Supermassive Black Hole Winds in X-rays: SUBWAYS

Astronomy and Astrophysics, vol. 687, pp. A235

Abstract

The detection of blueshifted absorption lines likely associated with ionized iron K-shell transitions in the X-ray spectra of many active galactic nuclei (AGNs) suggests the presence of a highly ionized gas outflowing with mildly relativistic velocities (0.03c–0.6c) named ultra-fast outflow (UFO). Within the SUBWAYS project, we characterized these winds starting from a sample of 22 radio-quiet quasars at an intermediate redshift (0.1 ≤ z ≤ 0.4) and compared the results with similar studies in the literature on samples of local Seyfert galaxies (i.e., 42 radio-quiet AGNs observed with XMM-Newton at z ≤ 0.1) and high redshift radio-quiet quasars (i.e., 14 AGNs observed with XMM-Newton and Chandra at z ≥ 1.4). The scope of our work is a statistical study of UFO parameters and incidence considering the key physical properties of the sources, such as supermassive black hole (SMBH) mass, bolometric luminosity, accretion rates, and spectral energy distribution (SED) with the aim of gaining new insights into the UFO launching mechanisms. We find indications that highly luminous AGNs with a steeper X-ray/UV ratio, αox, are more likely to host UFOs. The presence of UFOs is not significantly related to any other AGN property in our sample. These findings suggest that the UFO phenomenon may be transient. Focusing on AGNs with UFOs, other important findings from this work include: (1) faster UFOs have larger ionization parameters and column densities; (2) X-ray radiation plays a more crucial role in driving highly ionized winds compared to UV; (3) the correlation between outflow velocity and luminosity is significantly flatter than what is expected for radiatively driven winds; (4) more massive black holes experience higher wind mass losses, suppressing the accretion of matter onto the black hole; (5) the UFO launching radius is positively correlated with the Eddington ratio. Furthermore, our analysis suggests the involvement of multiple launching mechanisms, including radiation pressure and magneto-hydrodynamic processes, rather than pointing to a single, universally applicable mechanism.

Authors 47

1. Vittoria Elvezia Gianolli

   Roma Tre University · Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Institut de Planétologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble · Université Grenoble Alpes

   Affiliation as printed

   Dipartimento di Matematica e Fisica, Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Via della Vasca Navale 84, 00146 Roma, Italy

   Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IPAG, 38000 Grenoble, France

2. S. Bianchi

   Roma Tre University

   Affiliation as printed

   Dipartimento di Matematica e Fisica, Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Via della Vasca Navale 84, 00146 Roma, Italy

3. Pierre-Olivier Petrucci

   Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Institut de Planétologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble · Université Grenoble Alpes

   Affiliation as printed

   Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IPAG, 38000 Grenoble, France

4. M. Brusa

   Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio · National Institute for Astrophysics · University of Bologna

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Physics and Astronomy (DIFA), University of Bologna, Via Gobetti, 93/2, 40129 Bologna, Italy

   INAF-Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio di Bologna, Via Gobetti, 93/3, 40129 Bologna, Italy

5. G. Chartas

   College of Charleston

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Physics and Astronomy, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC 29424, USA

6. G. Lanzuisi

   Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio · National Institute for Astrophysics

   Affiliation as printed

   INAF-Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio di Bologna, Via Gobetti, 93/3, 40129 Bologna, Italy

7. G. A. Matzeu

   European Space Astronomy Centre · Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio · National Institute for Astrophysics · University of Bologna

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Physics and Astronomy (DIFA), University of Bologna, Via Gobetti, 93/2, 40129 Bologna, Italy

   European Space Agency (ESA), European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC), 28691 Villanueva de la Cañada, Madrid, Spain

   INAF-Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio di Bologna, Via Gobetti, 93/3, 40129 Bologna, Italy

8. Maxime Parra

   Roma Tre University · Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Institut de Planétologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble · Université Grenoble Alpes

   Affiliation as printed

   Dipartimento di Matematica e Fisica, Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Via della Vasca Navale 84, 00146 Roma, Italy

   Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IPAG, 38000 Grenoble, France

9. F. Ursini

   Roma Tre University

   Affiliation as printed

   Dipartimento di Matematica e Fisica, Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Via della Vasca Navale 84, 00146 Roma, Italy

10. Ehud Behar

    Technion – Israel Institute of Technology

    Affiliation as printed

    Physics Department, The Technion, 32000 Haifa, Israel

11. M. Bischetti

    University of Trieste

    Affiliation as printed

    Dipartimento di Fisica, Universitá di Trieste, Sezione di Astronomia, Via G.B. Tiepolo 11, 34131 Trieste, Italy

12. A. Comastri

    Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio · National Institute for Astrophysics

    Affiliation as printed

    INAF-Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio di Bologna, Via Gobetti, 93/3, 40129 Bologna, Italy

13. E. Costantini Aachen SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research

    Space Research Organisation Netherlands

    Affiliation as printed

    SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research, Niels Bohrweg 4, 2333 CA Leiden, The Netherlands

14. G. Cresci

    Arcetri Astrophysical Observatory

    Affiliation as printed

    INAF – Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, Largo Enrico Fermi 5, 50125 Firenze, Italy

15. M. Dadina

    Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio · National Institute for Astrophysics

    Affiliation as printed

    INAF-Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio di Bologna, Via Gobetti, 93/3, 40129 Bologna, Italy

16. Barbara De Marco

    Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya

    Affiliation as printed

    Departament de Física, EEBE, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Av. Eduard Maristany 16, 08019 Barcelona, Spain

17. Alessandra De Rosa

    Institute for Space Astrophysics and Planetology · National Institute for Astrophysics

    Affiliation as printed

    INAF – Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali, Via Fosso del Cavaliere, 00133 Roma, Italy

18. Fabrizio Fiore

    Trieste Astronomical Observatory

    Affiliation as printed

    INAF – Osservatorio Astronomico di Trieste, Via G. B. Tiepolo 11, 34143 Trieste, Italy

19. M. Gaspari

    Princeton University

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, 4 Ivy Lane, Princeton, NJ 08544-1001, USA

20. R. Gilli

    Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio · National Institute for Astrophysics

    Affiliation as printed

    INAF-Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio di Bologna, Via Gobetti, 93/3, 40129 Bologna, Italy

21. M. Giustini

    Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas · Centro de Astrobiología

    Affiliation as printed

    Centro de Astrobiologia (CAB), CSIC-INTA, Camino Bajo del Castillo s/n, Campus ESAC, 28692 Villanueva de la Cañada, Madrid, Spain

22. M. Guainazzi

    European Space Research and Technology Centre

    Affiliation as printed

    ESA – European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC), Keplerlaan 1, 2201 AZ Noordwijk, The Netherlands

23. Andrew R. King

    University of Leicester · University of Amsterdam

    Affiliation as printed

    Astronomical Institute Anton Pannekoek, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK

24. S. B. Kraemer

    Catholic University of America

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Physics, Institute for Astrophysics and Computational Sciences, The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC 20064, USA

25. Gerard A. Kriss

    Space Telescope Science Institute

    Affiliation as printed

    Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA

26. Y. Krongold

    Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

    Affiliation as printed

    Instituto de Astronomía, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito Exterior, Ciudad Universitaria, Ciudad de México 04510, Mexico

27. Fabio La Franca

    Roma Tre University

    Affiliation as printed

    Dipartimento di Matematica e Fisica, Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Via della Vasca Navale 84, 00146 Roma, Italy

28. Anna Lia Longinotti

    Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

    Affiliation as printed

    Instituto de Astronomía, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito Exterior, Ciudad Universitaria, Ciudad de México 04510, Mexico

29. A. Luminari

    Astronomical Observatory of Rome · Institute for Space Astrophysics and Planetology · National Institute for Astrophysics

    Affiliation as printed

    INAF – Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali, Via Fosso del Cavaliere, 00133 Roma, Italy

    INAF – Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma, Via Frascati 33, 00078 Monte Porzio Catone (Roma), Italy

