Multi-phase outflows as probes of AGN accretion history

TL;DR

This paper explores how multi-phase outflows in AGN can reveal the history of black hole accretion, using analytical models to interpret observations of specific quasars and their outflows.

Contribution

It introduces a simple analytical framework to connect multi-phase AGN outflows across different distances, linking outflow properties to SMBH accretion history.

Findings

Outflows show diverse properties across different regions.

Deviations from standard models may indicate past accretion events.

Analysis of specific quasars supports the connection between outflows and SMBH history.

Abstract

Powerful outflows with a broad range of properties (such as velocity, ionization, radial scale and mass loss rate) represent a key feature of active galactic nuclei (AGN), even more so since they have been simultaneously revealed also in individual objects. Here we revisit in a simple analytical framework the recent remarkable cases of two ultraluminous infrared quasars, IRAS F11119+3257 and Mrk 231, which allow us to investigate the physical connection between multi-phase AGN outflows across the ladder of distance from the central supermassive black hole (SMBH). We argue that any major deviations from the standard outflow propagation models might encode unique information on the past SMBH accretion history, and briefly discuss how this could help address some controversial aspects of the current picture of AGN feedback.