The MURALES survey. IV. Searching for nuclear outflows in 3C radio galaxies at z < 0.3 with MUSE observations

TL;DR

This study uses MUSE observations of 37 radio galaxies to identify and characterize nuclear and extended ionized gas outflows, providing insights into AGN feedback mechanisms and their limited impact on host galaxy star formation.

Contribution

It presents the first systematic analysis of nuclear outflows in a sample of 3C radio galaxies at z<0.3 using nonparametric emission line analysis, revealing outflow properties and their potential driving mechanisms.

Findings

Nuclear outflows detected in 21 sources with velocities 400-1000 km/s.

Extended outflows observed in 13 sources, spanning 0.4-20 kpc.

Outflows likely driven by radiation pressure, with limited impact on star formation.

Abstract

We analyze VLT/MUSE observations of 37 radio galaxies from the Third Cambridge catalogue (3C) with redshift $<$0.3 searching for nuclear outflows of ionized gas. These observations are part of the MURALES project (a MUse RAdio Loud Emission line Snapshot survey), whose main goal is to explore the feedback process in the most powerful radio-loud AGN. We applied a nonparametric analysis to the [O~III] $\lambda$5007 emission line, whose asymmetries and high-velocity wings reveal signatures of outflows. We find evidence of nuclear outflows in 21 sources, with velocities between $\sim$400 - 1000 km s$^{-1}$, outflowing masses of $\sim 10^5-10^7$ M$_\odot$, and a kinetic energy in the range $\sim 10^{53} - 10^{56}$ erg. In addition, evidence for extended outflows is found in the 2D gas velocity maps of 13 sources of the subclasses of high-excitation (HEG) and broad-line (BLO) radio galaxies, with sizes between 0.4 and 20 kpc. We estimate a mass outflow rate in the range 0.4 - 30 M$_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$ and an energy deposition rate of ${\dot E}_{kin} \sim 10^{42}-10^{45} $ erg s$^{-1}$. Comparing the jet power, the nuclear luminosity of the active galactic nucleus, and the outflow kinetic energy rate, we find that outflows of HEGs and BLOs are likely radiatively powered, while jets likely only play a dominant role in galaxies with low excitation. The low loading factors we measured suggest that these outflows are driven by momentum and not by energy. Based on the gas masses, velocities, and energetics involved, we conclude that the observed ionized outflows have a limited effect on the gas content or the star formation in the host. In order to obtain a complete view of the feedback process, observations exploring the complex multiphase structure of outflows are required.