Hubble Space Telescope Observations of Extended [O iii]λ 5007 Emission in Nearby QSO2s: New Constraints on AGN Host Galaxy Interaction

Abstract

We present a Hubble Space Telescope survey of extended [O iii ] λ 5007 emission for a sample of 12 nearby ( z < 0.12), luminous Type 2 quasars (QSO2s), which we use to measure the extent and kinematics of their AGN-ionized gas. We find that the size of the observed [O iii ] regions scale with luminosity in comparison to nearby, less luminous Seyfert galaxies and radially outflowing kinematics to exist in all targets. We report an average maximum outflow radius of ∼600 pc, with gas continuing to be kinematically influenced by the central active galactic nucleus (AGN) out to an average radius of ∼1130 pc. These findings question the effectiveness of AGNs being capable of clearing material from their host bulge in the nearby universe and suggest that disruption of gas by AGN activity may prevent star formation without requiring evacuation. Additionally, we find a dichotomy in our targets when comparing [O iii ] radial extent and nuclear FWHM, where QSO2s with compact [O iii ] morphologies typically possess broader nuclear emission lines.