We present a study of X-ray ionization of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) accretion-disk winds in an effort to constrain the physics underlying the highly-ionized ultra-fast outflows (UFOs) inferred by X-ray absorbers often detected in various sub-classes
of Seyfert active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Our primary focus is to show that magnetically-driven outflows are indeed physically plausible candidates for the observed outflows accounting for the AGN absorption properties of the present X-ray spectroscopic observations. Employing a stratified MHD wind launched across the entire AGN accretion disk, we calculate its X-ray ionization and the ensuing X-ray absorption line spectra. Assuming an appropriate ionizing AGN spectrum, we apply our MHD winds to model the absorption features in an {it XMM-Newton}/EPIC spectrum of the narrow-line Seyfert, pg. We find, through identifying the detected features with Fe K$alpha$ transitions, that the absorber has a characteristic ionization parameter of $log (xi_c [erg~cm~s$^{-1}$]) simeq 5-6$ and a column density on the order of $N_H simeq 10^{23}$ cm$^{-2}$, outflowing at a characteristic velocity of $v_c/c simeq 0.1-0.2$ (where $c$ is the speed of light). The best-fit model favors its radial location at $r_c simeq 200 R_o$ ($R_o$ is the black hole innermost stable circular orbit), with an inner wind truncation radius at $R_{rm t} simeq 30 R_o$. The overall K-shell feature in the data is suggested to be dominated by fexxv with very little contribution from fexxvi and weakly-ionized iron, which is in a good agreement with a series of earlier analysis of the UFOs in various AGNs including pg.
The study of winds in active galactic nuclei (AGN) is of utmost importance as they may provide the long sought-after link between the central black hole and the host galaxy, establishing the AGN feedback. Recently, Laha et al. (2014) reported the X-r
ay analysis of a sample of 26 Seyferts observed with XMM-Newton, which are part of the so-called warm absorbers in X-rays (WAX) sample. They claim the non-detection of Fe K absorbers indicative of ultra-fast outflows (UFOs) in four observations previously analyzed by Tombesi et al. (2010). They mainly impute the Tombesi et al. detections to an improper modeling of the underlying continuum in the E=4-10 keV band. We therefore re-address here the robustness of these detections and we find that the main reason for the claimed non-detections is likely due to their use of single events only spectra, which reduces the total counts by 40%. Performing a re-analysis of the data in the whole E=0.3-10 keV energy band using their models and spectra including also double events, we find that the blue-shifted Fe K absorption lines are indeed detected at >99%. This work demonstrates the robustness of these detections in XMM-Newton even including complex model components such as reflection, relativistic lines and warm absorbers.
We explore the poloidal structure of two-dimensional (2D) MHD winds in relation to their potential association with the X-ray warm absorbers (WAs) and the highly-ionized ultra-fast outflows (UFOs) in AGN, in a single unifying approach. We present the
density $n(r,theta)$, ionization parameter $xi(r,theta)$, and velocity structure $v(r,theta)$ of such ionized winds for typical values of their fluid-to-magnetic flux ratio, $F$, and specific angular momentum, $H$, for which wind solutions become super-Alfvenic. We explore the geometrical shape of winds for different values of these parameters and delineate the values that produce the widest and narrowest opening angles of these winds, quantities necessary in the determination of the statistics of AGN obscuration. We find that winds with smaller $H$ show a poloidal geometry of narrower opening angles with their Alfven surface at lower inclination angles and therefore they produce the highest line of sight (LoS) velocities for observers at higher latitudes with the respect to the disk plane. We further note a physical and spatial correlation between the X-ray WAs and UFOs that form along the same LoS to the observer but at different radii, $r$, and distinct values of $n$, $xi$ and $v$ consistent with the latest spectroscopic data of radio-quiet Seyfert galaxies. We also show that, at least in the case of 3C 111, the winds pressure is sufficient to contain the relativistic plasma responsible for its radio emission. Stratified MHD disk-winds could therefore serve as a unique means to understand and unify the diverse AGN outflows.
