Tracing outflows in the AGN forbidden region with SINFONI
  AGN driven outflows are invoked in numerical simulations to reproduce several
observed properties of local galaxies. The z > 1 epoch is of particular
interest as it was during this time that the volume averaged star formation and
the accretion rate of black holes were maximum. Radiatively driven outflows are
therefore believed to be common during this epoch. We aim to trace and
characterize outflows in AGN hosts with high mass accretion rates at z > 1
using integral field spectroscopy. We obtain spatially-resolved kinematics of
the [OIII]5007 line in two targets which reveal the morphology and spatial
extension of the outflows. We present J and H+K band SINFONI observations of 5
AGNs at 1.2 < z < 2.2. To maximize the chance of observing radiatively driven
outflows, our sample was pre-selected based on peculiar values of the Eddington
ratio and the hydrogen column density of the surrounding interstellar medium.
We observe high velocity (~600-1900 km/s) and kiloparsec scale extended ionized
outflows in at least 3 of our targets, using [OIII]5007 line kinematics tracing
the AGN narrow line region. We estimate the total mass of the outflow, the mass
outflow rate, and the kinetic power of the outflows based on theoretical models
and report on the uncertainties associated with them. We find mass outflow
rates of ~1-10 M_sun/yr for the sample presented in this paper. Based on the
high star formation rates of the host galaxies, the observed outflow kinetic
power and the expected power due to the AGN, we infer that both star formation
and AGN radiation could be the dominant source for the outflows. The outflow
models suffer from large uncertainties, hence we call for further detailed
observations for an accurate determination of the outflow properties to confirm
the exact source of these outflows.
