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Register a new userDisentangling the circumnuclear environs of Centaurus A: II. On the nature of the broad absorption line
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We report on atomic gas (HI) and molecular gas (as traced by CO(2-1)) redshifted absorption features toward the nuclear regions of the closest powerful radio galaxy, Centaurus A (NGC 5128). Our HI observations using the Very Long Baseline Array allow us to discern with unprecedented sub-parsec resolution HI absorption profiles toward different positions along the 21 cm continuum jet emission in the inner 0.3 (or 5.4 pc). In addition, our CO(2-1) data obtained with the Submillimeter Array probe the bulk of the absorbing molecular gas with little contamination by emission, not possible with previous CO single-dish observations. We shed light with these data on the physical properties of the gas in the line of sight, emphasizing the still open debate about the nature of the gas that produces the broad absorption line (~55 km/s). First, the broad H I line is more prominent toward the central and brightest 21 cm continuum component than toward a region along the jet at a distance ~ 20 mas (or 0.4 pc) further from it. This suggests that the broad absorption line arises from gas located close to the nucleus, rather than from diffuse and more distant gas. Second, the different velocity components detected in the CO(2-1) absorption spectrum match well other molecular lines, such as those of HCO+(1-0), except the broad absorption line that is detected in HCO+(1-0) (and most likely related to that of the H I). Dissociation of molecular hydrogen due to the AGN seems to be efficient at distances <= 10 pc, which might contribute to the depth of the broad H I and molecular lines.
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We present high resolution images of the 12CO(2-1) emission in the central 1 (1 kpc) of NGC 5128 (Centaurus A), observed using the SMA. We elucidate for the first time the distribution and kinematics of the molecular gas in this region with a resolution of 6.0 x 2.4 (100 pc x 40 pc). We spatially resolve the circumnuclear molecular gas in the inner 24 x 12 (400 pc x 200 pc), which is elongated along a position angle P.A. = 155 deg and perpendicular to the radio/X-ray jet. The SE and NW components of the circumnuclear gas are connected to molecular gas found at larger radii. This gas appears as two parallel filaments at P.A. = 120 deg, which are coextensive with the long sides of the 3 kiloparsec parallelogram shape of the previously observed dust continuum, as well as ionized and pure rotational H2 lines. Spatial and kinematical asymmetries are apparent in both the circumnuclear and outer gas, suggesting non-coplanar and/or non-circular motions. We extend to inner radii (r < 200 pc) previously studied warped disk models built to reproduce the central parallelogram-shaped structure. Adopting the warped disk model we would confirm a gap in emission between the radii r = 200 - 800 pc (12 - 50), as has been suggested previously. Although this model explains this prominent feature, however, our 12CO(2-1) observations show relevant deviations from this model. Namely, the physical connection between the circumnuclear gas and that at larger radii, brighter SE and NW sides on the parallelogram-shaped feature, and an outer curvature of its long sides. Overall it resembles more closely an S-shaped morphology, a trend that is also found in other molecular species. Hence, we explore qualitatively the possible contribution of a weak bi-symmetric potential which would naturally explain these peculiarities.
We present the distribution and kinematics of the molecular gas in the circumnuclear disk (CND, 400 pc x 200 pc) of Centaurus A with resolutions of ~5 pc (0.3 arcsec) and shed light onto the mechanism feeding the Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN) using CO(3-2), HCO+(4-3), HCN(4-3), and CO(6-5) observations obtained with ALMA. Multiple filaments or streamers of tens to a hundred parsec scale exist within the CND, which form a ring-like structure with an unprojected diameter of 9 x 6 arcsec (162pc x 108pc) and a position angle PA = 155deg. Inside the nuclear ring, there are two leading and straight filamentary structures with lengths of about 30-60pc at PA = 120deg on opposite sides of the AGN, with a rotational symmetry of 180deg and steeper position-velocity diagrams, which are interpreted as nuclear shocks due to non-circular motions. Along the filaments, and unlike other nearby AGNs, several dense molecular clumps present low HCN/HCO+(4-3) ratios (~0.5). The filaments abruptly end in the probed transitions at r = 20pc from the AGN, but previous near-IR H2 (J=1-0) S(1) maps show that they continue in an even ~1000 K), winding up in the form of nuclear spirals, and forming an inner ring structure with another set of symmetric filaments along the N-S direction and within r = 10pc. The molecular gas is governed primarily by non-circular motions, being the successive shock fronts at different scales where loss of angular momentum occurs, a mechanism which may feed efficiently powerful radio galaxies down to parsec scales.
