Black hole feedback in the luminous quasar PDS 456

TL;DR

This study detects a persistent, relativistic, highly ionized wind in quasar PDS 456 across multiple epochs, demonstrating its potential to influence galaxy evolution through significant energy feedback.

Contribution

First detection of a sustained, nearly spherical relativistic wind in PDS 456 with implications for black hole-galaxy co-evolution models.

Findings

Detected highly ionized wind at relativistic speeds

Wind's kinetic power exceeds 10^46 ergs/sec

Wind effectively couples with ambient galactic gas

Abstract

The evolution of galaxies is connected to the growth of supermassive black holes in their centers. During the quasar phase, a huge luminosity is released as matter falls onto the black hole, and radiation-driven winds can transfer most of this energy back to the host galaxy. Over five different epochs, we detected the signatures of a nearly spherical stream of highly ionized gas in the broadband X-ray spectra of the luminous quasar PDS 456. This persistent wind is expelled at relativistic speeds from the inner accretion disk, and its wide aperture suggests an effective coupling with the ambient gas. The outflow's kinetic power larger than 10^46 ergs per second is enough to provide the feedback required by models of black hole and host galaxy co-evolution.