Core Revelations: the Star Formation and AGN Connection at the Heart of NGC 7469

TL;DR

This study uses JWST mid-infrared IFU data to spatially resolve and analyze the connection between star formation and AGN activity in NGC 7469, revealing complex ionization structures and interactions.

Contribution

First detailed spatially resolved mid-infrared spectroscopic analysis of star formation and AGN interplay in NGC 7469 using JWST data.

Findings

Identification of distinct star-forming and AGN regions via diagnostic diagrams.

Detection of an intermediary wind region affecting ionization.

Evidence of the wind's impact on the star-forming ring's ionization.

Abstract

We investigate the star formation-AGN connection in the Seyfert 1 NGC 7469 using James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) mid-infrared spectroscopic integral field unit (IFU) data. We use the IFU data to generate maps of different emission lines present in the spectrum, such as the star formation (SF) tracer [Ne II] 12.81{\mu}m, and the AGN tracer [Ne V] 14.32{\mu}m. We can separate the AGN- and SF-dominated regions using spatially resolved mid-infrared diagnostic diagrams, and further investigate the ionization sources powering each region by constructing photoionization models. We find that the previously detected eastern wind populates an intermediary region of the diagrams, between our star-forming and AGN points. Although it is possible that the star-forming ring may inherently not be uniform, this wind also coincides with a reduction in the [Ne II] emission in the ring, which suggests that the ionization cone intersects the ring in this direction.