The energetics of AGN radiation pressure-driven outflows

Abstract

The increasing observational evidence of galactic outflows is considered as a sign of active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback in action. However, the physical mechanism responsible for driving the observed outflows remains unclear, and whether it is due to momentum, energy, or radiation is still a matter of debate. The observed outflow energetics, in particular the large measured values of the momentum ratio ($\dot{p}/(L/c)\sim 10$) and energy ratio (${\dot{E}}_k/L\sim 0.05$), seems to favour the energy-driving mechanism; and most observational works have focused their comparison with wind energy-driven models. Here we show that AGN radiation pressure on dust can adequately reproduce the observed outflow energetics (mass outflow rate, momentum flux, and kinetic power), as well as the scalings with luminosity, provided that the effects of radiation trapping are properly taken into account. In particular, we predict a sub-linear scaling for the mass outflow rate ($\dot{M}\propto L^{1/2}$) and a super-linear scaling for the kinetic power (${\dot{E}}_k\propto L^{3/2}$), in agreement with the observational scaling relations reported in the most recent compilation of AGN outflow data. We conclude that AGN radiative feedback can account for the global outflow energetics, at least equally well as the wind energy-driving mechanism, and therefore both physical models should be considered in the interpretation of future AGN outflow observations.

accepted for publication in MNRAS

References in corpus (6)

• Wind from the black-hole accretion disk driving a molecular outflow in an active galaxy
• Dynamics of Dusty Radiation Pressure Driven Shells and Clouds: Fast Outflows from Galaxies, Star Clusters, Massive Stars, and AGN
• Molecular outflows in local ULIRGs: energetics from multi-transition OH analysis
• Heavily reddened type 1 quasars at z > 2 I: Evidence for significant obscured black-hole growth at the highest quasar luminosities
• AGN-starburst evolutionary connection : a physical interpretation based on radiative feedback
• Massive outflow properties suggest AGN fade slowly

Cited by in corpus (41)

• Simba: Cosmological Simulations with Black Hole Growth and Feedback
• Cool Outflows in Galaxies and their Implications
• Cold Molecular Outflows in the Local Universe
• Ionized outflows from active galactic nuclei as the essential elements of feedback
• The FABLE simulations: A feedback model for galaxies, groups and clusters
• Properties of the Multiphase Outflows in Local (Ultra)luminous Infrared Galaxies
• Quasar Feedback Survey: Multi-phase outflows, turbulence and evidence for feedback caused by low power radio jets inclined into the galaxy disk
• Incidence, scaling relations and physical conditions of ionised gas outflows in MaNGA
• BAT AGN Spectroscopic Survey -- XIX: Type 1 versus Type 2 AGN dichotomy from the point of view of ionized outflows
• Revisiting the "forbidden" region: AGN radiative feedback with radiation trapping
• The Radio Galaxy Population in the SIMBA SImulations
• Multi-phase outflows in Mkn 848 observed with SDSS-MaNGA Integral Field Spectroscopy
• Multi-phase outflows as probes of AGN accretion history
• Discovery of an X-ray Quasar Wind Driving the Cold Gas Outflow in the Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxy IRAS F05189-2524
• The Interplay of Kinetic and Radiative Feedback in Galaxy Clusters
• Mass Outflow of the X-ray Emission Line Gas in NGC 4151
• Testing the blast-wave AGN feedback scenario in MCG-03-58-007
• Quantifying Baryonic Feedback on Warm-Hot Circumgalactic Medium in CAMELS Simulations
• Determining AGN luminosity histories using present-day outflow properties: a neural-network based approach
• Molecular Flows in Contemporary Active Galaxies and the Efficacy of Radio-Mechanical Feedback
• AGN-driven galactic outflows: comparing models to observations
• Galactic Winds across the Gas-Rich Merger Sequence: I. Highly Ionized N V and O VI Outflows in the QUEST Quasars
• AGN must be very efficient at powering outflows
• Radiation pattern and outflow geometry: a new probe of black hole spin?
• Dust Dynamics in AGN Winds: A New Mechanism For Multiwavelength AGN Variability
• Spontaneous Formation of Outflows Powered by Rotating Magnetized Accretion Flows in a Galactic Center
• Variations on a theme of AGN-driven outflows: luminosity evolution and ambient density distribution
• Does a radio jet drive the massive multi-phase outflow in the ultra-luminous infrared galaxy IRAS 10565+2448?
• Gamma-ray Emission from Galaxies Hosting Molecular Outflows
• What powers galactic outflows: nuclear starbursts or AGN?
• Warm absorbers: supermassive black hole feeding, and Compton-thick AGN
• The environments of the radio galaxy population in SIMBA
• AGN anisotropic radiative feedback set by black hole spin
• Supercritical dusty BH growth in the early Universe
• AGN radiative feedback in the early growth of massive black holes
• AGN cool feedback and analogy with X-ray binaries: from radiation pressure to cosmic ray driven outflows
• The physical properties and impact of AGN outflows from high to low redshift
• Radio Galaxies in SIMBA: A MIGHTEE Comparison
• Cosmological simulations predict that AGN preferentially live in gas-rich, star-forming galaxies despite effective feedback
• The AGN fuelling/feedback cycle in nearby radio galaxies -- IV. Molecular gas conditions and jet-ISM interaction in NGC3100
• Mapping feedback signatures in 3C 297: A quasar-host merger at Cosmic Noon