KCWI Discovery of a Spatially Resolved Kiloparsec-scale Ionized Outflow in NGC 1275
October 2026 • 2026ApJ..1010..162D
Abstract • We present new Keck Cosmic Web Imager (KCWI) observations of the central few kiloparsecs of NGC 1275, 2023ascl.soft01019Nvthe brightest cluster galaxy of the Perseus Cluster. These integral field spectroscopic data reveal a warm-ionized outflow traced by Hβ and the [O III] doublet extending out to ~2.5 kpc from the nucleus. The warm-ionized outflow has an [O III]-derived v50 of up to ~570 km s-1, w80 of up to 3780 km s-1, and Hβ-derived outflowing mass of (2.7 ± 0.3) × 106 M⊙. Our Hβ-derived warm-ionized outflowing mass rate of 2.7 ± 0.7 M⊙ yr-1 is comparable to the estimated cold molecular disk accretion rate of 1-10 M⊙ yr-1, which could be a sign of self-regulation between the parsec-scale cold gas feeding the active galactic nucleus (AGN) and the warm wind accelerated out to kiloparsec scales. In the host galaxy, we detect an enhancement in the [O III]/Hβ ratio in the direction of the receding jet, which may imply jet interaction with the host interstellar medium. The outflow component also shows a clear enhancement of [O III]/Hβ that positively correlates with w80 and v50, indicative of AGN influence and/or fast shocks. Both the outflow and host galaxy [O III]/Hβ ratio decrease with increasing distance from the center, showing that the influence of the AGN is confined to the central ~2 kpc. These results are the first resolved measurements of a kiloparsec-scale ionized wind in NGC 1275 and provide a view into how both jets and winds contribute to the feedback cycles in complex cool core cluster systems.
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