BAL QSOs Research Articles

Spectroscopy of Broad Absorption Line Quasars at 3 ≲ Z ≲ 5. I. Evidence for Quasar Winds Shaping Broad/Narrow Emission Line Regions

Abstract We present an observational study of 22 broad absorption line quasars (BAL QSOs) at based on optical/near-IR spectroscopy, aiming to investigate quasar winds and their effects. The near-IR spectroscopy covers the Hβ and/or Mg ii broad emission lines (BELs) for these quasars, allowing us to estimate their central black hole (BH) masses in a robust way. We found that our BAL QSOs, on average, do not have a higher Eddington ratio than that from non-BAL QSOs matched in redshift and/or luminosity. In a subset consisting of seven strong BAL QSOs possessing subrelativistic BAL outflows, we see the prevalence of large C iv BEL blueshift (∼3100 km s−1) and weak [O iii] emission (particularly the narrow [O iii] λ5007 component), indicative of nuclear outflows affecting the narrow emission line (NEL) regions. In another subset consisting of 13 BAL QSOs having simultaneous observations of Mg ii and Hβ, we found a strong correlation between 3000 and 5000 Å monochromatic luminosity, consistent with that from non-BAL QSOs matched in redshift and luminosity; however, there is no correlation between Mg ii and Hβ in FWHM, likely due to nuclear outflows influencing the BEL regions. Our spectroscopic investigations offer strong evidence that the presence of nuclear outflows plays an important role in shaping the BEL/NEL regions of these quasars and, possibly, regulating the growth of central supermassive BHs. We propose that BEL blueshift and BALs could be different manifestations of the same outflow system viewed at different sight lines and/or phases.

A global view of the inner accretion and ejection flow around super massive black holes

Context.Understanding the physics and geometry of accretion and ejection around super massive black holes (SMBHs) is important to understand the evolution of active galactic nuclei (AGN) and therefore of the large scale structures of the Universe.Aims.We aim at providing a simple, coherent, and global view of the sub-parsec accretion and ejection flow in AGN with varying Eddington ratio,ṁ, and black hole mass,MBH.Methods.We made use of theoretical insights, results of numerical simulations, as well as UV and X-ray observations to review the inner regions of AGN by including different accretion and ejection modes, with special emphasis on the role of radiation in driving powerful accretion disk winds from the inner regions around the central SMBH.Results.We propose fiveṁregimes where the physics of the inner accretion and ejection flow around SMBHs is expected to change, and that correspond observationally to quiescent and inactive galaxies; low luminosity AGN (LLAGN); Seyferts and mini-broad absorption line quasars (mini-BAL QSOs); narrow line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLS1s) and broad absorption line quasars (BAL QSOs); and super-Eddington sources. We include in this scenario radiation-driven disk winds, which are strong in the highṁ, largeMBHregime, and possibly present but likely weak in the moderateṁ, smallMBHregime.Conclusions.A great diversity of the accretion/ejection flows in AGN can be explained to a good degree by varying just two fundamental properties: the Eddington ratioṁand the black hole massMBH, and by the inclusion of accretion disk winds that can naturally be launched by the radiation emitted from luminous accretion disks.

Classification of Broad Absorption Line Quasars with a Convolutional Neural Network

Abstract Quasars that exhibit blueshifted, broad absorption lines (BAL QSOs) are an important probe of black hole feedback on galaxy evolution. Yet the presence of BALs is also a complication for large spectroscopic surveys that use quasars as cosmological probes because the BAL features can affect redshift measurements and contaminate information about the matter distribution in the Lyα forest. We present a new BAL QSO catalog for quasars in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Data Release 14 (DR14). As the SDSS DR14 quasar catalog has over 500,000 quasars, we have developed an automated BAL classifier with a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). We trained our CNN classifier on the C iv λ 1549 region of a sample of quasars with reliable human classifications, and compared the results to both a dedicated test sample and visual classifications from the earlier SDSS DR12 quasar catalog. Our CNN classifier correctly classifies over 98% of the BAL quasars in the DR12 catalog, which demonstrates comparable reliability to human classification. The disagreements are generally for quasars with lower signal-to-noise ratio spectra and/or weaker BAL features. Our new catalog includes the probability that each quasar is a BAL, the strength, blueshifts and velocity widths of the troughs, and similar information for any Si iv λ 1398 BAL troughs that may be present. We find significant BAL features in 16.8% of all quasars with 1.57 < z < 5.56 in the SDSS DR14 quasar catalog.

