近日，美国加州大学欧文分校Justin A. Kader团队研究了来自活动星系核的射流驱动圆盘星系的气体流出。2026年1月8日，《科学》杂志发表了这一成果。
为了复现观测到的星系特性，宇宙学模拟要求大质量星系经历来自活动星系核的反馈，以调节这些星系内的恒星形成。然而，这些反馈过程的能量学和时标却鲜有研究。
研究组结合了对活动星系VV 340a的光学、红外、亚毫米和射电观测，该星系中心有一个超大质量黑洞，从中发射出低功率喷流。结果发现，喷流以（8.2±5.5）×105年的周期进动，并以每年19.4±7.9个太阳质量的速度驱动气体外流。喷流冲击气体，产生高度电离的等离子体，从核心向外延伸数千秒差距。外流从星系中喷射出足够的气体，从而影响其恒星形成率。
附：英文原文
Title: A precessing jet from an active galactic nucleus drives gas outflow from a disk galaxy
Author: Justin A. Kader, Vivian U, Loreto Barcos-Muoz, Marina Bianchin, Sean T. Linden, Yiqing Song, Gabriela Canalizo, Archana Aravindan, George C. Privon, Tanio Díaz-Santos, Christopher Hayward, Matthew A. Malkan, Lee Armus, Rosalie C. McGurk, Jeffrey A. Rich, Anne M. Medling, Sabrina Stierwalt, Claire E. Max, Aaron S. Evans, Christopher J. Agostino, Vassilis Charmandaris, Tianmu Gao, Justin H. Howell, Hanae Inami, Thomas S.-Y. Lai, Kirsten L. Larson, Christopher D. Martin, Mateusz Matuszewski, Joseph M. Mazzarella, James D. Neill, Nikolaus Z. Prusinski, Raymond Remigio, David B. Sanders, Jason Surace
Issue&Volume: 2026-01-08
Abstract: To reproduce observed galaxy properties, cosmological simulations require that massive galaxies experience feedback from active galactic nuclei, which regulates star formation within those galaxies. However, the energetics and timescales of these feedback processes are poorly constrained. We combine optical, infrared, sub-millimeter and radio observations of the active galaxy VV 340a, hosting a low-power jet launched from a supermassive black hole at its center. We find that the jet undergoes precession, with a period of (8.2 ± 5.5) × 105 years, and drives an outflow of gas at a rate of 19.4 ± 7.9 solar masses per year. The jet shocks the gas, producing highly ionized plasma extending several kiloparsecs from the nucleus. The outflow ejects sufficient gas from the galaxy to influence its star formation rate.
DOI: adp8989
Source: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adp8989