arXiv subjects

A. C. Fabian

Publications and source records attributed to A. C. Fabian.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv2021

A Massive, Clumpy Molecular Gas Distribution and Displaced AGN in Zw 3146

We present a recent ALMA observation of the CO(1-0) line emission in the central galaxy of the Zw 3146 galaxy cluster ($z=0.2906$). We also present updated X-ray cavity measurements from archival Chandra observations. The $5\times 10^{10}\,M_{\odot}$ supply of molecular gas, which is confined to the central 4 kpc, is marginally resolved into three extensions that are reminiscent of the filaments observed in similar systems. No velocity structure that would be indicative of ordered motion is observed. The three molecular extensions all trail X-ray cavities, and are potentially formed from the condensation of intracluster gas lifted in the wakes of the rising bubbles. Many cycles of feedback would be require to account for the entire molecular gas reservoir. The molecular gas and continuum source are mutually offset by 2.6 kpc, with no detected line emission coincident with the continuum source. It is the molecular gas, not the continuum source, that lies at the gravitational center of the brightest cluster galaxy. As the brightest cluster galaxy contains possible tidal features, the displaced continuum source may correspond to the nucleus of a merging galaxy. We also discuss the possibility that a gravitational wave recoil following a black hole merger may account for the displacement.

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arXiv2021

AGN-driven galactic outflows: comparing models to observations

The actual mechanism(s) powering galactic outflows in active galactic nuclei (AGN) is still a matter of debate. At least two physical models have been considered in the literature: wind shocks and radiation pressure on dust. Here we provide a first quantitative comparison of the AGN radiative feedback scenario with observations of galactic outflows. We directly compare our radiation pressure-driven shell models with the observational data from the most recent compilation of molecular outflows on galactic scales. We show that the observed dynamics and energetics of galactic outflows can be reproduced by AGN radiative feedback, with the inclusion of radiation trapping and/or luminosity evolution. The predicted scalings of the outflow energetics with AGN luminosity can also quantitatively account for the observational scaling relations. Furthermore, sources with both ultra-fast and molecular outflow detections are found to be located in the `forbidden' region of the $N_\mathrm{H} - λ$ plane. Overall, an encouraging agreement is obtained over a wide range of AGN and host galaxy parameters. We discuss our results in the context of recent observational findings and numerical simulations. In conclusion, AGN radiative feedback is a promising mechanism for driving galactic outflows that should be considered, alongside wind feedback, in the interpretation of future observational data.

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arXiv2020

A New Transient Ultraluminous X-ray Source in NGC 7090

We report on the discovery of a new, transient ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX) in the galaxy NGC 7090. This new ULX, which we refer to as NGC 7090 ULX3, was discovered via monitoring with $Swift$ during 2019-20, and to date has exhibited a peak luminosity of $L_{\rm{X}} \sim 6 \times 10^{39}$ erg s$^{-1}$. Archival searches show that, prior to its recent transition into the ULX regime, ULX3 appeared to exhibit a fairly stable luminosity of $L_{\rm{X}} \sim 10^{38}$ erg s$^{-1}$. Such strong long-timescale variability may be reminiscent of the small population of known ULX pulsars, although deep follow-up observations with $XMM$-$Newton$ and $NuSTAR$ do not reveal any robust X-ray pulsation signals. Pulsations similar to those seen from known ULX pulsars cannot be completely excluded, however, as the limit on the pulsed fraction of any signal that remains undetected in these data is $\lesssim$20\%. The broadband spectrum from these observations is well modelled with a simple thin disc model, consistent with sub-Eddington accretion, which may instead imply a moderately large black hole accretor ($M_{\rm{BH}} \sim 40 ~ M_{\odot}$). Similarly, though, more complex models consistent with the super-Eddington spectra seen in other ULXs (and the known ULX pulsars) cannot be excluded given the limited signal-to-noise of the available broadband data. The nature of the accretor powering this new ULX therefore remains uncertain.

