Efficient cold outflows driven by cosmic rays in high-redshift galaxies and their global effects on the IGM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Samui, Saumyadip; Subramanian, Kandaswamy; Srianand, Raghunathan

2018-05-01

We present semi-analytical models of galactic outflows in high-redshift galaxies driven by both hot thermal gas and non-thermal cosmic rays. Thermal pressure alone may not sustain a large-scale outflow in low-mass galaxies (i.e. M ˜ 108 M⊙), in the presence of supernovae feedback with large mass loading. We show that inclusion of cosmic ray pressure allows outflow solutions even in these galaxies. In massive galaxies for the same energy efficiency, cosmic ray-driven winds can propagate to larger distances compared to pure thermally driven winds. On an average gas in the cosmic ray-driven winds has a lower temperature which could aid detecting it through absorption lines in the spectra of background sources. Using our constrained semi-analytical models of galaxy formation (that explains the observed ultraviolet luminosity functions of galaxies), we study the influence of cosmic ray-driven winds on the properties of the intergalactic medium (IGM) at different redshifts. In particular, we study the volume filling factor, average metallicity, cosmic ray and magnetic field energy densities for models invoking atomic cooled and molecular cooled haloes. We show that the cosmic rays in the IGM could have enough energy that can be transferred to the thermal gas in presence of magnetic fields to influence the thermal history of the IGM. The significant volume filling and resulting strength of IGM magnetic fields can also account for recent γ-ray observations of blazars.

The case for inflow of the broad-line region of active galactic nuclei

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaskell, C. Martin; Goosmann, René W.

2016-02-01

The high-ionization lines of the broad-line region (BLR) of thermal active galactic nuclei (AGNs) show blueshifts of a few hundred km/s to several thousand km/sec with respect to the low-ionization lines. This has long been thought to be due to the high-ionization lines of the BLR arising in a wind of which the far side of the outflow is blocked from our view by the accretion disc. Evidence for and against the disc-wind model is discussed. The biggest problem for the model is that velocity-resolved reverberation mapping repeatedly fails to show the expected kinematic signature of outflow of the BLR. The disc-wind model also cannot readily reproduce the red side of the line profiles of high-ionization lines. The rapidly falling density in an outflow makes it difficult to obtain high equivalent widths. We point out a number of major problems with associating the BLR with the outflows producing broad absorption lines. An explanation which avoids all these problems and satisfies the constraints of both the line profiles and velocity-resolved reverberation-mapping is a model in which the blueshifting is due to scattering off material spiraling inwards with an inflow velocity of half the velocity of the blueshifting. We discuss how recent reverberation mapping results are consistent with the scattering-plus-inflow model but do not support a disc-wind model. We propose that the anti-correlation of the apparent redshifting of Hβ with the blueshifting of C iv is a consequence of contamination of the red wings of Hβ by the broad wings of [O iii].

On the origin of jets from disc-accreting magnetized stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lovelace, Richard V. E.; Romanova, Marina M.; Lii, Patrick; Dyda, Sergei

2014-09-01

A brief review of the origin of jets from disc-accreting rotating magnetized stars is given. In most models, the interior of the disc is characterized by a turbulent viscosity and magnetic diffusivity ("alpha" discs) whereas the coronal region outside the disc is treated using ideal magnetohydrodynamics (MHD). Extensive MHD simulations have established the occurrence of long-lasting outflows in the case of both slowly and rapidly rotating stars. (1) Slowly rotating stars exhibit a new type of outflow, conical winds. Conical winds are generated when stellar magnetic flux is bunched up by the inward motion of the accretion disc. Near their region of origin, the winds have a thin conical shell shape with half opening angle of ˜30°. At large distances, their toroidal magnetic field collimates the outflow forming current carrying, matter dominated jets. These winds are predominantly magnetically and not centrifugally driven. About 10-30% of the disc matter from the inner disc is launched in the conical wind. Conical winds may be responsible for episodic as well as long lasting outflows in different types of stars. (2) Rapidly rotating stars in the "propeller regime" exhibit two-component outflows. One component is similar to the matter dominated conical wind, where a large fraction of the disc matter may be ejected in this regime. The second component is a high-velocity, low-density magnetically dominated axial jet where matter flows along the open polar field lines of the star. The axial jet has a mass flux of about 10% that of the conical wind, but its energy flux, due to the Poynting flux, can be as large as for the conical wind. The jet's magnetically dominated angular momentum flux causes the star to spin down rapidly. Propeller-driven outflows may be responsible for protostellar jets and their rapid spin-down. When the artificial requirement of symmetry about the equatorial plane is dropped, the conical winds are found to come alternately from one side of the disc and then the other, even for the case where the stellar magnetic field is a centered axisymmetric dipole. Recent MHD simulations of disc accretion to rotating stars in the propeller regime have been done with no turbulent viscosity and no diffusivity. The strong turbulence observed is due to the magneto-rotational instability. This turbulence drives accretion in the disc and leads to episodic conical winds and jets.

Simulating the Fate of an Ionospheric Mass Ejection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, T. E.; Fok, M. H.; Delcourt, D. C.; Slinker, S. P.; Fedder, J. A.

2008-12-01

We report global ion kinetic (GIK) simulations of the 24-25 Sep 1998 storm, with all relevant ionospheric outflows including polar, auroral, and plasmaspheric winds. This storm included substantial periods of northward interplanetary magnetic field, but did develop a Dst of -200 nT at its peak. The solar disturbance resulted form a coronal mass ejection that reached a peak dynamic pressure at the magnetosphere of 6.2 nPa, and produced a substantial enhancement of auroral wind oxygen outflow from the dayside, which has been termed an "ionospheric mass ejection" in an earlier observational paper. We use the LFM global simulation model to produce electric and magnetic fields in the outer magnetosphere, the Strangeway-Zheng outflow scalings with Delcourt ion trajectories to include ionospheric outflows, and the Fok-Ober inner magnetospheric model for the plasmaspheric and ring current response to all particle populations. We assess the combined contributions of heliospheric and geospheric plasmas to the ring current for this event.

Key Issues in the Production of Ionospheric Outflows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lotko, W.

2017-12-01

Global models demonstrate that outflows of ionospheric ions can have profound effects on the dynamics of the solar wind-magnetosphere-ionosphere-thermosphere system, particularly during geomagnetic storms. Yet the processes that determine where and when outflows occur are poorly understood, in large part because a full complement of critical multivariable measurements of outflows and their causal drivers has yet to be assembled. Development of accurate regional and global predictive models of outflows has been hampered by this lack of empirical knowledge, but models are also challenged by the additional requirement of having to reduce the complex microphysics of ion energization into lumped relations that specify outflow characteristics through causal regulators. Opportunities to improve understanding of this problem are vast. This overview will focus on a limited set of priority questions that address how ions overcome gravity to leave the ionosphere; the timing, rate, spatial distribution and energetics of their exodus; how their flight impacts the ionosphere-thermosphere environment that spawns outflows; and the influence of magnetospheric feedback on outflow production.

THE BARYON CYCLE AT HIGH REDSHIFTS: EFFECTS OF GALACTIC WINDS ON GALAXY EVOLUTION IN OVERDENSE AND AVERAGE REGIONS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sadoun, Raphael; Shlosman, Isaac; Choi, Jun-Hwan

2016-10-01

We employ high-resolution cosmological zoom-in simulations focusing on a high-sigma peak and an average cosmological field at z ∼ 6–12 in order to investigate the influence of environment and baryonic feedback on galaxy evolution in the reionization epoch. Strong feedback, e.g., galactic winds, caused by elevated star formation rates (SFRs) is expected to play an important role in this evolution. We compare different outflow prescriptions: (i) constant wind velocity (CW), (ii) variable wind scaling with galaxy properties (VW), and (iii) no outflows (NW). The overdensity leads to accelerated evolution of dark matter and baryonic structures, absent from the “normal” region,more » and to shallow galaxy stellar mass functions at the low-mass end. Although CW shows little dependence on the environment, the more physically motivated VW model does exhibit this effect. In addition, VW can reproduce the observed specific SFR (sSFR) and the sSFR–stellar mass relation, which CW and NW fail to satisfy simultaneously. Winds also differ substantially in affecting the state of the intergalactic medium (IGM). The difference lies in the volume-filling factor of hot, high-metallicity gas, which is near unity for CW, while such gas remains confined in massive filaments for VW, and locked up in galaxies for NW. Such gas is nearly absent from the normal region. Although all wind models suffer from deficiencies, the VW model seems to be promising in correlating the outflow properties with those of host galaxies. Further constraints on the state of the IGM at high z are needed to separate different wind models.« less

The Baryon Cycle at High Redshifts: Effects of Galactic Winds on Galaxy Evolution in Overdense and Average Regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sadoun, Raphael; Shlosman, Isaac; Choi, Jun-Hwan; Romano-Díaz, Emilio

2016-10-01

We employ high-resolution cosmological zoom-in simulations focusing on a high-sigma peak and an average cosmological field at z ˜ 6-12 in order to investigate the influence of environment and baryonic feedback on galaxy evolution in the reionization epoch. Strong feedback, e.g., galactic winds, caused by elevated star formation rates (SFRs) is expected to play an important role in this evolution. We compare different outflow prescriptions: (I) constant wind velocity (CW), (II) variable wind scaling with galaxy properties (VW), and (III) no outflows (NW). The overdensity leads to accelerated evolution of dark matter and baryonic structures, absent from the “normal” region, and to shallow galaxy stellar mass functions at the low-mass end. Although CW shows little dependence on the environment, the more physically motivated VW model does exhibit this effect. In addition, VW can reproduce the observed specific SFR (sSFR) and the sSFR-stellar mass relation, which CW and NW fail to satisfy simultaneously. Winds also differ substantially in affecting the state of the intergalactic medium (IGM). The difference lies in the volume-filling factor of hot, high-metallicity gas, which is near unity for CW, while such gas remains confined in massive filaments for VW, and locked up in galaxies for NW. Such gas is nearly absent from the normal region. Although all wind models suffer from deficiencies, the VW model seems to be promising in correlating the outflow properties with those of host galaxies. Further constraints on the state of the IGM at high z are needed to separate different wind models.

(abstract) A Test of the Theoretical Models of Bipolar Outflows: The Bipolar Outflow in Mon R2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Xie, Taoling; Goldsmith, Paul; Patel, Nimesh

1993-01-01

We report some results of a study of the massive bipolar outflow in the central region of the relatively nearby giant molecular cloud Monoceros R2. We make a quantative comparison of our results with the Shu et al. outflow model which incorporates a radially directed wind sweeping up the ambient material into a shell. We find that this simple model naturally explains the shape of this thin shell. Although Shu's model in its simplest form predicts with reasonable parameters too much mass at very small polar angles, as previously pointed out by Masson and Chernin, it provides a reasonable good fit to the mass distribution at larger polar angles. It is possible that this discrepancy is due to inhomogeneities of the ambient molecular gas which is not considered by the model. We also discuss the constraints imposed by these results on recent jet-driven outflow models.

Self-consistent modelling of line-driven hot-star winds with Monte Carlo radiation hydrodynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noebauer, U. M.; Sim, S. A.

2015-11-01

Radiative pressure exerted by line interactions is a prominent driver of outflows in astrophysical systems, being at work in the outflows emerging from hot stars or from the accretion discs of cataclysmic variables, massive young stars and active galactic nuclei. In this work, a new radiation hydrodynamical approach to model line-driven hot-star winds is presented. By coupling a Monte Carlo radiative transfer scheme with a finite volume fluid dynamical method, line-driven mass outflows may be modelled self-consistently, benefiting from the advantages of Monte Carlo techniques in treating multiline effects, such as multiple scatterings, and in dealing with arbitrary multidimensional configurations. In this work, we introduce our approach in detail by highlighting the key numerical techniques and verifying their operation in a number of simplified applications, specifically in a series of self-consistent, one-dimensional, Sobolev-type, hot-star wind calculations. The utility and accuracy of our approach are demonstrated by comparing the obtained results with the predictions of various formulations of the so-called CAK theory and by confronting the calculations with modern sophisticated techniques of predicting the wind structure. Using these calculations, we also point out some useful diagnostic capabilities our approach provides. Finally, we discuss some of the current limitations of our method, some possible extensions and potential future applications.

Active galactic nucleus outflows in galaxy discs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hartwig, Tilman; Volonteri, Marta; Dashyan, Gohar

2018-05-01

Galactic outflows, driven by active galactic nuclei (AGNs), play a crucial role in galaxy formation and in the self-regulated growth of supermassive black holes (BHs). AGN feedback couples to and affects gas, rather than stars, and in many, if not most, gas-rich galaxies cold gas is rotationally supported and settles in a disc. We present a 2D analytical model for AGN-driven outflows in a gaseous disc and demonstrate the main improvements, compared to existing 1D solutions. We find significant differences for the outflow dynamics and wind efficiency. The outflow is energy-driven due to inefficient cooling up to a certain AGN luminosity (˜1043 erg s-1 in our fiducial model), above which the outflow remains momentum-driven in the disc up to galactic scales. We reproduce results of 3D simulations that gas is preferentially ejected perpendicular to the disc and find that the fraction of ejected interstellar medium is lower than in 1D models. The recovery time of gas in the disc, defined as the free-fall time from the radius to which the AGN pushes the ISM at most, is remarkably short, of the order 1 Myr. This indicates that AGN-driven winds cannot suppress BH growth for long. Without the inclusion of supernova feedback, we find a scaling of the BH mass with the halo velocity dispersion of MBH ∝ σ4.8.

