We report the detection of fast (~1000 km s-1), massive outflows of neutral gas observed – using the WSRT – as 21-cm absorption against the strong radio continuum of seven radio sources. The neutral outflows occur, in at least somes cases, at kpc distance from the nucleus, and they are most likely driven by the interactions between the expanding radio jets and the gaseous medium enshrouding the central regions. We estimate that the associated mass outflow rates are up to ~50 yr-1, comparable (although at the lower end of the distribution) to the outflow rates found for starburst-driven superwinds in Ultra Luminous IR Galaxies (ULIRG). This suggests that massive, jet-driven outflows of neutral gas in radio-loud AGN can have as large an impact on the evolution of the host galaxies as the outflows associated with starbursts. A radio-loud phase of the AGN is likely a relatively common, albeit short, phase in the life of many (or even all) massive ellipticals. Jet-driven neutral outflows may represent one of the main feedback mechanisms in these galaxies.

The relative positions of the high and low surface brightness regions of radio-loud active galaxies in the 3CR sample were found by Fanaroff and Riley to be correlated with their luminosity. We revisit this canonical relationship with a sample of 5805 extended radio-loud AGN from the LOFAR Two-Metre Sky Survey (LoTSS), compiling the most complete dataset of radio-galaxy morphological information obtained to date. We demonstrate that, for this sample, radio luminosity does not reliably predict whether a source is edge-brightened (FRII) or centre-brightened (FRI). We highlight a large population of low-luminosity FRIIs, extending three orders of magnitude below the traditional FR break, and demonstrate that their host galaxies are on average systematically fainter than those of high-luminosity FRIIs and of FRIs matched in luminosity. This result supports the jet power/environment paradigm for the FR break: low-power jets may remain undisrupted and form hotspots in lower mass hosts. We also find substantial populations that appear physically distinct from the traditional FR classes, including candidate restarting sources and “hybrids”. We identify 459 bent-tailed sources, which we find to have a significantly higher SDSS cluster association fraction (at z < 0.4) than the general radio-galaxy population, similar to the results of previous work. The complexity of the LoTSS faint, extended radio sources demonstrates the need for caution in the automated classification and interpretation of extended sources in modern radio surveys, but also reveals the wealth of morphological information such surveys will provide and its value for advancing our physical understanding of radio-loud AGN.

We use high-resolution (0.5 arcsec) CO(2−1) observations performed with the Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array to trace the kinematics of the molecular gas in the Seyfert 2 galaxy IC 5063. The data reveal that the kinematics of the gas is very complex. A fast outflow of molecular gas extends along the entire radio jet (~1 kpc), with the highest outflow velocities about 0.5 kpc from the nucleus, at the location of the brighter hot spot in the western lobe. The ALMA data show that a massive, fast outflow with velocities up to 650kms-1 of cold molecular gas is present, in addition to the outflow detected earlier in warm H2, H i and ionized gas. All phases of the gas outflow show similar kinematics. IC 5063 appears to be one of the best examples of the multi-phase nature of AGN-driven outflows. Both the central AGN and the radio jet could energetically drive the outflow, however, the characteristics of the outflowing gas point to the radio jet being the main driver. This is an important result because IC 5063, although one of the most powerful Seyfert galaxies, is a relatively weak radio source (P 1.4 GHz = 3 × 1023 W Hz-1). All the observed characteristics can be described by a scenario of a radio plasma jet expanding into a clumpy medium, interacting directly with the clouds and inflating a cocoon that drives a lateral outflow into the interstellar medium. This model is consistent with results obtained by recent simulations. A stronger, direct interaction between the jet and a gas cloud is present at the location of the brighter western lobe. This interaction may also be responsible for the asymmetry in the radio brightness of the two lobes. Even assuming the most conservative values for the conversion factor CO-to-H2, we find that the mass of the outflowing gas is between 1.9 and 4.8 × 107 M ⊙, of which between 0.5 and 1.3 × 107 M ⊙ is associated with the fast outflow at the location of the western lobe. These amounts are much larger than those of the outflow of warm gas (molecular and ionized) and somewhat larger than of the H i outflow. This suggests that most of the observed cold molecular outflow is due to fast cooling after being shocked. This gas is the end product of the cooling process, although some of it could be the result of only partly dissociated clouds. Our CO observations demonstrate that fast outflows of substantial masses of molecular gas can be driven by relativistic jets, although in the case of IC 5063 the outflows are not fast enough to remove significant amounts of gas from the galaxy and the effects are limited to the central ~0.5 kpc from the centre.

The energy released by Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) in the form of radiation, winds, or radio plasma jets, is known to impact on the surrounding interstellar medium. The result of these processes, known as AGN (negative) feedback, is suggested to prevent gas, in and around galaxies, from cooling, and to remove, or at least redistribute, gas by driving massive and fast outflows, hence playing a key role in galaxy evolution. Given its importance, a large effort is devoted by the astronomical community to trace the effects of AGN on the surrounding gaseous medium and to quantify their impact for different types of AGN. This review briefly summarizes some of the recent observational results obtained in different wavebands, tracing different phases of the gas. I also summarize the new insights they have brought, and the constraints they provide to numerical simulations of galaxy formation and evolution. The recent addition of deep observations of cold gas and, in particular, of cold molecular gas, has brought some interesting surprises and has expanded our understanding of AGN and AGN feedback.

We present the results of deep Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope observations of neutral hydrogen in 12 nearby elliptical and lenticular galaxies.

Pushy Black Hole: The giant black holes that sit at the centers of most galaxies influence the way galaxies evolve in poorly understood ways. Morganti et al. (p. 1082 ; see the Perspective by McNamara ) have acquired high-resolution radio images of a galaxy with an actively accreting black hole from which a jet of relativistic particles emanates. The observations show that a cloud of neutral hydrogen gas is being driven outward, possibly limiting star formation and galaxy growth.