Strong Candidate for AGN Feedback: VLT/X-shooter Observations of BALQSO SDSS J0831+0354

TL;DR

This study uses VLT/X-shooter observations to measure the location and energetics of a quasar outflow, revealing it is much farther from the central source than previously thought, with implications for understanding AGN feedback.

Contribution

First detailed measurement of a SIV BALQSO outflow's distance and energetics, suggesting BAL outflows are located farther from the quasar core than prior models indicated.

Findings

Outflow velocity of 10,800 km/s and kinetic luminosity of 10^45.7 erg/s.

Outflow located at 110 parsecs from the quasar.

BAL outflows are generally farther from the central source than previously assumed.

Abstract

We measure the location and energetics of a SIV BALQSO outflow. This ouflow has a velocity of 10,800 km s$^{-1}$ and a kinetic luminosity of $10^{45.7}$ erg s$^{-1}$, which is 5.2% of the Eddington luminosity of the quasar. From collisional excitation models of the observed SIV$/$SIV* absorption troughs, we measure a hydrogen number density of $n_\mathrm{\scriptscriptstyle H}=10^{4.3}$ cm$^{-3}$, which allows us to determine that the outflow is located 110 pc from the quasar. Since SIV is formed in the same ionization phase as CIV, our results can be generalized to the ubiquitous CIV BALs. Our accumulated distance measurements suggest that observed BAL outflows are located much farther away from the central source than is generally assumed (0.01-0.1 pc).