X-raying winds in distant quasars: the first high-redshift wind duty cycle

Abstract

Theoretical models of wind-driven feedback from Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) often identify Ultra-fast outflows (UFOs) as being the main cause for generating galaxy-size outflows, possibly the main actors in establishing the so-called AGN-galaxy co-evolution. UFOs are well characterized in local AGN but much less is known in quasars at the cosmic time when SF and AGN activity peaked ($z\simeq 1-3$). It is therefore mandatory to search for evidences of UFOs in high-$z$ sources to test the wind-driven AGN feedback models. Here we present a study of Q2237+030, the Einstein Cross, a quadruply-imaged radio-quiet lensed quasar located at $z=1.695$. We performed a systematic and comprehensive temporally and spatially resolved X-ray spectral analysis of all the available Chandra and XMM-Newton data (as of September 2019). We find clear evidence for spectral variability, possibly due to absorption column density (or covering fraction) variability intrinsic to the source. We detect, for the first time in this quasar, a fast X-ray wind outflowing at $v_{\mathrm{out}}\simeq 0.1c$ that would be powerful enough (${\dot{E}}_{\mathrm{kin}}\simeq 0.1L_{\mathrm{bol}}$) to significantly affect the host galaxy evolution. We report also on the possible presence of an even faster component of the wind ($v_{\mathrm{out}}\sim 0.5c$). Given the large sample and long time interval spanned by the analyzed X-ray data, we are able to roughly estimate, for the first time in a high-$z$ quasar, the wind duty cycle as $\approx 0.46(0.31)$ at $90\%(95\%)$ confidence level. Finally, we also confirm the presence of a Fe K$\alpha$ emission line with variable energy, which we discuss in the light of microlensing effects as well as considering our findings on the source.

arXiv comment18 pages, 11 figures, 7 tables, Accepted for publication in A&A

References in corpus (54)

• Coevolution (Or Not) of Supermassive Black Holes and Host Galaxies
• The Leiden/Argentine/Bonn (LAB) Survey of Galactic HI: Final data release of the combined LDS and IAR surveys with improved stray-radiation corrections
• Energy input from quasars regulates the growth and activity of black holes and their host galaxies
• Spectral Energy Distributions and Multiwavelength Selection of Type 1 Quasars
• Powerful Outflows and Feedback from Active Galactic Nuclei
• Statistics: Handle with Care, Detecting Multiple Model Components with the Likelihood Ratio Test
• Evidence for ultra-fast outflows in radio-quiet AGNs: I - detection and statistical incidence of Fe K-shell absorption lines
• AGN wind scaling relations and the co-evolution of black holes and galaxies
• Quasar Feedback: More Bang for Your Buck
• The XMM-Newton view of PG quasars I. X-ray continuum and absorption
• Bolometric luminosities and Eddington ratios of X-ray selected Active Galactic Nuclei in the XMM-COSMOS survey
• The X-ray Properties of the Most-Luminous Quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
• Two ten-billion-solar-mass black holes at the centres of giant elliptical galaxies
• Universal bolometric corrections for AGN over 7 luminosity decades
• Unification of X-ray winds in Seyfert galaxies: from ultra-fast outflows to warm absorbers
• The Suzaku view of highly-ionised outflows in AGN: I - Statistical detection and global absorber properties
• A diversity of dusty AGN tori: Data release for the VLTI/MIDI AGN Large Program and first results for 23 galaxies
• Evidence for ultra-fast outflows in radio-quiet AGNs: II - detailed photo-ionization modeling of Fe K-shell absorption lines
• CAIXA: a catalogue of AGN in the XMM-Newton archive III. Excess Variance Analysis
• Compton reflection and iron fluorescence in BeppoSAX observations of Seyfert type 1 galaxies
• XMM-NEWTON Reveals the Quasar Outflow in PG 1115+080
• Evidence for ultra-fast outflows in radio-quiet AGNs: III - location and energetics
• Feedback from Mass Outflows in Nearby Active Galactic Nuclei I. UV and X-ray Absorbers
• Black Hole Mass Estimates Based on CIV are Consistent with Those Based on the Balmer Lines
• The Microlensing Properties of a Sample of 87 Lensed Quasars
• The Structure of the X-ray and Optical Emitting Regions of the Lensed Quasar Q 2237+0305
• Discovery of an ionized Fe-K edge in the z=3.91 Broad Absorption Line Quasar APM 08279+5255 with XMM-Newton
• The XMM-Newton long look of NGC 1365: uncovering of the obscured X-ray source
• Confirmation of and Variable Energy Injection by a Near-Relativistic Outflow in APM 08279+5255
• X-ray Lighthouses of the High-Redshift Universe. II. Further Snapshot Observations of the Most Luminous z>4 Quasars with Chandra
• Weighing a galaxy bar in the lens Q2237+0305
• Chandra Observations of QSO 2237+0305
• Gravitational Lensing Size Scales for Quasars
• X-ray evidence for a mildly relativistic and variable outflow in the luminous Seyfert 1 galaxy Mrk509
• Variable X-ray absorption in the mini-BAL QSO PG 1126-041
• Searching for Ultra-fast Outflows in AGN using Variability Spectra
• X-ray Monitoring of Gravitational Lenses With Chandra
• Discovery of Probable Relativistic Fe Emission and Absorption in the Cloverleaf Quasar H 1413+117
• Measuring the Innermost Stable Circular Orbits of Supermassive Black Holes
• Discovery of Energy Dependent X-ray Microlensing in Q2237+0305
• HS 1700+6416: the first high redshift non lensed NAL-QSO showing variable high velocity outflows
• Revealing the location and structure of the accretion disk-wind in PDS456
• A Low-Flux State in IRAS 00521-7054 seen with NuSTAR and XMM-Newton: Relativistic Reflection and an Ultrafast Outflow
• The XMM deep survey in the CDF-S. IX. An X-ray outflow in a luminous obscured quasar at z~1.6
• Discovery of an X-ray Quasar Wind Driving the Cold Gas Outflow in the Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxy IRAS F05189-2524
• A Rapidly Spinning Black Hole Powers the Einstein Cross
• Relativistic components of the Ultra-Fast Outflow in the Quasar PDS 456 from Chandra/HETGS, NuSTAR and XMM-Newton observations
• Kinetic energy transfer from X-ray ultrafast outflows to mm/sub-mm cold molecular outflows in Seyfert galaxies
• The Wide-Angle Outflow of the Lensed z = 1.51 AGN HS 0810+2554
• Extended X-ray Monitoring of Gravitational Lenses with Chandra and Joint Constraints on X-ray Emission Regions
• Yet another UFO in the X-ray spectrum of a high-z lensed QSO
• Simulations of the Fe K-alpha Energy Spectra from Gravitationally Microlensed Quasars
• The Effect of Microlensing On the Observed X-ray Energy Spectra of Gravitationally Lensed Quasars
• Q2237+0305 in X-rays: spectra and variability with XMM-Newton

Cited by in corpus (5)

• Supermassive Black Hole Winds in X-rays -- SUBWAYS. I. Ultra-fast outflows in QSOs beyond the local Universe
• Supermassive Black Hole Winds in X-rays -- SUBWAYS. III. A population study on ultra-fast outflows
• The XMM-Newton and NuSTAR view of IRASF11119+3257. I Detection of multiple UFO components and a very cold corona
• Winds of change: the nuclear and galaxy-scale outflows and the X-ray variability of 2MASS 0918+2117
• Multiphase Powerful Outflows Detected in High-z Quasars