The Broad Absorption Line Tidal Disruption Event iPTF15af: Optical and Ultraviolet Evolution

Abstract We present multiwavelength observations of the tidal disruption event (TDE) iPTF15af, discovered by the intermediate Palomar Transient Factory survey at redshift z = 0.07897. The optical and ultraviolet (UV) light curves of the transient show a slow decay over 5 months, in agreement with previous optically discovered TDEs. It also has a comparable blackbody peak luminosity of . The inferred temperature from the optical and UV data shows a value of (3–5) × 104 K. The transient is not detected in X-rays up to within the first 5 months after discovery. The optical spectra exhibit two distinct broad emission lines in the He ii region, and at later times also Hα emission. Additionally, emission from [N iii] and [O iii] is detected, likely produced by the Bowen fluorescence effect. UV spectra reveal broad emission and absorption lines associated with high-ionization states of N v, C iv, Si iv, and possibly P v. These features, analogous to those of broad absorption line quasars (BAL QSOs), require an absorber with column densities cm−2. This optically thick gas would also explain the nondetection in soft X-rays. The profile of the absorption lines with the highest column density material at the largest velocity is opposite that of BAL QSOs. We suggest that radiation pressure generated by the TDE flare at early times could have provided the initial acceleration mechanism for this gas. Spectral UV line monitoring of future TDEs could test this proposal.

A multi-epoch spectroscopic study of the BAL quasar APM 08279+5255

The study of high-redshift bright quasars is crucial to gather information about the history of galaxy assembly and evolution. Variability analyses can provide useful data on the physics of the quasar processes and their relation with the host galaxy. In this study, we aim at measuring the black hole mass of the bright lensed BAL QSO APM 08279+5255 at $z=3.911$ through reverberation mapping, and at updating and extending the monitoring of its C IV absorption line variability. Thanks to 138 R-band photometric data and 30 spectra available over 16 years of observations, we perform the first reverberation mapping of the Si IV and C IV emission lines for a high-luminosity quasar at high redshift. We also cross-correlate the C IV absorption equivalent width variations with the continuum light curve, in order to estimate the recombination time lags of the various absorbers and infer the physical conditions of the ionised gas. We find a reverberation-mapping time lag of $\sim 900$ rest-frame days for both Si IV and C IV emission lines. This is consistent with an extension of the BLR size-to-luminosity relation for active galactic nuclei up to a luminosity of $\sim 10^{48}$ erg/s, and implies a black hole mass of $10^{10}$ $M_\odot$. Additionally, we measure a recombination time lag of $\sim 160$ days in the rest frame for the C IV narrow absorption system, which implies an electron density of the absorbing gas of $\sim 2.5 \cdot 10^4$ cm$^{-3}$. The measured black hole mass of APM 08279+5255 indicates that the quasar resides in an under-massive host-galaxy bulge with $M_{bulge} \sim 7.5 M_{BH}$, and that the lens magnification is lower than $\sim 8$. Finally, the inferred electron density of the narrow-line absorber implies a distance of the order of 10 kpc of the absorbing gas from the quasar, placing it within the host galaxy.

