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The first comprehensive study of a giant nebula around a radio-quiet quasar in the z < 1 Universe

Z. Liu, Sean D. Johnson, J. I. -. Li, G. C. Rudie, J. Schaye, H.-W. Chen, J. Brinchmann, S. Cantalupo, M. C. Chen, W. Kollatschny, M. V. Maseda, N. Mishra, S. Muzahid

Abstract

We present the first comprehensive study of a giant, ≈70 kpc-scale nebula around a radio-quiet quasar at z < 1. The analysis is based on deep integral field spectroscopy with Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer of the field of HE 0238−1904, a luminous quasar at z = 0.6282. The nebula emits strongly in [O II], Hβ⁠, and [O III], and the quasar resides in an unusually overdense environment for a radio-quiet system. The environment likely consists of two groups which may be merging, and in total have an estimated dynamical mass of Mdyn ≈ 4 × 1013 to 1014 M. The nebula exhibits largely quiescent kinematics and irregular morphology. The nebula may arise primarily through interaction-related stripping of circumgalactic and interstellar medium (CGM/ISM) of group members, with some potential contributions from quasar outflows. The simultaneous presence of the giant nebula and a radio-quiet quasar in a rich environment suggests a correlation between such circum-quasar nebulae and environmental effects. This possibility can be tested with larger samples. The upper limits on the electron number density implied by the [O II] doublet ratio range from log(ne,[OII]/cm−3)<1.2  to 2.8. However, assuming a constant quasar luminosity and negligible projection effects, the densities implied from the measured line ratios between different ions (e.g. [O II], [O III], and [Ne V]) and photoionization simulations are often 10−400 times larger. This large discrepancy can be explained by quasar variability on a time-scale of ≈104−105 yr.

Keywords
quasars: supermassive black holes, galaxies: groups: general, intergalactic medium

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Volume 527, Issue 3, Page 5429
2024 January

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Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa Universidade do Porto Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade de Coimbra
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia COMPETE 2020 PORTUGAL 2020 União Europeia