James Matthews

Line-driven disk winds in active galactic nuclei: the critical importance of ionization and radiative transfer

Accretion disk winds are thought to produce many of the characteristic features seen in the spectra of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and quasi-stellar objects (QSOs). These outflows also represent a natural form of feedback between the central supermassive black hole and its host galaxy. The mechanism for driving this mass loss remains unknown, although radiation pressure mediated by spectral lines is a leading candidate. Here, we calculate the ionization state of, and emergent spectra for, the hydrodynamic simulation of a line-driven disk wind previously presented by Proga & Kallman. To achieve this, we carry out a comprehensive Monte Carlo simulation of the radiative transfer through, and energy exchange within, the predicted outflow. We find that the wind is much more ionized than originally estimated. This is in part because it is much more difficult to shield any wind regions effectively when the outflow itself is allowed to reprocess and redirect ionizing photons. As a result, the calculated spectrum that would be observed from this particular outflow solution would not contain the ultraviolet spectral lines that are observed in many AGN/QSOs. Furthermore, the wind is so highly ionized that line driving would not actually be efficient. This does not necessarily mean that line-driven winds are not viable. However, our work does illustrate that in order to arrive at a self-consistent model of line-driven disk winds in AGN/QSO, it will be critical to include a more detailed treatment of radiative transfer and ionization in the next generation of hydrodynamic simulations.

A simple disc wind model for broad absorption line quasars

Approximately 20 per cent of quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) exhibit broad, blue-shifted absorption lines in their ultraviolet spectra. Such features provide clear evidence for significant outflows from these systems, most likely in the form of accretion disc winds. These winds may represent the ‘quasar’ mode of feedback that is often invoked in galaxy formation/evolution models, and they are also key to unification scenarios for active galactic nuclei (AGN) and QSOs. To test these ideas, we construct a simple benchmark model of an equatorial, biconical accretion disc wind in a QSO and use a Monte Carlo ionization/radiative transfer code to calculate the ultraviolet spectra as a function of viewing angle. We find that for plausible outflow parameters, sightlines looking directly into the wind cone do produce broad, blue-shifted absorption features in the transitions typically seen in broad absorption line (BAL) QSOs. However, our benchmark model is intrinsically X-ray weak in order to prevent overionization of the outflow, and the wind does not yet produce collisionally excited line emission at the level observed in non-BAL QSOs. As a first step towards addressing these shortcomings, we discuss the sensitivity of our results to changes in the assumed X-ray luminosity and mass-loss rate, u Mwind. In the context of our adopted geometry, u Mwind ∼ u Macc is required in order to produce significant BAL features. The kinetic luminosity and momentum carried by such outflows would be sufficient to provide significant feedback.

Testing quasar unification: radiative transfer in clumpy winds

In Chaps. 1 and 2, I reviewed the observational evidence for accretion disc winds in quasars and luminous AGN, and showed how they may be responsible for more than just the broad absorption lines and P-Cygni profiles seen in quasar spectra.

The optical-UV emissivity of quasars: Dependence on black hole mass and radio loudness

We analyzed a large sample of radio-loud and radio-quiet quasar spectra at redshift 1.0 < z < 1.2 to compare the inferred underlying quasar continuum slopes (after removal of the host galaxy contribution) with accretion disk models. The latter predict redder (decreasing) alpha_3000 continuum slopes (L_\nu~\nu^alpha at 3000Ang) with increasing black hole mass, bluer alpha_3000 with increasing luminosity at 3000Ang, and bluer alpha_3000 with increasing spin of the black hole, when all other parameters are held fixed. We find no clear evidence for any of these predictions in the data. In particular we find that: (i) alpha_3000 shows no significant dependence on black hole mass or luminosity. Dedicated Monte Carlo tests suggest that the substantial observational uncertainties in the black hole virial masses can effectively erase any intrinsic dependence of alpha_3000 on black hole mass, in line with some previous studies. (ii) The mean slope alpha_3000 of radio-loud sources, thought to be produced by rapidly spinning black holes, is comparable to, or even redder than, that of radio-quiet quasars. Indeed, although quasars appear to become more radio loud with decreasing luminosity, we still do not detect any significant dependence of alpha_3000 on radio loudness. The predicted mean alpha_3000 slopes tend to be bluer than in the data. Disk models with high inclinations and dust extinction tend to produce redder slopes closer to empirical estimates. Our mean alpha_3000 values are close to the ones independently inferred at z<0.5 suggesting weak evolution with redshift, at least for moderately luminous quasars.

The impact of accretion disc winds on the optical spectra of cataclysmic variables

Here, I present Monte Carlo radiative transfer simulations designed to assess the likely impact of accretion disc winds on the optical spectra of high-state CVs.