Restarting radio activity and dust emission in radio-loud broad absorption line quasars

Broad absorption line quasars (BAL QSOs) are objects showing absorption from relativistic outflows, with velocities up to 0.2c. These manifest, in about 15% of quasars, as absorption troughs on the blue side of UV emission lines, such as C iv and Mg ii. In this work, we complement the information collected in the cm band for our previously presented sample of radio loud BAL QSOs with new observations at m and mm bands. Our aim is to verify the presence of old, extended radio components in the MHz range, and probe the emission of dust (linked to star formation) in the mm domain. We observed 5 sources from our sample, already presenting hints of low-frequency emission, with the GMRT at 235 and 610 MHz. Other 17 sources (more than half the sample) were observed with bolometer cameras at IRAM-30m and APEX. All sources observed with the GMRT present extended emission at a scale of tens of kpc. In some cases these measurements allow us to identify a second component in the SED, at frequencies below 1.4 GHz, beyond the one already studied in the GHz domain. In the mm-band, only one source shows emission clearly ascribable to dust. Upper limits were obtained for the remaining targets. These findings confirm that BAL QSOs can also be present in old radio sources, or even in restarting ones, where favourable conditions for the outflow launching/acceleration are present. A suggestion that these outflows could be precursors of the jet comes from the fact that ~70% of our sample can be considered in a GigaHertz Peaked Spectrum (GPS) or Compact Steep Spectrum (CSS)+GPS phase. This would confirm the idea proposed by other authors that these outflows could be recollimated to form the jet. Comparing with previous works in the literature, dust emission seems to be weaker than the what expected in 'normal' QSOs, suggesting that a feedback mechanism could inhibit star formation in radio-loud BAL QSOs.

IS THERE A CONNECTION BETWEEN BROAD ABSORPTION LINE QUASARS AND NARROW-LINE SEYFERT 1 GALAXIES?

We consider whether Broad Absorption Line Quasars (BAL QSOs) and Narrow Line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLS1s) are similar, as suggested by Brandt & Gallagher (2000) and Boroson (2002). For this purpose we constructed a sample of 11 BAL QSOs from existing Chandra and Swift observations. We found that BAL QSOs and NLS1s both operate at high Eddington ratios L/Ledd, although BAL QSOs have slightly lower L/Ledd. BAL QSOs and NLS1s in general have high FeII/H$\beta$ and low [OIII]/H$\beta$ ratios following the classic 'Boroson \& Green' eigenvector 1 relation. We also found that the mass accretion rates $\dot{M}$ of BAL QSOs and NLS1s are more similar than previously thought, although some BAL QSOs exhibit extreme mass accretion rates of more than 10 \msun/year. These extreme mass accretion rates may suggest that the black holes in BAL QSOs are relativistically spinning. Black hole masses in BAL QSOs are a factor of 100 larger than NLS1s. From their location on a M-$\sigma$ plot, we find that BAL QSOs contain fully developed black holes. Applying a principal component analysis to our sample we find eigenvector 1 to correspond to the Eddington ratio L/Ledd, and eigenvector 2 to black hole mass.

Variability in Low Ionization Broad Absorption Line outflows

We present results of our time variability studies of Mg II and Al III absorption lines in a sample of 22 Low Ionization Broad Absorption Line QSOs (LoBAL QSOs) at 0.2 <= zem <= 2.1 using the 2m telescope at IUCAA Girawali Observatory over a time-scale of 10 days to 7.69 years in the QSO's rest frame. Spectra are analysed in conjunction with photometric light curves from Catalina Real-Time Transient Survey. Long time-scale (i.e >= 1 year) absorption line variability is seen in 8 cases (36% systems) while only 4 of them (i.e 18% systems) show variability over short time-scales (i.e < 1 year). We notice a tendency of highly variable LoBAL QSOs to have high ejection velocity, low equivalent width and low redshift. The detection rate of variability in LoBAL QSOs showing Fe fine-structure lines (FeLoBAL QSOs) is less than that seen in non-Fe LoBAL QSOs. Absorption line variability is more frequently detected in QSOs having continuum dominated by Fe emission lines compared to rest of the QSOs. Confirming these trends with a bigger sample will give vital clues for understanding the physical distinction between different BAL QSO sub-classes. We correlate the absorption line variability with various parameters derived from continuum light curves and find no clear correlation between continuum flux and absorption line variabilities. However, sources with large absorption line variability also show large variability in their light curves. We also see appearance/disappearance of absorption components in 2 cases and clear indications for profile variations in 4 cases. The observed variability can be best explained by a combination of process driven by continuum variations and clouds transiting across the line of sight.