A New Look at Ionized Disk Winds in Seyfert-1 AGN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bostrom, Allison; Miller, Jon M.

2016-04-01

We present an analysis of deep, high signal-to-noise Chandra/HETG observations of four Seyfert-1 galaxies with known warm absorbers (outflowing winds), including NGC 4151, MCG-6-30-15, NGC 3783, and NGC 3516. Focusing on the 4-10 keV Fe K-band, we fit the spectra using grids of models characterized by photoion- ized absorption. Even in this limited band, the sensitive, time-averaged spectra all require 2-3 zones within the outflow. In an improvement over most previous studies, re-emission from the winds was self-consistently included in our models. The broadening of these emission components, when attributed to Keplerian rotation, yields new launching radius estimations that are largely consistent with the broad-line region. If this is correct, the hot outflow may supply the pressure needed to confine clumps within the broad-line region. NGC 4151 and NGC 3516 each appear to have a high-velocity component with speeds comparable to 0.01c. The winds in each of the four objects have kinetic luminosities greater than 0.5% of the host galaxy bolometric luminosity for a filling factor of unity, indicating that they may be significant agents of AGN feedback.

Surface Currents and Winds at the Delaware Bay Mouth

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Muscarella, P A; Barton, N P; Lipphardt, B L

2011-04-06

Knowledge of the circulation of estuaries and adjacent shelf waters has relied on hydrographic measurements, moorings, and local wind observations usually removed from the region of interest. Although these observations are certainly sufficient to identify major characteristics, they lack both spatial resolution and temporal coverage. High resolution synoptic observations are required to identify important coastal processes at smaller scales. Long observation periods are needed to properly sample low-frequency processes that may also be important. The introduction of high-frequency (HF) radar measurements and regional wind models for coastal studies is changing this situation. Here we analyze synoptic, high-resolution surface winds andmore » currents in the Delaware Bay mouth over an eight-month period (October 2007 through May 2008). The surface currents were measured by two high-frequency radars while the surface winds were extracted from a data-assimilating regional wind model. To illustrate the utility of these monitoring tools we focus on two 45-day periods which previously were shown to present contrasting pictures of the circulation. One, the low-outflow period is from 1 October through 14 November 2007; the other is the high-outflow period from 3 March through 16 April 2008. The large-scale characteristics noted by previous workers are clearly corroborated. Specifically the M2 tide dominates the surface currents, and the Delaware Bay outflow plume is clearly evident in the low frequency currents. Several new aspects of the surface circulation were also identified. These include a map of the spatial variability of the M2 tide (validating an earlier model study), persistent low-frequency cross-mouth flow, and a rapid response of the surface currents to a changing wind field. However, strong wind episodes did not persist long enough to set up a sustained Ekman response.« less

Interannual variation, decadal trend, and future change in ozone outflow from East Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Jia; Liao, Hong; Mao, Yuhao; Yang, Yang; Jiang, Hui

2017-03-01

We examine the past and future changes in the O3 outflow from East Asia using a global 3-D chemical transport model, GEOS-Chem. The simulations of Asian O3 outflow for 1986-2006 are driven by the assimilated GEOS-4 meteorological fields, and those for 2000-2050 are driven by the meteorological fields archived by the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) general circulation model (GCM) 3 under the IPCC SRES A1B scenario. The evaluation of the model results against measurements shows that the GEOS-Chem model captures the seasonal cycles and interannual variations of tropospheric O3 concentrations fairly well with high correlation coefficients of 0.82-0.93 at four ground-based sites and 0.55-0.88 at two ozonesonde sites where observations are available. The increasing trends in surface-layer O3 concentrations in East Asia over the past 2 decades are captured by the model, although the modeled O3 trends have low biases. Sensitivity studies are conducted to examine the respective impacts of meteorological parameters and emissions on the variations in the outflow flux of O3. When both meteorological parameters and anthropogenic emissions varied from 1986-2006, the simulated Asian O3 outflow fluxes exhibited a statistically insignificant decadal trend; however, they showed large interannual variations (IAVs) with seasonal values of 4-9 % for the absolute percent departure from the mean (APDM) and an annual APDM value of 3.3 %. The sensitivity simulations indicated that the large IAVs in O3 outflow fluxes were mainly caused by variations in the meteorological conditions. The variations in meteorological parameters drove the IAVs in O3 outflow fluxes by altering the O3 concentrations over East Asia and by altering the zonal winds; the latter was identified to be the key factor, since the O3 outflow was highly correlated with zonal winds from 1986-2006. The simulations of the 2000-2050 changes show that the annual outflow flux of O3 will increase by 2.0, 7.9, and 12.2 % owing to climate change alone, emissions change alone, and changes in both climate and emissions, respectively. Therefore, climate change will aggravate the effects of the increases in anthropogenic emissions on future changes in the Asian O3 outflow. Future climate change is predicted to greatly increase the Asian O3 outflow in the spring and summer seasons as a result of the projected increases in zonal winds. The findings from the present study help us to understand the variations in tropospheric O3 in the downwind regions of East Asia on different timescales and have important implications for long-term air quality planning in the regions downwind of China, such as Japan and the US.

The SILCC project - III. Regulation of star formation and outflows by stellar winds and supernovae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gatto, Andrea; Walch, Stefanie; Naab, Thorsten; Girichidis, Philipp; Wünsch, Richard; Glover, Simon C. O.; Klessen, Ralf S.; Clark, Paul C.; Peters, Thomas; Derigs, Dominik; Baczynski, Christian; Puls, Joachim

2017-04-01

We study the impact of stellar winds and supernovae on the multiphase interstellar medium using three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations carried out with FLASH. The selected galactic disc region has a size of (500 pc)2 × ±5 kpc and a gas surface density of 10 M⊙ pc-2. The simulations include an external stellar potential and gas self-gravity, radiative cooling and diffuse heating, sink particles representing star clusters, stellar winds from these clusters that combine the winds from individual massive stars by following their evolution tracks, and subsequent supernova explosions. Dust and gas (self-) shielding is followed to compute the chemical state of the gas with a chemical network. We find that stellar winds can regulate star (cluster) formation. Since the winds suppress the accretion of fresh gas soon after the cluster has formed, they lead to clusters that have lower average masses (102-104.3 M⊙) and form on shorter time-scales (10-3-10 Myr). In particular, we find an anticorrelation of cluster mass and accretion time-scale. Without winds, the star clusters easily grow to larger masses for ˜5 Myr until the first supernova explodes. Overall, the most massive stars provide the most wind energy input, while objects beginning their evolution as B-type stars contribute most of the supernova energy input. A significant outflow from the disc (mass loading ≳1 at 1 kpc) can be launched by thermal gas pressure if more than 50 per cent of the volume near the disc mid-plane can be heated to T > 3 × 105 K. Stellar winds alone cannot create a hot volume-filling phase. The models that are in best agreement with observed star formation rates drive either no outflows or weak outflows.

Analytical modeling of Cosmic Winds and Jets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vlahakis, Nektarios

1998-11-01

A widespread phenomenon in astrophysics is the outflow of plasma from the environment of stellar or galactic objects. This plasma outflows range from nonuniform winds to highly collimated jets which are common to many stages of stellar evolution. For example, collimated outflows are found around young stars (e.g., as in HH 30), older mass losing stars (as in eta-Carinae), symbiotic stars (e.g. in R Aqr), planetary nebulae nuclei (as in the hourglass nebula), black hole X-ray transients (as in GRS 1915+105 and GRO J1655-40), low- and high-mass X-ray binaries and recently also in cataclysmic variables (e.g. T Pyxidis). Similarly, they are also found emerging from the nuclei of many radio galaxies and quasars. Nevertheless, despite their abundance the questions of the formation, acceleration and propagation of nonuniform winds and jets have not been fully resolved. One of the main difficulties in dealing with the theoretical problem posed by cosmical outflows is that their dynamics needs to be described - even to lowest order - by the highly intractable set of the MHD equations. As is well known, this is a nonlinear system of partial differential equations with several critical points, and only very few classes of solutions are available for axisymmetric systems obtained by assuming a separation of variables in several key functions. This hypothesis allows an analysis in a 2-D geometry of the full MHD equations which reduce then to a system of ordinary differential equations. By a systematic method we construct general classes of exact and self-consistent axisymmetric MHD solutions. The unifying scheme contains three large groups of exact MHD outflow models, (I) meridionally self-similar ones with spherical critical surfaces, (II) radially self-similar models with conical critical surfaces and (III) generalized self-similar models with arbitrary shape critical surfaces. This classification includes known polytropic models, such as the classical Parker description of a stellar wind and the Blandford and Payne (1982) model of a disk-wind; it also contains nonpolytropic models, such as those of winds/jets in Sauty and Tsinganos (1994), Lima et al (1996) and Trussoni et al (1997). Besides the unification of all known cases under a common scheme, several new classes emerge and some are briefly analyzed; they could be explored for a further understanding of the physical properties of MHD outflows from various magnetized astrophysical rotators. We also propose a new class of exact and self-consistent MHD solutions which describe steady and axisymmetric hydromagnetic outflows from the magnetized atmosphere of a rotating gravitating central object with possibly an orbiting accretion disk. The plasma is driven by a thermal pressure gradient, as well as by magnetic rotator and radiative forces. At the Alfvenic and fast critical points the appropriate criticality conditions are applied. The outflows start almost radially but after the Alfven transition and before the fast critical surface is encountered the magnetic pinching force bends the poloidal streamlines into a cylindrical jet-type shape. The terminal speed, Alfven number, cross-sectional area of the jet, as well as its final pressure and density obtain uniform values at large distances from the source. The goal of the study is to give an analytical discussion of the two-dimensional interplay of the thermal pressure gradient, gravitational, Lorentz and inertial forces in accelerating and collimating an MHD flow. A parametric study of the model is given, as well as a brief sketch of its applicability to a self-consistent modeling of collimated outflows from various astrophysical objects. For example, the obtained characteristics of the collimated outflow in agreement with those in jets associated with YSO's. General theoretical arguments and various analytic self-similar solutions have recently shown that magnetized and rotating astrophysical outflows may become asymptotically cylindrical, in agreement with observations of cosmical jets. A notable common feature in all such self-consistent, self-similar MHD solutions is that before final cylindrical collimation is achieved, the jet passes from a stage of oscillations in its radius, Mach number and other physical parameters. It is shown that under rather general assumptions this oscillatory behaviour of collimated outflows is not restricted to the few specific models examined so far, but instead it seems to be a rather general physical property of an MHD outflow which starts noncylindrically before it reaches collimation. It is concluded thence that astrophysical jets are topologically stable to small amplitude, time-independent perturbations in their asymptotically cylindrical shape. Also, similarly to the familiar fluid instabilities these oscillations may give rise to brightness enhancements along jets.

Asymmetric MHD outflows/jets from accreting T Tauri stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dyda, S.; Lovelace, R. V. E.; Ustyugova, G. V.; Lii, P. S.; Romanova, M. M.; Koldoba, A. V.

2015-06-01

Observations of jets from young stellar objects reveal the asymmetric outflows from some sources. A large set of 2.5D magnetohydrodynamic simulations was carried out for axisymmetric viscous/diffusive disc accretion to rotating magnetized stars for the purpose of assessing the conditions where the outflows are asymmetric relative to the equatorial plane. We consider initial magnetic fields that are symmetric about the equatorial plane and consist of a radially distributed field threading the disc (disc field) and a stellar dipole field. (1) For pure disc-fields the symmetry or asymmetry of the outflows is affected by the mid-plane plasma β of the disc. For discs with small plasma β, outflows are symmetric to within 10 per cent over time-scales of hundreds of inner disc orbits. For higher β discs, the coupling of the upper and lower coronal plasmas is broken, and quasi-periodic field motion leads to asymmetric episodic outflows. (2) Accreting stars with a stellar dipole field and no disc-field exhibit episodic, two component outflows - a magnetospheric wind and an inner disc wind. Both are characterized by similar velocity profiles but the magnetospheric wind has densities ≳ 10 times that of the disc wind. (3) Adding a disc field parallel to the stellar dipole field enhances the magnetospheric winds but suppresses the disc wind. (4) Adding a disc field which is antiparallel to the stellar dipole field in the disc suppresses the magnetospheric and disc winds. Our simulations reproduce some key features of observations of asymmetric outflows of T Tauri stars.

