Title:

Uncovering the origin of activity in galaxies using Integral Field Spectroscopy

Authors:

R. F. Pelletier

Abstract:

The conditions driving nuclear activity in galaxies are being addressed, through the analysis of SAURON data dealing with the gaseous kinematics on the 100-parsec scale in a sample of nearby E and S0 galaxies. Comparing Active Galactic Nuclei, AGN, with Inactive Galactic Nuclei, IGN -- isolating the active objects on the basis of high resolution radio data -- significant differences in the ionized gas kinematics are seen: almost uniformly the AGN stand out as harbouring gas which is kinematically decoupled from the stellar potential. It seems that active early-type galaxies can be subdivided into two categories: radio-loud AGNs generally associated with massive round ellipticals in the centers of clusters, and radio-quiet AGNs, objects with fainter AGNs with strong evidence for infall of external gas.