The Supermassive Black Hole—Galaxy Connection

The observed scaling relations imply that supermassive black holes (SMBH) and their host galaxies evolve together. Near-Eddington winds from the SMBH accretion discs explain many aspects of this connection. The wind Eddington factor \(\dot{m}\) should be in the range ∼1–30. A factor \(\dot{m}\sim 1\) give black hole winds with velocities v∼0.1c, observable in X-rays, just as seen in the most extreme ultrafast outflows (UFOs). Higher Eddington factors predict slower and less ionized winds, observable in the UV, as in BAL QSOs.

The parsec-scale structure of radio-loud broad absorption line quasars

Broad absorption line quasars (BAL QSOs) belong to a class of objects not well-understood as yet. Their UV spectra show BALs in the blue wings of the UV resonance lines, owing to ionized gas with outflow velocities up to 0.2 c. They can have radio emission that is difficult to characterize and that needs to be studied at various wavelengths and resolutions. We aim to study the pc-scale properties of their synchrotron emission and, in particular, to determine their core properties. We performed observations in the Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) technique, using both the European VLBI Network (EVN) at 5 GHz, and the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) at 5 and 8.4 GHz to map the pc-scale structure of the brightest radio-loud objects of our sample, allowing a proper morphological interpretation. A variety of morphologies have been found: 9 BAL QSOs on a total of 11 observed sources have a resolved structure. Core-jet, double, and symmetric objects are present, suggesting different orientations. In some cases the sources can be young GPS or CSS. The projected linear size of the sources, also considering observations from our previous work for the same objects, can vary from tens of pc to hundreds of kpc. In some cases, a diffuse emission can be supposed from the missing flux-density with respect to previous lower resolution observations. Finally, the magnetic field strength does not significantly differ from the values found in the literature for radio sources with similar sizes. These results are not easily interpreted with the youth scenario for BAL QSOs, in which they are generally compact objects still expelling a dust cocoon. The variety of orientations, morphologies, and extensions found are presumably related to different possible angles for the BAL producing outflows, with respect to the jet axis. Moreover, the phenomenon could be present in various phases of the QSO evolution.

BAL QSOs AND EXTREME UFOs: THE EDDINGTON CONNECTION

We suggest a common physical origin connecting the fast, highly ionized winds (UFOs) seen in nearby AGN, and the slower and less ionized winds of BAL QSOs. The primary difference is the mass loss rate in the wind, which is ultimately determined by the rate at which mass is fed towards the central supermassive black hole (SMBH) on large scales. This is below the Eddington accretion rate in most UFOs, and slightly super-Eddington in extreme UFOs such as PG1211+143, but ranges up to $\sim 10-50$ times this in BAL QSOs. For UFOs this implies black hole accretion rates and wind mass loss rates which are at most comparable to Eddington, giving fast, highly-ionized winds. In contrast BAL QSO black holes have mildly super-Eddington accretion rates, and drive winds whose mass loss rates are significantly super-Eddington, and so are slower and less ionized. This picture correctly predicts the velocities and ionization states of the observed winds, including the recently-discovered one in SDSS J1106+1939. We suggest that luminous AGN may evolve through a sequence from BAL QSO through LoBAL to UFO-producing Seyfert or quasar as their Eddington factors drop during the decay of a bright accretion event. LoBALs correspond to a short-lived stage in which the AGN radiation pressure largely evacuates the ionization cone, but before the large-scale accretion rate has dropped to the Eddington value. We show that sub-Eddington wind rates would produce an $M - \sigma$ relation lying above that observed. We conclude that significant SMBH mass growth must occur in super-Eddington phases, either as BAL QSOs, extreme UFOs, or obscured from direct observation.

