The JWST View of the Low-Luminosity AGN in the Local Galaxy M58
Iván Lopez (INAF - OAS Bologna)
Tuesday 21/01/2025 @ 14:00, Sala Antonio Sollima (IV piano Battiferro)
The steep faint-end slope of the AGN luminosity function suggests that low-luminosity AGN (LLAGN, Lx<10**42 erg/s) are more prevalent across all redshifts than previously thought, as black holes may spend up to 95% of their lifetimes in low-accretion phases. However, the role of this AGN population in galaxy evolution remains poorly understood. Low-power jets in LLAGN can displace dust, inflate radio bubbles, and drive outflows, potentially playing a significant but underexamined role in feedback processes. Furthermore, winds from radiatively inefficient accretion flows may suppress star formation, indicating a complex interaction with their host galaxies. To address these gaps, we are conducting a detailed study of the galaxy M58, which hosts an AGN with a low-power jet and evidence of advection-dominated accretion flows (ADAF) at its center. Observations reveal low-velocity shocks and gas emissions excited by shocks and turbulence driven by the radio jet and outflows. Our analysis incorporates new JWST observations with NIRCam, NIRSpec, and MIRI, which reveal the impact of the AGN in the warm molecular phase on 10-parsec scales with unprecedented clarity. To better facilitate future studies of this population, we will also discuss the new Cigale SED fitting module specifically tailored for LLAGN. This updated module allows for efficient modeling of LLAGN physics, enabling constraints on the LLAGN population without relying on extrapolations from mid-luminosity AGN.