TESTING WIND AS AN EXPLANATION FOR THE SPIN PROBLEM IN THE CONTINUUM-FITTING METHOD

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

You, Bei; Czerny, Bożena; Sobolewska, Małgosia

2016-04-20

The continuum-fitting method is one of the two most advanced methods of determining the black hole spin in accreting X-ray binary systems. There are, however, still some unresolved issues with the underlying disk models. One of these issues manifests as an apparent decrease in spin for increasing source luminosity. Here, we perform a few simple tests to establish whether outflows from the disk close to the inner radius can address this problem. We employ four different parametric models to describe the wind and compare these to the apparent decrease in spin with luminosity measured in the sources LMC X-3 andmore » GRS 1915+105. Wind models in which parameters do not explicitly depend on the accretion rate cannot reproduce the spin measurements. Models with mass accretion rate dependent outflows, however, have spectra that emulate the observed ones. The assumption of a wind thus effectively removes the artifact of spin decrease. This solution is not unique; the same conclusion can be obtained using a truncated inner disk model. To distinguish among the valid models, we will need high-resolution X-ray data and a realistic description of the Comptonization in the wind.« less

Simulated O VI Doppler dimming measurements of coronal outflow velocities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Strachan, Leonard; Gardner, L. D.; Kohl, John L.

1992-01-01

The possibility of determining O(5+) outflow velocities by using a Doppler dimming analysis of the resonantly scattered intensities of O VI lambda 1031.9 and lambda 1037.6 is addressed. The technique is sensitive to outflow velocities, W, in the range W greater than 30 and less than 250 km/s and can be used for probing regions of the inner solar corona, where significant coronal heating and solar wind acceleration may be occurring. These velocity measurements, when combined with measurements of other plasma parameters (temperatures and densities of ions and electrons) can be used to estimate the energy and mass flux of O(5+). In particular, it may be possible to locate where the flow changes from subsonic to supersonic and to identify source regions for the high and low speed solar wind. The velocity diagnostic technique is discussed with emphasis placed on the requirements needed for accurate outflow velocity determinations. Model determinations of outflow velocities based on simulated Doppler observations are presented.

A 100 au Wide Bipolar Rotating Shell Emanating from the HH 212 Protostellar Disk: A Disk Wind?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Chin-Fei; Li, Zhi-Yun; Codella, Claudio; Ho, Paul T. P.; Podio, Linda; Hirano, Naomi; Shang, Hsien; Turner, Neal J.; Zhang, Qizhou

2018-03-01

HH 212 is a Class 0 protostellar system found to host a “hamburger”-shaped dusty disk with a rotating disk atmosphere and a collimated SiO jet at a distance of ∼400 pc. Recently, a compact rotating outflow has been detected in SO and SO2 toward the center along the jet axis at ∼52 au (0.″13) resolution. Here we resolve the compact outflow into a small-scale wide-opening rotating outflow shell and a collimated jet, with the observations in the same S-bearing molecules at ∼16 au (0.″04) resolution. The collimated jet is aligned with the SiO jet, tracing the shock interactions in the jet. The wide-opening outflow shell is seen extending out from the inner disk around the SiO jet and has a width of ∼100 au. It is not only expanding away from the center, but also rotating around the jet axis. The specific angular momentum of the outflow shell is ∼40 au km s‑1. Simple modeling of the observed kinematics suggests that the rotating outflow shell can trace either a disk wind or disk material pushed away by an unseen wind from the inner disk or protostar. We also resolve the disk atmosphere in the same S-bearing molecules, confirming the Keplerian rotation there.

Global Response to Local Ionospheric Mass Ejection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, T. E.; Fok, M.-C.; Delcourt, D. C.; Slinker, S. P.; Fedder, J. A.

2010-01-01

We revisit a reported "Ionospheric Mass Ejection" using prior event observations to guide a global simulation of local ionospheric outflows, global magnetospheric circulation, and plasma sheet pressurization, and comparing our results with the observed global response. Our simulation framework is based on test particle motions in the Lyon-Fedder-Mobarry (LFM) global circulation model electromagnetic fields. The inner magnetosphere is simulated with the Comprehensive Ring Current Model (CRCM) of Fok and Wolf, driven by the transpolar potential developed by the LFM magnetosphere, and includes an embedded plasmaspheric simulation. Global circulation is stimulated using the observed solar wind conditions for the period 24-25 Sept 1998. This period begins with the arrival of a Coronal Mass Ejection, initially with northward, but later with southward interplanetary magnetic field. Test particles are launched from the ionosphere with fluxes specified by local empirical relationships of outflow to electrodynamic and particle precipitation imposed by the MIlD simulation. Particles are tracked until they are lost from the system downstream or into the atmosphere, using the full equations of motion. Results are compared with the observed ring current and a simulation of polar and auroral wind outflows driven globally by solar wind dynamic pressure. We find good quantitative agreement with the observed ring current, and reasonable qualitative agreement with earlier simulation results, suggesting that the solar wind driven global simulation generates realistic energy dissipation in the ionosphere and that the Strangeway relations provide a realistic local outflow description.

Wave-Particle Interactions As a Driving Mechanism for the Solar Wind

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wagner, William J.

2004-01-01

Our research has been focusing on a highly experimentally relevant issue: intermittency of the fluctuating fields in outflowing plasmas. We have contributed to both the theoretical and experimental research of the topic. In particular, we have developed a theoretical model and data analyzing programs to examine the issue of intermittency in space plasma outflows, including the solar wind. As fluctuating electric fields in the solar wind are likely to provide a heating and acceleration mechanism for the ions, our studies of the intermittency in turbulence in space plasma outflows help us toward achieving the goal of comparing major physical mechanisms that contribute to the driving of the fast solar wind. Our new theoretical model extends the utilities of our global hybrid model, which has allowed us to follow the kinetic evolution of the particle distributions along an inhomogeneous field line while the particles are subjected to various physical mechanisms. The physical effects that were considered in the global hybrid model included wave-particle interactions, an ambipolar electric field that was consistent with the particle distributions themselves, and Coulomb collisions. With an earlier version of the global hybrid model, we examined the overall impact on the solar wind flow due to the combination of these physical effects. In particular, we studied the combined effects of two major mechanisms that had been proposed as the drivers of the fast solar wind: (1) velocity filtration effect due to suprathermal electrons; (2) ion cyclotron resonance. Since the approval of this research grant, we have updated the model such that the effects due to these two driving mechanisms can be examined separately, thereby allowing us to compare their contributions to the acceleration of the solar wind. In the next section, we shall demonstrate that the velocity filtration effect is rather insignificant in comparison with that due to ion cyclotron resonance.

Metallic Winds in Dwarf Galaxies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Robles-Valdez, F.; Rodríguez-González, A.; Hernández-Martínez, L.

2017-02-01

We present results from models of galactic winds driven by energy injected from nuclear (at the galactic center) and non-nuclear starbursts. The total energy of the starburst is provided by very massive young stellar clusters, which can push the galactic interstellar medium and produce an important outflow. Such outflow can be a well or partially mixed wind, or a highly metallic wind. We have performed adiabatic 3D N -Body/Smooth Particle Hydrodynamics simulations of galactic winds using the gadget-2 code. The numerical models cover a wide range of parameters, varying the galaxy concentration index, gas fraction of the galactic disk, andmore » radial distance of the starburst. We show that an off-center starburst in dwarf galaxies is the most effective mechanism to produce a significant loss of metals (material from the starburst itself). At the same time, a non-nuclear starburst produces a high efficiency of metal loss, in spite of having a moderate to low mass loss rate.« less

Modeling mass loss from B(e) stars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cassinelli, J. P.; Schulte-Ladbeck, R. E.; Abbott, M.; Poe, C. H.

1989-01-01

It was suggested by Zickgraf et al. (1986) that the outer atmospheres of some B(e) stars have a two-component structure: a fast, radiation-driven wind from the pole, and a dense, slow outflow from the equator. Poe et al. (1989) developed this theory to explain the momentum problem associated with WR stars. This paper uses the multiforce wind theory of Poe et al. to model the B(e) outflow phenomenon. Two general questions are investigated: (1) whether B(e) stars can be rotating near critical speed, and if so, (2) what constraints can be placed on the parameters that determine the two-component flow structure.

Progress of research to identify rotating thunderstorms using satellite imagery

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, Charles E.

1988-01-01

The possibility of detecting potentially tornadic thunderstorm cells from geosynchronous satelite imagery is determined. During the life of the contract, we examined eight tornado outbreak cases which had a total of 124 individual thunderstorm cells, 37 of which were tornadic.These 37 cells produced a total of 119 tornadoes. The outflow characteristics of all the cells were measured. Through the use of a 2-D flow field model, we were able to simulate the downstream developmemt of an anvil cloud plume which was emitted by the storm updraft at or near the tropopause. We used two parameters to characterize the anvil plume behavior: its speed of downstream propagation (U max) and the clockwise deviation of the centerline of the anvil plume from the storm relative ambient wind at the anvil plume outflow level (MDA). U max was the maximum U-component of the anvil wind parameter required to successfully maintain an envelope of translating particles at the tip of the expanding anvil cloud. MDA was the measured deviation angle acquired from McIDAS, between the storm relative ambient wind direction and the storm relative anvil plume outflow direction; tha latter being manipulated by controlling a tangential wind component to force the envelope of particles to maintain their position of surrounding the expanding outflow cloud.

Radiative cooling of swept up gas in AGN-driven galactic winds and its implications for molecular outflows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richings, Alexander J.; Faucher-Giguére, Claude-André

2018-05-01

We recently used hydro-chemical simulations to demonstrate that molecular outflows observed in luminous quasars can be explained by molecule formation within the AGN wind. However, these simulations cover a limited parameter space, due to their computational cost. We have therefore developed an analytic model to follow cooling in the shocked ISM layer of an AGN wind. We explore different ambient densities (1-104 {cm}^{-3}), density profile slopes (0-1.5), AGN luminosities (1044-10^{47} {erg} {s}^{-1}), and metallicities (0.1-3 Z⊙). The swept up gas mostly cools within ˜1 Myr. Based on our previous simulations, we predict that this gas would produce observable molecular outflows. The instantaneous momentum boost initially increases as the outflow decelerates. However, it reaches a maximum of ≈20, due to work done against the gravitational potential. The predicted time-averaged observational estimate of the molecular outflow momentum boost reaches a maximum of ≈1 -2, partly due to our assumed molecular fraction, 0.2, but also because the instantaneous and observational, time-averaged definitions are not equivalent. Thus recent observational estimates of order unity momentum boosts do not necessarily rule out energy-driven outflows. Finally, we find that dust grains are likely to re-form by accretion of metals after the shocked ISM layer has cooled, assuming that a small fraction of dust grains swept up after this layer has cooled are able to mix into the cool phase, and assuming that grain growth remains efficient in the presence of the strong AGN radiation field. This would enable rapid molecule formation, as assumed in our models.

Numerical Study on Outflows in Seyfert Galaxies I: Narrow Line Region Outflows in NGC 4151

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mou, Guobin; Wang, Tinggui; Yang, Chenwei

2017-07-01

The origin of narrow line region (NLR) outflows remains unknown. In this paper, we explore the scenario in which these outflows are circumnuclear clouds driven by energetic accretion disk winds. We choose the well-studied nearby Seyfert galaxy NGC 4151 as an example. By performing 3D hydrodynamical simulations, we are able to reproduce the radial distributions of velocity, mass outflow rate, and kinetic luminosity of NLR outflows in the inner 100 pc deduced from spatial resolved spectroscopic observations. The demanded kinetic luminosity of disk winds is about two orders of magnitude higher than that inferred from the NLR outflows, but is close to the ultrafast outflows (UFO) detected in the X-ray spectrum and a few times lower than the bolometric luminosity of the Seyfert. Our simulations imply that the scenario is viable for NGC 4151. The existence of the underlying disk winds can be confirmed by their impacts on higher density ISM, e.g., shock excitation signs, and the pressure in NLR.

Comparing cosmological hydrodynamic simulations with observations of high- redshift galaxy formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finlator, Kristian Markwart

We use cosmological hydrodynamic simulations to study the impact of outflows and radiative feedback on high-redshift galaxies. For outflows, we consider simulations that assume (i) no winds, (ii) a "constant-wind" model in which the mass-loading factor and outflow speed are constant, and (iii) "momentum-driven" winds in which both parameters vary smoothly with mass. In order to treat radiative feedback, we develop a moment-based radiative transfer technique that operates in both post-processing and coupled radiative hydrodynamic modes. We first ask how outflows impact the broadband spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of six observed reionization-epoch galaxies. Simulations reproduce five regardless of the outflow prescription, while the sixth suggests an unusually bursty star formation history. We conclude that (i) simulations broadly account for available constraints on reionization-epoch galaxies, (ii) individual SEDs do not constrain outflows, and (iii) SED comparisons efficiently isolate objects that challenge simulations. We next study how outflows impact the galaxy mass metallicity relation (MZR). Momentum-driven outflows uniquely reproduce observations at z = 2. In this scenario, galaxies obey two equilibria: (i) The rate at which a galaxy processes gas into stars and outflows tracks its inflow rate; and (ii) The gas enrichment rate owing to star formation balances the dilution rate owing to inflows. Combining these conditions indicates that the MZR is dominated by the (instantaneous) variation of outflows with mass, with more-massive galaxies driving less gas into outflows per unit stellar mass formed. Turning to radiative feedback, we use post-processing simulations to study the topology of reionization. Reionization begins in overdensities and then "leaks" directly into voids, with filaments reionizing last owing to their high density and low emissivity. This result conflicts with previous findings that voids ionize last. We argue that it owes to the uniqely-biased emissivity field produced by our star formation prescriptions, which have previously been shown to reproduce numerous post-reionization constraints. Finally, preliminary results from coupled radiative hydrodynamic simulations indicate that reionization suppresses the star formation rate density by at most 10-20% by z = 5. This is much less than previous estimates, which we attribute to our unique reionization topology although confirmation will have to await more detailed modeling.

