NuSTAR hard X-ray data and Gemini 3D spectra reveal powerful AGN and outflow histories in two low-redshift Lyman-$\alpha$ blobs

Abstract

We have shown that Lyman-$\alpha$ blobs (LABs) may still exist even at $z\sim 0.3$, about 7 billion years later than most other LABs known (Schirmer et al. 2016). Their luminous Ly$\alpha$ and [OIII] emitters at $z\sim 0.3$ offer new insights into the ionization mechanism. This paper focuses on the two X-ray brightest LABs at $z\sim 0.3$, SDSS J0113$+$0106 (J0113) and SDSS J1155$-$0147 (J1155), comparable in size and luminosity to `B1', one of the best-studied LABs at $z\gtrsim$ 2. Our NuSTAR hard X-ray (3--30 keV) observations reveal powerful active galactic nuclei (AGN) with $L_{2-10\mathrm{keV}}=(0.5$--$3)\times 10^{44}$ erg cm${}^{-2}$ s${}^{-1}$. J0113 also faded by a factor of $\sim 5$ between 2014 and 2016, emphasizing that variable AGN may cause apparent ionization deficits in LABs. Joint spectral analyses including Chandra data constrain column densities of $N_{\mathrm{H}}=5.1_{-3.3}^{+3.1}\times 10^{23}$ cm${}^{-2}$ (J0113) and $N_{\mathrm{H}}=6.0_{-1.1}^{+1.4}\times 10^{22}$ cm${}^{-2}$ (J1155). J0113 is likely buried in a torus with a narrow ionization cone, but ionizing radiation is also leaking in other directions as revealed by our Gemini/GMOS 3D spectroscopy. The latter shows a bipolar outflow over $10$ kpc, with a peculiar velocity profile that is best explained by AGN flickering. X-ray analysis of J1155 reveals a weakly absorbed AGN that may ionize over a wide solid angle, consistent with our 3D spectra. Extinction corrected [OIII] log-luminosities are high, $\sim 43.6$. The velocity dispersions are low, $\sim 100$--$150$ km s${}^{-1}$, even at the AGN positions. We argue that this is a combination of high extinction hiding the turbulent gas, and previous outflows that have cleared the escape paths for their successors.

arXiv comment15 pages, 17 Figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

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