Herschel-ATLAS: the far-infrared properties and star formation rates of broad absorption line quasi-stellar objects

We have used data from the Herschel-ATLAS at 250, 350 and 500 \mu m to determine the far-infrared (FIR) properties of 50 Broad Absorption Line Quasars (BAL QSOs). Our sample contains 49 high-ionization BAL QSOs (HiBALs) and 1 low-ionization BAL QSO (LoBAL) which are compared against a sample of 329 non-BAL QSOs. These samples are matched over the redshift range 1.5 \leq z < 2.3 and in absolute i-band magnitude over the range -28 \leq M_{i} \leq -24. Of these, 3 BAL QSOs (HiBALs) and 27 non-BAL QSOs are detected at the > 5 sigma level. We calculate star-formation rates (SFR) for our individually detected HiBAL QSOs and the non-detected LoBAL QSO as well as average SFRs for the BAL and non-BAL QSO samples based on stacking the Herschel data. We find no difference between the HiBAL and non-BAL QSO samples in the FIR, even when separated based on differing BAL QSO classifications. Using Mrk 231 as a template, the weighted mean SFR is estimated to be \approx240\pm21 M_{\odot} yr^{-1} for the full sample, although this figure should be treated as an upper limit if AGN-heated dust makes a contribution to the FIR emission. Despite tentative claims in the literature, we do not find a dependence of {\sc C\,iv} equivalent width on FIR emission, suggesting that the strength of any outflow in these objects is not linked to their FIR output. These results strongly suggest that BAL QSOs (more specifically HiBALs) can be accommodated within a simple AGN unified scheme in which our line-of-sight to the nucleus intersects outflowing material. Models in which HiBALs are caught towards the end of a period of enhanced spheroid and black-hole growth, during which a wind terminates the star-formation activity, are not supported by the observed FIR properties.

The central structure of Broad Absorption Line QSOs: observational characteristics in the cm-mm wavelength domain

Accounting for ∼20% of the total QSO population, Broad Absorption Line QSOs are still an unsolved problem in the AGN context. They present wide troughs in the UV spectrum, due to material with velocities up to 0.2 c toward the observer. The two models proposed in literature try to explain them as a particular phase of the evolution of QSOs or as normal QSOs, but seen from a particular line of sight.We built a statistically complete sample of Radio-Loud BAL QSOs, and carried out an observing campaign to piece together the whole spectrum in the cm wavelength domain, and highlight all the possible differences with respect to a comparison sample of Radio-Loud non-BAL QSOs. VLBI observations at high angular resolution have been performed, to study the pc-scale morphology of these objects. Finally, we tried to detect a possible dust component with observations at mm-wavelengths.Results do not seem to indicate a young age for all BAL QSOs. Instead a variety of orientations and morphologies have been found, constraining the outflows foreseen by the orientation model to have different possible angles with respect to the jet axis.

Radio spectra and polarisation properties of a bright sample of radio-loud broad absorption line quasars

The origin of broad-absorption-line quasars (BAL QSOs) is still an open issue. Accounting for ~20% of the QSO population, these objects present broad absorption lines in their optical spectra generated from outflows with velocities up to 0.2c. In this work we present the results of a multi-frequency study of a well-defined radio-loud BAL QSO sample, and a comparison sample of radio-loud non-BAL QSOs, both selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). We aim to test which of the currently-popular models for the BAL phenomenon - `orientation' or 'evolutionary' - best accounts for the radio properties of BAL quasars. Observations from 1.4 to 43 GHz have been obtained with the VLA and Effelsberg telescopes, and data from 74 to 408 MHz have been compiled from the literature. The fractions of candidate GHz-peaked sources are similar in the two samples (36\pm12% vs 23\pm8%), suggesting that BAL QSOs are not generally younger than non-BAL QSOs. BAL and non-BAL QSOs show a large range of spectral indices, consistent with a broad range of orientations. There is weak evidence (91% confidence) that the spectral indices of the BAL QSOs are steeper than those of non-BAL QSOs, mildly favouring edge-on orientations. At a higher level of significance (\geq97%), the spectra of BAL QSOs are not flatter than those of non-BAL QSOs, which suggests that a polar orientation is not preferred.

