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arXiv 1408.4940astro-ph.HEastro-ph.CO
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辐射压力限制-- III。AGN外流中宽电离分布的起源

Radiation Pressure Confinement -- III. The origin of the broad ionization distribution in AGN outflows

Jonathan Stern, Ehud Behar, Ari Laor, Alexei Baskin, Tomer Holczer

摘要:

活动星系核(AGN)驱动的电离气体风可以通过其X射线谱中的吸收线来研究。这些流出物的反复出现的特征是它们的宽电离分布,包括基本上所有的电离水平(例如,Fe^0+至Fe^25+)。这一特征可以用吸收测度分布(AMD)来量化,AMD定义为柱密度随电离参数的分布|dN / dlog xi|.观测到的AMD扩展到0.1 < xi < 10^4(cgs),并且在不同的对象中非常相似。幂律拟合(|dN /dlog xi| ~ N_1 xi^a)得到N_1 = 3x 10 ^{21} cm^-2 +- 0.4 dex和a = 0 -- 0.4。这种宽电离分布的来源是什么?观测到的$N_1$和$a$的小范围是由什么决定的?一种常见的解释是多相流出,在均匀的气体压力介质中具有广泛的气体密度。然而,入射辐射压力导致光致电离气体中的气体压力梯度,并且因此导致单个板内的宽范围的电离状态。我们表明,这种压缩的气体的辐射压力导致AMD与|dN / dlog xi| = 8x10^21 xi^0.03 cm^-2,与观测结果非常相似。$N_1$和$a$的计算值弱依赖于气体金属丰度,电离光谱斜率,到核的距离,环境密度,和总吸收柱。因此,光致电离气体的辐射压压缩(RPC)为所观察到的AMD提供了一个自然的解释。RPC预测的气压随着电离度的降低而增加,这可以用来检验RPC在活动星系核外流中的有效性。

英文摘要:

The winds of ionized gas driven by Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) can be studied through absorption lines in their X-ray spectra. A recurring feature of these outflows is their broad ionization distribution, including essentially all ionization levels (e.g., Fe^0+ to Fe^25+). This characteristic feature can be quantified with the absorption measure distribution (AMD), defined as the distribution of column density with ionization parameter |dN / dlog xi|. Observed AMDs extend over 0.1 < xi < 10^4 (cgs), and are remarkably similar in different objects. Power-law fits (|dN /dlog xi| ~ N_1 xi^a) yield N_1 = 3x10^{21} cm^-2 +- 0.4 dex and a = 0 -- 0.4. What is the source of this broad ionization distribution, and what sets the small range of observed $N_1$ and $a$? A common interpretation is a multiphase outflow, with a wide range of gas densities in a uniform gas pressure medium. However, the incident radiation pressure leads to a gas pressure gradient in the photoionized gas, and therefore to a broad range of ionization states within a single slab. We show that this compression of the gas by the radiation pressure leads to an AMD with |dN / dlog xi| = 8x10^21 xi^0.03 cm^-2, remarkably similar to that observed. The calculated values of $N_1$ and $a$ depend weakly on the gas metallicity, the ionizing spectral slope, the distance from the nucleus, the ambient density, and the total absorber column. Thus, radiation pressure compression (RPC) of the photoionized gas provides a natural explanation for the observed AMD. RPC predicts that the gas pressure increases with decreasing ionization, which can be used to test the validity of RPC in ionized AGN outflows.

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