On The Fine Tuning and Physical Origin of Line-Locked Absorption Systems in Active Galaxies

Line locking (LL) of absorption line systems is a clear signature of the dynamical importance of radiation pressure force in driving astrophysical flows, with recent findings suggesting that it may be common in quasars exhibiting multiple intrinsic narrow absorption-line (NAL) systems. In this work we probe the phase space conducive to LL and follow the detailed kinematics of those systems that may lock at the velocity separation of the CIV $\lambda\lambda 1548.19,1550.77$ doublet. We find that a small volume of the phase-phase admits LL, suggesting a high-degree of fine-tuning between the physical properties of locked systems. The stability of LL against quasar luminosity variations is quantified with implications for the long-term variability amplitude of quasars and the velocity-separation statistic between multiple NAL systems. The high occurrence of LL by the CIV doublet implies that the hidden extreme-UV emission from quasars is unlikely to be significantly under-estimated by current models. Further, the ratio of the LL velocity to the outflow velocity may serve as a powerful constraint on the composition of the accelerating medium. We conclude that LL poses significant challenges to current theories for the formation of non-intervening NAL systems, and speculate that it may be a manifestation of expanding circumstellar shells around asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars in the quasar-host bulge.Comment: 22 pages, 13 figures, ApJ in pres

XMM-Newton Spectroscopy of the Starburst Dominated Ultra Luminous Infrared Galaxy NGC 6240

We present new XMM-Newton observation of the Ultra Luminous Infrared Galaxy (ULIRG) NGC 6240. We analyze the reflecting grating spectrometer (RGS) data, and data from the other instruments, and find a starburst dominated 0.5-3 keV spectrum with global properties resembling those observed in M82 but with a much higher luminosity. We show that the starburst region can be divided into an outer zone, beyond a radius of about 2.1 kpc, with a gas temperature of about 10^7 K and a central region with temperatures in the range (2-6) x 10^7 K. The gas in the outer region emits most of the observed Oviii Lyman-alpha line and the gas in the inner region the emission lines of higher ionization ions, including a strong Fexxv line. We also identify a small inner part, very close to the active nuclei, with typical Seyfert 2 properties including a large amount of photoionized gas producing a strong Fe K-alpha 6.4 keV line. The combined abundance, temperature and emission measure analysis indicates super solar Ne/O, Mg/O, Si/O, S/O and possibly also Fe/O. The analysis suggests densities in the range of (0.07-0.28) x epsilon^(-1/2) cm^(-3) and a total thermal gas mass of about 4 x 10^8 x epsilon^(1/2) solar masses, where epsilon is the volume filling factor. We used a simple model to argue that a massive starburst with an age of about 2 x 10^7 years can explain most of the observed properties of the source. NGC 6240 is perhaps the clearest case of an X-ray bright luminous AGN, in a merger, whose soft X-ray spectrum is dominated by a powerful starburst.Comment: 10 pages, 6 diagrams, accepted by ApJ, added a few minor change

Continuum reverberation mapping of MCG 08-11-011

We report the results from a photometric reverberation mapping campaign carried out with the C18 telescope at the Wise Observatory from 2019 to 2020, targeting the active galactic nucleus (AGN) MCG 08-11-011. The monitoring was conducted on a daily basis with specially designed narrow-band filters, spanning from optical to near-infrared wavelengths ($\sim4000$ to $8000${\AA}) and avoiding prominent broad emission lines. We aim to measure inter-band continuum time lags, determine the size-wavelength relation, and estimate the host-subtracted AGN luminosity for this system. We used the point-spread function photometry to extract the continuum light curves and measure the inter-band time lags using several methods, including the interpolated cross-correlation function, the z-transformed discrete correlation function, a von Neumann estimator, JAVELIN (in spectroscopic and photometric mode), MICA, and a multivariate correlation function. We find wavelength-dependent lags, $\tau(\lambda)$, up to $\sim$7 days between the multiband light curves of MCG 08-11-011. The observed lags are larger than predictions based on standard thin-disk theory by a factor of $\sim3-7$. We discern a significantly steeper ($\tau \propto \lambda^{4.74}$) size-wavelength relation than the $\tau \propto \lambda^{4/3}$ expected for a geometrically thin and optically thick accretion disk, which may result from the contribution of diffuse continuum emission to the flux. These results are similar to those found by previous continuum reverberation mapping campaigns.Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:2111.0738

