Radiation pressure acceleration by X-rays in active galactic nuclei

We present calculations of the dynamics of highly ionized gas (HIG) clouds that are confined by external pressure, and are photoionized by AGN continuum. We focus on the gas that is seen, in absorption, in the X-ray spectrum of many AGN and show that such gas can reach hydrostatic equilibrium under various conditions. The principal conclusion is that the clouds can be accelerated to high velocities by the central X-ray source. The dynamical problem can be reduced to the calculation of a single parameter, the average force multiplier, 〈 M 〉. The typical value of 〈 M 〉 is ∼10 suggesting that radiation pressure acceleration by X-rays is efficient for L / L _Edd≳0.1 . The terminal velocity scales with the escape velocity at the base of the flow and can exceed it by a large factor. The typical velocity for a HIG flow that originates at R =10¹⁷ cm in a source with L _x =10⁴⁴ erg s⁻¹ is ∼1000 km s⁻¹, i.e. similar to the velocities observed in several X-ray and UV absorption systems.
Highly ionized AGN clouds are driven mainly by bound–free absorption, and bound–bound processes are less important unless the lines are significantly broadened or the column density is very small. Pressure laws that result in constant or outward decreasing ionization parameters are most effective in accelerating the flow.     

Continuum shielding and flow dynamics in active galactic nuclei

We study the ionization, thermal structure and dynamics of active galactic nuclei (AGN) flows that are partially shielded from the central continuum. We utilize a detailed non-local thermodynamic equilibrium photoionization and radiative transfer code using exact (non-Sobolev) calculations. We find that shielding has a pronounced effect on the ionization, thermal structure and the dynamics of such flows. Moderate shielding is especially efficient in accelerating flows to high velocities because it suppresses the ionization level of the gas. The ionization structure of shielded gas tends to be distributed uniformly over a wide range of ionization levels. In such gas, radiation pressure due to trapped line photons can dominate over the thermal gas pressure and have a significant effect on the thermal stability of the flow. Heavily shielded flows are driven mainly by line radiation pressure, and so line locking has a large effect on the flow dynamics. We show that the observed 'L_α ghost' is a natural outcome in highly ionized flows that are shielded beyond the Lyman limit. We suggest that high-velocity AGN flows occupy only a small fraction of the volume and that their density depends only weakly on the velocity field.     

Continuum-driven shocks in active galactic nuclei

In this paper, we extend the study of instabilities in flows driven by the radiation pressure of an ionizing continuum to flows that are not plane parallel. It is well known that the plane-parallel instability leads eventually to the formation of continuum-driven shocks backed by a sonic transition. If these structures are thin, we find that they are unstable to a corrugation mode, and evolve to form sharp-peaked triangular profiles. Once this has occurred, the thin-shock approximation is no longer valid.
We study the further development of the shocks by numerical hydrodynamic simulations. The flow tends to break up into numerous discrete bow-shaped components. The speed of these components through the upstream material is almost constant. As a result, the maximal velocity of radiatively driven shocks through the upstream gas may be determined by instabilities rather than by other physical effects. Interactions between gas in the wings of neighbouring bowshocks can, however, form subsequent generations of bowshocks that are faster and more acute than their predecessors.
One likely location where continuum-driven shocks may occur is in the broad-line regions of active nuclei. We discuss the application of our results to such flows.     

The bulk kinetic power of radio jets in active galactic nuclei

Based on the Königl's inhomogeneous jet model, we estimate the jet parameters, such as bulk Lorentz factor Γ, viewing angle θ and electron number density n _e from radio very long-baseline interferometry and X-ray data for a sample of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) assuming that the X-rays are from the jet rather than the intracluster gas. The bulk kinetic power of jets is then calculated using the derived jet parameters. We find a strong correlation between the total luminosity of broad emission lines and the bulk kinetic power of the jets. This result supports the scenario that the accretion process is tightly linked with the radio jets, though how the disc and jet are coupled is not revealed by present correlation analysis. Moreover, we find a significant correlation between the bulk kinetic power and radio extended luminosity. This implies that the emission from the radio lobes is closely related with the energy flux transported through jets from the central part of AGNs.     

