Browsing by Author "Edmonds, Douglas"

Now showing 1 - 11 of 11
  • Thumbnail Image
    10 kpc Scale Seyfert Galaxy Outflow: HST/COS Observations of IRAS F22456-5125
    Borguet, Benoit C. J.; Edmonds, Douglas; Arav, Nahum; Dunn, Jay; Kriss, Gerard A. (IOP Publishing Ltd., 2012-06)
    We present analysis of the UV spectrum of the low-z AGN IRAS F22456-5125 obtained with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph on board the Hubble Space Telescope. The spectrum reveals six main kinematic components, spanning a range of velocities of up to 800 km s (1), which for the first time are observed in troughs associated with C II, C IV, N V, Si II, Si III, Si IV, and S IV. We also obtain data on the O VI troughs, which we compare to those available from an earlier Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer epoch. Column densities measured from these ions allow us to derive a well-constrained photoionization solution for each outflow component. Two of these kinematic components show troughs associated with transitions from excited states of Si II and C II. The number density inferred from these troughs, in combination with the deduced ionization parameter, allows us to determine the distance to these outflow components from the central source. We find these components to be at a distance of similar to 10 kpc. The distances and the number densities derived are consistent with the outflow being part of a galactic wind.
  • Thumbnail Image
    BAL outflow contribution to AGN feedback: frequency of S IV outflows in the SDSS
    Dunn, Jay P.; Arav, Nahum; Aoki, Kentaro; Wilkins, Ashlee; Laughlin, Courtney; Edmonds, Douglas; Bautista, Manuel (IOP Publishing Ltd., 2012-05)
    We present a study of broad absorption line (BAL) quasar outflows that show S IV lambda 1063 and S IV* lambda 1073 troughs. The fractional abundances of S IV and C IV peak at similar value of the ionization parameter, implying that they arise from the same physical component of the outflow. Detection of the S IV* troughs will allow us to determine the distance to this gas with higher resolution and higher signal-to-noise spectra, therefore providing the distance and energetics of the ubiquitous C IV BAL outflows. In our bright sample of 156 SDSS quasars, 14% show C IV and 1.9% S IV troughs, which are consistent with a fainter magnitude sample with twice as many objects. One object in the fainter sample shows evidence of a broad S IV trough without any significant trough present from the excited state line, which implies that this outflow could be at a distance of several kpc. Given the fractions of C IV and S IV, we establish firm limits on the global covering factor on S IV that ranges from 2.8% to 21% (allowing for the k-correction). Comparison of the expected optical depth for these ions with their detected percentage suggests that these species arise from common outflows with a covering factor closer to the latter.
  • Thumbnail Image
    BAL phosphorus abundance and evidence for immense ionic column densities in quasar outflows: vlt/x-shooter observations of quasar SDSS J1512+1119
    Borguet, Benoit C. J.; Edmonds, Douglas; Arav, Nahum; Benn, C.; Chamberlain, Carter (IOP Publishing Ltd., 2012-10)
    We present spectroscopic analysis of the broad absorption line (BAL) outflow in quasar SDSS J1512+1119. In particular, we focus our attention on a kinematic component in which we identify P V and S IV/S IV* absorption troughs. The shape of the unblended phosphorus doublet troughs and the three S IV/S IV* troughs allow us to obtain reliable column density measurements for these two ions. Photoionization modeling using these column densities and those of He I* constrain the abundance of phosphorus to the range of 0.5-4 times the solar value. The total column density, ionization parameter, and metallicity inferred from the P V and S IV column densities lead to large optical depth values for the common transition observed in BAL outflows. We show that the true C IV optical depth is similar to 1000 times greater in the core of the absorption profile than the value deduced from its apparent optical depth.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Galactic-scale absorption outflow in the low-luminosity quasar IRAS F04250-5718: Hubble Space Telescope/Cosmic Origins Spectrograph observations
    Edmonds, Douglas; Borguet, Benoit; Arav, Nahum; Dunn, Jay P.; Penton, S.; Kriss, G. A.; Korista, K. T.; Costantini, E.; Steenbrugge, K. C.; Gonzalez-Serrano, J. I.; Aoki, K.; Bautista, M. A.; Behar, E.; Benn, C.; Crenshaw, D. M.; Everett, J.; Gabel, J.; Kaastra, J.; Moe, M.; Scott, J. (IOP Publishing Ltd., 2011-09)
