Duggal, C. orcid.org/0000-0001-7781-246X, O’Dea, C.P. orcid.org/0000-0001-6421-054X, Baum, S.A. orcid.org/0000-0002-4735-8224 et al. (6 more authors) (2024) Optical- and UV-continuum morphologies of compact radio source hosts. The Astrophysical Journal, 965 (1). 17. ISSN 0004-637X
Abstract
We present the first systematic search for UV signatures from radio source-driven active galactic nuclei (AGN) feedback in Compact Steep Spectrum (CSS) radio galaxies. Owing to their characteristic sub-galactic jets (1–20 kpc projected linear sizes), CSS hosts are excellent laboratories for probing galaxy scale feedback via jet-triggered star formation. The sample consists of seven powerful CSS galaxies, and two galaxies host to radio sources >20 kpc as the control, at low to intermediate redshifts (z < 0.6). Our new Hubble Space Telescope images show extended UV continuum emission in six out of seven CSS galaxies, with five CSS hosts exhibiting UV knots cospatial and aligned along the radio-jet axis. Young (≲ 10 Myr), massive (≳ 5 M⊙) stellar populations are likely to be the dominant source of the blue excess emission in radio galaxies at these redshifts. Hence, the radio-aligned UV regions could be attributed to jet-induced starbursts. Lower near-UV star formation rates compared to other indicators suggest low scattered AGN light contribution to the observed UV. Dust attenuation of UV emission appears unlikely from high internal extinction correction estimates in most sources. Comparison with evolutionary synthesis models shows that our observations are consistent with recent (∼1−8 Myr old) star-forming activity likely triggered by current or an earlier episode of radio emission, or by a confined radio source that has frustrated growth, due to a dense environment. While follow-up spectroscopic and polarized light observations are needed to constrain the activity-related components in the observed UV, the detection of jet-induced star formation is a confirmation of an important prediction of the jet feedback paradigm.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2024. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society. Original content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI. |
Keywords: | Unified Astronomy Thesaurus concepts: AGN host galaxies; Radio galaxies; Active galactic nuclei; Radio active galactic nuclei; Radio jets |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Science (Sheffield) > Department of Physics and Astronomy (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 08 Apr 2024 10:08 |
Last Modified: | 08 Apr 2024 10:08 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | American Astronomical Society |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.3847/1538-4357/ad2513 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:211253 |