AGN Winds: the importance of the high energy continuum
Abstract
AGN have highly ionized winds seen in UV and X-ray absorption spectra. Analysis of Chandra and XMM-Newton spectra surprisingly shows that the gas in these winds clumps into a few, 2-3, phases with well separated temperatures, and that these lie in pressure balance with one another on the thermal equilibrium in (T, U/T) space. The shape of the hard X-ray continuum determines where this `S' curve of thermal equilibrium lies. We investigate the range of high energy spectral energy distributions for which a multi-phase wind can exist and compare these with observational constraints. We also comment on the contribution to the Compton Hump from scattering in these winds.
- Publication:
-
35th COSPAR Scientific Assembly
- Pub Date:
- 2004
- Bibcode:
- 2004cosp...35..564E