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arXiv2020

MAXI J1820+070 with NuSTAR II. Flaring during the hard to soft state transition with a long soft lag

We continue the analysis of NuSTAR data from the recent discovery outburst of MAXI J1820+070 (optical counterpart ASASSN-18ey), focussing on an observation including unusual flaring behaviour during the hard to soft state transition, which is a short phase of outbursts and so comparatively rarely observed. Two plateaus in flux are separated by a variable interval lasting ~10 ks, which shows dipping then flaring stages. The variability is strongest (with fractional variability up to $F_{\rm Var}\sim10\%$) at high energies and reduces as the contribution from disc emission becomes stronger. Flux-resolved spectra show that the variability is primarily due to the power law flux changing. We also find a long soft lag of the thermal behind the power law emission, which is $20_{-1.2}^{+1.6}$ s during the flaring phase. The lag during the dipping stage has a different lag-energy spectrum, which may be due to a wave passing outwards through the disc. Time resolved spectral fitting suggests that the lag during the flaring stage may be due to the disc re-filling after being disrupted to produce the power law flare, perhaps related to the system settling after the jet ejection which occurred around 1 day before. The timescales of these phenomena imply a low viscosity parameter, $α\sim10^{-3}$, for the inner region of the disc.

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arXiv2020

Exploring the hot gaseous halo around an extremely massive and relativistic jet launching spiral galaxy with XMM-Newton

We present a deep XMM-Newton observation of the extremely massive, rapidly rotating, relativistic-jet-launching spiral galaxy 2MASX J23453268-0449256. Diffuse X-ray emission from the hot gaseous halo around the galaxy is robustly detected out to a radius of 160 kpc, corresponding roughly to 35 per cent of the virial radius ($\approx 450$ kpc). We fit the X-ray emission with the standard isothermal $β$ model, and it is found that the enclosed gas mass within 160 kpc is $1.15_{-0.24}^{+0.22} \times 10^{11} \, \rm{M}_{\odot}$. Extrapolating the gas mass profile out to the virial radius, the estimated gas mass is $8.25_{-1.77}^{+1.62} \times 10^{11} \, \rm{M}_{\odot}$, which makes up roughly 65 per cent of the total baryon mass content of the galaxy. When the stellar mass is considered and accounting for the statistical and systematic uncertainties, the baryon mass fraction within the virial radius is $0.121_{-0.043}^{+0.043}$, in agreement with the universal baryon fraction. The baryon mass fraction is consistent with all baryons falling within $r_{200}$, or with only half of the baryons falling within $r_{200}$. Similar to the massive spiral galaxies NGC 1961 and NGC 6753, we find a low value for the metal abundance of $\approx 0.1 {\rm{Z}}_{\odot}$, which appears uniform with radius. We also detect diffuse X-ray emission associated with the northern and southern lobes, possibly attributed to inverse Compton scattering of cosmic microwave background photons. The estimated energy densities of the electrons and magnetic field in these radio lobes suggest that they are electron-dominated by a factor of 10$-$200, depending on the choice of the lower cut-off energy of the electron spectrum.

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arXiv2020

On the relation between mini-halos and AGN feedback in clusters of galaxies

A variety of large-scale diffuse radio structures have been identified in many clusters with the advent of new state-of-the-art facilities in radio astronomy. Among these diffuse radio structures, radio mini-halos are found in the central regions of cool core clusters. Their origin is still unknown and they are challenging to discover; less than thirty have been published to date. Based on new VLA observations, we confirmed the mini-halo in the massive strong cool core cluster PKS 0745$-$191 ($z=0.1028$) and discovered one in the massive cool core cluster MACS J1447.4+0827 ($z=0.3755$). Furthermore, using a detailed analysis of all known mini-halos, we explore the relation between mini-halos and AGN feedback processes from the central galaxy. We find evidence of strong, previously unknown correlations between mini-halo radio power and X-ray cavity power, and between mini-halo and the central galaxy radio power related to the relativistic jets when spectrally decomposing the AGN radio emission into a component for past outbursts and one for on-going accretion. Overall, our study indicates that mini-halos are directly connected to the central AGN in clusters, following previous suppositions. We hypothesize that AGN feedback may be one of the dominant mechanisms giving rise to mini-halos by injecting energy into the intra-cluster medium and reaccelerating an old population of particles, while sloshing motion may drive the overall shape of mini-halos inside cold fronts. AGN feedback may therefore not only play a vital role in offsetting cooling in cool core clusters, but may also play a fundamental role in re-energizing non-thermal particles in clusters.

