Quantifying the fast outflow in the luminous Seyfert galaxy PG1211+143

We report two new XMM–Newton observations of PG1211+143 in 2007 December, again finding evidence for the fast outflow of highly ionized gas first detected in 2001. Stacking the new spectra with those from two earlier XMM–Newton observations reveals strong and broad emission lines of Fe  xxv and O  viii , indicating the fast outflow to be persistent and to have a large covering factor. This finding confirms a high mass rate for the ionized outflow in PG1211+143 and provides the first direct measurement of a wide angle, subrelativistic outflow from an active galactic nuclei (AGN) transporting mechanical energy with the potential to disrupt the growth of the host galaxy. We suggest PG1211+143 may be typical of an AGN in a rapid super-Eddington growth phase.     

Studying X-ray reprocessing and continuum variability in quasars: PG 1211+143

We present the results from a monitoring campaign of the Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 galaxy PG 1211+143. The object was monitored with ground-based facilities ( UBVRI photometry; from 2007 February to July) and with Swift [X-ray photometry/spectroscopy and ultraviolet (UV)/optical photometry; between 2007 March and May]. We found PG 1211+143 in a historical low X-ray flux state at the beginning of the Swift monitoring campaign in 2007 March. It is seen from the light curves that while violently variable in X-rays, the quasar shows little variations in optical/UV bands. The X-ray spectrum in the low state is similar to other narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies during their low states and can be explained by a strong partial covering absorber or by X-ray reflection on to the disc. With the current data set, however, it is not possible to distinguish between both scenarios. The interband cross-correlation functions indicate a possible reprocessing of the X-rays into the longer wavelengths, consistent with the idea of a thin accretion disc, powering the quasar. The time lags between the X-ray and the optical/UV light curves, ranging from ∼2 to ∼18 d for the different wavebands, scale approximately as  ∼λ^4/3  , but appear to be somewhat larger than expected for this object, taking into account its accretion disc parameters. Possible implications for the location of the X-ray irradiating source are discussed.     

Failed disc winds: a physical origin for the soft X-ray excess?

The origin of the soft X-ray excess emission observed in many type-1 active galactic nuclei (AGN) has been an unresolved problem in X-ray astronomy for over two decades. We develop the model proposed by Gierliński & Done, which models the soft excess with heavily smeared, ionized, absorption, by including the emission that must be associated with this absorption. We show that, rather than hindering the ionized absorption model, the addition of the emission actually helps this model reproduce the soft excess. The emission fills in some of the absorption trough, while preserving the sharp rise at ∼1 keV, allowing the total model to reproduce the soft excess curvature from a considerably wider range of model parameters. We demonstrate that this model is capable of reproducing even the strongest soft X-ray excesses by fitting it to the XMM–Newton EPIC PN spectrum of PG1211+143, with good results. The addition of the emission reduces the column density required to fit these data by a factor of ∼2 and reduces the smearing velocity from ∼0.28c to ∼0.2c. Gierliński & Done suggested a tentative origin for the absorption in the innermost, accelerating, region of an accretion disc wind, and we highlight the advantages of this interpretation in comparison to accretion disc reflection models of the soft excess. Associating this material with a wind off the accretion disc results in several separate problems however, namely, the radial nature, and the massive implied mass-loss rate, of the wind. We propose an origin in a 'failed wind', where the central X-ray source is strong enough to overionize the wind, removing the acceleration through line absorption before the material reaches escape velocity, allowing the material to fall back to the disc at larger radii.     

Evidence of a high-velocity ionized outflow in a second narrow-line quasar PG 0844+349

Following the discovery of X-ray absorption in a high-velocity outflow from the bright quasar PG 1211 + 143 we have searched for similar features in XMM–Newton archival data of a second (high accretion rate) quasar PG 0844+349. Evidence is found for several faint absorption lines in both the EPIC and RGS spectra, whose most likely identification with resonance transitions in H-like Fe, S and Ne implies an origin in highly ionized matter with an outflow velocity of order ∼0.2c. The line equivalent widths require a line-of-sight column density of   N _H∼ 4 × 10²³ cm⁻²  , at an ionization parameter of log  ξ∼ 3.7  . Assuming a radial outflow being driven by radiation pressure from the inner accretion disc, as suggested previously for PG 1211 + 143, the flow in PG 0844+349 is also likely to be optically thick, in this case within ∼25 Schwarzschild radii. Our analysis suggests that a high-velocity, highly ionized outflow is likely to be a significant component in the mass and energy budgets of active galactic nuclei accreting at or above the Eddington rate.     

Exploring the disc/jet interaction in the radio-loud quasar 4C+74.26 with Suzaku

We report on a 90 ks Suzaku observation of the radio-loud quasar 4C+74.26. The source was observed in its highest flux state to date, and we find that it brightened by about 20 per cent during the observation. We see evidence of spectral hardening as the count rate increases and also find that the rms variability increases with energy up to about 4 keV. We clearly detect a broadened Fe line but conclude that it does not require any emission from inside about 50 r _g, although a much smaller inner radius cannot be ruled out. The large inner radius of our best fit implies that the inner disc is either missing or not strongly illuminated. We suggest that the latter scenario may occur if the power-law source is located high above the disc, or if the emission is beamed away from the disc.     

Unresolved emission and ionized gas in the bulge of M31

We study the origin of unresolved X-ray emission from the bulge of M31 based on archival Chandra and XMM–Newton observations. We demonstrate that three different components are present. (i) Broad-band emission from a large number of faint sources – mainly accreting white dwarfs and active binaries, associated with the old stellar population, similar to the Galactic ridge X-ray emission of the Milky Way. The X-ray to K -band luminosity ratios are compatible with those for the Milky Way and for M32; in the 2–10 keV band, the ratio is  (3.6 ± 0.2) × 10²⁷ erg s⁻¹ L⁻¹_⊙  . (ii) Soft emission from ionized gas with a temperature of about ∼300 eV and a mass of  ∼2 × 10⁶ M_⊙  . The gas distribution is significantly extended along the minor axis of the galaxy, suggesting that it may be outflowing in the direction perpendicular to the galactic disc. The mass and energy supply from evolved stars and Type Ia supernovae is sufficient to sustain the outflow. We also detect a shadow cast on the gas emission by spiral arms and the 10-kpc star-forming ring, confirming significant extent of the gas in the 'vertical' direction. (iii) Hard extended emission from spiral arms, most likely associated with young stellar objects and young stars located in the star-forming regions. The   L _X/SFR  (star formation rate) ratio equals  ∼9 × 10³⁸ (erg s⁻¹)(M_⊙ yr⁻¹)⁻¹  , which is about ∼1/3 of the high-mass X-ray binary contribution, determined earlier from Chandra observations of other nearby galaxies.