DISCOVERY OF ULTRA-FAST OUTFLOWS IN A SAMPLE OF BROAD-LINE RADIO GALAXIES OBSERVED WITH SUZAKU

Journal Article · Tue Aug 10 00:00:00 EDT 2010 · Astrophysical Journal

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/719/1/700· OSTI ID:21454985

Tombesi, F ^[1]; Sambruna, R M; Mushotzky, R F ^[2]; Reeves, J N; Gofford, J ^[3]; Braito, V ^[4]; Ballo, L ^[5]; Cappi, M ^[6]

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1. Dipartimento di Astronomia, Universita di Bologna, Via Ranzani 1, I-40127 Bologna (Italy)
2. Laboratory for High Energy Astrophysics, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States)
3. Astrophysics Group, School of Physical and Geographical Sciences, Keele University, Keele, Staffordshire ST5 5BG (United Kingdom)
4. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH (United Kingdom)
5. Istituto de Fisica de Cantabria (CSIC-UC), 39005 Santander (Spain)
6. INAF-IASF Bologna, Via Gobetti 101, I-40129 Bologna (Italy)

We present the results of a uniform and systematic search for blueshifted Fe K absorption lines in the X-ray spectra of five bright broad-line radio galaxies observed with Suzaku. We detect, for the first time in radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at X-rays, several absorption lines at energies greater than 7 keV in three out of five sources, namely, 3C 111, 3C 120, and 3C 390.3. The lines are detected with high significance according to both the F-test and extensive Monte Carlo simulations. Their likely interpretation as blueshifted Fe XXV and Fe XXVI K-shell resonance lines implies an origin from highly ionized gas outflowing with mildly relativistic velocities, in the range v {approx_equal} 0.04-0.15c. A fit with specific photoionization models gives ionization parameters in the range log {xi} {approx_equal} 4-5.6 erg s{sup -1} cm and column densities of N {sub H} {approx_equal} 10{sup 22}-10{sup 23} cm{sup -2}. These characteristics are very similar to those of the ultra-fast outflows (UFOs) previously observed in radio-quiet AGNs. Their estimated location within {approx}0.01-0.3 pc of the central super-massive black hole suggests a likely origin related with accretion disk winds/outflows. Depending on the absorber covering fraction, the mass outflow rate of these UFOs can be comparable to the accretion rate and their kinetic power can correspond to a significant fraction of the bolometric luminosity and is comparable to their typical jet power. Therefore, these UFOs can play a significant role in the expected feedback from the AGN to the surrounding environment and can give us further clues on the relation between the accretion disk and the formation of winds/jets in both radio-quiet and radio-loud AGNs.

• OSTI ID: 21454985
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 719, Issue 1; Other Information: DOI: 10.1088/0004-637X/719/1/700; ISSN 0004-637X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTROPHYSICS
COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
ACCRETION DISKS
BLACK HOLES
BOLOMETERS
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
GALAXY NUCLEI
IRON
K ABSORPTION
K SHELL
LUMINOSITY
MONTE CARLO METHOD
PHOTOIONIZATION
RADIO GALAXIES
RELATIVISTIC RANGE
X RADIATION
X-RAY GALAXIES
X-RAY SPECTRA
ABSORPTION
CALCULATION METHODS
COSMIC RADIO SOURCES
COSMIC RAY SOURCES
COSMIC X-RAY SOURCES
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELECTRONIC STRUCTURE
ELEMENTS
ENERGY RANGE
GALAXIES
IONIZATION
IONIZING RADIATIONS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
METALS
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
RADIATIONS
SIMULATION
SORPTION
SPECTRA
TRANSITION ELEMENTS