2016MNRAS.458..855C

We present optical integral field spectroscopy of the inner 2.5 x 3.4 kpc² of the broad-line radio galaxy Pictor A, at a spatial resolution of ≃400 pc. Line emission is observed over the whole field of view, being strongest at the nucleus and in an elongated linear feature (ELF) crossing the nucleus from the south-west to the north-east along PA ≃70°. Although the broad double-peaked Hα line and the [O i]6300/Hα and [S ii]6717+31/Hα ratios are typical of active galactic nuclei (AGNs), the [N ii]6584/Hα ratio (0.15-0.25) is unusually low. We suggest that this is due to the unusually low metallicity of the gas. Centroid velocity maps show mostly blueshifts to the south and redshifts to the north of the nucleus, but the velocity field is not well fitted by a rotation model. Velocity dispersions are low (