On the Fraction of Quasars with Outflows

TL;DR

This paper reviews the prevalence and characteristics of outflows in active galactic nuclei (AGNs), finding that approximately 60% of quasars exhibit outflows regardless of luminosity, and discusses the challenges in classifying and understanding these phenomena.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive review of quasar outflow surveys, highlighting the consistent fraction of AGNs with outflows and emphasizing the need for a more holistic approach to study their physical nature.

Findings

About 60% of quasars show outflows across luminosities

Classification issues depend on data type rather than physics

Understanding outflows requires a comprehensive approach

Abstract

Outflows from active galactic nuclei (AGNs) seem to be common and are thought to be important from a variety of perspectives: as an agent of chemical enhancement of the interstellar and intergalactic media, as an agent of angular momentum removal from the accreting central engine, and as an agent limiting star formation in starbursting systems by blowing out gas and dust from the host galaxy. To understand these processes, we must determine what fraction of AGNs feature outflows and understand what forms they take. We examine recent surveys of quasar absorption lines, reviewing the best means to determine if systems are intrinsic and result from outflowing material, and the limitations of approaches taken to date. The surveys reveal that, while the fraction of specific forms of outflows depends on AGN properties, the overall fraction displaying outflows is fairly constant, approximately 60%, over many orders of magnitude in luminosity. We emphasize some issues concerning classification of outflows driven by data type rather than necessarily the physical nature of outflows, and illustrate how understanding outflows probably requires more a comprehensive approach than has usually been taken in the past.