Dual Role of Accretion Disk Winds as X-Ray Obscurers and UV Line Absorbers in AGN
Abstract
X-ray obscuration of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) is considered in the context of ionized winds of stratified structure launched from accretion disks. We argue that a Compton-thick layer of a large-scale disk wind can obscure continuum X-rays and also lead to broad UV absorption, such as in the blue wing of C IV; the former originates from the inner wind and the latter from the outer wind, as a dual role. Motivated by a number of lines of observational evidence showing strong AGN obscuration phenomena in Seyfert 1 AGNs such as NGC 5548, we demonstrate in this work, by utilizing a physically motivated wind model coupled to post-process radiative transfer calculations, that an extended disk wind under certain physical conditions (e.g., morphology and density) could naturally cause a sufficient obscuration qualitatively consistent with UV/X-ray observations. Predicted UV/X-ray correlation is also presented as a consequence of variable spatial size of the wind in this scenario.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- June 2024
- DOI:
- arXiv:
- arXiv:2403.07086
- Bibcode:
- 2024ApJ...968...70F
- Keywords:
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- Seyfert galaxies;
- High energy astrophysics;
- Black hole physics;
- X-ray active galactic nuclei;
- Galaxy accretion disks;
- Spectroscopy;
- Ultraviolet spectroscopy;
- X-ray astronomy;
- X-ray point sources;
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- 739;
- 159;
- 2035;
- 562;
- 1558;
- 2284;
- 1810;
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- Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
- E-Print:
- Comments welcome! (10 pages, 4 figures)