Nearby Planetary Systems as Lenses during Predicted Close Passages to Background Stars

The Einstein rings and proper motions of nearby stars tend to be large. Thus, every year some foreground stars within a few hundred parsecs of Earth induce gravitational lensing events in background stars. In some of these cases, the events may exhibit evidence of planets orbiting the nearby star. In fact, planets can even be discovered during relatively distant passages. Here, we study the lensing signatures associated with planets orbiting nearby high-proper-motion stars. We find the following. (1) Wide-orbit planets can be detected for all distances of closest approach between the foreground and background stars, potentially producing independent events long before and/or after the closest approach. (2) Close-orbit planets can be detected for intermediate distances of closest approach, producing quasiperiodic signatures that may occur days or weeks before and after the stellar-lens event. (3) Planets in the so-called zone for resonant lensing can significantly increase the magnification when the distance of closest approach is small, making the stellar-lens event easier to detect, while simultaneously providing evidence for planets. Because approaches close enough to allow planets to be detected can be predicted, we can plan observing strategies to take advantage of the theoretical framework built in this paper, which describes the sequence of expected effects in terms of a sequence of detection regimes.

Amplification of perpendicular and parallel magnetic fields by cosmic ray currents

Cosmic ray (CR) currents through magnetized plasma drive strong instabilities producing amplification of the magnetic field. This amplification helps explain the CR energy spectrum as well as observations of supernova remnants and radio galaxy hotspots. Using magnetohydrodynamic simulations, we study the behaviour of the non-resonant hybrid (NRH) instability (also known as the Bell instability) in the case of CR currents perpendicular and parallel to the initial magnetic field. We demonstrate that extending simulations of the perpendicular case to 3D reveals a different character to the turbulence from that observed in 2D. Despite these differences, in 3D the perpendicular NRH instability still grows exponentially far into the non-linear regime with a similar growth rate to both the 2D perpendicular and 3D parallel situations. We introduce some simple analytical models to elucidate the physical behaviour, using them to demonstrate that the transition to the non-linear regime is governed by the growth of thermal pressure inside dense filaments at the edges of the expanding loops. We discuss our results in the context of supernova remnants and jets in radio galaxies. Our work shows that the NRH instability can amplify magnetic fields to many times their initial value in parallel and perpendicular shocks.

Cosmic-ray acceleration by relativistic shocks: limits and estimates

We examine limits to the energy to which cosmic rays can be accelerated by relativistic shocks, showing that acceleration of light ions as high as 100 EeV is unlikely. The implication of our estimates is that if ultra-high energy cosmic rays are accelerated by shocks, then those shocks are probably not relativistic.

Quasar emission lines as probes of orientation: implications for disc wind geometries and unification

The incidence of broad absorption lines (BALs) in quasar samples is often interpreted in the context of a geometric unification model consisting of an accretion disc and an associated outflow. We use the Sloan Digital Sky Survey quasar sample to test this model by examining the equivalent widths (EWs) of C iv 1550 A, Mg ii 2800 A, [O iii] 5007 A and C iii] 1909 A. We find that the emission line EW distributions in BAL and non-BAL quasars are remarkably similar – a property that is inconsistent with scenarios in which a BAL outflow rises equatorially from a geometrically thin, optically thick accretion disc. We construct simple models to predict the distributions from various geometries; these models confirm the above finding and disfavour equatorial geometries. We show that obscuration, line anisotropy and general relativistic effects on the disc continuum are unlikely to hide an EW inclination dependence. We carefully examine the radio and polarization properties of BAL quasars. Both suggest that they are most likely viewed (on average) from intermediate inclinations, between type 1 and type 2 active galactic nuclei (AGN). We also find that the low-ionization BAL quasars in our sample are not confined to one region of the ‘Eigenvector 1’ parameter space. Overall, our work leads to one of the following conclusions, or some combination thereof: (i) the continuum does not emit like a geometrically thin, optically thick disc; (ii) BAL quasars are viewed from similar angles to non-BAL quasars, that is, low inclinations and (iii) geometric unification does not explain the fraction of BALs in quasar samples.

The reverberation signatures of rotating disc winds in active galactic nuclei

The broad emission lines (BELs) in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) respond to ionizing continuum variations. The time and velocity dependence of their response depends on the structure of the broad-line region: its geometry, kinematics and ionization state. Here, we predict the reverberation signatures of BELs formed in rotating accretion disc winds. We use a Monte Carlo radiative transfer and ionization code to predict velocity-delay maps for representative high- (C IV) and low-ionization (H α) emission lines in both high- and moderate-luminosity AGNs. Self-shielding, multiple scattering and the ionization structure of the outflows are all self-consistently taken into account, while small-scale structure in the outflow is modelled in the microclumping approximation. Our main findings are as follows: (1) The velocity-delay maps of smooth/microclumped outflows often contain significant negative responses. (2) The reverberation signatures of disc-wind models tend to be rotation dominated and can even resemble the classic ‘red-leads-blue’ inflow signature. (3) Traditional ‘blue-leads-red’ outflow signatures can usually only be observed in the long-delay limit. (4) Our models predict lag–luminosity relationships similar to those inferred from observations, but systematically underpredict the observed centroid delays. (5) The ratio between ‘virial product’ and black hole mass predicted by our models depends on viewing angle. Our results imply that considerable care needs to be taken in interpreting data obtained by observational reverberation mapping campaigns. In particular, basic signatures such as ‘red-leads-blue’, ‘blue-leads-red’ and ‘blue and red vary jointly’ are not always reliable indicators of inflow, outflow or rotation. This may help to explain the perplexing diversity of such signatures seen in observational campaigns to date.