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arXiv2020

A Full Characterisation of the Supermassive Black Hole in IRAS 09149-6206

We present new broadband X-ray observations of the type-I Seyfert galaxy IRAS 09149-6206, taken in 2018 with $XMM$-$Newton$, $NuSTAR$ and $Swift$. The source is highly complex, showing a classic 'warm' X-ray absorber, additional absorption from highly ionised iron, strong relativistic reflection from the innermost accretion disc and further reprocessing by more distant material. By combining X-ray timing and spectroscopy, we have been able to fully characterise the supermassive black hole in this system, constraining both its mass and - for the first time - its spin. The mass is primarily determined by X-ray timing constraints on the break frequency seen in the power spectrum, and is found to be $\log[M_{\rm{BH}}/M_{\odot}] = 8.0 \pm 0.6$ (1$σ$ uncertainties). This is in good agreement with previous estimates based on the H$α$ and H$β$ line widths, and implies that IRAS 09149-6206 is radiating at close to (but still below) its Eddington luminosity. The spin is constrained via detailed modelling of the relativistic reflection, and is found to be $a^* = 0.94^{+0.02}_{-0.07}$ (90% confidence), adding IRAS 09149-6206 to the growing list of radio-quiet AGN that host rapidly rotating black holes. The outflow velocities of the various absorption components are all relatively modest ($v_{\rm{out}} \lesssim 0.03c$), implying these are unlikely to drive significant galaxy-scale AGN feedback.

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arXiv2020

Returning radiation in strong gravity around black holes: Reverberation from the accretion disc

We study reflected X-ray emission that returns to the accretion disc in the strong gravitational fields around black holes using General Relativistic ray tracing and radiative transfer calculations. Reflected X-rays that are produced when the inner regions of the disc are illuminated by the corona are subject to strong gravitational light bending, causing up to 47 per cent of the reflected emission to be returned to the disc around a rapidly spinning black hole, depending upon the scale height of the corona. The iron K line is enhanced relative to the continuum by 25 per cent, and the Compton hump by up to a factor of three. Additional light travel time between primary and secondary reflections increases the reverberation time lag measured in the iron K band by 49 per cent, while the soft X-ray lag is increased by 25 per cent and the Compton hump response time is increased by 60 per cent. Measured samples of X-ray reverberation lags are shown to be consistent with X-rays returning to the accretion disc in strong gravity. Understanding the effects of returning radiation is important in interpreting reverberation observations to probe black holes. Reflected X-rays returning to the disc can be uniquely identified by blueshifted returning iron K line photons that are Compton scattered from the inner disc, producing excess, delayed emission in the 3.5-4.5keV energy range that will be detectable with forthcoming X-ray observatories, representing a unique test of General Relativity in the strong field limit.

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arXiv2020

A Redshifted Inner Disk Atmosphere and Transient Absorbers in the Ultra-Compact Neutron Star X-ray Binary 4U 1916-053

