Acceleration and Substructure Constraints in a Quasar Outflow

Abstract

We present observations of probable line-of-sight acceleration of a broad absorption trough of C IV in the quasar SDSS J024221.87+004912.6. We also discuss how the velocity overlap of two other outflowing systems in the same object constrains the properties of the outflows. The Si IV doublet in each system has one unblended transition and one transition which overlaps with absorption from the other system. The residual flux in the overlapping trough is well fit by the product of the residual fluxes in the unblended troughs. For these optically thick systems to yield such a result, at least one of them must consist of individual subunits rather than being a single structure with velocity-dependent coverage of the source. If these subunits are identical, opaque, spherical clouds, we estimate the cloud radius to be r = 3.9 10^15 cm. If they are identical, opaque, linear filaments, we estimate their width to be w = 6.5 10^14 cm. These subunits are observed to cover the Mg II broad emission line region of the quasar, at which distance from the black hole the above filament width is equal to the predicted scale height of the outer atmosphere of a thin accretion disk. Insofar as that scale height is a natural size scale for structures originating in an accretion disk, these observations are evidence that the accretion disk can be a source of quasar absorption systems. Based on data from ESO program 075.B-0190(A).

14 emulateapj pages, 7 figures, ApJ in press

References in corpus (35)

• The Sloan Digital Sky Survey: Technical Summary
• The 2.5 m Telescope of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
• Composite Quasar Spectra From the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
• Central Masses and Broad-Line Region Sizes of Active Galactic Nuclei. II. A Homogeneous Analysis of a Large Reverberation-Mapping Database
• The Sloan Digital Sky Survey Photometric Camera
• The u'g'r'i'z' Standard Star Network
• Spectroscopic Target Selection in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey: The Quasar Sample
• Astrometric Calibration of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
• A photometricity and extinction monitor at the Apache Point Observatory
• SDSS Data Management and Photometric Quality Assessment
• Selfgravity and QSO disks
• A Catalog of Broad Absorption Line Quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Third Data Release
• Unusual Broad Absorption Line Quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
• The Sloan Digital Sky Survey Quasar Catalog III. Third Data Release
• Keck Absorption-Line Spectroscopy of Galactic Winds in Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies
• Spectral energy distributions of selfgravitating QSO discs
• Outflows in Infrared-Luminous Starbursts at z < 0.5. I. Sample, NaI D Spectra, and Profile Fitting
• The Sloan Digital Sky Survey Quasar Catalog I. Early Data Release
• HST Observations of the Broad Absorption Line Quasar PG 0946+301
• A Catalog of Broad Absorption Line Quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Early Data Release
• Broad Absorption Line Variability in Repeat Quasar Observations from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
• Equatorial scattering and the structure of the broad-line region in Seyfert nuclei: evidence for a rotating disc
• Dramatic X-ray Spectral Variability of the Broad Absorption Line Quasar PG2112+059
• Clues to Quasar Broad Line Region Geometry and Kinematics
• Time-Variable Complex Metal Absorption Lines in the Quasar HS1603+3820
• The Ionized Gas and Nuclear Environment in NGC 3783 III. Detection of a Decreasing Radial Velocity in an Intrinsic UV Absorber
• A collimated flow driven by radiative pressure from the nucleus of quasar Q~1511+091
• VLT+UVES Spectroscopy of the CaII LoBAL Quasar SDSS J030000.56+004828.0
• An Intrinsic Absorption Complex Toward RXJ1230.8+0115: Geometry and Photoionization Conditions
• Is the Broad-Line Region Clumped or Smooth? Constraints from the H alpha Profile in NGC 4395, the Least Luminous Seyfert 1 Galaxy
• Variation in the Scattering Shroud Surrounding Markarian 231
• Discovery of Newly Formed Broad Absorption Lines in a Radio-Loud Quasar
• Variable UV Absorption in the Spectrum of MRC 2251-178
• On the Steady Nature of Line-Driven Disk Winds
• Theory of disk accretion onto supermassive black holes

Cited by in corpus (30)

• Quasar Feedback: More Bang for Your Buck
• Evolution of Broad-line Emission from Active Galactic Nuclei
• Quasar Broad Absorption Line Variability on Multi-Year Time Scales
• A High-Velocity Narrow Absorption Line Outflow in the Quasar J212329.46-005052.9
• The Origins of AGN Obscuration: The 'Torus' as a Dynamical, Unstable Driver of Accretion
• Implications of Dramatic Broad Absorption Line Variability in the Quasar FBQS J1408+3054
• Extreme-Velocity Quasar Outflows and the Role of X-ray Shielding
• The Evolution of Quasar CIV and SiIV Broad Absorption Lines Over Multi-Year Time Scales
• The Extreme High-Velocity Outflow in Quasar PG0935+417
• CIV Broad Absorption Line Acceleration in Sloan Digital Sky Survey Quasars
• Multi-Epoch Observations of Extremely High-Velocity Emergent Broad Absorption
• The Sloan Digital Sky Survey Reverberation Mapping Project: Systematic Investigations of Short-Timescale CIV Broad Absorption Line Variability
• Evidence for quasar fast outflows being accelerated at the scale of tens of parsecs
• Dusty Cloud Acceleration by Radiation Pressure in Rapidly Star-Forming Galaxies
• Emergence of a Quasar Outflow
• HST and Ground-Based Spectroscopy of Quasar Outflows: From Mini-BALs to BALs
• Broad Absorption Line Variability in Radio-Loud Quasars
• The Farthest Quasar Mini-BAL Outflow from its Central Source: VLT/UVES Observation of SDSSJ0242+0049
• HST/COS Observations of Quasar Outflows in the 500 -- 1050 Å Rest Frame: IV. The Largest Broad Absorption Line Acceleration
• Evidence for photoionization-driven variability in narrow absorption lines
• On the Emergence of Thousands of Absorption Lines in the Quasar PG1411+442: A Clumpy High-Column Density Outflow from the Broad Emission-Line Region?
• Deceleration of CIV and SiIV broad absorption lines in X-ray bright quasar SDSS-J092345+512710
• A Kinematic Shift of the C IV Broad Absorption Line in Quasar SDSS J120819.29+035559.4
• Search for intrinsic NALs in BAL/mini-BAL quasar spectra
• The SDSS-V Black Hole Mapper Reverberation Mapping Project: CIV BAL Acceleration in the Quasar SBS 1408+544
• A Catalog of High-Velocity CIV Mini-BALs in the VLT-UVES and Keck-HIRES Archives
• Velocity shift of Mg II and Al III broad absorption lines in quasar SDSS J134444.33+315007.6
• On The Fine Tuning and Physical Origin of Line-Locked Absorption Systems in Active Galaxies
• Direct Measurement of Quasar Outflow Wind Acceleration
• The physical constraints on a new LoBAL QSO at z=4.82