Massive molecular outflows in nearby ULIRG/AGN

Séminaire IPAG de Chiara Feruglio (IRAM), jeudi 24 janvier 2013 à 11h00, IPAG seminar room

In the last few years, AGN-driven massive outflows have been seen in molecular gas component in several local QSOs/ULIRGs and mergers, and they start to be found in a few high redshift galaxies. These observational results show that outflows can invest the bulk of the gas in galaxies on scales as large as the kpc, supporting models of AGN and galaxy co-evolution through AGN-feedback. Molecular outflows are therefore regarded as the long sought mechanism leading to the formation of red passive galaxies, deprived of gas. In this framework, I will present recent results, mainly obtained with the PdBI, about the molecular outflows found in Mrk 231 and in NGC6240, two nearby ULIRGs and mergers, hosting powerful AGN.