Abstract
ABSTRACT Mrk 231 is the closest radio-quiet quasar known and one of the most luminous infrared galaxies in the local Universe. It is characterized by the co-existence of a radio jet and powerful multiphase multiscale outflows, making it an ideal laboratory to study active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback. We analyse the multi-epoch very long baseline interferometry data of Mrk 231 and estimate the jet head advance speed to be ≲0.013 c, suggesting a sub-relativistic jet flow. The jet position angle changes from −113○ in the inner parsec to −172○ at a projected distance of 25 pc. The jet structure change might result from either a jet bending following the rotation of the circum-nuclear disc or the projection of a helical jet on the plane of the sky. In the large opening angle (∼60○) cone, the curved jet interacts with the interstellar medium and creates wide-aperture-angle shocks that subsequently dissipate a large portion of the jet power through radiation and contribute to powering the large-scale outflows. The low power and bent structure of the Mrk 231 jet, as well as extensive radiation dissipation, are consistent with the obstruction of the short-length jet by the host galaxy’s environment.
Highlights
Mrk 231, known as UGC 08058 and IRAS 12540+5708 at a redshift z = 0.042, is a relatively nearby ultra-luminous infrared galaxy (ULIRG) (Sanders et al 1988)
The study of Feruglio et al (2015) identifies a molecular gas outflow with a velocity ≥ 400 km s−1originating from the nuclear region and extending to ≈ 1 kpc, and an ionised X-ray ultra-fast outflow (UFO) with a velocity of ≈ 20000 km s−1originating from the accretion disc; an analysis suggests that a bulk of the UFO kinetic energy is transferred to the mechanical energy of the kpc-scale molecular outflow
Comparing the published data with ours, we found a large misalignment (∼ 60◦) between the inner pc jet and the outer 25-pc jet
Summary
The study of Feruglio et al (2015) identifies a molecular gas outflow with a velocity ≥ 400 km s−1originating from the nuclear region and extending to ≈ 1 kpc, and an ionised X-ray ultra-fast outflow (UFO) with a velocity of ≈ 20000 km s−1originating from the accretion disc; an analysis (based on their energetics and momentum transfer) suggests that a bulk of the UFO kinetic energy is transferred to the mechanical energy of the kpc-scale molecular outflow. The study of Rupke & Veilleux (2011) reports on the detection of fast (≈ 1000 km s−1) outflowing neutral gas (as traced by the Na I D absorption) extending from the nuclear region up to 3 kpc; they suggest that this is driven by radiative pressure or mechanical energy from the central AGN. The H line emission traces an east-west elongated disc possibly coincident with the inner part of the molecular disc at an even larger scale
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