The Compact, Conical, Accretion-Disk Warm Absorber of the Seyfert 1 Galaxy NGC 4051 and Its Implications for IGM-Galaxy Feedback Processes
Using a 100 ks XMM-Newton exposure of NGC 4051, we show that the time evolution of the ionlzation state of the X-ray absorbers in response to the rapid and highly variable X-ray continuum constrains all the main physical and geometrical properties of an AGN "warm absorber" wind. The absorb...
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Veröffentlicht in: | The Astrophysical journal 2007-04, Vol.659 (2), p.1022-1039 |
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Sprache: | eng |
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Zusammenfassung: | Using a 100 ks XMM-Newton exposure of NGC 4051, we show that the time evolution of the ionlzation state of the X-ray absorbers in response to the rapid and highly variable X-ray continuum constrains all the main physical and geometrical properties of an AGN "warm absorber" wind. The absorber consists of two different ionization components, with a difference of approximately 100 in ionization parameter and approximately 5 in column density. By tracking the response in the opacity of the gas to changes in the ionizing continuum, we were able to constrain the electron density of the system. We find n [unk] = (5.8-21.0) X 10 super(6) cm super(-3) for the high-ionization absorber and n [unk] > 8.1 x 10 super(7) cm super(-3) for the low-ionization absorber. These densities require that the high- and low-ionization absorbing components of NGC 4051 must be compact, at distances 0.5-1.0 It-days (2200R sub(s) 4400R sub(s)) and |
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ISSN: | 0004-637X 1538-4357 |
DOI: | 10.1086/512476 |