A simple, analytic 3-dimensional downburst model based on boundary layer stagnation flow

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oseguera, Rosa M.; Bowles, Roland L.

1988-01-01

A simple downburst model is developed for use in batch and real-time piloted simulation studies of guidance strategies for terminal area transport aircraft operations in wind shear conditions. The model represents an axisymmetric stagnation point flow, based on velocity profiles from the Terminal Area Simulation System (TASS) model developed by Proctor and satisfies the mass continuity equation in cylindrical coordinates. Altitude dependence, including boundary layer effects near the ground, closely matches real-world measurements, as do the increase, peak, and decay of outflow and downflow with increasing distance from the downburst center. Equations for horizontal and vertical winds were derived, and found to be infinitely differentiable, with no singular points existent in the flow field. In addition, a simple relationship exists among the ratio of maximum horizontal to vertical velocities, the downdraft radius, depth of outflow, and altitude of maximum outflow. In use, a microburst can be modeled by specifying four characteristic parameters, velocity components in the x, y and z directions, and the corresponding nine partial derivatives are obtained easily from the velocity equations.

Low-energy ion outflow modulated by the solar wind energy input

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Kun; Wei, Yong; Andre, Mats; Eriksson, Anders; Haaland, Stein; Kronberg, Elena; Nilsson, Hans; Maes, Lukas

2017-04-01

Due to the spacecraft charging issue, it has been difficult to measure low-energy ions of ionospheric origin in the magnetosphere. A recent study taking advantage of the spacecraft electric potential has found that the previously 'hidden' low-energy ions is dominant in the magnetosphere. This comprehensive dataset of low-energy ions allows us to study the relationship between the ionospheric outflow and energy input from the solar wind (ɛ). In this study, we discuss the ratios of the solar wind energy input to the energy of the ionospheric outflow. We show that the ɛ controls the ionospheric outflow when the ɛ is high, while the ionospheric outflow does not systematically change with the ɛ when the ɛ is low.

Galactic cluster winds in presence of a dark energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bisnovatyi-Kogan, G. S.; Merafina, M.

2013-10-01

We obtain a solution for the hydrodynamic outflow of the polytropic gas from the gravitating centre, in the presence of the uniform dark energy (DE). The antigravity of DE is enlightening the outflow and makes the outflow possible at smaller initial temperature, at the same density. The main property of the wind in the presence of DE is its unlimited acceleration after passing the critical point. In application of this solution to the winds from galaxy clusters, we suggest that collision of the strongly accelerated wind with another galaxy cluster, or with another galactic cluster wind, could lead to the formation of a highest energy cosmic rays.

Directly Driven Ion Outflow

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elliott, H. A.; Comfort, R. H.; Craven, P. D.; Moore, T. E.; Russell, C. T.; Rose, M. Franklin (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

We examine ionospheric outflows in the high altitude magnetospheric polar cap during the POLAR satellite's apogee on April 19, 1996 using the Thermal Ion Dynamics Experiment (TIDE) instrument. The elevated levels of O(+) observed in this pass may be due to the geophysical conditions during and prior to the apogee pass. In addition to the high abundance of O(+) relative to H(+), several other aspects of this data are noteworthy. We observe relationships between the density, velocity, and temperature which appear to be associated with perpendicular heating and the mirror force, rather than adiabatic expansion. The H(+) outflow is at a fairly constant flux which is consistent with being source limited by charge exchange at lower altitudes. Local centrifugal acceleration in the polar cap is found to be insufficient to account for the main variations we observe in the outflow velocity. The solar wind speed is high during this pass approximately 700 kilometers per second, and there are Alfve'n waves present in the solar wind such that the solar wind speed and IMF Bx are correlated. In this pass both the H(+) and O(+) outflow velocities correlate with both the solar wind speed and IMF fluctuations. Polar cap magnetometer and Hydra electron data show the same long period wave structure as found in the solar wind and polar cap ion outflow. In addition, the polar cap Poynting flux along the magnetic field direction correlates well with the H(+) temperature (R=0.84). We conclude that the solar wind can drive polar cap ion outflow particularly during polar squalls by setting up a parallel drop that is tens of eV which then causes the ion outflow velocity of O(+) and H(+), the electrons, and magnetic perturbations to vary in a similar fashion.

Radiation-hydrodynamic simulations of thermally-driven disc winds in X-ray binaries: A direct comparison to GRO J1655-40

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Higginbottom, Nick; Knigge, Christian; Long, Knox S.; Matthews, James H.; Sim, Stuart A.; Hewitt, Henrietta A.

2018-06-01

Essentially all low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) in the soft state appear to drive powerful equatorial disc winds. A simple mechanism for driving such outflows involves X-ray heating of the top of the disc atmosphere to the Compton temperature. Beyond the Compton radius, the thermal speed exceeds the escape velocity, and mass loss is inevitable. Here, we present the first coupled radiation-hydrodynamic simulation of such thermally-driven disc winds. The main advance over previous modelling efforts is that the frequency-dependent attenuation of the irradiating SED is taken into account. We can therefore relax the approximation that the wind is optically thin throughout which is unlikely to hold in the crucial acceleration zone of the flow. The main remaining limitations of our simulations are connected to our treatment of optically thick regions. Adopting parameters representative of the wind-driving LMXB GRO J1655-40, our radiation-hydrodynamic model yields a mass-loss rate that is ≃ 5 × lower than that suggested by pure hydrodynamic, optically thin models. This outflow rate still represents more than twice the accretion rate and agrees well with the mass-loss rate inferred from Chandra/HETG observations of GRO J1655-40 at a time when the system had a similar luminosity to that adopted in our simulations. The Fe XXV and Fe XXVI Lyman {α } absorption line profiles observed in this state are slightly stronger than those predicted by our simulations but the qualitative agreement between observed and simulated outflow properties means that thermal driving is a viable mechanism for powering the disc winds seen in soft-state LMXBs.

What's in the Wind? Determining the Properties of Outflowing Gas in Powerful Broad Absorption Line Quasars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leighly, Karen

2017-08-01

A significant fraction of quasars exhibits blueshifted broadabsorption lines (BALs) in their rest-UV spectra, indicating powerfuloutflows emerging from the central engine. These outflows may removeangular momentum to enable black hole growth, enrich the intergalacticmedium with metals, and trigger quenching of star formation ingalaxies. Despite years of study, the physical conditions of theoutflowing gas are poorly understood. The handful of objects that havebeen subjected to detailed analysis are atypical and characterized byrelatively narrow lines where blending is unimportant. However,investigating more powerful BAL quasars will give us better insightinto the types of outflows much more likely to impact galaxyevolution.SimBAL is a novel spectral synthesis fitting method for BAL quasarsthat uses Bayesian model calibration to compare synthetic to observedspectra. With the model inputs of ionization parameter, columndensity, and covering fraction specified, the gas properties givingrise to the BAL features can be determined. We propose to applySimBAL to archival spectra of a sample of 14 luminous BAL quasars to characterize their bulk outflow properties as a function of velocityfor the first time. Our results will show the range of parameterstypical of powerful outflows, an essential step towards constrainingthe physics behind quasar winds and thus their impact on theirenvironments.

Quasar Feedback in the Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxy F11119+3257: Connecting the Accretion Disk Wind with the Large-scale Molecular Outflow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Veilleux, S.; Bolatto, A.; Tombesi, F.; Meléndez, M.; Sturm, E.; González-Alfonso, E.; Fischer, J.; Rupke, D. S. N.

2017-07-01

In Tombesi et al., we reported the first direct evidence for a quasar accretion disk wind driving a massive (>100 M ⊙ yr-1) molecular outflow. The target was F11119+3257, an ultraluminous infrared galaxy (ULIRG) with unambiguous type 1 quasar optical broad emission lines. The energetics of the accretion disk wind and molecular outflow were found to be consistent with the predictions of quasar feedback models where the molecular outflow is driven by a hot energy-conserving bubble inflated by the inner quasar accretion disk wind. However, this conclusion was uncertain because the mass outflow rate, momentum flux, and mechanical power of the outflowing molecular gas were estimated from the optically thick OH 119 μm transition profile observed with Herschel. Here, we independently confirm the presence of the molecular outflow in F11119+3257, based on the detection of ˜±1000 km s-1 blue- and redshifted wings in the CO(1-0) emission line profile derived from deep ALMA observations obtained in the compact array configuration (˜2.″8 resolution). The broad CO(1-0) line emission appears to be spatially extended on a scale of at least ˜7 kpc from the center. Mass outflow rate, momentum flux, and mechanical power of (80-200) {R}7-1 M ⊙ yr-1, (1.5-3.0) {R}7-1 L AGN/c, and (0.15-0.40)% {R}7-1 {L}{AGN}, respectively, are inferred from these data, assuming a CO-to-H2 conversion factor appropriate for a ULIRG (R 7 is the radius of the outflow normalized to 7 kpc, and L AGN is the AGN luminosity). These rates are time-averaged over a flow timescale of 7 × 106 yr. They are similar to the OH-based rates time-averaged over a flow timescale of 4 × 105 yr, but about a factor of 4 smaller than the local (“instantaneous” ≲105 yr) OH-based estimates cited in Tombesi et al. The implications of these new results are discussed in the context of time-variable quasar-mode feedback and galaxy evolution. The need for an energy-conserving bubble to explain the molecular outflow is also reexamined.

Understand the Air-Sea Coupling Processes in High Wind Conditions Using a Synthesized Data Analysis/modeling Approach

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-09-30

secondary gap outflow that appeared in COAMPS simulations ( Cherrett 2006). Figure 3d shows similar SST spatial variations as in Fig. 3c with slight... Cherrett , R. C. 2006: Observed and Simulated temporal and spatial variations of the gap outflow region, M.S. Thesis, Meteorology Department, Naval

Numerical Study on Outflows in Seyfert Galaxies I: Narrow Line Region Outflows in NGC 4151

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mou, Guobin; Wang, Tinggui; Yang, Chenwei, E-mail: gbmou@ustc.edu.cn

The origin of narrow line region (NLR) outflows remains unknown. In this paper, we explore the scenario in which these outflows are circumnuclear clouds driven by energetic accretion disk winds. We choose the well-studied nearby Seyfert galaxy NGC 4151 as an example. By performing 3D hydrodynamical simulations, we are able to reproduce the radial distributions of velocity, mass outflow rate, and kinetic luminosity of NLR outflows in the inner 100 pc deduced from spatial resolved spectroscopic observations. The demanded kinetic luminosity of disk winds is about two orders of magnitude higher than that inferred from the NLR outflows, but ismore » close to the ultrafast outflows (UFO) detected in the X-ray spectrum and a few times lower than the bolometric luminosity of the Seyfert. Our simulations imply that the scenario is viable for NGC 4151. The existence of the underlying disk winds can be confirmed by their impacts on higher density ISM, e.g., shock excitation signs, and the pressure in NLR.« less

Multifluid Block-Adaptive-Tree Solar Wind Roe-Type Upwind Scheme: Magnetospheric Composition and Dynamics During Geomagnetic Storms-Initial Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glocer, A.; Toth, G.; Ma, Y.; Gombosi, T.; Zhang, J.-C.; Kistler, L. M.

2009-01-01

The magnetosphere contains a significant amount of ionospheric O+, particularly during geomagnetically active times. The presence of ionospheric plasma in the magnetosphere has a notable impact on magnetospheric composition and processes. We present a new multifluid MHD version of the Block-Adaptive-Tree Solar wind Roe-type Upwind Scheme model of the magnetosphere to track the fate and consequences of ionospheric outflow. The multifluid MHD equations are presented as are the novel techniques for overcoming the formidable challenges associated with solving them. Our new model is then applied to the May 4, 1998 and March 31, 2001 geomagnetic storms. The results are juxtaposed with traditional single-fluid MHD and multispecies MHD simulations from a previous study, thereby allowing us to assess the benefits of using a more complex model with additional physics. We find that our multifluid MHD model (with outflow) gives comparable results to the multispecies MHD model (with outflow), including a more strongly negative Dst, reduced CPCP, and a drastically improved magnetic field at geosynchronous orbit, as compared to single-fluid MHD with no outflow. Significant differences in composition and magnetic field are found between the multispecies and multifluid approach further away from the Earth. We further demonstrate the ability to explore pressure and bulk velocity differences between H+ and O+, which is not possible when utilizing the other techniques considered

Subsonic structure and optically thick winds from Wolf-Rayet stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grassitelli, L.; Langer, N.; Grin, N. J.; Mackey, J.; Bestenlehner, J. M.; Gräfener, G.