The very small accretion disks in ultra-compact X-ray binaries (UCXBs) are special laboratories in which to study disk accretion and outflows. We report on three sets of new (250 ks total) and archival (50 ks) Chandra/HETG observations of the "dipping" neutron-star X-ray binary 4U 1916$-$053, which has an orbital period of $P\simeq 50$~minutes. We find that the bulk of the absorption in all three spectra originates in a disk atmosphere that is redshifted by $v\simeq 220-290$ $\text{km}$ $\text{s}^{-1}$, corresponding to the gravitational redshift at radius of $R \sim 1200$ $GM/{c}^{2}$. This shift is present in the strongest, most highly ionized lines (Si XIV and Fe XXVI), with a significance of 5$σ$. Absorption lines observed during dipping events (typically associated with the outermost disk) instead display no velocity shifts and serve as a local standard of rest, suggesting that the redshift is intrinsic to an inner disk atmosphere and not due to radial motion in the galaxy or a kick. In two spectra, there is also evidence of a more strongly redshifted component that would correspond to a disk atmosphere at $R \sim 70$ $GM/{c}^{2}$; this component is significant at the 3$σ$ level. Finally, in one spectrum, we find evidence of disk wind with a blue shift of $v = {-1700}^{+1700}_{-1200}$ $\text{km}$ $\text{s}^{-1}$. If real, this wind would require magnetic driving.

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arXiv2020

Evidence of runaway gas cooling in the absence of supermassive black hole feedback at the epoch of cluster formation

Cosmological simulations, as well as mounting evidence from observations, have shown that supermassive black holes play a fundamental role in regulating the formation of stars throughout cosmic time. This has been clearly demonstrated in the case of galaxy clusters in which powerful feedback from the central black hole is preventing the hot intracluster gas from cooling catastrophically, thus reducing the expected star formation rates by orders of magnitude. These conclusions have however been almost entirely based on nearby clusters. Based on new Chandra X-ray observations, we present the first observational evidence for massive, runaway cooling occurring in the absence of supermassive black hole feedback in the high-redshift galaxy cluster SpARCS104922.6+564032.5 ($z=1.709$). The hot intracluster gas appears to be fueling a massive burst of star formation ($\approx900$~M$_\odot$yr$^{-1}$) that is offset by dozens of kpc from the central galaxy. The burst is co-spatial with the coolest intracluster gas but not associated with any galaxy in the cluster. In less than 100 million years, such runaway cooling can form the same amount of stars as in the Milky Way. Intracluster stars are therefore not only produced by tidal stripping and the disruption of cluster galaxies, but can also be produced by runaway cooling of hot intracluster gas at early times. Overall, these observations show the dramatic impact when supermassive black hole feedback fails to operate in clusters. They indicate that in the highest overdensities such as clusters and proto-clusters, runaway cooling may be a new and important mechanism for fueling massive bursts of star formation in the early universe.

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arXiv2020

An Obscured, Seyfert-2-like State of the Stellar-mass Black Hole GRS 1915+105 Caused by Failed Disk Winds

We report on Chandra gratings spectra of the stellar-mass black hole GRS 1915+105 obtained during a novel, highly obscured state. As the source entered this state, a dense, massive accretion disk wind was detected through strong absorption lines. Photionization modeling indicates that it must originate close to the central engine, orders of magnitude from the outer accretion disk. Strong, nearly sinusoidal flux variability in this phase yielded a key insight: the wind is blue-shifted when its column density is relatively low, but red-shifted as it approaches the Compton-thick threshold. At no point does the wind appear to achieve the local escape velocity; in this sense, it is a "failed wind." Later observations suggest that the disk ultimately fails to keep even the central engine clear of gas, leading to heavily obscured and Compton-thick states characterized by very strong Fe K emission lines. Indeed, these later spectra are successfully described using models developed for obscured AGN. We discuss our results in terms the remarkable similarity of GRS 1915+105 deep in its "obscured state" to Seyfert-2 and Compton-thick AGN, and explore how our understanding of accretion and obscuration in massive black holes is impacted by our observations.

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arXiv2020

The destruction and recreation of the X-ray corona in a changing-look Active Galactic Nucleus

