Litcius/Paper detail

HST/COS Observations of Quasar Outflows in the 500–1050 Å Rest Frame. V. Richness of Physical Diagnostics and Ionization Potential-dependent Velocity Shift in PKS J0352-0711*

Timothy R. Miller, Nahum Arav, Xinfeng Xu, G. A. Kriss, Rachel Plesha

2020The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series18 citationsDOIOpen Access PDF

Abstract

Abstract We analyze absorption troughs from two outflows within PKS J0352-0711 (S1 at −1950 km s −1 and S2 at −3150 km s −1 ) from spectra taken with Hubble Space Telescope /Cosmic Origins Spectrograph, which cover the diagnostic-rich 585–900 Å rest-frame wavelength range. In S2, for the first time we clearly detect absorption troughs from Ca iv , Ca v , Ca v* , Ca vii* , and Ca viii* . The column density measurement of Ca v suggests S2 has a super-solar metallicity. Both outflows require at least two ionization phases where the column density of the very high-ionization phase is roughly 15 times larger than the corresponding high-ionization phase. These high column densities and very high-ionization potential ions are similar to X-ray warm absorbers. The two phases of S2 show a unique velocity centroid shift between associated troughs. Through Monte Carlo measurements of the O v* absorption troughs, we determine the electron number density of S2 (fully corroborated by independent measurements from the Ca vii* and Ca viii* troughs), yielding a distance of 9 pc and a kinetic luminosity of 2 × 10 43 erg s −1 . S1 is located farther away at 500 pc from the central source with a kinetic luminosity of 10 43 erg s −1 .

Topics & Concepts

PhysicsQuasarIonizationAstrophysicsSpectral linePhotoionizationGalaxyKinetic energyLuminosityAbsorption spectroscopyIonAstronomyOpticsQuantum mechanicsAstrophysical Phenomena and ObservationsGalaxies: Formation, Evolution, PhenomenaGamma-ray bursts and supernovae