2018-06-01

Mass loss by stellar wind is a key agent in the evolution and spectroscopic appearance of massive main sequence and post-main sequence stars. In Wolf-Rayet stars the winds can be so dense and so optically thick that the photosphere appears in the highly supersonic part of the outflow, veiling the underlying subsonic part of the star, and leaving the initial acceleration of the wind inaccessible to observations. Here we investigate the conditions and the structure of the subsonic part of the outflow of Galactic Wolf-Rayet stars, in particular of the WNE subclass; our focus is on the conditions at the sonic point of their winds. We compute 1D hydrodynamic stellar structure models for massive helium stars adopting outer boundaries at the sonic point. We find that the outflows of our models are accelerated to supersonic velocities by the radiative force from opacity bumps either at temperatures of the order of 200 kK by the iron opacity bump or of the order of 50 kK by the helium-II opacity bump. For a given mass-loss rate, the diffusion approximation for radiative energy transport allows us to define the temperature gradient based purely on the local thermodynamic conditions. For a given mass-loss rate, this implies that the conditions in the subsonic part of the outflow are independent from the detailed physical conditions in the supersonic part. Stellar atmosphere calculations can therefore adopt our hydrodynamic models as ab initio input for the subsonic structure. The close proximity to the Eddington limit at the sonic point allows us to construct a sonic HR diagram, relating the sonic point temperature to the luminosity-to-mass ratio and the stellar mass-loss rate, thereby constraining the sonic point conditions, the subsonic structure, and the stellar wind mass-loss rates of WNE stars from observations. The minimum stellar wind mass-loss rate necessary to have the flow accelerated to supersonic velocities by the iron opacity bump is derived. A comparison of the observed parameters of Galactic WNE stars to this minimum mass-loss rate indicates that these stars have their winds launched to supersonic velocities by the radiation pressure arising from the iron opacity bump. Conversely, stellar models which do not show transonic flows from the iron opacity bump form low-density extended envelopes. We derive an analytic criterion for the appearance of envelope inflation and of a density inversion in the outer sub-photospheric layers.

Cold Ion Outflow Modulated by the Solar Wind Energy Input and Tilt of the Geomagnetic Dipole

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Kun; Wei, Y.; André, M.; Eriksson, A.; Haaland, S.; Kronberg, E. A.; Nilsson, H.; Maes, L.; Rong, Z. J.; Wan, W. X.

2017-10-01

The solar wind energy input into the Earth's magnetosphere-ionosphere system drives ionospheric outflow, which plays an important role in both the magnetospheric dynamics and evolution of the atmosphere. However, little is known about the cold ion outflow with energies lower than a few tens of eV, as the direct measurement of cold ions is difficult because a spacecraft gains a positive electric charge due to the photoemission effect, which prevents cold ions from reaching the onboard detectors. A recent breakthrough in the measurement technique using Cluster spacecraft revealed that cold ions dominate the ion population in the magnetosphere. This new technique yields a comprehensive data set containing measurements of the velocities and densities of cold ions for the years 2001-2010. In this paper, this data set is used to analyze the cold ion outflow from the ionosphere. We found that about 0.1% of the solar wind energy input is transformed to the kinetic energy of cold ion outflow at the topside ionosphere. We also found that the geomagnetic dipole tilt can significantly affect the density of cold ion outflow, modulating the outflow rate of cold ion kinetic energy. These results give us clues to study the evolution of ionospheric outflow with changing global magnetic field and solar wind condition in the history.

A systematic investigation of the mass loss mechanism in dust forming long-period variable stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winters, J. M.; Le Bertre, T.; Jeong, K. S.; Helling, Ch.; Sedlmayr, E.

2000-09-01

In order to investigate the relations between the mass loss from pulsating red giants and quantities which can be obtained from observations, we have explored the behavior of theoretical models which treat the time-dependent hydrodynamics of circumstellar outflows, including a detailed treatment of the dust formation process. This approach, while ignoring effects such as a possible non-sphericity of the stellar atmospheres which are difficult to assess, accounts correctly for factors such as the grain formation and destruction which are crucial to the mass-loss mechanism. We built a grid of ~ 150 models covering a wide range of physical situations. This grid allows us to characterize the effects of different parameters, such as the stellar luminosity and temperature, the period and the amplitude of the pulsation, and the C/O element abundance ratio, on the behavior of AGB winds and on the rates of mass loss. We find two regimes for the stellar outflows. The first one (A) is characterized by stable winds with a layered structure of the circumstellar dust shell, outflow velocities in excess of 5 km s-1, and a large rate of mass loss. These outflows are dominated by radiation pressure on dust. For these models we find good correlations between near-infrared colors and the mass loss rates. In the second regime (B), the winds are slow and do not present a layered structure. The outflows displaying the second behavior come, e.g., from red giants with low luminosity, high temperature, or short period. For them there is no correlation between color and mass loss rate. The mass loss rates are low and never exceed 3 10-7 Msunyr-1. Radiation pressure on dust plays only a minor role in this regime. We have explored the effect of different parameters on the behavior of the stellar winds. We find that, in general, all other parameters been kept identical, there is a narrow range of values for each parameter within which the models abruptly change from B to A, and that once a model is stabilized in the A mode the changes in the values of each parameter have only a smooth effect on the wind characteristics. Table~2 is only available in electronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/Abstract.html

Stellar physics. Observing the onset of outflow collimation in a massive protostar.

PubMed

Carrasco-González, C; Torrelles, J M; Cantó, J; Curiel, S; Surcis, G; Vlemmings, W H T; van Langevelde, H J; Goddi, C; Anglada, G; Kim, S-W; Kim, J-S; Gómez, J F

2015-04-03

The current paradigm of star formation through accretion disks, and magnetohydrodynamically driven gas ejections, predicts the development of collimated outflows, rather than expansion without any preferential direction. We present radio continuum observations of the massive protostar W75N(B)-VLA 2, showing that it is a thermal, collimated ionized wind and that it has evolved in 18 years from a compact source into an elongated one. This is consistent with the evolution of the associated expanding water-vapor maser shell, which changed from a nearly circular morphology, tracing an almost isotropic outflow, to an elliptical one outlining collimated motions. We model this behavior in terms of an episodic, short-lived, originally isotropic ionized wind whose morphology evolves as it moves within a toroidal density stratification. Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Blowin' in the wind: both `negative' and `positive' feedback in an outflowing quasar at z~1.6

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cresci, Giovanni

2015-02-01

Quasar feedback in the form of powerful outflows is invoked as a key mechanism to quench star formation, preventing massive galaxies to over-grow and producing the red colors of ellipticals. On the other hand, some models are also requiring `positive' AGN feedback, inducing star formation in the host galaxy through enhanced gas pressure in the interstellar medium. However, finding observational evidence of the effects of both types of feedback is still one of the main challenges of extragalactic astronomy, as few observations of energetic and extended radiatively-driven winds are available. We present SINFONI near infrared integral field spectroscopy of XID2028, an obscured, radio-quiet z=1.59 QSO, in which we clearly resolve a fast (1500 km/s) and extended (up to 13 kpc from the black hole) outflow in the [OIII] lines emitting gas, whose large velocity and outflow rate are not sustainable by star formation only. The narrow component of Hα emission and the rest frame U band flux show that the outflow position lies in the center of an empty cavity surrounded by star forming regions on its edge. The outflow is therefore removing the gas from the host galaxy (`negative feedback'), but also triggering star formation by outflow induced pressure at the edges (`positive feedback'). XID2028 represents the first example of a host galaxy showing both types of feedback simultaneously at work.

Evidence for ultrafast outflows in radio-quiet AGNs - III. Location and energetics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tombesi, F.; Cappi, M.; Reeves, J. N.; Braito, V.

2012-05-01

Using the results of a previous X-ray photoionization modelling of blueshifted Fe K absorption lines on a sample of 42 local radio-quiet AGNs observed with XMM-Newton, in this Letter we estimate the location and energetics of the associated ultrafast outflows (UFOs). Due to significant uncertainties, we are essentially able to place only lower/upper limits. On average, their location is in the interval ˜0.0003-0.03 pc (˜ 102-104rs) from the central black hole, consistent with what is expected for accretion disc winds/outflows. The mass outflow rates are constrained between ˜0.01 and 1 M⊙ yr-1, corresponding to >rsim5-10 per cent of the accretion rates. The average lower/upper limits on the mechanical power are log? 42.6-44.6 erg s-1. However, the minimum possible value of the ratio between the mechanical power and bolometric luminosity is constrained to be comparable or higher than the minimum required by simulations of feedback induced by winds/outflows. Therefore, this work demonstrates that UFOs are indeed capable to provide a significant contribution to the AGN cosmological feedback, in agreement with theoretical expectations and the recent observation of interactions between AGN outflows and the interstellar medium in several Seyfert galaxies.

Magnetic Origin of Black Hole Winds Across the Mass Scale

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fukumura, Keigo; Kazanas, Demosthenes; Shrader, Chris; Behar, Ehud; Tombesi, Francesco; Contopoulos, Ioannis

2017-01-01

Black hole accretion disks appear to produce invariably plasma outflows that result in blue-shifted absorption features in their spectra. The X-ray absorption-line properties of these outflows are quite diverse, ranging in velocity from non-relativistic (approx. 300 km/sec) to sub-relativistic (approx. 0.1c where c is the speed of light) and a similarly broad range in the ionization states of the wind plasma. We report here that semi-analytic, self-similar magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) wind models that have successfully accounted for the X-ray absorber properties of supermassive black holes, also fit well the high-resolution X-ray spectrum of the accreting stellar-mass black hole, GRO J1655-40. This provides an explicit theoretical argument of their MHD origin (aligned with earlier observational claims) and supports the notion of a universal magnetic structure of the observed winds across all known black hole sizes.

DISCOVERY OF RELATIVISTIC OUTFLOW IN THE SEYFERT GALAXY Ark 564

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gupta, A.; Mathur, S.; Krongold, Y.

2013-07-20

We present Chandra High Energy Transmission Grating Spectra of the narrow-line Seyfert-1 galaxy Ark 564. The spectrum shows numerous absorption lines which are well modeled with low-velocity outflow components usually observed in Seyfert galaxies. There are, however, some residual absorption lines which are not accounted for by low-velocity outflows. Here, we present identifications of the strongest lines as K{alpha} transitions of O VII (two lines) and O VI at outflow velocities of {approx}0.1c. These lines are detected at 6.9{sigma}, 6.2{sigma}, and 4.7{sigma}, respectively, and cannot be due to chance statistical fluctuations. Photoionization models with ultra-high velocity components improve the spectralmore » fit significantly, providing further support for the presence of relativistic outflow in this source. Without knowing the location of the absorber, its mass and energy outflow rates cannot be well constrained; we find E-dot (outflow)/L{sub bol} lower limit of {>=}0.006% assuming a bi-conical wind geometry. This is the first time that absorption lines with ultra-high velocities are unambiguously detected in the soft X-ray band. The presence of outflows with relativistic velocities in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with Seyfert-type luminosities is hard to understand and provides valuable constraints to models of AGN outflows. Radiation pressure is unlikely to be the driving mechanism for such outflows and magnetohydrodynamic may be involved.« less

HELICAL MAGNETIC FIELDS IN THE NGC 1333 IRAS 4A PROTOSTELLAR OUTFLOWS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ching, Tao-Chung; Lai, Shih-Ping; Zhang, Qizhou

We present Submillimeter Array polarization observations of the CO J = 3–2 line toward NGC 1333 IRAS 4A. The CO Stokes I maps at an angular resolution of ∼1″ reveal two bipolar outflows from the binary sources of NGC 1333 IRAS 4A. The kinematic features of the CO emission can be modeled by wind-driven outflows at ∼20° inclined from the plane of the sky. Close to the protostars the CO polarization, at an angular resolution of ∼2.″3, has a position angle approximately parallel to the magnetic field direction inferred from the dust polarizations. The CO polarization direction appears to vary smoothly frommore » an hourglass field around the core to an arc-like morphology wrapping around the outflow, suggesting a helical structure of magnetic fields that inherits the poloidal fields at the launching point and consists of toroidal fields at a farther distance of outflow. The helical magnetic field is consistent with the theoretical expectations for launching and collimating outflows from a magnetized rotating disk. Considering that the CO polarized emission is mainly contributed from the low-velocity and low-resolution data, the helical magnetic field is likely a product of the wind–envelope interaction in the wind-driven outflows. The CO data reveal a PA of ∼30° deflection in the outflows. The variation in the CO polarization angle seems to correlate with the deflections. We speculate that the helical magnetic field contributes to ∼10° deflection of the outflows by means of Lorentz force.« less

Collimated Outflow Formation via Binary Stars: Three-Dimensional Simulations of Asymptotic Giant Branch Wind and Disk Wind Interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García-Arredondo, F.; Frank, Adam

2004-01-01

We present three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations of the interaction of a slow wind from an asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star and a jet blown by an orbiting companion. The jet or ``collimated fast wind'' is assumed to originate from an accretion disk that forms via Bondi accretion of the AGB wind or Roche lobe overflow. We present two distinct regimes in the wind-jet interaction determined by the ratio of the AGB wind to jet momentum flux. Our results show that when the wind momentum flux overwhelms the flux in the jet, a more disordered outflow results with the jet assuming a corkscrew pattern and multiple shock structures driven into the AGB wind. In the opposite regime, the jet dominates and will drive a highly collimated, narrow-waisted outflow. We compare our results with scenarios described by Soker & Rappaport and extrapolate to the structures observed in planetary nebulae (PNs) and symbiotic stars.

