Description
Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) dramatically impact galaxy evolution through powerful outflows. This study utilizes new 3D hydrodynamical simulations to investigate the interaction between AGN-driven winds and the multiphased interstellar medium (ISM) of an isolated disk galaxy. Employing the moving-mesh code AREPO, we increased the resolution within the cool gas ($T \leq 20000$K) component of AGN outflows, focusing on variations in AGN power and initial ISM conditions.
Our findings indicate a strong dependence of cool gas cloud (CGC) properties on AGN luminosity, with brighter AGNs producing smaller and denser CGCs. Interestingly, the influence of initial ISM conditions on these properties is minimal, suggesting that AGN activity rather than initial ISM state predominantly governs the dynamics of the cool gas. The study identified distinct scaling relations for the cool and hot gas phases within the outflow, where cool gas density scales as $n_{\rm cool} \propto L_{\rm AGN}^{1/2}$, contrasting with the linear relationship of the hot gas ($T>20000$ K) $n_{\rm hot} \propto L_{\rm AGN}$.
Challenging conventional assumptions used in calculating AGN mass outflow rates and kinetic coupling efficiencies, our results necessitate revisions to these estimations. Incorporating our findings leads to significant changes in estimated mass outflow rates, up to two orders of magnitude. Moreover, the very low kinetic coupling efficiencies ($\ll 0.1\%$) observed in our simulations suggest that high-density gas may not be a reliable indicator of kinetic coupling efficiency. This research highlights the complex dynamics of AGN feedback and underscores the importance of high-resolution simulations in understanding AGN's role in galaxy evolution.
