Active Galactic Nuclei signatures in Red Geyser galaxies from Gemini GMOS-IFU observations

Aug 21, 2026

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Red Geysers are quiescent galaxies hosting galactic-scale ionised outflows, with low-luminosity AGN as the likely driver. Gemini GMOS-IFU observations of the inner ~1–3 kpc of nine MaNGA-selected Red Geysers are used to analyse gas ionisation and kinematics. Emission-line ratios indicate Seyfert/LINER nuclei in all sources. Hα equivalent widths and spatially resolved electron-density maps are measured, while velocity fields and [N II] 6583 line asymmetries support AGN-powered outflows, potentially linked to a precessing accretion disc.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

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Pages20

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Abstract

Introduction

arXiv :2208 .03383v3 [ astro-ph .GA] 18 Aug 2022 Active Galactic Nuclei signatures in Red Geyser galaxies from Gemini GMOS-IFU observations Gabriele S. Ilha, 1,2★ Rogemar A. Riﬀel, 1,2 Tiago V. Ricci,3 Sandro B. Rembold, 1,2 Thaisa Storchi-Bergmann,4,2 Rogério Riﬀel,4,2 Namrata Roy,7 Kevin Bundy,7,8 Rodrigo Nemmen,5 Jáderson S. Schimoia, 1,2 Luiz N. da Costa2,6 1 Departamento de Física, CCNE, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, 97105 -900, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil 2 Laboratório Interinstitucional de e-Astronomia-LIneA, Rua Gal. José Cristino 77, Rio de Janeiro, RJ -20921-400, Brazil 3 Campus Cerro Largo, Universidade Federal da Fronteira Sul, RS 97900 -000, Brazil 4 Departamento deAstronomia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul. 9500 Bento Gonçalves, Porto Alegre, 91501-970, Brazil 5 Instituto de Astronomia, Geofísica e Ciências Atmosféricas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo SP 05508 -090, Brazil 6 Observatório Nacional-MCT, Rua General José Cristino 77, Rio de Janeiro, RJ -20921-400, Brazil 7 Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA 8 UCO/Lick Observatory, Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA Accepted XXX. Received YYY; in original form ZZZ ABSTRACT Red Geysers are quiescent galaxies with galactic scale ionised outﬂows, likely due to low-luminosity Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). We used Gemini GMOS-IFU observations of the inner ∼1–3 kpc of nine Red Geysers selected from the MaNGA survey to study the gas ionisation and kinematics. The emission-line ratios suggest the presence of Seyfert/LINER (Low Ionisation Nuclear Emission Region) nuclei in all sources. Two galaxies show H􀁕 equivalent width (H􀁕 EW) larger than 3 Å (indicative of AGN ionisation) within an aperture 2005 of diameter (1.3–3.7 kpc at the distance of galaxies) for MaNGA data, while with the higher resolution GMOS data, four galaxies present H􀁕 EW> 3 Å within an aperture equal to the angular resolution (0 .3–0.9 kpc) . For two objects with GMOS-IFU data, the H􀁕 EW is lower than 3 Å but larger than 1 .5 Å, most probably due to a faint AGN. The spatially resolved electron density maps show values between 100–3000 cm−3 and are consistent with those determined in other studies. The large (MaNGA) and the nuclear scale (GMOS-IFU) gas velocity ﬁelds are misaligned, with akinematic position angle diﬀerence between 12◦ and 60◦ . The [N ii]􀁟6583 emission-line proﬁles are asymmetrical, with bluewings on the redshifted side of the velocity ﬁeld and red wings on the blueshifted side. Our results support previous indications that the gas in Red Geysers is ionised by an AGN, at least in their central region, with the presence of outﬂows, likely originating in a precessing accretion disc. Key words: galaxies: star formation –galaxies: active –galaxies: nuclei – galaxies: ISM 1 INTRODUCTION Galaxies in general present bi-modalities in several properties (Strateva et al. 2001; Blanton et al. 2003; Kauﬀmann et al. 2003a; Baldry et al. 2004; Bell et al. 2004; Mateus et al. 2006; Salim et al. 2007; Wetzel et al. 2012), such as colours (Strateva et al. 2001; Salim et al. 2007), D 􀀽(4000) index (Kauﬀmann et al. 2003a), and star formation rate (SFR) (Mateus et al. 2006; Wetzel et al. 2012) . Such bi-modalities reveal a dichotomy between two major classes (or “sequences”) of galaxies: blue (star-forming, SF) and red (passive) objects. Blue sequence galaxies show ongoing star formation, young stellar populations and lower stellar masses. Meanwhile, red sequence galaxies have older stellar populations, higher stellar masses, and quenched star formation. Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) hosts present colours and SFRs between those of the red and blue sequences (Mateus et al. ★ E-mail:gabriele.ilha@acad.ufsm.br 2006; Sanchez et al. 2018). A similar result was found by Schawinski et al. (2007), but restricted t

FAQs

What are Red Geyser galaxies and what powers their ionised outflows?

Red Geyser galaxies are quiescent systems with large-scale ionised outflows. The study attributes the ionisation and outflows to low-luminosity Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN).

How were the Red Geysers observed in this work?

The authors used Gemini GMOS-IFU data to probe the inner ~1–3 kpc. The sample consists of nine Red Geysers selected from the MaNGA survey.

What evidence indicates the presence of AGN activity in the galaxies?

Emission-line ratios suggest Seyfert/LINER nuclei in all sources. Additional diagnostics include Hα equivalent width thresholds and spatially resolved electron density maps, alongside velocity-field misalignment and [N II] 6583 profile asymmetries.

Aug 21, 2026

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