Measuring the Outflow Properties of FeLoBAL Quasars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dabbieri, Collin; Choi, Hyunseop; MacInnis, Francis; Leighly, Karen; Terndrup, Donald

2018-01-01

Roughly 20 percent of the quasar population shows broad absorption lines, which are indicators of an energetic wind. Within the broad absorption line class of quasars exist FeLoBAL quasars, which show strong absorption lines from the Fe II and Fe III transitions as well as other low-ionization lines. FeLoBALs are of particular interest because they are thought to possibly be a short-lived stage in a quasar's life where it expels its shroud of gas and dust. This means the winds we see from FeLoBALs are one manifestation of galactic feedback. This idea is supported by Farrah et al. (2012) who found an anti correlation between outflow strength and contribution from star formation to the total IR luminosity of the host galaxy when examining a sample of FeLoBAL quasars. We analyze the sample of 26 FeLoBALs from Farrah et al. (2012) in order to measure the properties of their outflows, including ionization, density, column density and covering fraction. The absorption and continuum profiles of these objects are modeled using SimBAL, a program which creates synthetic spectra using a grid of Cloudy models. A Monte-Carlo method is employed to determine posterior probabilities for the physical parameters of the outflow. From these probabilities we extract the distance of the outflow, the mass outflow rate and the kinetic luminosity. We demonstrate SimBAL is capable of modeling a wide range of spectral morphologies. From the 26 objects studied we observe interesting correlations between ionization parameter, distance and density. Analysis of our sample also suggests a dearth of objects with velocity widths greater than or equal to 300 km/s at distances greater than or equal to 100 parsecs.

A VERSATILE FAMILY OF GALACTIC WIND MODELS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bustard, Chad; Zweibel, Ellen G.; D’Onghia, Elena, E-mail: bustard@wisc.edu

2016-03-01

We present a versatile family of model galactic outflows including non-uniform mass and energy source distributions, a gravitational potential from an extended mass source, and radiative losses. The model easily produces steady-state wind solutions for a range of mass-loading factors, energy-loading factors, galaxy mass, and galaxy radius. We find that, with radiative losses included, highly mass-loaded winds must be driven at high central temperatures, whereas low mass-loaded winds can be driven at low temperatures just above the peak of the cooling curve, meaning radiative losses can drastically affect the wind solution even for low mass-loading factors. By including radiative losses,more » we are able to show that subsonic flows can be ignored as a possible mechanism for expelling mass and energy from a galaxy compared to the more efficient transonic solutions. Specifically, the transonic solutions with low mass loading and high energy loading are the most efficient. Our model also produces low-temperature, high-velocity winds that could explain the prevalence of low-temperature material in observed outflows. Finally, we show that our model, unlike the well-known Chevalier and Clegg model, can reproduce the observed linear relationship between wind X-ray luminosity and star formation rate (SFR) over a large range of SFR from 1–1000 M{sub ⊙} yr{sup −1} assuming the wind mass-loading factor is higher for low-mass, and hence, low-SFR galaxies. We also constrain the allowed mass-loading factors that can fit the observed X-ray luminosity versus SFR trend, further suggesting an inverse relationship between mass loading and SFR as explored in advanced numerical simulations.« less

New Insights on the Accretion Disk-Winds Connection in Radio-Loud AGNs from Suzaku

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tombesi, F.; Sambruna, R. M.; Reeves, J. N.; Braito, V.; Cappi, M.; Reynolds, S.; Mushotzky, R. F.

2011-01-01

From the spectral analysis of long Suzaku observations of five radio-loud AGNs we have been able to discover the presence of ultra-fast outflows with velocities ,,approx.0.1 c in three of them, namely 3C III, 3C 120 and 3C 390.3. They are consistent with being accretion disk winds/outflows. We also performed a follow-up on 3C III to monitor its outflow on approx.7 days time-scales and detected an anti-correlated variability of a possible relativistic emission line with respect to blue-shifted Fe K features, following a flux increase. This provides the first direct evidence for an accretion disc-wind connection in an AGN. The mass outflow rate of these outflows can be comparable to the accretion rate and their mechanical power can correspond to a significant fraction of the bolometric luminosity and is comparable to their typical jet power. Therefore, they can possibly play a significant role in the expected feedback from AGNs and can give us further clues on the relation between the accretion disk and the formation of winds/jets.

Conversion of magnetic field energy into kinetic energy in the solar wind

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whang, Y. C.

1972-01-01

The outflow of the solar magnetic field energy (the radial component of the Poynting vector) per steradian is inversely proportional to the solar wind velocity. It is a decreasing function of the heliocentric distance. When the magnetic field effect is included in the one-fluid model of the solar wind, the transformation of magnetic field energy into kinetic energy during the expansion process increases the solar wind velocity at 1 AU by 17 percent.

The Funnel Geometry of Open Flux Tubes in the Low Solar Corona Constrained by O VI and Ne VIII Outflow

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Byhring, Hanne S.; Esser, Ruth; Lie-Svendsen, Oystein

2008-01-01

Model calculations show that observed outflow velocities of order 7-10 km/s of C IV and O VI ions, and 15-20 km/s of Ne VIII ions, are not only consistent with models of the solar wind from coronas holes, but also place unique constraints on the degree of flow tube expansion as well as the location of the expansion in the transition region/lower corona.

The fastest disk wind in APM 08279+5255 and its acceleration mechanism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hagino, K.; Done, C.; Odaka, H.; Watanabe, S.; Takahashi, T.

2017-10-01

The luminous high-z quasar APM 08279+5255 has the most powerful ultra-fast outflow (UFO), which is claimed as the fastest disk wind with velocity of 0.7c. This extreme velocity is very important for constraining the physical mechanism to launch the UFOs because only magnetic driving mechanism can accelerate the winds up to velocities above 0.3c, at which radiation drag effects prevent radiation driving. We reanalyze all the observed data of this source with our spectral model of highly ionized disk winds constructed by 3D Monte Carlo radiation transfer simulation. This was applied to an archetypal disk wind in PDS 456, and successfully reproduced all the spectra observed with Suzaku in spite of their strong spectral variability. By applying our spectral model to APM 08279+5255, all the spectra observed with XMM-Newton, Chandra and Suzaku are explained with less extreme outflow velocities of 0.1-0.2c. In our analysis, the high energy absorption features, which were previously interpreted as absorption lines with extremely fast velocities, are produced by iron-K absorption edges from moderately ionized clumps embedded in the highly ionized wind. We also investigate the broadband SED, and find that it is X-ray weak and UV bright, which prefers the radiation driving.

The physics of galactic winds driven by active galactic nuclei

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faucher-Giguère, Claude-André; Quataert, Eliot

2012-09-01

Active galactic nuclei (AGN) drive fast winds in the interstellar medium of their host galaxies. It is commonly assumed that the high ambient densities and intense radiation fields in galactic nuclei imply short cooling times, thus making the outflows momentum conserving. We show that cooling of high-velocity shocked winds in AGN is in fact inefficient in a wide range of circumstances, including conditions relevant to ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs), resulting in energy-conserving outflows. We further show that fast energy-conserving outflows can tolerate a large amount of mixing with cooler gas before radiative losses become important. For winds with initial velocity vin ≳ 10 000 km s-1, as observed in ultraviolet and X-ray absorption, the shocked wind develops a two-temperature structure. While most of the thermal pressure support is provided by the protons, the cooling processes operate directly only on the electrons. This significantly slows down inverse Compton cooling, while free-free cooling is negligible. Slower winds with vin ˜ 1000 km s-1, such as may be driven by radiation pressure on dust, can also experience energy-conserving phases but under more restrictive conditions. During the energy-conserving phase, the momentum flux of an outflow is boosted by a factor ˜vin/2vs by work done by the hot post-shock gas, where vs is the velocity of the swept-up material. Energy-conserving outflows driven by fast AGN winds (vin ˜ 0.1c) may therefore explain the momentum fluxes Ṗ≫LAGN/c of galaxy-scale outflows recently measured in luminous quasars and ULIRGs. Shocked wind bubbles expanding normal to galactic discs may also explain the large-scale bipolar structures observed in some systems, including around the Galactic Centre, and can produce significant radio, X-ray and γ-ray emission. The analytic solutions presented here will inform implementations of AGN feedback in numerical simulations, which typically do not include all the important physics.

Evidence for Ultra-Fast Outflows in Radio-Quiet AGNs: III - Location and Energetics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tombesi, F.; Cappi, M.; Reeves, J. N.; Braito, V.

2012-01-01

Using the results of a previous X-ray photo-ionization modelling of blue-shifted Fe K absorption lines on a sample of 42 local radio-quiet AGNs observed with XMM-Newton, in this letter we estimate the location and energetics of the associated ultrafast outflows (UFOs). Due to significant uncertainties, we are essentially able to place only lower/upper limits. On average, their location is in the interval approx.0.0003-0.03pc (approx.10(exp 2)-10(exp 4)tau(sub s) from the central black hole, consistent with what is expected for accretion disk winds/outflows. The mass outflow rates are constrained between approx.0.01- 1 Stellar Mass/y, corresponding to approx. or >5-10% of the accretion rates. The average lower-upper limits on the mechanical power are logE(sub K) approx. or = 42.6-44.6 erg/s. However, the minimum possible value of the ratio between the mechanical power and bolometric luminosity is constrained to be comparable or higher than the minimum required by simulations of feedback induced by winds/outflows. Therefore, this work demonstrates that UFOs are indeed capable to provide a significant contribution to the AGN r.osmological feedback, in agreement with theoretical expectations and the recent observation of interactions between AGN outflows and the interstellar medium in several Seyferts galaxies .

Four-fluid MHD simulations of the plasma and neutral gas environment of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko near perihelion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Zhenguang; Tóth, Gábor; Gombosi, Tamas I.; Jia, Xianzhe; Rubin, Martin; Fougere, Nicolas; Tenishev, Valeriy; Combi, Michael R.; Bieler, Andre; Hansen, Kenneth C.; Shou, Yinsi; Altwegg, Kathrin

2016-05-01

The neutral and plasma environment is critical in understanding the interaction of the solar wind and comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (CG), the target of the European Space Agency's Rosetta mission. To serve this need and support the Rosetta mission, we have developed a 3-D four-fluid model, which is based on BATS-R-US (Block-Adaptive Tree Solarwind Roe-type Upwind Scheme) within SWMF (Space Weather Modeling Framework) that solves the governing multifluid MHD equations and the Euler equations for the neutral gas fluid. These equations describe the behavior and interactions of the cometary heavy ions, the solar wind protons, the electrons, and the neutrals. This model incorporates different mass loading processes, including photoionization and electron impact ionization, charge exchange, dissociative ion-electron recombination, and collisional interactions between different fluids. We simulated the plasma and neutral gas environment near perihelion in three different cases: an idealized comet with a spherical body and uniform neutral gas outflow, an idealized comet with a spherical body and illumination-driven neutral gas outflow, and comet CG with a realistic shape model and illumination-driven neutral gas outflow. We compared the results of the three cases and showed that the simulations with illumination-driven neutral gas outflow have magnetic reconnection, a magnetic pileup region and nucleus directed plasma flow inside the nightside reconnection region, which have not been reported in the literature.

A multi-ion generalized transport model of the polar wind

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Demars, H. G.; Schunk, R. W.

1994-01-01

The higher-order generalizations of the equations of standard hydrodynamics, known collectively as generalized transport theories, have been used since the early 1980s to describe the terrestrial polar wind. Inherent in the structure of generalized transport theories is the ability to describe not only interparticle collisions but also certain non-Maxwellian processes, such as heat flow and viscous stress, that are characteristic of any plasma flow that is not collision dominated. Because the polar wind exhibits a transition from collision-dominated to collisionless flow, generalized transport theories possess advantages for polar wind modeling not shared by either collision-dominated models (such as standard hydrodynamics) or collisionless models (such as those based on solving the collisionless Boltzmann equation). In general, previous polar wind models have used generalized transport equations to describe electrons and only one species of ion (H(+)). If other ion species were included in the models at all, it was in a simplified or semiempirical manner. The model described in this paper is the first polar wind model that uses a generalized transport theory (bi-Maxwellian-based 16-moment theory) to describe all of the species, both major and minor, in the polar wind plasma. In the model, electrons and three ion species (H(+), He(+), O(+)) are assumed to be major and several ion species are assumed to be minor (NO(+), Fe(+), O(++)). For all species, a complete 16-moment transport formulation is used, so that profiles of density, drift velocity, parallel and perpendicular temperatures, and the field-aligned parallel and perpendicular energy flows are obtained. In the results presented here, emphasis is placed on describing those constituents of the polar wind that have received little attention in past studies. In particular, characteristic solutions are presented for supersonic H(+) outflow and for both supersonic and subsonic outflows of the major ion He(+). Solutions are also presented for various minor ions, both atomic and molecular and both singly and multiply charged.

The Galactic fountain as an origin for the Smith Cloud

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marasco, A.; Fraternali, F.

