arXiv subjects

K. Hryniewicz

Publications and source records attributed to K. Hryniewicz.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2023

Wavelength-resolved reverberation mapping of intermediate redshift quasars HE 0413-4031 and HE 0435-4312: Dissecting Mg II, optical Fe II, and UV Fe II emission regions

We present the wavelength-resolved reverberation mapping (RM) of combined MgII and UV FeII broad-line emissions for two intermediate redshifts (z$\sim$1), luminous quasars - HE 0413-4031 and HE 0435-4312, monitored by the SALT and 1-m class telescopes between 2012-2022. Through this technique, we aim to disentangle the Mg II and FeII emission regions and to build a radius-luminosity relation for UV FeII emission, which has so far remained unconstrained. Several methodologies have been applied to constrain the time delays for total MgII and FeII emissions. In addition, this technique is performed to quantify the inflow or outflow of broad-line region gas around the supermassive black hole and to disentangle the emission/emitting regions from lines produced in proximity to each other. The mean total FeII time delay is nearly equal to the mean total Mg II time delay for HE 0435-4312 suggesting a co-spatiality of their emissions. However, in HE 0413-4031, the mean FeII time delay is found to be longer than the mean MgII time delay, suggesting that FeII is produced at longer distances from the black hole. The UV Fe II R-L relation is updated with these two quasars and compared with the optical FeII relation, which suggests that the optical FeII region is located further than the UV FeII by a factor of 1.7-1.9 i.e. $R_{\rm FeII-opt}\sim(1.7-1.9)R_{\rm FeII-UV}$. We detected a weak pattern in the time delay vs. wavelength relation, suggesting that the MgII broad-line originates a bit closer to the SMBH than the UV FeII, however, the difference is not very significant. Comparison of MgII, UV, and optical FeII R-L relations suggests that the difference may be larger for lower-luminosity sources, possibly with the MgII emission originating further from the SMBH. In the future, more RM data will be acquired to put better constraints on these trends, in particular the UV FeII R-L relation.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2022

Wavelength-resolved Reverberation Mapping of quasar CTSC30.10: Dissecting MgII and FeII emission regions

We present the results of the reverberation monitoring aimed at MgII broad line and FeII pseudocontinuum for the luminous quasar CTS C30.10 (z = 0.90052) with the Southern African Large Telescope covering the years 2012-2021. We aimed at disentangling the MgII and UV FeII variability and the first measurement of UV FeII time delay for a distant quasar. We used several methods for time-delay measurements and determined both FeII and MgII time delays as well as performed a wavelength-resolved time delay study for a combination of MgII and FeII in the 2700 - 2900 Årestframe wavelength range. We obtain the time delay for MgII of $275.5^{+12.4}_{-19.5}$ days in the rest frame, while for FeII we have two possible solutions of $270.0^{+13.8}_{-25.3}$ days and $180.3^{+26.6}_{-30.0}$ in the rest frame. Combining this result with the old measurement of FeII UV time delay for NGC 5548 we discuss for the first time the radius-luminosity relation for UV FeII with the slope consistent with $0.5$ within uncertainties. Since FeII time delay has a shorter time-delay component but lines are narrower than MgII, we propose that the line delay measurement is biased towards the BLR part facing the observer, with the bulk of the Fe II emission may arise from the more distant BLR region, one that is shielded from the observer.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2019

What shapes the Absorption Measure Distribution in AGN outflows

The Absorption Measure Distribution (AMD) in the X-ray outflows of Seyfert active galactic nuclei (AGN) describes the distribution of absorbing column density as a function of ionization parameter. Up to now, AMD has been measured only for seven objects with high-resolution X-ray data that contain absorption lines from ionized heavy elements. Even though the number of measured AMDs is not large, they display a universal broad shape containing a prominent dip, for which the absorbing column drops by around two orders of magnitude. In this paper, we tested a range of photoionization models against the overall shape of the AMD as observed in Seyferts. In particular, we demonstrate that the shape of the AMD depends both on the spectral energy distribution (SED) of radiation which enters the outflow, and the density of the warm absorber (WA). The model that best reproduces the observed shape of the AMD is one wherein the gas density of the WA is of the order of $10^{12}$ cm$^{-3}$, irradiated by an SED whose optical/UV luminosity is 100 times higher than the X-ray luminosity. When the cloud density is higher than $\sim 10^{11}$ cm$^{-3}$, free-free heating dominates the entire absorber, and only one instability zone occurs, which is in agreement with observations.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2019

