The many faces of the gas in Centaurus A (NGC5128)

TL;DR

Centaurus A offers a unique opportunity to study the multi-phase gas in an early-type galaxy with an active nucleus, revealing insights into galaxy evolution, nuclear activity, and black hole feeding mechanisms across various gas phases and scales.

Contribution

This paper provides a comprehensive summary of recent observations and understanding of the different gas phases in Centaurus A, highlighting its complexity and significance for galaxy evolution studies.

Findings

Detection of hot, warm, and cold gas phases in Centaurus A

Gas structures span from parsecs to tens of kiloparsecs

Insights into galaxy formation, nuclear activity, and black hole feeding

Abstract

Centaurus A (NGC5128) is a fantastic object, ideal for investigating the characteristics and the role of the gas in an early-type galaxy in the presence of a radio-loud active nucleus. The different phases of the gas - hot (X-ray), warm (ionised) and cold (HI and molecular) - are all detected in this object and can be studied, due to its proximity, at very high spatial resolution. This richness makes Centaurus A truly unique. Spatially, these gas structures span from the pc to the tens of kpc scale. Thus, they allow us to trace very different phenomena, from the formation and evolution of the host galaxy, to the interplay between nuclear activity and ISM and the feeding mechanism of the central black hole. A lot of work has been done to study and understand the characteristics of the gas in this complex object and here I summarise what has been achieved so far.