A close look at the well-known Seyfert galaxy: extended emission filaments in Mrk6

TL;DR

This study uses advanced optical observations to map and analyze faint emission filaments in the Seyfert galaxy Mrk6, revealing extended ionized gas structures likely illuminated by the active nucleus, with implications for understanding external gas accretion.

Contribution

The paper provides the first deep imaging and spectroscopic analysis of faint filaments in Mrk6, revealing their morphology, kinematics, and ionization, suggesting external gas accretion illuminated by the active nucleus.

Findings

Detected ionized filaments up to 40 kpc from the galaxy center.

Filaments are likely illuminated by the active nucleus's radiation.

No stellar counterparts detected at deep imaging levels.

Abstract

Using various techniques of optical observations at the 6-m Russian telescope (emission-line images, long-slit and 3D spectroscopy), we have studied large-scale morphology and kinematics of the ionized gas in the Seyfert galaxy Mrk6. Having a significantly deeper images and spectra than those in previous works, we have not only mapped the ionized gas in the stellar disc but also found a system of faint filaments elongated in the NE direction up to a projected distance of 40 kpc (4.3R$_{25}$). Kinematics as well as an ionization state of the filament gas suggest the scenario that hard radiation of the active nucleus illuminated the matter accreted from outside and orbiting almost orthogonally to the Mrk 6 stellar disc. A possible source of gas accretion is still unknown, a deep image taken with the 1-m Byrakan Schmidt telescope does not show any stellar counterparts at the level of 27-28 mag/arcsec$^2$.