Dust destruction signals shock-accelerated outflows in the nearby active galaxy NGC 1068

Clicks: 3
ID: 318293
2026
Free PDF
Article Quality & Performance Metrics
Overall Quality
Not rated
Combines reader engagement with the AI quality analysis. This article has not been analysed, so there is no overall score — reader engagement is measured and shown alongside.
AI Quality Assessment
Not analyzed
Readership in this journal
Emerging

Ranked #738 of 913 articles by views in monthly notices of the royal astronomical society

Most read Least read

Bar heights use a square-root scale. Only the 120 most-read articles are drawn; the journal has 913 in total.

Mint this article as an NFT
Not yet minted

Create a permanent, verifiable on-chain record of this article on the Scimatic Network. The NFT is held in your Journament account, and you can withdraw it to your own wallet at any time.

5 SUSD one-off · no wallet required
Sign in to mint
Abstract
Abstract Massive gas outflows driven by active galactic nuclei (AGN) are a key ingredient in models of galaxy evolution, in which they are required to regulate star formation and thus explain the observed properties of the galaxy population. However, it remains uncertain how such outflows are accelerated. Here, we use deep spectroscopic observations of the nearby active galaxy NGC 1068 to directly address this issue. Based on the flux ratios of high-ionisation [NeV]λ3425 and [FeVII]λ6087 coronal forbidden lines, we show that the non-outflowing gas in the disk of the galaxy is characterised by high levels of depletion of refractory elements onto dust grains, but the outflowing gas just above the disk is largely dust-free. Consistent results are also found for the ratios of lower-ionisation forbidden lines of refractory and non-refractory elements. Moreover, a range of diagnostic ratios demonstrate that the density of outflowing gas is a factor 19–110 times higher than that of the non-outflowing gas. Together, these results imply that the outflows in NGC 1068 are accelerated by fast shocks that both compress the gas and destroy much of the dust. Consistent with the idea that AGN-driven shocks play an important role in heating and accelerating the near-nuclear gas in galaxies, this study demonstrates that coronal emission lines are a key diagnostic of the destructive impact of AGN activity.
Reference Key
openalex_W7165631527 Use this key to autocite in the manuscript while using SciMatic Manuscript Manager or Thesis Manager
Authors L. R. Holden, C. N. Tadhunter, D J B Smith, Martin A. Bourne, M I Arnaudova, I. M. Mutie
Journal monthly notices of the royal astronomical society
Year 2026
DOI
10.1093/mnras/stag1183
URL
https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stag1183
Keywords Keywords not found

Citations

No citations found. To add a citation, contact the admin at info@scimatic.org

Comments

No comments yet. Be the first to comment on this article.