Exploring the role of X-ray reprocessing and irradiation in the anomalous bright optical outbursts of A0538-66

In 1981, the Be/X-ray binary (Be/XRB) A0538-66 showed outbursts characterized by high peak luminosities in the X-ray and optical bands. The optical outbursts were qualitatively explained as X-ray reprocessing in a gas cloud surrounding the binary system. Since then, further important information about A0538-66 have been obtained, and sophisticated photoionization codes have been developed to calculate the radiation emerging from a gas nebula illuminated by a central X-ray source. In the light of the new information and tools available, we studied again the enhanced optical emission displayed by A0538-66 to understand the mechanisms responsible for these unique events among the class of Be/XRBs. We performed about 10^5 simulations of a gas envelope photoionized by an X-ray source. We assumed for the shape of the gas cloud either a sphere or a circumstellar disc observed edge-on. We studied the effects of varying the main properties of the envelope and the influence of different input X-ray spectra on the optical/UV emission emerging from the photoionized cloud. We compared the computed spectra with the IUE spectrum and photometric UBV measurements obtained during the outburst of 29 April 1981. We also explored the role played by the X-ray heating of the surface of the donor star irradiated by the X-ray emission of the neutron star (NS). We found that reprocessing in a spherical cloud with a shallow radial density distribution can reproduce the optical/UV emission. To our knowledge, this configuration has never been observed either in A0538-66 during other epochs or in other Be/XRBs. We found, contrary to the case of most other Be/XRBs, that the optical/UV radiation produced by the X-ray heating of the surface of the donor star irradiated by the NS is non-negligible, due to the particular orbital parameters of this system that bring the NS very close to its companion.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2018

Intermediate-line Emission in AGNs: The Effect of Prescription of the Gas Density

The requirement of intermediate line component in the recently observed spectra of several AGNs points to possibility of the existence of a physically separate region between broad line region (BLR) and narrow line region (NLR). In this paper we explore the emission from intermediate line region (ILR) by using the photoionization simulations of the gas clouds distributed radially from the AGN center. The gas clouds span distances typical for BLR, ILR and NLR, and the appearance of dust at the sublimation radius is fully taken into account in our model. Single cloud structure is calculated under the assumption of the constant pressure. We show that the slope of the power law cloud density radial profile does not affect the existence of ILR in major types of AGN. We found that the low ionization iron line, Fe~II, appears to be highly sensitive for the presence of dust and therefore becomes potential tracer of dust content in line emitting regions. We show that the use of disk-like cloud density profile computed at the upper part of the accretion disc atmosphere reproduces the observed properties of the line emissivities. In particular, the distance of H$β$ line inferred from our model agrees with that obtained from the reverberation mapping studies in Sy1 galaxy NGC 5548.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2018

The properties of active galaxies at the extreme of eigenvector 1

Eigenvector 1 (EV1) is the formal parameter which allows the introduction of some order in the properties of the unobscured type 1 active galaxies. We aim to understand the nature of this parameter by analyzing the most extreme examples of quasars with the highest possible values of the corresponding eigenvalues $R_{Fe}$. We selected the appropriate sources from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and performed detailed modeling, including various templates for the Fe II pseudo-continuum and the starlight contribution to the spectrum. Out of 27 sources with $R_{Fe}$ larger than 1.3 and with the measurement errors smaller than 20\% selected from the SDSS quasar catalog, only six sources were confirmed to have a high value of $R_{Fe}$, defined as being above 1.3. All other sources have $an R_{Fe}$ of approximately 1. Three of the high $R_{Fe}$ objects have a very narrow H$β$ line, below 2100 km s$^{-1}$ but three sources have broad lines, above 4500 km s$^{-1}$, that do not seem to form a uniform group, differing considerably in black hole mass and Eddington ratio; they simply have a very similar EW([OIII]5007) line. Therefore, the interpretation of the EV1 remains an open issue.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2017

