AGN feedback in the nucleus of M51
  AGN feedback is invoked as one of the most relevant mechanisms that shape the
evolution of galaxies. Our goal is to understand the interplay between AGN
feedback and the interstellar medium in M51, a nearby spiral galaxy with a
modest AGN and a kpc-scale radio jet expanding through the disc of the galaxy.
For that purpose, we combine molecular gas observations in the CO(1-0) and
HCN(1-0) lines from the Plateau de Bure interferometer with archival radio,
X-ray, and optical data. We show that there is a significant scarcity of CO
emission in the ionisation cone, while molecular gas emission tends to
accumulate towards the edges of the cone. The distribution and kinematics of CO
and HCN line emission reveal AGN feedback effects out to r~500pc, covering the
whole extent of the radio jet, with complex kinematics in the molecular gas
which displays strong local variations. We propose that this is the result of
the almost coplanar jet pushing on molecular gas in different directions as it
expands; the effects are more pronounced in HCN than in CO emission, probably
as the result of radiative shocks. Following previous interpretation of the
redshifted molecular line in the central 5" as caused by a molecular outflow,
we estimate the outflow rates to be Mdot_H2~0.9Msun/yr and
Mdot_dense~0.6Msun/yr, which are comparable to the molecular inflow rates
(~1Msun/yr); gas inflow and AGN feedback could be mutually regulated processes.
The agreement with findings in other nearby radio galaxies suggests that this
is not an isolated case, and probably the paradigm of AGN feedback through
radio jets, at least for galaxies hosting low-luminosity active nuclei.