The Properties and the Evolution of the Highly Ionized Gas in MR2251-178

We present the first XMM-Newton observations of the radio-quiet quasar MR2251-178. We model the X-ray spectrum with two power laws, one at high energies with a slope of \Gamma=1.6 and the other to model the soft excess with a slope of \Gamma=2.9, both absorbed by at least two warm absorbers (WAs). The high-resolution grating spectrum shows emission lines from N VI, O VII, O VIII, Ne IX, and Ne X, as well as absorption lines from the low ionization ions O III, O IV, and O V. A study of the spectral variations in MR2251-178 over a period of 8.5 years yields that all X-ray observations can be fitted with the above model. Luminosity variations over timescales of years seem to correlate with the soft excess variations but not with the WA properties variations. The overall picture is that of a stratified WA that enters and disappears from the line-of-sight on timescales of several months. We also present the first FUSE spectrum of MR2251-178. The general characteristics of the UV and X-ray absorbers seem to be consistent.Comment: To appear in the proceedings of "AGN Physics with the SDSS", eds. G. T. Richards and P. B. Hall (San Francisco: ASP) (2004), 4 pages including 3 figures, newpasp.st

Narrow Components within the Fe Kalpha Profile of NGC 3516: Evidence for the Importance of General Relativistic Effects?

We present results from a simultaneous Chandra HETG and XMM-Newton observation of NGC 3516. We find evidence for several narrow components of Fe Kalpha along with a broad line. We consider the possibility that the lines arise in an blob of material ejected from the nucleus with velocity ~0.25c. We also consider an origin in a neutral accretion disk, suffering enhanced illumination at 35 and 175 gravitational radii, perhaps due to magnetic reconnection. The presence of these narrow features indicates there is no Comptonizing region along the line-of-sight to the nucleus. This in turn is compelling support for the hypothesis that broad Fe Kalpha components are, in general, produced by strong gravity.Comment: 12 pages, 3 color figures. LaTeX with postscript figures. Resubmitted June 7 2002, to Astrophysical Journal Letter

The Chandra view of the Largest Quasar Lens SDSS J1029+2623

We present results from Chandra observations of the cluster lens SDSS J1029+2623 at z_l=0.58, which is a gravitationally lensed quasar with the largest known image separation. We clearly detect X-ray emission both from the lensing cluster and the three lensed quasar images. The cluster has an X-ray temperature of kT = 8.1 (+2.0, -1.2) keV and bolometric luminosity of L_X = 9.6e44 erg s^-1. Its surface brightness is centered near one of the brightest cluster galaxies, and it is elongated East-West. We identify a subpeak North-West of the main peak, which is suggestive of an ongoing merger. Even so, the X-ray mass inferred from the hydrostatic equilibrium assumption appears to be consistent with the lensing mass from the Einstein radius of the system. We find significant absorption in the soft X-ray spectrum of the faintest quasar image, which can be caused by an intervening material at either the lens or source redshift. The X-ray flux ratios between the quasar images (after correcting for absorption) are in reasonable agreement with those at optical and radio wavelengths, and all the flux ratios are inconsistent with those predicted by simple mass models. This implies that microlensing effect is not significant for this system and dark matter substructure is mainly responsible for the anomalous flux ratios.Comment: 35 pages, 8 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap

Supernova PTF12glz: a possible shock breakout driven through an aspherical wind

We present visible-light and ultraviolet (UV) observations of the supernova PTF12glz. The SN was discovered and monitored in near-UV and R bands as part of a joint GALEX and Palomar Transient Factory campaign. It is among the most energetic Type IIn supernovae observed to date (~10^51erg). If the radiated energy mainly came from the thermalization of the shock kinetic energy, we show that PTF12glz was surrounded by ~1 solar mass of circumstellar material (CSM) prior to its explosive death. PTF12glz shows a puzzling peculiarity: at early times, while the freely expanding ejecta are presumably masked by the optically thick CSM, the radius of the blackbody that best fits the observations grows at ~8000km/s. Such a velocity is characteristic of fast moving ejecta rather than optically thick CSM. This phase of radial expansion takes place before any spectroscopic signature of expanding ejecta appears in the spectrum and while both the spectroscopic data and the bolometric luminosity seem to indicate that the CSM is optically thick. We propose a geometrical solution to this puzzle, involving an aspherical structure of the CSM around PTF12glz. By modeling radiative diffusion through a slab of CSM, we show that an aspherical geometry of the CSM can result in a growing effective radius. This simple model also allows us to recover the decreasing blackbody temperature of PTF12glz. SLAB-Diffusion, the code we wrote to model the radiative diffusion of photons through a slab of CSM and evaluate the observed radius and temperature, is made available on-line.Comment: Sumbitted to ApJ. Comments are welcom

Observations of Outflowing UV Absorbers in NGC 4051 with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph

We present new Hubble Space Telescope (HST)/Cosmic Origins Spectrograph observations of the Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 4051. These data were obtained as part of a coordinated observing program including X-ray observations with the Chandra/High Energy Transmission Grating (HETG) Spectrometer and Suzaku. We detected nine kinematic components of UV absorption, which were previously identified using the HST/Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph. None of the absorption components showed evidence for changes in column density or profile within the \sim 10 yr between the STIS and COS observations, which we interpret as evidence of 1) saturation, for the stronger components, or 2) very low densities, i.e., n_H < 1 cm^-3, for the weaker components. After applying a +200 km s^-1 offset to the HETG spectrum, we found that the radial velocities of the UV absorbers lay within the O VII profile. Based on photoionization models, we suggest that, while UV components 2, 5 and 7 produce significant O VII absorption, the bulk of the X-ray absorption detected in the HETG analysis occurs in more highly ionized gas. Moreover, the mass loss rate is dominated by high ionization gas which lacks a significant UV footprint.Comment: 41 pages, 10 Figures; accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa

Microlensing in H1413+117 : disentangling line profile emission and absorption in a broad absorption line quasar

On the basis of 16 years of spectroscopic observations of the four components of the gravitationally lensed broad absorption line (BAL) quasar H1413+117, covering the ultraviolet to visible rest-frame spectral range, we analyze the spectral differences observed in the P Cygni-type line profiles and have used the microlensing effect to derive new clues to the BAL profile formation. We confirm that the spectral differences observed in component D can be attributed to a microlensing effect lasting at least a decade. We show that microlensing magnifies the continuum source in image D, leaving the emission line region essentially unaffected. We interpret the differences seen in the absorption profiles of component D as the result of an emission line superimposed onto a nearly black absorption profile. We also find that the continuum source and a part of the broad emission line region are likely de-magnified in component C, while components A and B are not affected by microlensing. We show that microlensing of the continuum source in component D has a chromatic dependence compatible with the thermal continuum emission of a standard Shakura-Sunyaev accretion disk. Using a simple decomposition method to separate the part of the line profiles affected by microlensing and coming from a compact region from the part unaffected by this effect and coming from a larger region, we disentangle the true absorption line profiles from the true emission line profiles. The extracted emission line profiles appear double-peaked, suggesting that the emission is occulted by a strong absorber, narrower in velocity than the full absorption profile, and emitting little by itself. We propose that the outflow around H1413+117 is constituted by a high-velocity polar flow and a denser, lower velocity disk seen nearly edge-on.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic