The circumnuclear environment of IRAS 20551-4250 a case study of AGN/Starburst connection for JWST

TL;DR

This paper reviews IRAS 20551-4250, a complex galaxy with intense starburst activity and an obscured active nucleus, highlighting its importance for understanding black hole growth and star formation with JWST.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis of IRAS 20551-4250's circumnuclear environment, emphasizing its role as a case study for AGN-starburst connection in preparation for JWST observations.

Findings

The galaxy exhibits a starburst-dominated near-IR spectrum.

An obscured active nucleus dominates mid-IR emission.

Star formation influences the galaxy's global IR spectral features.

Abstract

We present a general review of the current knowledge of IRAS 20551-4250 and its circumnuclear environment. This Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxy is one of the most puzzling sources of its class in the nearby Universe: the near-IR spectrum is typical of a galaxy experiencing a very intense starburst, but a highly obscured active nucleus is identified beyond 5 micron and possibly dominates the mid-IR energy output of the system. At longer wavelengths star formation is again the main driver of the global spectral shape and features. We interpret all the available IR diagnostics in the framework of simultaneous black hole growth and star formation, and discuss the key properties that make this source an ideal laboratory for the forthcoming James Webb Space Telescope.