Evolutionary unification in composite active galactic nuclei

In this paper, we present an evolutionary unification scenario, involving supermassive black holes (SMBHs) and starbursts (SBs) with outflow (OF), that seems capable of explaining most of the observational properties (of at least part) of active galactic nuclei (AGN).
The scenario includes a nuclear/circumnuclear SB closely associated with the AGN where the narrow-line region (NLR), broad-line region (BLR) and broad absorption line (BAL) region are produced in part by the OF process with shells and in compact supernova remnants (cSNRs).
The OF process in BAL quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) with extreme infrared (IR) and Fe  ii emission is studied. In addition, the Fe  ii problem regarding the BLR of AGN is analysed. The correlations between the BAL, IR emission, Fe  ii intensity and the intrinsic properties of the AGN are not clearly understood. We suggest here that the behaviour of the BAL, IR and Fe  ii emission in AGN can be understood within an evolutionary and composite model for AGN.
In our model, strong BAL systems and Fe  ii emission are present (and intense) in young IR objects. Parameters like the BALs, IR emission, Fe  ii /Hβ intensity ratio, Fe  ii equivalent width (EW), broad-line width, [O  iii ]λ5007-Å intensity and width, NLR size, X-ray spectral slope in radio quiet (RQ) AGN plus lobe separation, and lobe to core intensity ratio in radio loud (RL) AGN are proposed to be fundamentally time-dependent variables inside time-scales of the order of 10⁸ yr. Orientation/obscuration effects take the role of a second parameter providing the segregation between Seyfert 1/Seyfert 2 galaxies (Sy1/Sy2) and broad-/narrow-line radio galaxies (BLRG/NLRG).     

The interacting subsystems theory of active galactic nuclei – I. The broad-absorption-line QSO theory

The theory of broad-absorption-line (BAL) QSOs is worked out on the basis of the radiation hydrodynamics equation solution for the two-phase media of active galactic nuclei. We suppose that the BAL QSO physics depends on some 'hidden' AGN parameters, such as the mass and size of the compact stellar system. We therefore approach this problem in the more general framework of the 'interacting subsystems theory', which includes these parameters. We compare the results of the numerical model calculations with the observed spectra and show that the BAL QSOs (and the radio-quiet quasars as well) contain massive compact stellar kernels in their central regions. We show that the line-locking effect is determined by the radiation pressure, and is also favoured by the drag force of the hot gas acting on the line-absorbing clouds.
We derive some general conclusions about the physics of AGN. In particular, we show that the radio-quiet versus radio-loud dichotomy can be explained by using two types of hot gas outstreams in quasars.     

Active galactic nuclei jet mass loading and truncation by stellar winds

Active galactic nuclei can produce extremely powerful jets. While tightly collimated, the scale of these jets and the stellar density at galactic centres implies that there will be many jet/star interactions, which can mass load the jet through stellar winds. Previous work employed modest wind mass outflow rates, but this does not apply when mass loading is provided by a small number of high mass-loss stars. We construct a framework for jet mass loading by stellar winds for a broader spectrum of wind mass-loss rates than has previously been considered. Given the observed stellar mass distributions in galactic centres, we find that even highly efficient (0.1 Eddington luminosity) jets from supermassive black holes of masses M _BH≲ 10⁴ M_⊙ are rapidly mass loaded and quenched by stellar winds. For  10⁴ M_⊙ < M _BH < 10⁸ M_⊙  , the quenching length of highly efficient jets is independent of the jet's mechanical luminosity. Stellar wind mass loading is unable to quench efficient jets from more massive engines, but can account for the observed truncation of the inefficient M87 jet, and implies a baryon-dominated composition on scales ≳2 kpc therein even if the jet is initially pair plasma dominated.     

Radio circular polarization produced in helical magnetic fields in eight active galactic nuclei

