© Anelise Audibert

Low-to-moderate luminosity kiloparsec-scale radio jets are starting to be recognized as potential drivers of multi-phase outflows and as relevant mechanisms for active galactic nuclei (AGN) feedback. In radio-quiet quasars, compact radio jets are associated with distinct morphological and kinematic features in the ionized and molecular gas, such as increased turbulence and outflowing bubbles. To investigate the impact of low-to-moderate power jets on the cold gas reservoirs of AGN, we present high-resolution ALMA CO(2-1) and CO(3-2) observations of a sample of 5 radio-quiet quasars at z~0.1. Spatially resolved molecular line ratio maps were used to constrain changes in gas excitation and outflows characterized using kinematic modeling. We compare the outflow, host galaxy, and jet properties, finding mass outflow rates lower than those expected from their AGN luminosities, while the outflow kinetic power can be driven by the combined jet power and bolometric luminosity of their hosts, depending on their coupling. Despite AGN feedback not depleting the gas reservoirs and quenching global star formation, our observations reveal that the radio jets/winds disturb the cold gas morphology and kinematics within the central kiloparsecs of galaxies. Our findings provide evidence that the coupling between jets and the interstellar medium is relevant to AGN feedback, even in the case of radio-quiet galaxies.