Multiphase Powerful Outflows Detected in High-z Quasars

Abstract

We present results from a comprehensive study of ultrafast outflows (UFOs) detected in a sample of 14 quasars, 12 of which are gravitationally lensed, in a redshift range of 1.41–3.91, near the peak of the active galactic nucleus (AGN) and star formation activity. New XMM-Newton observations are presented for six of them, which were selected to be lensed and contain a narrow absorption line (NAL) in their UV spectra. Another lensed quasar was added to the sample, albeit already studied because it was not searched for UFOs. The remaining seven quasars of our sample are known to contain UFOs. The main goals of our study are to infer the outflow properties of high-z quasars, constrain their outflow induced feedback, study the relationship between the outflow properties and the properties of the ionizing source, and compare these results to those of nearby AGN. Our study adds six new detections (> 99% confidence) of UFOs at z > 1.4, almost doubling the current number of cases. Based on our survey of six quasars selected to contain a NAL and observed with XMM-Newton, the coexistence of intrinsic UV NALs and UFOs is found to be significant in >83% of these quasars suggesting a link between multiphase AGN feedback properties of the meso- and microscale. The kinematic luminosities of the UFOs of our high-z sample are large compared to their bolometric luminosities (median of L K/L Bol ≳ 50%). This suggests they provide efficient feedback to influence the evolution of their host galaxies and that magnetic driving may be a significant contributor to their acceleration.