The Ubiquity of AGN Winds in Seyfert 1 Galaxies at Low Redshift

Abstract

Abstract The optical spectra of 3896 Seyfert 1 (Sy1) galaxies detected with WISE at z < 0.4 were analyzed for evidence of outflows. In 37% of the Sy1s in our sample, the outflows appear as broad, blue-shifted, spectrally resolved components of the [O iii]λ5007 Å emission line, with a mean maximum velocity V max ∼ 1014 km s−1 that is consistent with AGN winds. For each Sy1, we deduced the black hole (BH) mass, bolometric luminosity, Eddington ratio, and power-law index of the continuum, which we compared with the star formation rate (SFR) and host morphology. Having separated our sample in two spectroscopic subgroups—Sy1s with only broad Balmer lines (Sy1B) and those with both narrow and broad (Sy1N) lines—and distinguishing those that show as outflow (Sy1Bw and Sy1Nw), we report the following differences: (1) the BH mass is systematically higher and the power-law steeper in the Sy1B–Sy1Bw than in the Sy1N–Sy1Nw; (2) V max is higher in the Sy1Bw than in the Sy1Nw, correlated in both groups with the BH mass and bolometric luminosity; (3) the Eddington ratio and SFR are higher in the Sy1 with outflows; and (4) the specific star formation rates (sSFRs) of the Sy1s are normal for their morphology and mass, typical of early-type spiral galaxies in the green valley, far from the quenched regime. From these results, we conclude that AGN winds in Sy1s are triggered by higher accretion rates and probably radiatively launched, and there is no clear evidence of an effect on the star formation.