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We present a study of a luminous, |$z\, =\, 0.15$|⁠ , type-2 quasar (⁠|$L_{[\rm O III]}$|  = 1042.8 erg s−1) from the Quasar Feedback Survey. It is classified as 'radio-quiet' (⁠|$L_{\mathrm{1.4\, GHz}}$|  = 1023.8 W Hz−1); however, radio imaging reveals ∼ 1 kpc low-power radio jets (Pjet = 1044 erg s−1) inclined into the plane of the galaxy disc. We combine MUSE and ALMA observations to map stellar kinematics and ionized and molecular gas properties. The jets are seen to drive galaxy-wide bi-conical turbulent outflows, reaching W 80  = 1000 – 1300 km s−1, in the ionized phase (traced via optical emission lines), which also have increased electron densities compared to the quiescent gas. The turbulent gas is driven perpendicular to the jet axis and is escaping along the galaxy minor axis, reaching 7.5 kpc on both sides. Traced via CO(3–2) emission, the turbulent material in molecular gas phase is one-third as spatially extended and has three times lower velocity-dispersion as compared to ionized gas. The jets are seen to be strongly interacting with the interstellar medium (ISM) through enhanced ionized emission and disturbed/depleted molecular gas at the jet termini. We see further evidence for jet-induced feedback through significantly higher stellar velocity-dispersion aligned, and co-spatial with, the jet axis (⁠|$\lt 5\, ^{\circ }$|⁠). We discuss possible negative and positive feedback scenarios arising due to the interaction of the low-power jets with the ISM in the context of recent jet–ISM interaction simulations, which qualitatively agree with our observations. We discuss how jet-induced feedback could be an important feedback mechanism even in bolometrically luminous 'radio-quiet' quasars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the first results from the Quasar Feedback Survey, a sample of 42 z < 0.2, [O  iii ] luminous AGNs (L [O III] > 1042.1 ergs s−1) with moderate radio luminosities (i.e. L 1.4GHz > 1023.4 W Hz−1; median L 1.4GHz = 5.9 × 1023 W Hz−1). Using high spatial resolution (∼0.3–1 arcsec), 1.5–6 GHz radio images from the Very Large Array, we find that 67 per cent of the sample have spatially extended radio features on ∼1–60 kpc scales. The radio sizes and morphologies suggest that these may be lower radio luminosity versions of compact, radio-loud AGNs. By combining the radio-to-infrared excess parameter, spectral index, radio morphology, and brightness temperature, we find radio emission in at least 57 per cent of the sample that is associated with AGN-related processes (e.g. jets, quasar-driven winds, or coronal emission). This is despite only 9.5–21 per cent being classified as radio-loud using traditional criteria. The origin of the radio emission in the remainder of the sample is unclear. We find that both the established anticorrelation between radio size and the width of the [O    iii ] line, and the known trend for the most [O  iii ] luminous AGNs to be associated with spatially extended radio emission, also hold for our sample of moderate radio luminosity quasars. These observations add to the growing evidence of a connection between the radio emission and ionized gas in quasar host galaxies. This work lays the foundation for deeper investigations into the drivers and impact of feedback in this unique sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the discovery of a new, transient ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX) in the galaxy NGC 7090. This new ULX, which we refer to as NGC 7090 ULX3, was discovered via monitoring with Swift during 2019–2020, and to date has exhibited a peak luminosity of L X ∼ 6 × 1039 erg s−1. Archival searches show that, prior to its recent transition into the ULX regime, ULX3 appeared to exhibit a fairly stable luminosity of L X ∼ 1038 erg s−1. Such strong long-time-scale variability may be reminiscent of the small population of known ULX pulsars, although deep follow-up observations with XMM–Newton and NuSTAR do not reveal any robust X-ray pulsation signals. Pulsations similar to those seen from known ULX pulsars cannot be completely excluded, however, as the limit on the pulsed fraction of any signal that remains undetected in these data is ≲20 per cent. The broad-band spectrum from these observations is well modelled with a simple thin disc model, consistent with sub-Eddington accretion, which may instead imply a moderately large black hole accretor (M BH ∼ 40 M⊙). Similarly, though, more complex models consistent with the super-Eddington spectra seen in other ULXs (and the known ULX pulsars) cannot be excluded given the limited signal-to-noise ratio of the available broad-band data. The nature of the accretor powering this new ULX therefore remains