Detection of a second high velocity component in the highly ionized wind from PG 1211+143

TL;DR

This study reveals a complex, highly ionized wind in PG 1211+143 with two distinct high-velocity components, suggesting different accretion orientations influence outflow velocities.

Contribution

It uncovers a second high-velocity outflow component in PG 1211+143, indicating more complex wind structures than previously known.

Findings

Detection of a second outflow velocity at ~0.066c

Confirmation of a higher velocity outflow at ~0.129c

Implication of chaotic accretion in wind velocity diversity

Abstract

An extended XMM-Newton observation of the luminous narrow line Seyfert galaxy PG 1211+143 in 2014 has revealed a more complex highly ionized, high velocity outflow. The detection of previously unresolved spectral structure in Fe K absorption finds a second outflow velocity component of the highly ionized wind, with an outflow velocity of v~0.066+/-0.003c, in addition to a still higher velocity outflow of v~0.129+/-0.002c consistent with that first seen in 2001. We note that chaotic accretion, consisting of many prograde and retrograde events, offers an intriguing explanation of the dual velocity wind. In that context the persisting outflow velocities could relate to physically distinct orientations of the inner accretion flow, with prograde accretion yielding a higher launch velocity than retrograde accretion in a ratio close to that observed.