Absorption Measure Distribution in AGN

The most common observed feature of the X-ray outflows in active galactic nuclei (AGN) is their broad ionization distribution spanning up to $\sim$ 5 orders of magnitude in ionization levels. This feature is quantified in terms of absorption measure distribution (AMD), defined as the distribution of column density with the ionization parameter. Recently, the photoionization models with constant pressure assumption are shown to well reproduce the observed shape of AMD. However, there exist inconsistencies in the normalization and the position of discontinuities presented in the AMD shape between the observation and model. In this work, we show that AMD normalization differs by one order of magnitude depending on the shape of ionizing spectral energy distribution (SED).

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2017

On the Intermediate Line Region in AGNs

In this paper we explore the intermediate line region (ILR) by using the photoionisation simulations of the gas clouds present at different radial distances from the center, corresponding to the locations from BLR out to NLR in four types of AGNs. We let for the presence of dust whenever conditions allow for dust existence. All spectral shapes are taken from the recent multi-wavelength campaigns. The cloud density decreases with distance as a power law. We found that the slope of the power law density profile does not affect the line emissivity radial profiles of major emission lines: H$β$, He~II, Mg~II, C~III] ~and [O~III]. When the density of the cloud at the sublimation radius is as high as 10$^{11.5}$ cm$^{-3}$, the ILR should clearly be seen in the observations independently of the shape of the illuminating radiation. Moreover, our result is valid for low ionization nuclear emission regions of active galaxies.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2017

Failed radiatively Accelerated Dusty Outflow model of the Broad Line Region in Active Galactic Nuclei. I. Analytical solution

The physical origin of the Broad Line Region in Active Galactic Nuclei is still unclear despite many years of observational studies. The reason is that the region is unresolved and the reverberation mapping results imply complex velocity field. We adopt a theory-motivated approach to identify the principal mechanism responsible for this complex phenomenon. We consider the possibility that the role of dust is essential. We assume that the local radiation pressure acting on the dust in the accretion disk atmosphere launches the outflow of material, but higher above the disk the irradiation from the central parts cause the dust evaporation and a subsequent fall back. This failed radiatively accelerated dusty outflow (FRADO) is expected to represent the material forming low ionization lines. In this paper we formulate simple analytical equations describing the cloud motion, including the evaporation phase. The model is fully described just by the basic parameters: black hole mass, accretion rate, black hole spin and the viewing angle. We study how the spectral line generic profiles correspond to this dynamics. We show that the virial factor calculated from our model strongly depends on the black hole mass in case of enhanced dust opacity, and thus it then correlates with the line width. This could explain why the virial factor measured in galaxies with pseudo-bulges differs from that obtained from objects with classical bulges although the trend predicted by the current version of the model is opposite to the observed trend.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2017

SALT long-slit spectroscopy of HE 0435-4312: fast displacement in the Mg II emission line

The Mg II emission line is visible in the optical band for intermediate redshift quasars (0.4 < z < 1.6) and it is thus an extremely important tool to measure the black hole mass and to understand the structure of the Broad Line Region. We aim to determine the substructure and the variability of the Mg II line with the aim to identify which part of the line comes from a medium in Keplerian motion. Using the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) with the Robert Stobie Spectrograph (RSS) we performed ten spectroscopic observations of quasar HE 0435-4312 (z = 1.2231) over a period of three years (Dec 23/24, 2012 to Dec 7/8, 2015). Both the Mg II line and the Fe II pseudo-continuum increase with time. We clearly detect the systematic shift of the Mg II line with respect to the Fe II over the years, corresponding to the acceleration of 104 pm 14 km/s/year in the quasar rest frame. The Mg II line shape is clearly non-Gaussian but single-component, and the increase in line equivalent width and line shift is not accompanied with significant evolution of the line shape. We analyse the conditions in the Mg II and Fe II formation region and we note that the very large difference in the covering factor and the turbulent velocity also support the conclusion that the two regions are spatially separated. The measured acceleration of the line systematic shift is too large to connect it with the orbital motion at a distance of the Broad Line Region (BLR) in this source. It may imply a precessing inner disk illuminating the BLR. Further monitoring is still needed to better constrain the variability mechanism.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2016

