Discovery of an Ionized Fe K Edge in the z=3.91 Broad Absorption Line Quasar APM 08279+5255 with XMM-Newton
Abstract
Recent XMM-Newton observations of the high-redshift, lensed, broad absorption line (BAL) quasi-stellar object APM 08279+5255, one of the most luminous objects in the universe, allowed the detection of a high column density absorber (NH~1023 cm-2) in the form of a K-shell absorption edge of significantly ionized iron (Fe XV-Fe XVIII) and corresponding ionized lower energy absorption. Our findings confirm a basic prediction of phenomenological geometry models for the BAL outflow and can constrain the size of the absorbing region. The Fe/O abundance of the absorbing material is significantly higher than solar (Fe/O=2-5), giving interesting constraints on the gas enrichment history in the early universe.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- July 2002
- DOI:
- 10.1086/342191
- arXiv:
- arXiv:astro-ph/0207005
- Bibcode:
- 2002ApJ...573L..77H
- Keywords:
-
- Galaxies: Quasars: Absorption Lines;
- Galaxies: Quasars: Individual: Alphanumeric: APM 08279+5255;
- X-Rays: Galaxies;
- Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- 13 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables, ApJ (Letters), in press