    We present absorption line analysis of the outflow in the quasar IRAS F04250-5718. Far-ultraviolet data from the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph on board the Hubble Space Telescope reveal intrinsic narrow absorption lines from high ionization ions (e. g., C IV, N V, and O VI) as well as low ionization ions (e. g., C II and Si III). We identify three kinematic components with central velocities ranging from similar to-50 to similar to-230 km s(-1). Velocity-dependent, non-black saturation is evident from the line profiles of the high ionization ions. From the non-detection of absorption from a metastable level of C II, we are able to determine that the electron number density in the main component of the outflow is less than or similar to 30 cm(-3). Photoionization analysis yields an ionization parameter log U-H similar to -1.6 +/- 0.2, which accounts for changes in the metallicity of the outflow and the shape of the incident spectrum. We also consider solutions with two ionization parameters. If the ionization structure of the outflow is due to photoionization by the active galactic nucleus, we determine that the distance to this component from the central source is greater than or similar to 3 kpc. Due to the large distance determined for the main kinematic component, we discuss the possibility that this outflow is part of a galactic wind.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Major contributor to AGN feedback: VLT X-shooter observations of S iv BALQSO outflows
    Borguet, Benoit C. J.; Arav, Nahum; Edmonds, Douglas; Chamberlain, Carter; Benn, C. (IOP Publishing Ltd., 2013-01)
    We present the most energetic BALQSO outflow measured to date, with a kinetic luminosity of at least 1046 erg s(-1), which is 5% of the bolometric luminosity of this high Eddington ratio quasar. The associated mass-flow rate is 400 solar masses per year. Such kinetic luminosity and mass-flow rate should provide strong active galactic nucleus feedback effects. The outflow is located at about 300 pc from the quasar and has a velocity of roughly 8000 km s-1. Our distance and energetic measurements are based in large part on the identification and measurement of S iv and S IV* broad absorption lines (BALs). The use of this high-ionization species allows us to generalize the result to the majority of high-ionization BALQSOs that are identified by their C iv absorption. We also report the energetics of two other outflows seen in another object using the same technique. The distances of all three outflows from the central source (100-2000 pc) suggest that we observe BAL troughs much farther away from the central source than the assumed acceleration region of these outflows (0.01-0.1 pc).
  • Thumbnail Image
    Modified Dark Matter in Galaxies and Galaxy Clusters
    Edmonds, Douglas; Farrah, D.; Minic, Djordje; Ng, Y. J.; Takeuchi, Tatsu (2017-12)
    Modified Dark Matter (MDM) is a phenomenological model of dark matter, inspired by gravitational thermodynamics, that naturally accounts for the universal acceleration constant observed in galactic rotation curve data; a critical acceleration related to the cosmological constant, $\Lambda$, appears as a phenomenological manifestation of MDM. We show that the resulting mass profiles, which are sensitve to $\Lambda$, are consistent with observations at the galactic and galaxy cluster scales. Our results suggest that dark matter mass profiles contain information about the cosmological constant in a non-trivial way.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Modified Dark Matter: Relating Dark Energy, Dark Matter and Baryonic Matter
    Edmonds, Douglas; Farrah, Duncan; Minic, Djordje; Ng, Y. J.; Takeuchi, Tatsu (2017-09-13)
    Modi ed dark matter (MDM) is a phenomenological model of dark matter, inspired by gravitational thermodynamics. For an accelerating Universe with positive cosmological constant ( ), such phenomenological considerations lead to the emergence of a critical acceleration parameter related to . Such a critical acceleration is an effective phenomenological manifestation of MDM, and it is found in correlations between dark matter and baryonic matter in galaxy rotation curves. The resulting MDM mass profiles, which are sensitive to , are consistent with observational data at both the galactic and cluster scales. In particular, the same critical acceleration appears both in the galactic and cluster data fits based on MDM. Furthermore, using some robust qualitative arguments, MDM appears to work well on cosmological scales, even though quantitative studies are still lacking. Finally, we comment on certain non-local aspects of the quanta of modified dark matter, which may lead to novel non-particle phenomenology and which may explain why, so far, dark matter detection experiments have failed to detect dark matter particles.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Multiwavelength campaign on Mrk 509 VI. HST/COS observations of the far-ultraviolet spectrum
