A plausible link between dynamically unsettled molecular gas and the radio jet in NGC 6328

Abstract

We report the detection of outflowing molecular gas at the center of the nearby radio galaxy NGC6328 (z = 0.014), which has a gigahertz-peaked spectrum radio core and a compact (2 pc) young double radio lobe tracing jet. Utilizing Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) CO(3 − 2) and CO(2 − 1) observations, as well as a novel code developed to fit the 3D gas distribution and kinematics, to study the molecular gas kinematics, we find that the bulk of the gas is situated within a highly warped disk structure, most likely the result of a past merger event. Our analysis further uncovers, within the inner regions of the gas distribution (R < 300 pc) and at a position angle aligning with that of the radio jet (150°), the existence of two anti-diametric molecular gas structures kinematically detached from the main disk. These structures most likely trace a jet-induced cold gas outflow with a total lower limit mass of 2 × 106 M⊙ mass, corresponding to an outflow rate of 2 M⊙ yr−1 and a kinetic power of 2.7 × 1040 erg s−1. The energy required to maintain such a molecular outflow is aligned with the mechanical power of the jet.