Breaking the Blend: A multi-tracer kinematic decomposition method for IFS data applied to disentangling the AGN outflow and circumnuclear ring in NGC 5728 with JWST

Abstract Integral field spectroscopy (IFS) of the central kiloparsecs of active galactic nuclei (AGN) reveals a mixture of spatially coincident emission from star-formation and AGN feedback exciting the interstellar medium. Disentangling these components remains a challenge, as most spectral tracers are affected by both processes, limiting robust interpretation of kinematics and energetics. We present a new framework for decomposing IFS data into distinct components on a spaxel-by-spaxel basis using a multi-tracer, stacked kinematics approach. This method combines kinematic modelling with imposed flux decomposition per spaxel, quantifying the contribution of each component across the field of view. We apply this method to JWST IFS observations of the Seyfert galaxy NGC 5728 from the Galaxy Activity, Torus, and Outflow Survey (GATOS), analysing twelve mid-infrared fine-structure lines (4.49 ≤ λ ≤ 25.89μm, 7.9 ≤ IP ≤126.2 eV). We find that the circumnuclear emission can be decomposed into two dominant components: a star-forming ring and an AGN-driven biconical outflow. Our method separates these structures and recovers their detailed spatial morphology. This framework provides a general and scalable method for physically motivated component separation in IFS data, applicable across many wavelength ranges and targets, enabling reliable interpretation of complex emission line structures (or morphologies) in active galaxies and beyond.

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Journal
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Published
2026-10-08
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stag1917
Primary Topic
Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena
Type
article
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0.00

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article

Breaking the Blend: A multi-tracer kinematic decomposition method for IFS data applied to disentangling the AGN outflow and circumnuclear ring in NGC 5728 with JWST

I. García-Bernete, Laura Hermosa Muñoz, Alvaro Labiano, N. A. Levenson et al.
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena
article

Breaking the Blend: A multi-tracer kinematic decomposition method for IFS data applied to disentangling the AGN outflow and circumnuclear ring in NGC 5728 with JWST

I. García-Bernete, Laura Hermosa Muñoz, Alvaro Labiano, N. A. Levenson, A. Audibert, Donají Esparza-Arredondo, Federico Esposito, Enrique López-Rodríguez, Marko Stalevski, E. Bellocchi, Oscar Veenema, Niranjan Thatte, Begoña García-Lorenzo, Dimitra Rigopoulou, Santiago García-Burillo, Almudena Alonso-Herrero, Omaira Gonzalez Martin, Andrew J. Bunker, Sebastian F. Hönig, Claudio Ricci, Erin K. S. Hicks, Rogemar A. Riffel, Fergus R. Donnan, Miguel Pereira-Santaella, Masatoshi Imanishi, Cristina Ramos Almeida, Françoise Combes, Tanio Díaz Santos, Richard I. Davies
article en

Abstract

Abstract Integral field spectroscopy (IFS) of the central kiloparsecs of active galactic nuclei (AGN) reveals a mixture of spatially coincident emission from star-formation and AGN feedback exciting the interstellar medium. Disentangling these components remains a challenge, as most spectral tracers are affected by both processes, limiting robust interpretation of kinematics and energetics. We present a new framework for decomposing IFS data into distinct components on a spaxel-by-spaxel basis using a multi-tracer, stacked kinematics approach. This method combines kinematic modelling with imposed flux decomposition per spaxel, quantifying the contribution of each component across the field of view. We apply this method to JWST IFS observations of the Seyfert galaxy NGC 5728 from the Galaxy Activity, Torus, and Outflow Survey (GATOS), analysing twelve mid-infrared fine-structure lines (4.49 ≤ λ ≤ 25.89μm, 7.9 ≤ IP ≤126.2 eV). We find that the circumnuclear emission can be decomposed into two dominant components: a star-forming ring and an AGN-driven biconical outflow. Our method separates these structures and recovers their detailed spatial morphology. This framework provides a general and scalable method for physically motivated component separation in IFS data, applicable across many wavelength ranges and targets, enabling reliable interpretation of complex emission line structures (or morphologies) in active galaxies and beyond.

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
University of Geneva (CH), Universidad Complutense de Madrid (ES), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), Space Telescope Science Institute (US), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (ES), University of Alaska Anchorage (US), University of South Carolina (US), Universidad de La Laguna (ES), Universidad de Oviedo (ES), The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI (JP), European University Cyprus (CY), Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (FR), Observatoire de Paris (FR), European Space Agency (FR), Ghent University (BE), Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (BR), University of California San Diego (US), Sorbonne Université (FR), University of Oxford (GB), Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (DE), European Space Astronomy Centre (ES), Instituto de Física Fundamental (ES), Centro de Astrobiología (ES), Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (ES), Spanish National Observatory (ES), Astronomical Observatory (RS), National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (JP), University of Southampton (GB), Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas (GR), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (MX), Universidad Diego Portales (CL)
Comunidad de Madrid, Government of the United Kingdom, UK Research and Innovation, Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Leverhulme Trust, European Commission, Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme, Science and Technology Facilities Council, Dirección General de Asuntos del Personal Académico, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, European Regional Development Fund, Agencia Estatal de Investigación
Openalex Percentile: Top 18%
Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena
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