    Kriss, G. A.; Arav, Nahum; Kaastra, J. S.; Ebrero, J.; Pinto, C.; Borguet, B.; Edmonds, Douglas; Costantini, E.; Steenbrugge, K. C.; Detmers, R. G.; Behar, E.; Bianchi, S.; Blustin, A. J.; Branduardi-Raymont, G.; Cappi, M.; Mehdipour, M.; Petrucci, P. O.; Ponti, G. (EDP Sciences, 2011-10)
    We present medium-resolution (lambda/Delta lambda similar to 20 000) ultraviolet spectra covering the 1155-1760 angstrom spectral range of the Seyfert 1 galaxy Mrk 509 obtained using the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Our observations were obtained simultaneously with a Low Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer observation using the Chandra X-ray Observatory, and they are part of a multiwavelength campaign in September through December 2009 which also included observations with XMM-Newton, Swift, and INTEGRAL. Our spectra are the highest signal-to-noise observations to date of the intrinsic absorption components seen in numerous prior ultraviolet observations. To take advantage of the high S/N, we describe special calibrations for wavelength, flat-field and line-spread function corrections that we applied to the COS data. We detect additional complexity in the absorption troughs compared to prior observations made with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) on HST. We attribute the UV absorption to a variety of sources in Mrk 509, including an outflow from the active nucleus, the interstellar medium and halo of the host galaxy, and possible infalling clouds or stripped gaseous material from a merger that are illuminated by the ionizing radiation of the active nucleus. Variability between the STIS and COS observation of the most blue-shifted component (#1) allows us to set an upper limit on its distance of <250 pc. Similarly, variability of component 6 between FUSE observations limits its distance to <1.5 kpc. The absorption lines in all components only partially cover the emission from the active nucleus with covering fractions that are lower than those seen in the prior STIS observations and are comparable to those seen in spectra from the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE). Given the larger apertures of COS and FUSE compared to STIS, we favor scattered light from an extended region near the active nucleus as the explanation for the partial covering. As observed in prior X-ray and UV spectra, the UV absorption has velocities comparable to the X-ray absorption, but the bulk of the ultraviolet absorption is in a lower ionization state with lower total column density than the gas responsible for the X-ray absorption. We conclude that the outflow from the active nucleus is a multiphase wind.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Multiwavelength campaign on Mrk 509: XVI. Continued HST/COS monitoring of the far-ultraviolet spectrum
    Kriss, G. A.; Arav, Nahum; Edmonds, Douglas; Ely, J. C.; Kaastra, J. S.; Bianchi, S.; Cappi, M.; Costantini, E.; Ebrero, J.; Mehdipour, M.; Paltani, S.; Petrucci, P. O.; Ponti, G. (EDP Sciences, 2019-03-07)
    Aims. To elucidate the location, physical conditions, mass outflow rate, and kinetic luminosity of the outflow from the active nucleus of the Seyfert 1 galaxy Mrk 509, we used coordinated UV and X-ray spectral observations in 2012 to follow up our lengthier campaign conducted in 2009. Methods. We observed Mrk 509 with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) on 2012-09-03 and 2012-10-11 coordinated with X-ray observations using the High Energy Transmission Grating on the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Our far-ultraviolet spectra used grating G140L on COS to cover wavelengths from 920-2000 Å at a resolving power of ∼2000, and gratings G130M and G160M to cover 1160-1750 Å at a resolving power of ∼15, 000. Results. We detect variability in the blueshifted UV absorption lines on timescales spanning 3-12 years. The inferred densities in the absorbing gas are greater than log n cm -3 ∼ 3. For ionization parameters ranging over log U =-1.5 to-0.2, we constrain the distances of the absorbers to be closer than 220 pc to the active nucleus. Conclusions. The impact on the host galaxy appears to be confined to the nuclear region. © 2019 G. A. Kriss et al.