Homan & Lister have recently published circular polarization (CP) detections for 34 objects in the MOJAVE sample – a set of bright, compact active galactic nuclei (AGN) being monitored by the Very Long Baseline Array at 15 GHz. We report the detection of 15-GHz parsec-scale CP in two more AGN (3C 345 and 2231+114), and confirm the MOJAVE detection of CP in 1633+382. It is generally believed that the most likely mechanism for the generation of this CP is Faraday conversion of linear polarization (LP) to CP. A helical jet magnetic field ( B field) geometry can facilitate this process – linearly polarized emission from the far side of the jet is converted to CP as it passes through the magnetized plasma at the front side of the jet on its way towards the observer. In this case, the sign of the generated CP is essentially determined by the pitch angle and helicity of the helical B field. We have determined the pitch-angle regimes and helicities of the helical jet B fields in eight AGN for which parsec-scale CP has been detected, and used them to predict the expected CP signs for these AGN if the CP is generated via conversion in these helical fields. We have obtained the intriguing result that our predictions agree with the observed signs in all eight cases, provided that the longitudinal B field components in the jets correspond to south magnetic poles. This clearly non-random pattern demonstrates that the observed CP in AGN is directly associated with the presence of helical jet B fields. These results suggest that helical B fields are ubiquitous in AGN jets.     

Relation between radio core length and black hole mass for active galactic nuclei

We explore the relation between the linear length of radio core and the central black hole mass for a sample of radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGNs). An empirical relation between the size of the broad line region (BLR) and optical luminosity is used to estimate the size of the BLR. The black hole mass is derived from H β linewidth and the radius of the BLR on the assumption that the clouds in BLRs are orbiting with Keplerian velocities. A significant intrinsic correlation is found between the linear length of the core and the black hole mass, which implies that the jet formation is closely related with the central black hole. We also find a strong correlation between the black hole mass and the core luminosity.     

Eddington ratio and accretion efficiency in active galactic nuclei evolution

The cosmological evolution of active galactic nuclei (AGN) is important for understanding the mechanism of accretion on to supermassive black holes and the related evolution of the host galaxy. In this work, we include objects with very low Eddington ratio  (10⁻³–10⁻²)  in an evolution scenario, and compare the results with the observed local distribution of black holes. We test several possibilities for the AGN population, considering obscuration and dependence with luminosity, and investigate the role of the Eddington ratio λ and radiative accretion efficiency ε on the shape of the evolved mass function. We find that three distinct populations of AGN can evolve with a wider parameter range than is usually considered, and still be consistent with the local mass function. In general, the black holes in our solutions are spinning rapidly. Taking fixed values for ε and λ neither provides a full knowledge of the evolution mechanism nor is consistent with the existence of low-Eddington-ratio objects.     

Cooling flows as a calorimeter of active galactic nucleus mechanical power

The assumption that radiative cooling of gas in the centres of galaxy clusters is approximately balanced by energy input from a central supermassive black hole implies that the observed X-ray luminosity of the cooling flow region sets a lower limit on active galactic nucleus (AGN) mechanical power. The conversion efficiency of the mechanical power of the AGN into gas heating is uncertain, but we argue that it can be high even in the absence of strong shocks. These arguments inevitably lead to the conclusion that the time-averaged mechanical power of AGNs in cooling flows is much higher than the bolometric luminosity of these objects observed currently.
The energy balance between cooling losses and AGN mechanical power requires some feedback mechanism. We consider a toy model in which the accretion rate on to a black hole is set by the classic Bondi formula. Application of this model to the best studied case of M87 suggests that accretion proceeds at approximately the Bondi rate down to a few gravitational radii with most of the power (at the level of a few per cent of the rest mass) being carried away by an outflow.     

Simulating galactic outflows with kinetic supernova feedback

Feedback from star formation is thought to play a key role in the formation and evolution of galaxies, but its implementation in cosmological simulations is currently hampered by a lack of numerical resolution. We present and test a subgrid recipe to model feedback from massive stars in cosmological smoothed particle hydrodynamics simulations. The energy is distributed in kinetic form among the gas particles surrounding recently formed stars. The impact of the feedback is studied using a suite of high-resolution simulations of isolated disc galaxies embedded in dark haloes with total mass 10¹⁰ and  10¹²  h ⁻¹ M_⊙  . We focus, in particular, on the effect of pressure forces on wind particles within the disc, which we turn off temporarily in some of our runs to mimic a recipe that has been widely used in the literature. We find that this popular recipe gives dramatically different results because (ram) pressure forces on expanding superbubbles determine both the structure of the disc and the development of large-scale outflows. Pressure forces exerted by expanding superbubbles puff up the disc, giving the dwarf galaxy an irregular morphology and creating a galactic fountain in the massive galaxy. Hydrodynamic drag within the disc results in a strong increase in the effective mass loading of the wind for the dwarf galaxy, but quenches much of the outflow in the case of the high-mass galaxy.