Orientation effects in quasar spectra: the broad- and narrow-line regions

We use the SDSS, along with the NVSS and the WENSS to define a sample of 746 radio-loud quasars and measure their 330MHz to 1.4GHz spectral indexes. Following previous authors we take the spectral index as an indicator of the orientation towards the quasars with more pole-on sources having flatter spectral indexes. We use this proxy for orientation to investigate the effect observing angle may have on optical spectra. Quasars with flatter spectral indexes tend to be brighter. However, we find no indication of reddening in steep-spectrum objects to indicate obscuration by a torus as a possible explanation. Nor do we find increased redddening in the flat-spectrum sources which could imply a contribution from jet-related emission. We reproduce a previously-described anti-correlation between the width of the MgII line and radio spectral index indicating a disk-like geometry for the MgII BLR. In contrast to previous authors we find no such correlation for the CIV line suggesting a more isotropic high-ionisation BLR. Both the [OII] and [OIII] narrow lines have more flux in steep spectrum sources while the [OII]/[OIII] flux ratio is lower in these sources. To describe both of these effects we propose a simple geometric model in which the NLR exists primarily on the surface of optically thick clouds facing the active nucleus and the NLR is stratified such that higher-ionisation lines are found preferentially closer to the nucleus. Quantitatively we find that orientation may effect the observed strength of narrow lines, as well as ratios between lines, by a factor of ~2. These findings have implications for the use of narrow emission lines to estimate bolometric luminosities, as well as comparisons between narrow line luminosity functions for type 1s and type 2s, and the potential of emission-line diagnostic diagrams as an accurate tool with which to distinguish classes of AGN.

Radio Structures of Compact Quasars with Broad Absorption Lines

AbstractBroad absorption lines (BALs), seen in a small fraction of both the radio-quiet and radio-loud quasar populations, are probably caused by the outflow of gas with high velocities and are part of the accretion process. The presence of BALs is due to a geometrical effect and/or it is connected with the quasar evolution. Using the final release of FIRST survey combined with a catalog of BAL QSOs from SDSS/DR3, we have constructed a new sample of compact radio-loud BAL QSOs, which constitutes the majority of radio-loud BAL QSOs. The main goal of this project is to study the origin of BALs by analysis of the BAL QSOs radio morphology, orientation, and jet evolution using the European VLBI Network (EVN) at 1.6 GHz and the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) at 5 and 8.4 GHz.

X-RAY INSIGHTS INTO THE PHYSICS OF MINI-BAL QUASAR OUTFLOWS

We examine the UV and X-ray properties of 256 radio-quiet SDSS quasars (QSOs) observed in X-rays with Chandra and/or XMM-Newton in order to study the relationship between QSOs with broad CIV absorption lines (BALs; width >2000 km/s) and those with CIV mini-BALs (here defined to have widths of 1000--2000 km/s). Our sample includes 42 BAL and 48 mini-BAL QSOs. The relative X-ray brightness and hard spectral slopes of the mini-BAL population are, on average, intermediate between those of BAL and non-BAL QSOs, as might be expected if narrower and broader absorption line outflows are physically related. However, a significant population of mini-BALs has outflow velocities higher than would be expected for BAL QSOs of the same relative X-ray brightness. Consistenly strong X-ray absorption is apparently not required to accelerate at least some mini-BALs to high outflow velocities. Assuming the mini-BAL features are correctly attributed to intrinsic CIV absorption, we suggest that their observed properties may be explained if mini-BALs are "seeds" which can be accelerated to form BALs when sufficient X-ray shielding is present. We also examine several QSOs with broad CIV absorption that have been recently reported to be unusually X-ray bright. Such cases are frequently mini-BAL QSOs, which as a population are generally brighter in X-rays than BAL QSOs. Pointed XMM-Newton observations also suggest that these sources (or unresolved neighbors) may have been previously observed in a high flux state.