2017-01-01

The recent discovery of an enriched metallicity for the Smith high-velocity H I Cloud (SC) lends support to a Galactic origin for this system. We use a dynamical model of the galactic fountain to reproduce the observed properties of the SC. In our model, fountain clouds are ejected from the region of the disc spiral arms and move through the halo interacting with a pre-existing hot corona. We find that a simple model where cold gas outflows vertically from the Perseus spiral arm reproduces the kinematics and the distance of the SC, but is in disagreement with the cloud's cometary morphology, if this is produced by ram-pressure stripping by the ambient gas. To explain the cloud morphology, we explore two scenarios: (I) the outflow is inclined with respect to the vertical direction and (II) the cloud is entrained by a fast wind that escapes an underlying superbubble. Solutions in agreement with all observational constraints can be found for both cases, the former requires outflow angles >40° while the latter requires ≳1000 km s-1 winds. All scenarios predict that the SC is in the ascending phase of its trajectory and has large - but not implausible - energy requirements.

Modeling the Quiet Time Outflow Solution in the Polar Cap

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glocer, Alex

2011-01-01

We use the Polar Wind Outflow Model (PWOM) to study the geomagnetically quiet conditions in the polar cap during solar maximum, The PWOM solves the gyrotropic transport equations for O(+), H(+), and He(+) along several magnetic field lines in the polar region in order to reconstruct the full 3D solution. We directly compare our simulation results to the data based empirical model of Kitamura et al. [2011] of electron density, which is based on 63 months of Akebono satellite observations. The modeled ion and electron temperatures are also compared with a statistical compilation of quiet time data obtained by the EISCAT Svalbard Radar (ESR) and Intercosmos Satellites (Kitamura et al. [2011]). The data and model agree reasonably well. This study shows that photoelectrons play an important role in explaining the differences between sunlit and dark results, ion composition, as well as ion and electron temperatures of the quiet time polar wind solution. Moreover, these results provide validation of the PWOM's ability to model the quiet time ((background" solution.

SPIN EVOLUTION OF ACCRETING YOUNG STARS. II. EFFECT OF ACCRETION-POWERED STELLAR WINDS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Matt, Sean P.; Pinzon, Giovanni; Greene, Thomas P.

2012-01-20

We present a model for the rotational evolution of a young, solar-mass star interacting magnetically with an accretion disk. As in a previous paper (Paper I), the model includes changes in the star's mass and radius as it descends the Hayashi track, a decreasing accretion rate, and a prescription for the angular momentum transfer between the star and disk. Paper I concluded that, for the relatively strong magnetic coupling expected in real systems, additional processes are necessary to explain the existence of slowly rotating pre-main-sequence stars. In the present paper, we extend the stellar spin model to include the effectmore » of a spin-down torque that arises from an accretion-powered stellar wind (APSW). For a range of magnetic field strengths, accretion rates, initial spin rates, and mass outflow rates, the modeled stars exhibit rotation periods within the range of 1-10 days in the age range of 1-3 Myr. This range coincides with the bulk of the observed rotation periods, with the slow rotators corresponding to stars with the lowest accretion rates, strongest magnetic fields, and/or highest stellar wind mass outflow rates. We also make a direct, quantitative comparison between the APSW scenario and the two types of disk-locking models (namely, the X-wind and Ghosh and Lamb type models) and identify some remaining theoretical issues for understanding young star spins.« less

Spin Evolution of Accreting Young Stars. II. Effect of Accretion-powered Stellar Winds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matt, Sean P.; Pinzón, Giovanni; Greene, Thomas P.; Pudritz, Ralph E.

2012-01-01

We present a model for the rotational evolution of a young, solar-mass star interacting magnetically with an accretion disk. As in a previous paper (Paper I), the model includes changes in the star's mass and radius as it descends the Hayashi track, a decreasing accretion rate, and a prescription for the angular momentum transfer between the star and disk. Paper I concluded that, for the relatively strong magnetic coupling expected in real systems, additional processes are necessary to explain the existence of slowly rotating pre-main-sequence stars. In the present paper, we extend the stellar spin model to include the effect of a spin-down torque that arises from an accretion-powered stellar wind (APSW). For a range of magnetic field strengths, accretion rates, initial spin rates, and mass outflow rates, the modeled stars exhibit rotation periods within the range of 1-10 days in the age range of 1-3 Myr. This range coincides with the bulk of the observed rotation periods, with the slow rotators corresponding to stars with the lowest accretion rates, strongest magnetic fields, and/or highest stellar wind mass outflow rates. We also make a direct, quantitative comparison between the APSW scenario and the two types of disk-locking models (namely, the X-wind and Ghosh & Lamb type models) and identify some remaining theoretical issues for understanding young star spins.

The response of relativistic outflowing gas to the inner accretion disk of a black hole.

PubMed

Parker, Michael L; Pinto, Ciro; Fabian, Andrew C; Lohfink, Anne; Buisson, Douglas J K; Alston, William N; Kara, Erin; Cackett, Edward M; Chiang, Chia-Ying; Dauser, Thomas; De Marco, Barbara; Gallo, Luigi C; Garcia, Javier; Harrison, Fiona A; King, Ashley L; Middleton, Matthew J; Miller, Jon M; Miniutti, Giovanni; Reynolds, Christopher S; Uttley, Phil; Vasudevan, Ranjan; Walton, Dominic J; Wilkins, Daniel R; Zoghbi, Abderahmen

2017-03-01

The brightness of an active galactic nucleus is set by the gas falling onto it from the galaxy, and the gas infall rate is regulated by the brightness of the active galactic nucleus; this feedback loop is the process by which supermassive black holes in the centres of galaxies may moderate the growth of their hosts. Gas outflows (in the form of disk winds) release huge quantities of energy into the interstellar medium, potentially clearing the surrounding gas. The most extreme (in terms of speed and energy) of these-the ultrafast outflows-are the subset of X-ray-detected outflows with velocities higher than 10,000 kilometres per second, believed to originate in relativistic (that is, near the speed of light) disk winds a few hundred gravitational radii from the black hole. The absorption features produced by these outflows are variable, but no clear link has been found between the behaviour of the X-ray continuum and the velocity or optical depth of the outflows, owing to the long timescales of quasar variability. Here we report the observation of multiple absorption lines from an extreme ultrafast gas flow in the X-ray spectrum of the active galactic nucleus IRAS 13224-3809, at 0.236 ± 0.006 times the speed of light (71,000 kilometres per second), where the absorption is strongly anti-correlated with the emission of X-rays from the inner regions of the accretion disk. If the gas flow is identified as a genuine outflow then it is in the fastest five per cent of such winds, and its variability is hundreds of times faster than in other variable winds, allowing us to observe in hours what would take months in a quasar. We find X-ray spectral signatures of the wind simultaneously in both low- and high-energy detectors, suggesting a single ionized outflow, linking the low- and high-energy absorption lines. That this disk wind is responding to the emission from the inner accretion disk demonstrates a connection between accretion processes occurring on very different scales: the X-ray emission from within a few gravitational radii of the black hole ionizing the disk wind hundreds of gravitational radii further away as the X-ray flux rises.

Preliminary Study of the Effect of the Proposed Long Lake Valley Project Operation on the Transport of Larval Suckers in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wood, Tamara M.

2009-01-01

A hydrodynamic model of Upper Klamath and Agency Lakes, Oregon, was used to explore the effects of the operation of proposed offstream storage at Long Lake Valley on transport of larval suckers through the Upper Klamath and Agency Lakes system during May and June, when larval fish leave spawning sites in the Williamson River and springs along the eastern shoreline and become entrained in lake currents. A range in hydrologic conditions was considered, including historically high and low outflows and inflows, lake elevations, and the operation of pumps between Upper Klamath Lake and storage in Long Lake Valley. Two wind-forcing scenarios were considered: one dominated by moderate prevailing winds and another dominated by a strong reversal of winds from the prevailing direction. On the basis of 24 model simulations that used all combinations of hydrology and wind forcing, as well as With Project and No Action scenarios, it was determined that the biggest effect of project operations on larval transport was the result of alterations in project management of the elevation in Upper Klamath Lake and the outflow at the Link River and A Canal, rather than the result of pumping operations. This was because, during the spring time period of interest, the amount of water pumped between Upper Klamath Lake and Long Lake Valley was generally small. The dominant effect was that an increase in lake elevation would result in more larvae in the Williamson River delta and in Agency Lake, an effect that was enhanced under conditions of wind reversal. A decrease in lake elevation accompanied by an increase in the outflow at the Link River had the opposite effect on larval concentration and residence time.

Line-driven disc wind model for ultrafast outflows in active galactic nuclei - scaling with luminosity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nomura, M.; Ohsuga, K.

2017-03-01

In order to reveal the origin of the ultrafast outflows (UFOs) that are frequently observed in active galactic nuclei (AGNs), we perform two-dimensional radiation hydrodynamics simulations of the line-driven disc winds, which are accelerated by the radiation force due to the spectral lines. The line-driven winds are successfully launched for the range of MBH = 106-9 M⊙ and ε = 0.1-0.5, and the resulting mass outflow rate (dot{M_w}), momentum flux (dot{p_w}), and kinetic luminosity (dot{E_w}) are in the region containing 90 per cent of the posterior probability distribution in the dot{M}_w-Lbol plane, dot{p}_w-Lbol plane, and dot{E}_w-Lbol plane shown in Gofford et al., where MBH is the black hole mass, ε is the Eddington ratio, and Lbol is the bolometric luminosity. The best-fitting relations in Gofford et al., d log dot{M_w}/d log {L_bol}˜ 0.9, d log dot{p_w}/d log {L_bol}˜ 1.2, and d log dot{E_w}/d log {L_bol}˜ 1.5, are roughly consistent with our results, d log dot{M_w}/d log {L_bol}˜ 9/8, d log dot{p_w}/d log {L_bol}˜ 10/8, and d log dot{E_w}/d log {L_bol}˜ 11/8. In addition, our model predicts that no UFO features are detected for the AGNs with ε ≲ 0.01, since the winds do not appear. Also, only AGNs with MBH ≲ 108 M⊙ exhibit the UFOs when ε ∼ 0.025. These predictions nicely agree with the X-ray observations. These results support that the line-driven disc wind is the origin of the UFOs.

The Role of Ionospheric Outflow Preconditioning in Determining Storm Geoeffectiveness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Welling, D. T.; Liemohn, M. W.; Ridley, A. J.

2012-12-01

It is now well accepted that ionospheric outflow plays an important role in the development of the plasma sheet and ring current during geomagnetic storms. Furthermore, even during quiet times, ionospheric plasma populates the magnetospheric lobes, producing a reservoir of hydrogen and oxygen ions. When the Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF) turns southward, this reservoir is connected to the plasma sheet and ring current through magnetospheric convection. Hence, the conditions of the ionosphere and magnetospheric lobes leading up to magnetospheric storm onset have important implications for storm development. Despite this, there has been little research on this preconditioning; most global simulations begin just before storm onset, neglecting preconditioning altogether. This work explores the role of preconditioning in determining the geoeffectiveness of storms using a coupled global model system. A model of ionospheric outflow (the Polar Wind Outflow Model, PWOM) is two-way coupled to a global magnetohydrodynamic model (the Block-Adaptive Tree Solar wind Roe-type Upwind Scheme, BATS-R-US), which in turn drives a ring current model (the Ring current Atmosphere interactions Model, RAM). This unique setup is used to simulate an idealized storm. The model is started at many different times, from 1 hour before storm onset to 12 hours before. The effects of storm preconditioning are examined by investigating the total ionospheric plasma content in the lobes just before onset, the total ionospheric contribution in the ring current just after onset, and the effects on Dst, magnetic elevation angle at geosynchronous, and total ring current energy density. This experiment is repeated for different solar activity levels as set by F10.7 flux. Finally, a synthetic double-dip storm is constructed to see how two closely spaced storms affect each other by changing the preconditioning environment. It is found that preconditioning of the magnetospheric lobes via ionospheric outflow greatly influences the geoeffectiveness of magnetospheric storms.

Ultra-fast outflows (aka UFOs) from AGNs and QSOs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cappi, M.; Tombesi, F.; Giustini, M.

During the last decade, strong observational evidence has been accumulated for the existence of massive, high velocity winds/outflows (aka Ultra Fast Outflows, UFOs) in nearby AGNs and in more distant quasars. Here we briefly review some of the most recent developments in this field and discuss the relevance of UFOs for both understanding the physics of accretion disk winds in AGNs, and for quantifying the global amount of AGN feedback on the surrounding medium.

Detection and Modeling of a Meteotsunami in Lake Erie During a High Wind Event on May 27, 2012

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anderson, E. J.; Schwab, D. J.; Lombardy, K. A.; LaPlante, R. E.