  • Thumbnail Image
    The quasar outflow contribution to AGN feedback: VLT measurements of SDSS J0318-0600
    Dunn, Jay P.; Bautista, M. A.; Arav, Nahum; Moe, Maxwell; Korista, K. T.; Costantini, E.; Benn, C.; Ellison, S.; Edmonds, Douglas (IOP Publishing Ltd., 2010-02)
    We present high spectral resolution Very Large Telescope observations of the broad absorption line quasar SDSS J0318-0600. This high-quality data set allows us to extract accurate ionic column densities and determine an electron number density of n(e) = 10(3.3 +/- 0.2) cm(-3) for the main outflow absorption component. The heavily reddened spectrum of SDSS J0318-0600 requires purely silicate dust with a reddening curve characteristic of predominately large grains, from which we estimate the bolometric luminosity. We carry out photoionization modeling to determine the total column density, ionization parameter, and distance of the gas and find that the photoionization models suggest abundances greater than solar. Due to the uncertainty in the location of the dust extinction, we arrive at two viable distances for the main ouflow component from the central source, 6 and 17 kpc, where we consider the 6 kpc location as somewhat more physically plausible. Assuming the canonical global covering of 20% for the outflow and a distance of 6 kpc, our analysis yields a mass flux of 120 M(circle dot) yr(-1) and a kinetic luminosity that is similar to 0.1% of the bolometric luminosity of the object. Should the dust be part of the outflow, then these values are similar to 4x larger. The large mass flux and kinetic luminosity make this outflow a significant contributor to active galactic nucleus feedback processes.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Simultaneous XMM-Newton and HST-COS observation of 1H0419-577 The absorbing and emitting ionized gas
    Di Gesu, L.; Arav, Nahum; Borguet, B.; Detmers, R. G.; Ebrero, J.; Edmonds, Douglas; Kaastra, J. S.; Piconcelli, E.; Verbunt, F.; Constantini, E. (EDP Sciences, 2013-08)
    In this paper we analyze the X-ray, UV, and optical data of the Seyfert 1.5 galaxy 1H0419-577 with the aim of detecting and studying an ionized-gas outflow. The source was observed simultaneously in the X-rays with XMM-Newton and in the UV with HST-COS. Optical data were also acquired with the XMM-Newton Optical Monitor. We detected a thin, lowly ionized warm absorber (log xi approximate to 0.03, log N-H approximate to 19.9 cm(-2)) in the X-ray spectrum, which is consistent to be produced by the same outflow already detected in the UV. Provided the gas density estimated in the UV, the outflow is consistent to be located in the host galaxy at similar to kpc scale. Narrow emission lines were detected in the X-rays, in the UV and also in the optical spectrum. A single photoionized-gas model cannot account for all the narrow lines emission, indicating that the narrow line region is probably a stratified environment, differing in density and ionization. X-ray lines are unambiguously produced in a more highly ionized gas phase than the one emitting the UV lines. The analysis also suggests that the X-ray emitter may just be a deeper portion of the same gas layer producing the UV lines. Optical lines are probably produced in another disconnected gas system. The different ionization condition and the similar to pc scale location, suggested by the line width for the narrow lines emitters, are evidences against a connection between the warm absorber and the narrow line region in this source.