Coordinated UV and X-ray Observations of AGN Outflows

Observations of AGN outflows have progressed from the era of single-object surveys to intensive monitoring campaigns spanning weeks to months. The combination of multiple observations, improved temporal coverage, multi-wavelength monitoring in both the X-ray and UV bands, and the baseline of prior historical observations has enabled determinations of the locations, mass flux, and kinetic luminosities of the outflowing absorbing gas in several AGN. Typically the mass flux and kinetic energy are dominated by the higher-ionization X-ray absorbing gas. But the higher-resolution UV observations give a kinematically resolved picture of the overall outflow. In most cases, the outflowing gas is located at parsec to kpc scales, with insufficient kinetic luminosity to have an evolutionary impact on the host galaxy. Multiple coordinated observations have also revealed a new class of UV and X-ray absorbers. They typically show transient, heavy X-ray obscuration in the low-energy spectrum characterized by high column densities of mildly ionized gas. These X-ray obscuration events are accompanied by the appearance of broad, fast, blue-shifted UV absorption lines of moderate ionization, comparable to the X-ray absorbing gas. In the best-studied case of NGC 5548, the strength of the broad UV absorption lines varies with the degree of soft X-ray obscuration first revealed by XMM-Newton spectra. The high outflow velocities, variability timescales of a day or less in the X-ray, and the broad widths suggest an origin in a wind from the accretion disk. This low-ionization component may represent the shielding gas necessary to facilitate disk winds driven by radiative acceleration in UV absorption lines.