Large-scale outflows in edge-on seyfert galaxies .2. Kiloparsec-scale radio continuum emission

We present deep images of the kiloparsec-scale radio continuum emission in 14 edge-on galaxies (10 Seyfert and four starburst galaxies). Observations were taken with the VLA at 4.9 GHz (6 cm). The Seyfert galaxies were selected from a distance-limited sample of 22 objects (defined in the first paper in this series). The starburst galaxies were selected to be well matched to the Seyferts in radio power, recessional velocity, and galaxy disk inclination angle. All four starburst galaxies have a very bright disk component, and one (NGC 3044) has a radio halo that extends several kiloparsecs out of the galaxy plane. Six of the 10 Seyferts observed have large-scale (radial extent greater than or similar to 1 kpc) radio structures extending outward from the nuclear region, indicating that large-scale outflows are quite common in Seyferts. Large-scale radio sources in Seyferts are similar in radio power and radial extent to radio halos in edge-on starburst galaxies, but their morphologies do not resemble spherical halos observed in starburst galaxies. The sources have diffuse morphologies, but, in general, they are oriented at skewed angles with respect to the galaxy minor axes. This result is most easily understood if the outflows are AGN-driven jets that are somehow diverted away from the galaxy disk on scales greater than or similar to 1 kpc. Starburst-driven winds, however, cannot be ruled out. More observational work is needed to determine whether massive star formation is present at high enough rates to drive galactic winds out to kiloparsec scales in Seyfert galaxies.