Abstract
Aims. To elucidate the location, physical conditions, mass outflow rate, and kinetic luminosity of the outflow from the active nucleus of the Seyfert 1 galaxy Mrk 509, we used coordinated UV and X-ray spectral observations in 2012 to follow up our lengthier campaign conducted in 2009. Methods. We observed Mrk 509 with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) on 2012-09-03 and 2012-10-11 coordinated with X-ray observations using the High Energy Transmission Grating on the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Our far-ultraviolet spectra used grating G140L on COS to cover wavelengths from 920–2000 Å at a resolving power of ∼2000, and gratings G130M and G160M to cover 1160–1750 Å at a resolving power of ∼15, 000. Results. We detect variability in the blueshifted UV absorption lines on timescales spanning 3–12 years. The inferred densities in the absorbing gas are greater than log n cm−3 ∼ 3. For ionization parameters ranging over log U = −1.5 to −0.2, we constrain the distances of the absorbers to be closer than 220 pc to the active nucleus. Conclusions. The impact on the host galaxy appears to be confined to the nuclear region.
Highlights
As one of the brightest Seyfert galaxies, Mrk 509 has been the target of many campaigns to understand its physical characteristics in greater detail as an aid to understanding the physics of active galactic nuclei (AGN) in general
These features were studied at more detail and at higher spectral resolution with the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE; Kriss et al 2000) and the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST; Kraemer et al 2003)
In the case of trough T7, the change we see in the 3 years between the two Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) observations implies a minimum density of log ne cm−3 > 2.4 and a corresponding upper limit on its distance of 120 pc that is comparable to the upper limit based on nondetection
Summary
The galaxy-wide nature of this outflow is manifested by extended, blueshifted emission from [O iii] in optical longslit spectra (Phillips et al 1983), HST images (Fischer et al 2015), and ground-based integral-field unit (IFU) observations (Liu et al 2015) Such outflows powered by the central AGN are often invoked in models of galaxy formation in order to ameliorate several related issues. In 2009 we undertook an extensive monitoring campaign on Mrk 509 using XMM-Newton, Chandra, HST, Swift, and INTEGRAL (Kaastra et al 2011) This campaign established the location of several of the components of the UV outflow (Kriss et al 2011; Arav et al 2012) and the X-ray absorbers (Kaastra et al 2012).
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
