The MEGARA/GTC Optical Perspective on the X-ray Ultra-Fast Outflow (UFO) in IRAS17020+4544

Outflows are crucial to AGN feedback, transporting mass and energy from the nucleus to the host galaxy across various scales. Theoretical models suggest that sub-relativistic Ultra Fast Outflows (UFOs), which interact with the ISM, decelerate and lose ionization, potentially driving large-scale, multi-phase outflows observable in optical and molecular gas.

The Narrow Line Seyfert 1 galaxy IRAS 17020+4544 offers a rare local laboratory to study AGN-driven outflows in action. It hosts a complex X-ray Ultra Fast Outflow (UFO), a powerful cold molecular outflow spatially resolved in CO with NOEMA millimeter observations, and a low-power radio jet that may be driving shocks into the interstellar medium (ISM).

In this work, we present MEGARA/GTC optical IFU observations of the ionized gas component over an area of ~140 kpc^2, within the region covered by the molecular outflow. We perform a detailed kinematic and energetic analysis of the ionized outflow (i.e., measuring its velocities, mass, momentum, and kinetic power) and compare it across the different (i.e., from X-ray to mm bands) gas phases to test whether the outflow retains its energy on galactic scales (i.e., following the "energy-conserving" regime). 
Intriguingly, we find evidence for positive feedback in the central regions, suggesting that the outflow may not only be expelling some of the gas but also compressing it and triggering star formation. These results provide new insights into the role of AGN winds in shaping the evolution of NLSy1 galaxies.