A precessing jet from an active galactic nucleus drives gas outflow from a disk galaxy

Science 2026 Open access

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Authors: Justin A. Kader, V. U, Loreto Barcos-Muñoz, Marina Bianchin, Yiqing Song, Sean T. Linden, Gabriela Canalizo, Archana Aravindan, G. C. Privon, T. Diaz-Santos, Christopher C. Hayward, Matthew A. Malkan
+22 more Lee A, Rosalie C. McGurk, Jeffrey A. Rich, Anne M. Medling, Sabrina Stierwalt, C. Max, A. Evans, Christopher J. Agostino, V. Charmandaris, Tianmu Gao, Justin H. Howell, Hanae Inami, Thomas S.-Y. Lai, Kirsten L. Larson, Christopher D. Martin, Mateusz Matuszewski, J. M. Mazzarella, James D. Neill, Nikolaus Z. Prusinski, Raymond P. Remigio, David B. Sanders, J. A. Surace
DOI: 10.1126/science.adp8989
Cited by: 3
References: 82

Abstract

To reproduce observed galaxy properties, cosmological simulations require that massive galaxies experience feedback from active galactic nuclei, which regulates star formation within those galaxies. However, the energetics and timescales of these feedback processes are poorly constrained. We combined optical, infrared, submillimeter, and radio observations of the active galaxy VV 340a, which is hosting a low-power jet launched from a supermassive black hole at its center. We found that the jet undergoes precession, with a period of (8.2 ± 5.5) × 10 5 years, and drives an outflow of gas at a rate of 19.4 ± 7.9 solar masses per year. The jet shocks the gas, producing highly ionized plasma that extends several kiloparsecs from the nucleus. The outflow ejects sufficient gas from the galaxy to influence its star-formation rate.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Astrophysics and Cosmic Phenomena Galaxies: Formation Evolution Phenomena Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations

Publication details

Journal / source
Science
Publisher
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Volume
391
Issue
6788
Pages
911–916
Publication date
8 January 2026
Language
EN