Are radio‐loud Broad Absorption Line Quasars young sources?

AbstractStudying Broad Absorption Line Quasars (BAL QSOs) is interesting because they probe the physics of the AGN environment, and because AGN outflows are important ingredients in many recent astrophysical puzzles. In the last decade, a substantial population of radio BAL QSOs was discovered and we have started a characterisation of the radio‐loud BAL QSO population studying their radio spectra, radio morphology and polarisation properties. Our high‐resolution radio maps show that BAL QSOs are compact radio sources with projected linear sizes below 1 kpc. Most BAL QSOs in our sample are unpolarised or weakly polarised at 8.4 GHz. They display convex radio spectra which typically flatten at low frequencies and become steeper at high frequencies, i.e. above 20 GHz. Many of these characteristics are common to the population of young radio sources, like Compact Steep Spectrum (CSS) or Gigahertz‐Peaked Spectrum (GPS) sources. The above supports the hypothesis that BAL QSOs might be related to the initial stages in the AGN evolution (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &amp; Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

GEMINI 3D spectroscopy of BAL + IR + Fe ii QSOs - I. Decoupling the BAL, QSO, starburst, NLR, supergiant bubbles and galactic wind in Mrk 231

In this work we present the first results of a study of BAL QSOs (at low and high redshift), based on very deep Gemini GMOS integral field spectroscopy. In particular, the results obtained for the nearest BAL IR QSO Mrk 231 are presented. Very deep three-dimensional spectra and maps clearly show that the BAL systems I and II are extended (reaching 1.4-1.6" = 1.2-1.3 kpc, from the nucleus) and clearly elongated at the position angle close to the radio jet PA. Which suggest that the BAL systems I and II are both associated with the radio jet, and supporting the bipolar jet-wind model for some BALs. For the nuclear region of Mrk 231, the QSO and host-galaxy components were modelled, using a new technique of decoupling 3D spectra. From this study, the following main results were found: (i) in the pure host galaxy spectrum an extreme nuclear starburst component was clearly observed, mainly as a very strong increase in the flux, at the blue wavelengths; (ii) the BAL system I is observed in the spectrum of the host galaxy; (iii) in the clean/pure QSO emission spectrum, only broad lines were detected. 3D GMOS individual spectra (specially in the IR Ca II triplet) and maps confirm the presence of an extreme and young nuclear starburst (8 < age < 15 Myr), which was detected mainly in a ring or toroid with a radius r = 0.3" = 200 pc, around the very nucleus. The physical properties of the four expanding nuclear bubbles were analysed, using the GMOS 3D spectra and maps. These results suggest that an important part of the nuclear NLR is generated by the OF process and the associated low velocity ionizing shocks.

Physical and kinematical properties of the X-ray absorber in the broad absorption line quasar APM 08279+5255

Context. We have re-analyzed the X-ray spectra of the gravitational lensed high-redshift BAL QSO APM 08279+5255, observed with the XMM−Newton and Chandra observatories. Previous studies (Hasinger et al. 2002, ApJ, 573, L77; Chartas et al. 2002, ApJ, 579, 169) detected unusual, highly-ionized iron absorption features, but differed in their interpretation of these features, regarding the kinematical and ionization structure. Aims. We seek one physical model that can be successfully applied to both observations. Methods. For the first time we have performed detailed photoionization modeling on the X-ray spectrum of APM 08279+5255. Results. The absorbing gas in APM 08279+5255 can be represented by a two-absorbers model with column densities NH(1) ≈ 7 × 10 22 cm −2 , NH(2) ≈ 6 × 10 22 cm −2 , and ionization parameters log ξ(1) ≈ 1. 5a nd logξ(2) ≈ 3, with one of them (the high-ionization component) outflowing at v ≈ 0.18(±0.01)c, carrying large amount of gas out of the system. We find that the Chandra spectrum of APM 08279+5255 requires the same Fe/O ratio overabundance (previously) indicated by the XMM−Newton observation, showing that both absorber components underwent similar chemical evolution and/or have similar origin.