Abstracts

It is increasingly clear that feedback from star formation and AGNs is fundamental to regulating the evolution of galaxies in the nearby Universe as well as at earlier epochs.
Mechanical feedback occurs in the form of winds, turbulence, superbubbles, AGN jets and backflows. There is mounting evidence that massive amount of cold molecular gas is being ejected from galaxy nuclei by the feedback processes. With the advent of ALMA and the NOEMA telescopes we can now study the extent, morphology, velocity structure, physical conditions and even chemistry of these cold flows at unprecedented sensitivity and resolution.

I will present recent ALMA molecular and continuum images of the molecular feedback structures of extremely dust embedded galaxy nuclei. We have imaged nearby Compact Obscured Nuclei (CONs) at spatial resolutions of only a few pc, revealing fast, collimated and complex outflows. We propose an evolutionary path for these extremely thick nuclear tori that is directly driven by these cool outflows, and that links them to more “normal” AGN obscuring structures. Possible scenarios for what is powering these thick and cool outflows will be discussed.