The intermediate line region in active galactic nuclei

We show that the recently observed suppression of the gap between the broad line region (BLR) and the narrow line region (NLR) in some AGN can be fully explained by an increase of the gas density in the emitting region. Our model predicts the formation of the intermediate line region (ILR) that is observed in some Seyfert galaxies by the detection of emission lines with intermediate velocity full width half maximum (FWHM) $\sim$ 700 - 1200 km s$^{-1}$. These lines are believed to be originating from an ILR located somewhere between the BLR and NLR. As it was previously proved, the apparent gap is assumed to be caused by the presence of dust beyond the sublimation radius. Our computations with the use of {\sc cloudy} photoionization code, show that the differences in the shape of spectral energy distribution (SED) from the central region of AGN, do not diminish the apparent gap in the line emission in those objects. A strong discontinuity in the line emission vs radius exists for all lines at the dust sublimation radius. However, increasing the gas density to $\sim$ 10$^{11.5}$ cm$^{-3}$ at the sublimation radius provides the continuous line emission vs radius and fully explains the recently observed lack of apparent gap in some AGN. We show that such a high density is consistent with the density of upper layers of an accretion disk atmosphere. Therefore, the upper layers of the disk atmosphere can give rise to the formation of observed emission line clouds.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2016

The mass of the black hole in RE J1034+396

The black hole mass measurement in active galaxies is a challenge, particularly in sources where the reverberation method cannot be applied. We aim to determine the black hole mass in a very special object, RE J1034+396, one of the two AGN with QPO oscillations detected in X-rays, and a single bright AGN with optical band totally dominated by starlight. We fit the stellar content using the code starlight, and the broad band disk contribution to optical/UV/X-ray emission is modeled with optxagnf. We also determine the black hole mass using several other independent methods. Various methods give contradictory results. Most measurements of the blacc hole mass are in the range 1.e6-1.e7 Msun, and the measurements based on dynamics give higher values than measurements based on Hbeta and Mg II emission lines.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2016

Tracing dark energy with quasars

The nature of dark energy, driving the accelerated expansion of the Universe, is one of the most important issues in modern astrophysics. In order to understand this phenomenon, we need precise astrophysical probes of the universal expansion spanning wide redshift ranges. Quasars have recently emerged as such a probe, thanks to their high intrinsic luminosities and, most importantly, our ability to measure their luminosity distances independently of redshifts. Here we report our ongoing work on observational reverberation mapping using the time delay of the Mg II line, performed with the South African Large Telescope (SALT).

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2014

Quasars as tracers of cosmic flows

Quasars, as the most luminous persistent sources in the Universe, have broad applications for cosmological studies. In particular, they can be employed to directly measure the expansion history of the Universe, similarly to SNe Ia. The advantage of quasars is that they are numerous, cover a broad range of redshifts, up to $z = 7$, and do not show significant evolution of metallicity with redshift. The idea is based on the relation between the time delay of an emission line and the continuum, and the absolute monochromatic luminosity of a quasar. For intermediate redshift quasars, the suitable line is Mg II. Between December 2012 and March 2014, we performed five spectroscopic observations of the QSO CTS C30.10 ($z = 0.900$) using the South African Large Telesope (SALT), supplemented with photometric monitoring, with the aim of determining the variability of the line shape, changes in the total line intensity and in the continuum. We show that the method is very promising.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2014

