The Origin of Double-Peaked Narrow Lines in Active Galactic Nuclei III: Feedback from Biconical AGN Outflows

TL;DR

This study models 18 AGN-driven biconical outflows using MCMC, revealing their geometry, orientation, and energetic feedback potential, with implications for galaxy evolution and star formation.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of the geometry and energetics of AGN outflows, highlighting their role in galaxy feedback processes and the structure of the obscuring torus.

Findings

Majority of outflows are asymmetric or nested bicones.

Most outflows are energetic enough for galaxy feedback.

Outflows intersect galaxy major axes and affect star formation.

Abstract

We apply an analytic Markov Chain Monte Carlo model to a sample of 18 AGN-driven biconical outflows that we identified from a sample of active galaxies with double-peaked narrow emission lines at z < 0.1 in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We find that 8/18 are best described as asymmetric bicones, 8/18 are nested bicones, and 2/18 are symmetric bicones. From the geometry and kinematics of the models, we find that these moderate-luminosity AGN outflows are large and energetic. The biconical outflows axes are randomly oriented with respect to the photometric major axis of the galaxy, implying a randomly oriented and clumpier torus to collimate the outflow, but the torus also allows some radiation to escape equatorially. We find that 16/18 (89%) outflows are energetic enough to drive a two-staged feedback process in their host galaxies. All of these outflows geometrically intersect the photometric major axis of the galaxy, and 23% of outflow host galaxies are significantly redder or have significantly lower specific star formation rates when compared to a matched sample of active galaxies.