We present the drastic transformation of the X-ray properties of the active galactic nucleus 1ES 1927+654, following a changing-look event. After the optical/UV outburst the power-law component, produced in the X-ray corona, disappeared, and the spectrum of 1ES 1927+65 instead became dominated by a blackbody component ($kT\sim 80-120$ eV). This implies that the X-ray corona, ubiquitously found in AGN, was destroyed in the event. Our dense $\sim 450$ day long X-ray monitoring shows that the source is extremely variable in the X-ray band. On long time scales the source varies up to $\sim 4$ dex in $\sim 100$ days, while on short timescales up to $\sim2$ dex in $\sim 8$ hours. The luminosity of the source is found to first show a strong dip down to $\sim 10^{40}\rm\,erg\,s^{-1}$, and then a constant increase in luminosity to levels exceeding the pre-outburst level $\gtrsim $300 days after the optical event detection, rising up asymptotically to $\sim 2\times10^{44}\rm\,erg\,s^{-1}$. As the X-ray luminosity of the source increases, the X-ray corona is recreated, and a very steep power-law component ($Γ\simeq 3$) reappears, and dominates the emission for 0.3-2 keV luminosities $\gtrsim 10^{43.7}\rm\,erg\,s^{-1}$, $\sim 300$ days after the beginning of the event. We discuss possible origins of this event, and speculate that our observations could be explained by the interaction between the accretion flow and debris from a tidally disrupted star. Our results show that changing-look events can be associated with dramatic and rapid transformations of the innermost regions of accreting SMBHs.

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arXiv2020

A NICER look at the state transitions of the black hole candidate MAXI J1535-571 during its reflares

The black hole candidate and X-ray binary MAXI J1535-571 was discovered in September 2017. During the decay of its discovery outburst, and before returning to quiescence, the source underwent at least four reflaring events, with peak luminosities of $\sim$10$^{35-36}$ erg s$^{-1}$ (d/4.1 kpc)$^2$. To investigate the nature of these flares, we analysed a sample of NICER observations taken with almost daily cadence. In this work we present the detailed spectral and timing analysis of the evolution of the four reflares. The higher sensitivity of NICER at lower energies, in comparison with other X-ray detectors, allowed us to constrain the disc component of the spectrum at $\sim$0.5 keV. We found that during each reflare the source appears to trace out a q-shaped track in the hardness-intensity diagram similar to those observed in black hole binaries during full outbursts. MAXI J1535-571 transits between the hard state (valleys) and softer states (peaks) during these flares. Moreover, the Comptonised component is undetected at the peak of the first reflare, while the disc component is undetected during the valleys. Assuming the most likely distance of 4.1 kpc, we find that the hard-to-soft transitions take place at the lowest luminosities ever observed in a black hole transient, while the soft-to-hard transitions occur at some of the lowest luminosities ever reported for such systems.

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arXiv2020

The Origin of X-ray Emission in the Gamma-ray emitting Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 1H 0323+342

We present the results of X-ray spectral and timing analyses of the closest gamma-ray emitting narrow-line Seyfert 1 ($γ$-NLS1) galaxy, 1H 0323+342. We use observations from a recent, simultaneous XMM-Newton/NuSTAR campaign. As in radio-quiet NLS1s, the spectrum reveals a soft excess at low energies ($\lesssim2$ keV) and reflection features such as a broad iron K emission line. We also find evidence of a hard excess at energies above $\sim35$ keV that is likely a consequence of jet emission. Our analysis shows that relativistic reflection is statistically required, and using a combination of models that includes the reflection model relxill for the broadband spectrum, we find an inclination of $i=63^{+7}_{-5}$ degrees, which is in tension with much lower values inferred by superluminal motion in radio observations. We also find a flat ($q=2.2\pm0.3$) emissivity profile, implying that there is more reflected flux than usual being emitted from the outer regions of the disk, which in turn suggests a deviation from the thin disk model assumption. We discuss possible reasons for this, such as reflection off of a thick accretion disk geometry.

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arXiv2020

Is there an enormous cold front at the virial radius of the Perseus cluster?

