Extreme Neutral Outflow in a non-AGN Quiescent Galaxy at z~1.3

Yang Sun; Zhiyuan Ji; George H. Rieke; Francesco D'Eugenio; Yongda Zhu; Fengwu Sun; Xiaojing Lin; Andrew J. Bunker; Jianwei Lyu; Pierluigi Rinaldi; Christopher N. A. Willmer

Paper

Extreme Neutral Outflow in a non-AGN Quiescent Galaxy at z~1.3

Abstract

We report the discovery of a substantial sodium doublet (Na D

5890, 5896Å)-traced neutral outflow in the quiescent galaxy JADES-GS-206183 at

. Its JWST/NIRSpec-MSA spectrum shows a deep, blueshifted Na D absorption, revealing a neutral outflow with

and a mass outflow rate of

. This outflow rate exceeds that of any neutral outflows identified beyond

by the same line and is comparable with those in local galaxies with intensive star formation or luminous AGN. JADES-GS-206183 is also a peculiar quiescent galaxy with a spiral

bar morphology, high dust attenuation (

mag). Paschen

(Pa

) emission from the FRESCO NIRCam grism confirms its low star formation rate (

), placing it 0.5 dex below the main-sequence (

). Despite the systematics introduced by different star formation history (SFH) priors, the SED modeling, combining HST-to-NIRCam photometry with the VLT/MUSE spectrum, suggests that JADES-GS-206183 experienced an older episode of star formation 0.5-2 Gyr ago and a possible rejuvenation within recent

10 Myr. Moreover, rest-frame optical lines indicate that the current AGN activity of JADES-GS-206183, if present, is also weak. Even though we tentatively detect a broad component of the H

line, it likely traces an ionized outflow rather than an AGN. The results demonstrate that the Na D outflow in JADES-GS-206183 is highly unlikely to be driven by current star formation or nuclear activity. Instead, it may represent a long-lasting fossil outflow from past AGN activity, potentially co-triggered with the early phase of rejuvenation.