# An X-ray/SDSS sample (I): multi-phase outflow incidence and dependence   on AGN luminosity

**Authors:** Michele Perna, Giorgio Lanzuisi, Marcella Brusa, Marco Mignoli,, Giovanni Cresci

arXiv: 1703.05335 · 2017-07-12

## TL;DR

This study analyzes a large sample of X-ray and SDSS AGNs to investigate the incidence and properties of multi-phase outflows, revealing their dependence on AGN luminosity and black hole mass, and proposing an evolutionary feedback sequence.

## Contribution

It provides the first detailed analysis of outflow velocities across a wide luminosity range and links outflow incidence to AGN X-ray loudness and evolutionary stages.

## Key findings

- Ionised outflows occur in about 40% of AGNs.
- Outflow velocity positively correlates with X-ray luminosity.
- Over 50% of high-luminosity AGNs with M_BH > 10^8 Msun show outflows.

## Abstract

Multi-phase fast, massive outflows have been postulated to play a crucial role in galaxy evolution. The aim of this work is to constrain the nature and the fraction of outflowing gas in AGNs, as well as the nuclear conditions possibly at the origin of such phenomena.   We present a large spectroscopic sample of X-ray detected SDSS AGNs at z <0.8. X-ray and optical flux ratio diagnostics are used to select the sample. Physical and kinematic characterisation are derived re-analysing optical (and X-ray) spectra.   We derive the incidence of ionised (~40%) and atomic (< 1%) outflows covering a wide range of AGN bolometric luminosity, from 10^42 to 10^46 erg/s. We also derive bolometric luminosities and X-ray bolometric corrections to test whether the presence of outflows is associated with an X-ray loudness, as suggested by our recent results obtained studying high-z QSOs.   We study the relations between the outflow velocity inferred from [O III] kinematic analysis and different AGN power tracers, such as black hole mass (M_BH), [O III] and X-ray luminosity. We show a well defined positive trend between outflow velocity and L_X, for the first time over a range of 5 order of magnitudes. Overall, we find that in the QSO-luminosity regime and at M_BH>10^8 Msun the fraction of AGNs with outflows becomes >50%. Finally, we discuss our results about X-ray bolometric corrections and outflow incidence in cold and ionised phases in the context of an evolutionary sequence allowing two distinct stages for the feedback phase: an initial stage characterized by X-ray/optical obscured AGNs in which the atomic gas is still present in the ISM and the outflow processes involve all the gas components, and a later stage associated with unobscured AGNs, which line of sight has been cleaned and the cold components have been heated or exhausted.

## Full text

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## Figures

21 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/1703.05335/full.md

## References

94 references — full list in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/1703.05335/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/1703.05335