Detection of Extended Millimeter Emission in the Host Galaxy of 3C 273 and Its Implications for QSO Feedback via High Dynamic Range ALMA Imaging

Abstract

We estimate the amount of negative feedback energy injected into the interstellar medium (ISM) of the host galaxy of 3C 273, a prototypical radio-loud quasar. We obtained 93, 233, and 343 GHz continuum images with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). After self-calibration and point-source subtraction, we reach an image dynamic range of ∼85,000 at 93 GHz, ∼39,000 at 233 GHz, and ∼2500 at 343 GHz. These are currently the highest image dynamic range obtained using ALMA. We detect spatially extended millimeter emission associated with the host galaxy, cospatial with the extended emission line region (EELR) observed in the optical. The millimeter spectral energy distribution and comparison with centimeter data show that the extended emission cannot be explained by dust thermal emission or synchrotron or thermal bremsstrahlung arising from massive star formation. We interpret the extended millimeter emission as thermal bremsstrahlung from gas directly ionized by the central source. The extended flux indicates that at least ∼7% of the bolometric flux of the nuclear source was used to ionize atomic hydrogen in the host galaxy. The ionized gas is estimated to be as massive as 1010–1011 M ⊙, but the molecular gas fraction with respect to the stellar mass is consistent with other ellipticals, suggesting that direct ionization ISM by the QSO may not be sufficient to suppress star formation, or we are witnessing a short timescale before negative feedback becomes observable. The discovery of a radio counterpart to EELRs provides a new pathway to studying the QSO–host ISM interaction.