The neutral gas phase nearest to supermassive black holes

TL;DR

This paper explores the presence and properties of a neutral gas phase near supermassive black holes in AGNs, revealing a substantial neutral and molecular component in the broad line region that can be probed through infrared and submillimeter lines.

Contribution

It introduces detailed models of the neutral BLR gas phase, highlighting its potential for new observational probes and tests of fundamental physics near SMBHs.

Findings

Neutral BLR gas contains most of the BLR mass.

Infrared and submillimeter lines from neutral atoms and molecules can probe BLR conditions.

Neutral and molecular gas can exist alongside ionized gas in the BLR.

Abstract

Broad Line Regions (BLRs) are known to contain gravitationally-bound gas within r~(few) 10^2-10^3 Schwarszchild radii (Rs) near supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs). Photo-ionized by strong non-stellar AGN continuum, this gas emits luminous ultraviolet/optical/near-infrared lines from ionized hydrogen (and other multi-ionized atoms) that have the widest velocity profiles observed in galaxies, uniquely indicating the deep gravitational wells of SMBHs. Nearly all BLR studies focus on its ionized gas phase (hereafter BLR+), with typical masses of only a few 10-100 M_Sun, despite strong indications of neutral BLR gas reservoirs (hereafter BLR0) with M_BLR0~10^{5-6} M_Sun. We used the photoionization code CLOUDY, with its chemistry augmented using three-body reactions, to explore 1-D models of dustless BLRs, focusing on the BLR0 conditions, and the abundances of its most prevalent neutral atoms and molecules. A neutral-atom-) and molecule-rich BLR0 gas phase is found underlying the BLR+, the latter occupying only a thin outer layer of AGN-irradiated gas column densities, while the former contains the bulk of the BLR gas mass. Atomic carbon and oxygen as well as the CO molecule can reach substantial abundances in the BLR0, while their lines at infrared and submillimeter wavelengths can yield new probes of the BLR physical conditions and dynamics, unhindered by the dust absorption from outer AGN tori that readily absorb the BLR+ optical/far-ultraviolet (FUV) lines. We find that neutral-atom-rich neutral-atom-rich and even molecule-rich gas can exist in the BLR0. The corresponding spectral lines from neutral atoms and molecules promise a new spectral window of gas dynamics in the vicinity of~SMBHs unhindered by dust absorption. This may even offer the prospect of conducting novel tests of general relativity in strongly curved spacetimes.