On the basis of 16 years of spectroscopic observations of the four components of the gravitationally lensed broad absorption line (BAL) quasar H1413+117, covering the ultraviolet to visible rest-frame spectral range, we analyze the spectral differences observed in the P Cygni-type line profiles and have used the microlensing effect to derive new clues to the BAL profile formation. We confirm that the spectral differences observed in component D can be attributed to a microlensing effect lasting at least a decade. We show that microlensing magnifies the continuum source in image D, leaving the emission line region essentially unaffected. We interpret the differences seen in the absorption profiles of component D as the result of an emission line superimposed onto a nearly black absorption profile. We also find that the continuum source and a part of the broad emission line region are likely de-magnified in component C, while components A and B are not affected by microlensing. We show that microlensing of the continuum source in component D has a chromatic dependence compatible with the thermal continuum emission of a standard Shakura-Sunyaev accretion disk. Using a simple decomposition method to separate the part of the line profiles affected by microlensing and coming from a compact region from the part unaffected by this effect and coming from a larger region, we disentangle the true absorption line profiles from the true emission line profiles. The extracted emission line profiles appear double-peaked, suggesting that the emission is occulted by a strong absorber, narrower in velocity than the full absorption profile, and emitting little by itself. We propose that the outflow around H1413+117 is constituted by a high-velocity polar flow and a denser, lower velocity disk seen nearly edge-on.
It has been known for 20 years that the absorbing gas in broad absorption line quasars does not completely cover the continuum emission region, and that partial covering must be accounted for to accurately measure the column density of the outflowing gas. However, the nature of partial covering itself is not understood. Extrapolation of the SimBAL spectral synthesis model of the HST COS UV spectrum from SDSS J0850+4451 reported by Leighly et al. 2018 to non-simultaneous rest-frame optical and near-infrared spectra reveals evidence that the covering fraction has wavelength dependence, and is a factor of 2.5 times higher in the UV than in the optical and near-infrared bands. The difference in covering fraction can be explained if the outflow consists of clumps that are small and either structured or clustered relative to the projected size of the UV continuum emission region, and have a more diffuse distribution on size scales comparable to the near-infrared continuum emission region size. The lower covering fraction over the larger physical area results in a reduction of the measured total column density by a factor of 1.6 compared with the UV-only solution. This experiment demonstrates that we can compare rest-frame UV and near-infrared absorption lines, specifically HeI*10830, to place constraints on the uniformity of absorption gas in broad absorbing line quasars.
This work presents the results of a Chandra study of 21 broad absorption line (BAL) radio-loud quasars (RLQs). We conducted a Chandra snapshot survey of 12 bright BAL RLQs selected from SDSS/FIRST data and possessing a wide range of radio and CIV absorption properties. Optical spectra were obtained nearly contemporaneously with the Hobby-Eberly Telescope; no strong flux or BAL variability was seen between epochs. We also include in our sample 9 additional BAL RLQs possessing archival Chandra coverage. We compare the properties of (predominantly high-ionization) BAL RLQs to those of non-BAL RLQs as well as to BAL radio-quiet quasars (RQQs) and non-BAL RQQs for context. All 12 snapshot and 8/9 archival BAL RLQs are detected, with observed X-ray luminosities less than those of non-BAL RLQs having comparable optical/UV luminosities by typical factors of 4.1-8.5. (BAL RLQs are also X-ray weak by typical factors of 2.0-4.5 relative to non-BAL RLQs having both comparable optical/UV and radio luminosities.) However, BAL RLQs are not as X-ray weak relative to non-BAL RLQs as are BAL RQQs relative to non-BAL RQQs. While some BAL RLQs have harder X-ray spectra than typical non-BAL RLQs, some have hardness ratios consistent with those of non-BAL RLQs, and there does not appear to be a correlation between X-ray weakness and spectral hardness, in contrast to the situation for BAL RQQs. RLQs are expected to have X-ray continuum contributions from both disk-corona and small-scale jet emission. While the entire X-ray continuum in BAL RLQs cannot be obscured to the same degree as in BAL RQQs, we calculate that the jet is likely partially covered in many BAL RLQs. We comment briefly on implications for geometries and source ages in BAL RLQs.
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