Mapping the Dynamics of the Quasar 3C 48

Abstract

The archetypical, nearby (z=0.37) quasar 3C 48 is an unusual CSS radio source with excess far-IR emission, whose one-sided radio jet is aligned with the extended ionized emission and a putative second nucleus. Because of its high AGN luminosity and proximity, 3C 48 is a good candidate to search for kinematic signatures of the radio jet-gas coupling and/or of a recent interaction. The radio morphology and our ground-based integral field spectroscopy suggest that the jet is interacting with its immediate environment. Using STIS aboard HST in several slit positions within the central 1", we map the kinematics and physical conditions of the extended emission line gas and their relations to near-nuclear star forming regions found in existing HST images.