Identification of galactic wind candidates using excitation maps: Tunable-filter discovery of a shock-excited wind in the galaxy NGC 1482

Multiline imaging of the nearby disk galaxy NGC 1482 with the Taurus Tunable Filter on the Anglo-Australian Telescope reveals a remarkable hourglass-shaped [N II] lambda6583/Halpha excitation structure, suggestive of a galactic wind extending at least 1.5 kpc above and below the disk of the host galaxy. Long-slit spectroscopy confirms the existence of a large-scale outflow in this galaxy. The entrained wind material has [N II] lambda6583/Halpha ratios in excess of unity, while the disk material is characterized by H II region-like line ratios indicative of a starburst. Expansion velocities on the order of 250 km s(-1) are detected in the wind material, and a lower limit of 2 x 10(53) ergs is derived for the kinetic energy of the outflow based on the gas kinematics and the amount of ionized material entrained in the outflow. This is the first time to our knowledge that a galactic wind has been discovered using excitation maps. This line ratio technique represents a promising new way to identify wind galaxy candidates before undergoing more time-consuming spectroscopic follow-ups. This method of selection may be particularly useful for samples of galaxies at moderate redshifts.