30. R. Maiolino

    University of Cambridge

    Affiliation as printed

    Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, 19 J.J. Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE, UK

    Kavli Institute for Cosmology, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HA, UK

31. ALESSANDRO MARCONI

    University of Florence

    Affiliation as printed

    Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Università di Firenze, Via G. Sansone 1, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Firenze, Italy

32. Smita Mathur

    The Ohio State University

    Affiliation as printed

    Center for Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, 191 West Woodruff Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, USA

    Department of Astronomy, The Ohio State University, 140 West 18th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, USA

33. G. Matt

    Roma Tre University

    Affiliation as printed

    Dipartimento di Matematica e Fisica, Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Via della Vasca Navale 84, 00146 Roma, Italy

34. Missagh Mehdipour

    Space Telescope Science Institute

    Affiliation as printed

    Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA

35. A. Merloni

    Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics

    Affiliation as printed

    Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Giessenbachstraße 1, 85748 Garching bei München, Germany

36. R. Middei

    Agenzia Spaziale Italiana

    Affiliation as printed

    Space Science Data Center – ASI, Via del Politecnico s.n.c., 00133 Roma, Italy

37. GIOVANNI MINIUTTI

    Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas · Centro de Astrobiología

    Affiliation as printed

    Centro de Astrobiologia (CAB), CSIC-INTA, Camino Bajo del Castillo s/n, Campus ESAC, 28692 Villanueva de la Cañada, Madrid, Spain

38. Emanuele Nardini

    Arcetri Astrophysical Observatory

    Affiliation as printed

    INAF – Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, Largo Enrico Fermi 5, 50125 Firenze, Italy

39. F. Panessa

    Institute for Space Astrophysics and Planetology · National Institute for Astrophysics

    Affiliation as printed

    INAF – Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali, Via Fosso del Cavaliere, 00133 Roma, Italy

40. Michele Perna

    Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas · Centro de Astrobiología

    Affiliation as printed

    Centro de Astrobiologia (CAB), CSIC-INTA, Camino Bajo del Castillo s/n, Campus ESAC, 28692 Villanueva de la Cañada, Madrid, Spain

41. E. Piconcelli

    Astronomical Observatory of Rome · National Institute for Astrophysics

    Affiliation as printed

    INAF – Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma, Via Frascati 33, 00078 Monte Porzio Catone (Roma), Italy

42. G. Ponti

    Brera Astronomical Observatory · Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics

    Affiliation as printed

    INAF – Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera, Via Bianchi 46, 23807 Merate (LC), Italy

    Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Giessenbachstraße 1, 85748 Garching bei München, Germany

43. Federica Ricci

    Roma Tre University

    Affiliation as printed

    Dipartimento di Matematica e Fisica, Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Via della Vasca Navale 84, 00146 Roma, Italy

44. Roberto Serafinelli

    Astronomical Observatory of Rome · National Institute for Astrophysics

    Affiliation as printed

    INAF – Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma, Via Frascati 33, 00078 Monte Porzio Catone (Roma), Italy

45. Francesco Tombesi

    University of Rome Tor Vergata · Goddard Space Flight Center · Astronomical Observatory of Rome · Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Roma Tor Vergata · University of Maryland, College Park · National Institute for Astrophysics

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA

    Department of Physics, University of Rome ‘Tor Vergata’, Via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133 Rome, Italy

    INAF – Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma, Via Frascati 33, 00078 Monte Porzio Catone (Roma), Italy

    INFN – Rome Tor Vergata, Via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133 Rome, Italy

    NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 662, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA

46. C. Vignali

    Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio · National Institute for Astrophysics · University of Bologna

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Physics and Astronomy (DIFA), University of Bologna, Via Gobetti, 93/2, 40129 Bologna, Italy

    INAF-Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio di Bologna, Via Gobetti, 93/3, 40129 Bologna, Italy

47. L. Zappacosta

    Astronomical Observatory of Rome · National Institute for Astrophysics

    Affiliation as printed

    INAF – Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma, Via Frascati 33, 00078 Monte Porzio Catone (Roma), Italy