SALT long-slit spectroscopy of CTS C30.10: two-component Mg II line

Quasars can be used as a complementary tool to SN Ia to probe the distribution of dark energy in the Universe by measuring the time delay of the emission line with respect to the continuum. The understanding of the Mg II emission line structure is important for cosmological application and for the black hole mass measurements of intermediate redshift quasars. The knowledge of the shape of Mg II line and its variability allows to determine which part of the line should be used to measure the time delay and the black hole mass. We thus aim at determination of the structure and the variability of the Mg II line as well as of the underlying Fe II pseudo-continuum. We performed five spectroscopic observations of a quasar CTS C30.10 (z = 0.9000) with the SALT telescope between December 2012 and March 2014, and we studied the variations of the spectral shape in the 2700 - 2900 A rest frame. We showed that the Mg II line in this source consists of two kinematic components, which makes the source representative of type B quasars. Both components were well modeled with a Lorentzian shape. Both components vary in a similar way. The Fe II contribution seems to be related only to the first (blue) Mg II component}. Broad band spectral fitting rather favor the use of the whole line profile. The contribution of the Narrow Line Region to Mg II is very low, below 2%. The Mg II variability is lower than the variability of the continuum, which is consistent with the simple reprocessing scenario. The variability level of CTS C30.10 and the measurement accuracy of the line and continuum is high enough to expect that further monitoring will allow to measure the time delay between the Mg II line and continuum.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2014

SALT long-slit spectroscopy of LBQS 2113-4538: variability of the Mg II and Fe II component

The Mg II line is of extreme importance in intermediate redshift quasars since it allows us to measure the black hole mass in these sources and to use these sources as probes of the distribution of dark energy in the Universe, as a complementary tool to SN Ia. Reliable use of Mg II requires a good understanding of all the systematic effects involved in the measurement of the line properties, including the contamination by Fe II UV emission. We performed three spectroscopic observations of a quasar LBQS 2113-4538 (z = 0.956) with the SALT telescope separated in time by several months and we analyze in detail the mean spectrum and the variability in the spectral shape. We show that even in our good-quality spectra the Mg II doublet is well fit by a single Lorentzian shape. We tested several models of the Fe II pseudo-continuum and showed that one of them well represents all the data. The amplitudes of both components vary in time, but the shapes do not change significantly. The measured line width of LBQS 2113-4538 identifies this object as a class A quasar. The upper limit of $3\%$ for the contribution of the Narrow Line Region (NLR) to Mg II may suggest that the separation of the Broad Line Region (BLR) and NLR disappears in this class of objects.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2013

Disk emission and atmospheric absorption lines in black hole candidate 4U 1630-472

We re-analyzed SUZAKU data of the black hole candidate 4U 1630-472 being in the high/soft state. We show that the continuum X-ray spectrum of 4U 1630-472 with iron absorption lines can be satisfactorily modeled by the spectrum from an accretion disk atmosphere. Absorption lines of highly ionized iron originating in hot accretion disk atmosphere can be an alternative or complementary explanation to the wind model usually favored for these type of sources. We model continuum and line spectra using a single model. Absorption lines of highly ionized iron can origin in upper parts of the disk atmosphere which is intrinsically hot due to high disk temperature. Iron line profiles computed with natural, thermal and pressure broadenings match very well observations. We showed that the accretion disk atmosphere can effectively produce iron absorption lines observed in 4U 1630-472 spectrum. Absorption line arising in accretion disk atmosphere is the important part of the observed line profile, even if there are also other mechanisms responsible for the absorption features. Nevertheless, the wind theory can be an artifact of the fitting procedure, when the continuum and lines are fitted as separate model components.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2013

Towards equation of state of dark energy from quasar monitoring: Reverberation strategy

High redshift quasars can be used to deduce the distribution of dark energy in the Universe, as a complementary tool to SN Ia. The method is based on determination of the size of the Broad Line Region from the emission line delay, determination of the absolute monochromatic luminosity either from the observed statistical relation or from a model of the formation of the Broad Line Region, and determination of the observed monochromatic flux from photometry. This allows to obtain the luminosity distance to a quasar independently from its redshift. The accuracy of the measurements is however, a key issue. We model the expected accuracy of the measurements by creating artificial quasar monochromatic lightcurves and responses from the Broad Line Region under various assumptions about the variability of a quasar, Broad Line Region extension, distribution of the measurements in time, accuracy of the measurements and the intrinsic line variability. We show that the five year monitoring based on Mg II line should give the accuracy of 0.06 - 0.32 magnitude in the distance modulus which allows to put interesting constraints on the cosmological models. Monitoring of higher redshift quasars based on CIV lines is problematic due to much higher level of the intrinsic variability of CIV in comparison with Mg II.

astro-ph.CO↗