamin D. Johnson Amir H. Khoram Chloë Benton Andrea Cimatti Charlie Conroy Razieh Emami Joel Leja Yijia Li Gabriel Maheson Elijah P. Mathews Rohan P. Naidu Erica J. Nelson Sandro Tacchella Bryan A. Terrazas Rainer Weinberger Active Galactic Nucleus Feedback in Quiescent Galaxies at Cosmic Noon Traced by Ionized Gas Emission The Astrophysical Journal Galaxy evolution Galaxy quenching Quenched galaxies Active galactic nuclei Warm ionized medium Interstellar medium |
| title | Active Galactic Nucleus Feedback in Quiescent Galaxies at Cosmic Noon Traced by Ionized Gas Emission |
| title_full | Active Galactic Nucleus Feedback in Quiescent Galaxies at Cosmic Noon Traced by Ionized Gas Emission |
| title_fullStr | Active Galactic Nucleus Feedback in Quiescent Galaxies at Cosmic Noon Traced by Ionized Gas Emission |
| title_full_unstemmed | Active Galactic Nucleus Feedback in Quiescent Galaxies at Cosmic Noon Traced by Ionized Gas Emission |
| title_short | Active Galactic Nucleus Feedback in Quiescent Galaxies at Cosmic Noon Traced by Ionized Gas Emission |
| title_sort | active galactic nucleus feedback in quiescent galaxies at cosmic noon traced by ionized gas emission |
| topic | Galaxy evolution Galaxy quenching Quenched galaxies Active galactic nuclei Warm ionized medium Interstellar medium |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/adaeaf |
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