uncertain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present NuSTAR (Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array) observations of four active galactic nuclei (AGNs) located within 15 Mpc. These AGNs, namely ESO 121-G6, NGC 660, NGC 3486, and NGC 5195, have observed X-ray luminosities of L 2–10 keV,obs ≲ 1039 erg s−1, classifying them as low-luminosity AGN (LLAGN). We perform broad-band X-ray spectral analysis for the AGN by combining our NuSTAR data with Chandra or XMM–Newton observations to directly measure their column densities (N H) and infer their intrinsic power. We complement our X-ray data with archival and new high-angular resolution mid-infrared (mid-IR) data for all objects, except NGC 5195. Based on our X-ray spectral analysis, we found that both ESO 121-G6 and NGC 660 are heavily obscured (N H > 1023 cm−2; L 2–10 keV,int ∼ 1041 erg s−1), and NGC 660 may be Compton thick. We also note that the X-ray flux and spectral slope for ESO 121-G6 have significantly changed over the last decade, indicating significant changes in the obscuration and potentially accretion rate. On the other hand, NGC 3486 and NGC 5195 appear to be unobscured and just mildly obscured, respectively, with L 2–10 keV,int < 1039 erg s−1, i.e. genuine LLAGN. Both of the heavily obscured AGNs have L bol > 1041 erg s−1 and λEdd ≳ 10−3, and are detected in high-angular resolution mid-IR imaging, indicating the presence of obscuring dust on nuclear scale. NGC 3486, however, is undetected in high-resolution mid-IR imaging, and the current data do not provide stringent constraints on the presence or absence of obscuring nuclear dust in the AGN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivated by the recent discoveries that six ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) are powered by highly super-Eddington X-ray pulsars, we searched for additional pulsating ULX (PULX) candidates by identifying sources that exhibit long-term flux variability of at least an order of magnitude (a common feature seen in the six known PULXs, which may potentially be related to transitions to the propeller regime). Expanding on previous studies, we used the available fluxes from XMM–Newton, Swift , and Chandra , along with carefully computed upper limits in cases of a non-detection, to construct long-term light curves for a sample of 296 ULXs selected from the XMM–Newton archive. Among these 296, we find 25 sources showing flux variability larger than a factor of 10, of which 17 show some evidence for (or are at least consistent with) exhibiting bimodal flux distributions, as would be expected for sources undergoing propeller transitions. These sources are excellent candidates for continued monitoring programs to further test for this behaviour. There are three sources in our final sample with fluxes similar to NGC 5907 ULX1, currently the faintest known PULX, which would also be good targets for deeper observations with current facilities to search for pulsations. For the rest of the PULX candidates identified here, the next generation of X-ray telescopes (such as Athena) may be required to determine their nature owing to their lower peak fluxes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present 1–7 GHz high-resolution radio imaging (VLA and e-MERLIN) and spatially resolved ionized gas kinematics for 10 z < 0.2 type 2 'obscured' quasars (log [ L AGN/erg s−1] ≳ 45) with moderate radio luminosities (⁠|$\log [L_{\rm {1.4\,GHz}}$| /W Hz−1]  = 23.3–24.4). These targets were selected to have known ionized outflows based on broad [O  iii ] emission-line components (full width at half-maximum ≈ 800–1800 km s−1). Although 'radio-quiet' and not 'radio AGN' by many traditional criteria, we show that for nine of the targets, star formation likely accounts for ≲10 per cent of the radio emission. We find that ∼80–90 per cent of these nine targets exhibit extended radio structures on 1–25 kpc scales. The quasars' radio morphologies, spectral indices, and position on the radio size–luminosity relationship reveals that these sources are consistent with being low power compact radio galaxies. Therefore, we favour radio jets as dominating the radio emission in the majority of these quasars. The radio jets we observe are associated with morphologically and kinematically distinct features in the ionized gas, such as increased turbulence and outflowing bubbles, revealing jet–gas interaction on galactic scales. Importantly, such conclusions could not have been drawn from current low-resolution radio surveys such as FIRST. Our observations support a scenario where compact radio jets, with modest radio luminosities, are a crucial feedback mechanism for massive galaxies during a quasar phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]