Resolving the extended emission of H_2 on M58

IVÁN LÓPEZ; PATRICK OGLE; VICTORIA REYNALDI

Seúl

Conferencia; Gemini Science Meeting 2022; 2022

Gemini Observatory - KASI

Spitzer mid-infrared spectral maps of the nearby galaxy M58 reveal that the physical conditions of the interstellar medium in molecular gas and star-forming regions are impacted by AGN feedback. In particular, the strong H_2 extended emission in this galaxy appears to trace a large mass of jet-shocked molecular gas. We developed a flexible spectral-cube fitting tool to fit the IR spectra of galaxies. We are using this tool to study the AGN feedback on molecular gas and how this affects the star formation process in galaxy bulges. In order to complement the dataset and improve the spatial resolution of Spitzer, we are currently analysing Gemini/NIRI data to better determine the distribution of H_2 in the central region of this nearby AGN.