2023A&A...673A..46B

We present Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array (ALMA) CO(1-0) observations of the nearby infrared luminous (LIRG) galaxy pair IRAS 05054+1718 (also known as CGCG 468-002), as well as a new analysis of X-ray data of this source collected between 2012 and 2021 using the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR), Swift, and the XMM-Newton satellites. The western component of the pair, NED01, hosts a Seyfert 1.9 nucleus that is responsible for launching a powerful X-ray ultra-fast outflow (UFO). Our X-ray spectral analysis suggests that the UFO could be variable or multi-component in velocity, ranging from v/c ∼ -0.12 (as seen in Swift) to v/c ∼ -0.23 (as seen in NuSTAR), and constrains its momentum flux to be $ \dot p^{\mathrm{X-ray}}_{\mathrm{out}} \sim (4\pm2)\times 10^{34} $ g cm s^–2. The ALMA CO(1-0) observations, obtained with an angular resolution of 2.2″, although targeting mainly NED01, also include the eastern component of the pair, NED02, a less-studied LIRG with no clear evidence of an active galactic nucleus (AGN). We study the CO(1-0) kinematics in the two galaxies using the 3D-BAROLO code. In both sources we can model the bulk of the CO(1-0) emission with rotating disks and, after subtracting the best-fit models, we detect compact residual emission at S/N = 15 within ∼3 kpc of the centre. A molecular outflow in NED01, if present, cannot be brighter than such residuals, implying an upper limit on its outflow rate of $ \dot{M}^{\mathrm{mol}}_{\mathrm{out}} \lesssim 19\pm14~M_{\odot}~\mathrm{yr}^{-1} $ and on its momentum rate of $ \dot p^{\mathrm{mol}}_{\mathrm{out}} \lesssim (2.7\pm2.4) \times 10^{34} $ g cm s^–1. Combined with the revised energetics of the X-ray wind, we derive an upper limit on the momentum rate ratio of $ \dot{p}^{\mathrm{mol}}_{\mathrm{out}}/\dot{p}^{\mathrm{X-ray}}_{\mathrm{out}} < 0.67 $. We discuss these results in the context of the expectations of AGN feedback models, and we propose that the X-ray disk wind in NED01 has not significantly impacted the molecular gas reservoir (yet), and we can constrain its effect to be much smaller than expectations of AGN 'energy-driven' feedback models. We also consider and discuss the hypothesis of asymmetries of the molecular disk not properly captured by the 3D-BAROLO code. Our results highlight the challenges in testing the predictions of popular AGN disk-wind feedback theories, even in the presence of good-quality multi-wavelength observations.