We present new XMM-Newton observations extending the mosaic of the Perseus cluster out to the virial radius to the west. Previous studies with ROSAT have reported a large excess in surface brightness to the west, possibly the result of large scale gas sloshing, but lacked the spatial resolution and depth to determine if this excess lay behind a cold front. In our new XMM observations we have found that there is a sharp edge in X-ray surface brightness near the cluster virial radius (1.7Mpc) to the west, with a width comparable to the mean free path. The temperature measurements obtained with Suzaku data across this edge show that the temperature increases sharply outside this edge. All of these properties are consistent with this edge being the largest cold front ever observed in a galaxy cluster. We also find a second edge to the west, 1.2Mpc from the core, which also appears to be a cold front. Our results indicate that magnetic fields are able to stabilize the cold fronts against turbulence all the way out to the cluster virial radius. By comparing with numerical simulations, we find that these large cold fronts require large impact parameter, low mass ratio mergers which can produce fast gas motions without destroying the cluster core.

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arXiv2020

Characterising continuum variability in the radio-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy IRAS 17020+4544

We present results of temporal and spectral analyses on four XMM-Newton EPIC pn observations of IRAS 17020+4544, a narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy with evidence of a radio jet. Analysis of the light curves reveals that this radio-loud source does not behave like the bulk population of its radio-quiet counterparts. A trend of spectral hardening with increased flux is found. Variability is found to increase with energy, though it decreases as the spectrum hardens. The first 40 ks of the most recent observation behave uniquely among the epochs, exhibiting a softer spectral state than at any other time. Possible non-stationarity at low energies is found, with no such effect present at higher energies, suggesting at least two distinct spectral components. A reverberation signature is confirmed, with the lag-frequency, lag-energy, and covariance spectra changing significantly during the soft-state epoch. The temporal analysis suggests a variable power-law in the presence of a reflection component, thus motivating such a fit for the 0.3-10 keV EPIC pn spectra from all epochs. We find an acceptable spectral fit using the timing-motivated parameters and report the detection of a broad Fe K emission line, requiring an additional model component beyond the reflection spectrum. We discuss links between this source and other narrow-line Seyfert 1 sources that show evidence of jet activity, finding similarities among this currently very limited sample of interesting objects.

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arXiv2020

A molecular absorption line survey toward the AGN of Hydra-A

We present Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array observations of the brightest cluster galaxy Hydra-A, a nearby ($z=0.054$) giant elliptical galaxy with powerful and extended radio jets. The observations reveal CO(1-0), CO(2-1), $^{13}$CO(2-1), CN(2-1), SiO(5-4), HCO$^{+}$(1-0), HCO$^{+}$(2-1), HCN(1-0), HCN(2-1), HNC(1-0) and H$_{2}$CO(3-2) absorption lines against the galaxy's bright and compact active galactic nucleus. These absorption features are due to at least 12 individual molecular clouds which lie close to the centre of the galaxy and have velocities of approximately $-50$ to $+10$ km/s relative to its recession velocity, where positive values correspond to inward motion. The absorption profiles are evidence of a clumpy interstellar medium within brightest cluster galaxies composed of clouds with similar column densities, velocity dispersions and excitation temperatures to those found at radii of several kpc in the Milky Way. We also show potential variation in a $\sim 10$ km/s wide section of the absorption profile over a two year timescale, most likely caused by relativistic motions in the hot spots of the continuum source which change the background illumination of the absorbing clouds.

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arXiv2020

Thermally Unstable Cooling Stimulated by Uplift: The Spoiler Clusters

We analyzed Chandra X-ray observations of five galaxy clusters whose atmospheric cooling times, entropy parameters, and cooling time to free-fall time ratios within the central galaxies lie below 1 Gyr, below 30 keV cm^2, and between 20 < tcool/tff < 50, respectively. These thermodynamic properties are commonly associated with molecular clouds, bright H-alpha emission, and star formation in central galaxies. However, none of these clusters have detectable H-alpha indicated in the ACCEPT database, nor do they have significant star formation rates or detectable molecular gas. Among these, only RBS0533 has a detectable radio/X-ray bubble which are commonly observed in cooling atmospheres. Signatures of uplifted, high metallicity atmospheric gas are absent. Despite its prominent X-ray bubble, RBS0533 lacks significant levels of molecular gas. Cold gas is absent at appreciable levels in these systems perhaps because their radio sources have failed to lift low entropy atmospheric gas to an altitude where the ratio of the cooling time to the free-fall time falls below unity.

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