WARM ABSORBERS AND OUTFLOWS IN THE SEYFERT-1 GALAXY NGC 4051

Journal Article · Fri Feb 10 04:00:00 EST 2012 · Astrophysical Journal

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/746/1/2· OSTI ID:22011858

King, Ashley L; Miller, Jon M ^[1]; Raymond, John ^[2]

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1. Department of Astronomy, University of Michigan, 500 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (United States)
2. Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States)

We present both phenomenological and more physical photoionization models of the Chandra/HETG spectra of the Seyfert-1 active galactic nucleus NGC 4051. We detect 40 absorption and emission lines, encompassing highly ionized charge states from O, Ne, Mg, Si, S, and the Fe L-shell and K-shell. Two independent photoionization packages, XSTAR and Cloudy, were both used to self-consistently model the continuum and line spectra. These fits detected three absorbing regions in this system with densities ranging from 10{sup 10} to 10{sup 11} cm{sup -3}. In particular, our XSTAR models require three components that have ionization parameters of log ({xi}) = 4.5, 3.3, and 1.0, and are located within the broad-line region at 70, 300, and 13000 R{sub g} , respectively, assuming a constant wind density. Larger radii are inferred for density profiles which decline with radius. The Cloudy models give a similar set of parameters with ionization parameters of log ({xi}) = 5.0, 3.6, and 2.2 located at 40, 200, and 3300 R{sub g} . We demonstrate that these regions are outflowing from the system, and carry a small fraction of material out of the system relative to the implied mass accretion rate. The data suggest that magnetic fields may be an important driving mechanism.

• OSTI ID: 22011858
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal, Journal Name: Astrophysical Journal Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 746; ISSN ASJOAB; ISSN 0004-637X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
ABSORPTION
ACCRETION DISKS
CHARGE STATES
GALAXIES
GALAXY NUCLEI
K SHELL
L SHELL
MAGNETIC FIELDS
PHOTOIONIZATION