Elucidating the impact of galaxy substructure on black hole growth and AGN feedback
We still have major gaps in our understanding of the role of AGN feedback in driving galaxy evolution and self-regulating black hole growth. We routinely find observational signatures of outflows, and we know that this material can entrain or heat gas along the way but mysteries remain regarding their actual impact on the host galaxy. I will present a detailed case study of nearby active galaxy NGC7582 for which we found an important role played by galaxy substructure (600pc ring) in collimating the AGN outflows and also containing a radio jet with low inclination w.r.t. the main galaxy disk, thereby shielding the host galaxy from both forms of AGN feedback (winds and jet). This analysis was based on high quality 3D spectroscopy from VLT/MUSE spanning 8 kpc across for NGC 7582. We mapped the stellar and gas kinematics, ionized gas properties, and radio continuum, clearly distinguishing between the rotating galactic disk and the AGN-photoionized outflow. We augment the analysis with ALMA data that revealed a molecular torus and a ring. While such detailed analyses are only feasible for nearby galaxies, they give us a preview of technical feats that we will achieve at higher redshifts with JWST or with the large aperture telescopes.