2012-12-01

On May 27, 2012, a mesoscale convective system moved southeast across the central basin of Lake Erie (the shallowest of the Great Lakes) causing an increase in surface wind speed from 3 to 15 m/s over a few minutes. Although no significant pressure change was observed during this period (+1 mbar), the storm resulted in 3 reported edge waves on the southern shore (5 minutes apart), with wave heights up to 7 feet (2.13 m). Witnesses along the coast reported that the water receded before the waves hit, the only warning of the impending danger. After impact on the southern shore, several individuals were stranded in the water near Cleveland, Ohio. Fortunately, there were no fatalities or serious injury as a result of the edge waves. The storm event yielded two separate but similar squall line events that impacted the southern shore of Lake Erie several hours apart. The first event had little impact on nearshore conditions, however, the second event (moving south-eastward at 21.1 m/s or 41 knots), resulted in 7 ft waves near Cleveland as reported above. The thunderstorms generated three closely packed outflow boundaries that intersected the southern shore of Lake Erie between 1700 and 1730 UTC. The outflow boundaries were followed by a stronger outflow at 1800 UTC. Radial velocities on the WSR-88D in Cleveland, Ohio indicated the winds were stronger in the second outflow boundary. The radar indicated winds between 20.6 and 24.7 m/s (40 and 48 knots) within 240 meters (800 feet) above ground level. In order to better understand the storm event and the cause of the waves that impacted the southern shore, a three-dimensional hydrodynamic model of Lake Erie has been developed using the Finite Volume Coastal Ocean Model (FVCOM). The model is being developed as part of the Great Lakes Coastal Forecasting (GLCFS), a set of experimental real-time pre-operational hydrodynamic models run at the NOAA Great Lakes Research Laboratory that forecast currents, waves, temperature, and water levels for the Great Lakes and connecting channels. The model is simulated for the storm period on May 27, 2012 to reproduce both the benign and the wave-inducing events using interpolated 6-minute meteorology (wind, pressure, air temperature) from shoreline observations recorded by the National Weather Service. Additional scenarios are carried out to understand the influence of storm speed and direction, wind speed, and pressure change on edge wave production near the southern shore of Lake Erie. Through this study, we hope to fully elucidate the early summer meteotsunami event and build an understanding that will enable the development of a meteotsunami forecasting system for the Great Lakes.

PROTOSTELLAR OUTFLOWS AND RADIATIVE FEEDBACK FROM MASSIVE STARS. II. FEEDBACK, STAR-FORMATION EFFICIENCY, AND OUTFLOW BROADENING

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kuiper, Rolf; Turner, Neal J.; Yorke, Harold W., E-mail: rolf.kuiper@uni-tuebingen.de, E-mail: Neal.J.Turner@jpl.nasa.gov, E-mail: Harold.W.Yorke@jpl.nasa.gov

2016-11-20

We perform two-dimensional axially symmetric radiation hydrodynamic simulations to assess the impact of outflows and radiative force feedback from massive protostars by varying when the protostellar outflow starts, and to determine the ratio of ejection to accretion rates and the strength of the wide-angle disk wind component. The star-formation efficiency, i.e., the ratio of final stellar mass to initial core mass, is dominated by radiative forces and the ratio of outflow to accretion rates. Increasing this ratio has three effects. First, the protostar grows slower with a lower luminosity at any given time, lowering radiative feedback. Second, bipolar cavities clearedmore » by the outflow become larger, further diminishing radiative feedback on disk and core scales. Third, the higher momentum outflow sweeps up more material from the collapsing envelope, decreasing the protostar's potential mass reservoir via entrainment. The star-formation efficiency varies with the ratio of ejection to accretion rates from 50% in the case of very weak outflows to as low as 20% for very strong outflows. At latitudes between the low-density bipolar cavity and the high-density accretion disk, wide-angle disk winds remove some of the gas, which otherwise would be part of the accretion flow onto the disk; varying the strength of these wide-angle disk winds, however, alters the final star-formation efficiency by only ±6%. For all cases, the opening angle of the bipolar outflow cavity remains below 20° during early protostellar accretion phases, increasing rapidly up to 65° at the onset of radiation pressure feedback.« less

Turbulent Heating and Wave Pressure in Solar Wind Acceleration Modeling: New Insights to Empirical Forecasting of the Solar Wind

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Woolsey, L. N.; Cranmer, S. R.

2013-12-01

The study of solar wind acceleration has made several important advances recently due to improvements in modeling techniques. Existing code and simulations test the competing theories for coronal heating, which include reconnection/loop-opening (RLO) models and wave/turbulence-driven (WTD) models. In order to compare and contrast the validity of these theories, we need flexible tools that predict the emergent solar wind properties from a wide range of coronal magnetic field structures such as coronal holes, pseudostreamers, and helmet streamers. ZEPHYR (Cranmer et al. 2007) is a one-dimensional magnetohydrodynamics code that includes Alfven wave generation and reflection and the resulting turbulent heating to accelerate solar wind in open flux tubes. We present the ZEPHYR output for a wide range of magnetic field geometries to show the effect of the magnetic field profiles on wind properties. We also investigate the competing acceleration mechanisms found in ZEPHYR to determine the relative importance of increased gas pressure from turbulent heating and the separate pressure source from the Alfven waves. To do so, we developed a code that will become publicly available for solar wind prediction. This code, TEMPEST, provides an outflow solution based on only one input: the magnetic field strength as a function of height above the photosphere. It uses correlations found in ZEPHYR between the magnetic field strength at the source surface and the temperature profile of the outflow solution to compute the wind speed profile based on the increased gas pressure from turbulent heating. With this initial solution, TEMPEST then adds in the Alfven wave pressure term to the modified Parker equation and iterates to find a stable solution for the wind speed. This code, therefore, can make predictions of the wind speeds that will be observed at 1 AU based on extrapolations from magnetogram data, providing a useful tool for empirical forecasting of the sol! ar wind.

Photoelectrons in the Quiet Polar Wind

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glocer, A.; Khazanov, G.; Liemohn, M.

2017-01-01

This study presents a newly coupled model capable of treating the superthermal electron population in the global polar wind solution. The model combines the hydrodynamic Polar Wind Outflow Model (PWOM) with the kinetic SuperThermal Electron Transport (STET) code. The resulting PWOM-STET coupled model is described and then used to investigate the role of photoelectrons in the polar wind. We present polar wind results along single stationary field lines under dayside and nightside conditions, as well as the global solution reconstructed from nearly 1000 moving field lines. The model results show significant day-night asymmetries in the polar wind solution owing to the higher ionization and photoelectron fluxes on the dayside compared to the nightside. Field line motion is found to modify this dependence and create global structure by transporting field lines through different conditions of illumination and through the localized effects of Joule heating.

Theory of Bipolar Outflows from Accreting Hot Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Konigl, A.

1996-05-01

There is a growing number of observational indicators for the presence of bipolar outflows in massive, young stellar objects that are still accreting mass as part of their formation process. In particular, there is evidence that the outflows from these objects can attain higher velocities and kinetic luminosities than their lower-mass counterparts. Furthermore, the higher-mass objects appear to smoothly continue the correlation found in T Tauri stars between outflow and accretion signatures, and in several cases there are direct clues to the existence of a disk from optical and infrared spectroscopy. These results suggest that the disk--outflow connection found in low-mass pre--main-sequence stars extends to more massive objects, and that a similar physical mechanism may drive the outflows in both cases. In this presentation, I first critically examine the observational basis for this hypothesis, considering, among other things, the possibility that several low-luminosity outflows might occasionally masquerade as a single flow from a luminous object, and the effects that the radiation field of a hot star could have on the spectroscopic diagnostics of an accretion-driven outflow. I then go on to consider how the commonly invoked centrifugally driven wind models of bipolar outflows in low-mass stars would be affected by the various physical processes (such as photoionization, photoevaporation, radiation pressure, and stellar wind ram pressure) that operate in higher-mass stars. I conclude by mentioning some of the tantalizing questions that one could hope to address as this young field of research continues to develop (for example: is there a high-mass analog of the FU Orionis outburst phenomenon? Could one use observations of progressively more massive, and hence less convective, stars to elucidate the role of stellar magnetic fields in the accretion and outflow processes? Would it be possible to observationally identify massive stars that have reached the main sequence while they were still accreting? Does the evolution of protostellar disks differ in low-mass and high-mass objects?).

Outflows in X-ray binaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diaz Trigo, M.

2017-10-01

Accretion onto neutron stars and black holes powers the most luminous phenomena in the Universe. Associated to it is the existence of outflows, in the form of uncollimated winds or highly collimated relativistic jets. The origin of outflows and their feedback to the environment is one of the most debated topics in astrophysics today. In this talk I will review the current understanding of accretion disc winds in X-ray binaries, their launching mechanism and their relation to specific accretion states. I will also discuss the potential interplay between the appearance/disappearance of such winds and relativistic jets and the insight gained with ongoing multi-wavelength observational programmes focused on the variability of such phenomena.

Pulsar-Wind Nebulae and Magnetar Outflows: Observations at Radio, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Wavelengths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reynolds, Stephen P.; Pavlov, George G.; Kargaltsev, Oleg; Klingler, Noel; Renaud, Matthieu; Mereghetti, Sandro

2017-07-01

We review observations of several classes of neutron-star-powered outflows: pulsar-wind nebulae (PWNe) inside shell supernova remnants (SNRs), PWNe interacting directly with interstellar medium (ISM), and magnetar-powered outflows. We describe radio, X-ray, and gamma-ray observations of PWNe, focusing first on integrated spectral-energy distributions (SEDs) and global spectral properties. High-resolution X-ray imaging of PWNe shows a bewildering array of morphologies, with jets, trails, and other structures. Several of the 23 so far identified magnetars show evidence for continuous or sporadic emission of material, sometimes associated with giant flares, and a few "magnetar-wind nebula" have been recently identified.

The spiral field inhibition of thermal conduction in two-fluid solar wind models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nerney, S.; Barnes, A.

1978-01-01

The paper reports on two-field models which include the inhibition of thermal conduction by the spiraling interplanetary field to determine whether any of the major conclusions obtained by Nerney and Barnes (1977) needs to be modified. Comparisons with straight field line models reveal that for most base conditions, the primary effect of the inhibition of thermal conduction is the bottling-up of heat in the electrons as well as the quite different temperature profiles at a large heliocentric radius. The spiral field solutions show that coronal hole boundary conditions do not correspond to states of high-speed streams as observed at 1 AU. The two-fluid models suggest that the spiral field inhibition of thermal conduction in the equatorial plane will generate higher gas pressures in comparison with flows along the solar rotation axis (between 1 and 10 AU). In particular, massive outflows of stellar winds, such as outflow from T Tauri stars, cannot be driven by thermal conduction. The conclusions of Nerney and Barnes remain essentially unchanged.

Magnetically driven jets and winds: Exact solutions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Contopoulos, J.; Lovelace, R. V. E.

1994-01-01

We present a general class of self-similar solutions of the full set of MHD equations that include matter flow, electromagnetic fields, pressure, and gravity. The solutions represent axisymmetric, time-independent, nonrelativistic, ideal, magnetohydrodynamic, collimated outflows (jet and winds) from magnetized accretion disks around compact objects. The magnetic field extracts angular momentum from the disk, accelerates the outflows perpedicular to the disk, and provides collimation at large distances. The terminal outflow velocities are of the order of or greater than the rotational velocity of the disk at the base of the flow. When a nonzero electric current flows along the jet, the outflow radius oscillates with axial distance, whereas when the total electric current is zero (with the return current flowing across the jet's cross section), the outflow radius increase to a maximum and then decreases. The method can also be applied to relativistic outflows.

Measurements of outflow velocities in on-disk plumes from EIS/Hinode observations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fu, Hui; Xia, Lidong; Li, Bo

2014-10-20

The contribution of plumes to the solar wind has been subject to hot debate in the past decades. The EUV Imaging Spectrometer (EIS) on board Hinode provides a unique means to deduce outflow velocities at coronal heights via direct Doppler shift measurements of coronal emission lines. Such direct Doppler shift measurements were not possible with previous spectrometers. We measure the outflow velocity at coronal heights in several on-disk long-duration plumes, which are located in coronal holes (CHs) and show significant blueshifts throughout the entire observational period. In one case, a plume is measured four hours apart. The deduced outflow velocitiesmore » are consistent, suggesting that the flows are quasi-steady. Furthermore, we provide an outflow velocity profile along the plumes, finding that the velocity corrected for the line-of-sight effect can reach 10 km s{sup –1} at 1.02 R {sub ☉}, 15 km s{sup –1} at 1.03 R {sub ☉}, and 25 km s{sup –1} at 1.05 R {sub ☉}. This clear signature of steady acceleration, combined with the fact that there is no significant blueshift at the base of plumes, provides an important constraint on plume models. At the height of 1.03 R {sub ☉}, EIS also deduced a density of 1.3 × 10{sup 8} cm{sup –3}, resulting in a proton flux of about 4.2 × 10{sup 9} cm{sup –2} s{sup –1} scaled to 1 AU, which is an order of magnitude higher than the proton input to a typical solar wind if a radial expansion is assumed. This suggests that CH plumes may be an important source of the solar wind.« less

KINEMATICS OF THE OUTFLOW FROM THE YOUNG STAR DG TAU B: ROTATION IN THE VICINITIES OF AN OPTICAL JET

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zapata, Luis A.; Lizano, Susana; Rodríguez, Luis F.

2015-01-10

We present {sup 12}CO(2-1) line and 1300 μm continuum observations made with the Submillimeter Array of the young star DG Tau B. We find, in the continuum observations, emission arising from the circumstellar disk surrounding DG Tau B. The {sup 12}CO(2-1) line observations, on the other hand, revealed emission associated with the disk and the asymmetric outflow related with this source. Velocity asymmetries about the flow axis are found over the entire length of the flow. The amplitude of the velocity differences is of the order of 1-2 km s{sup –1} over distances of about 300-400 AU. We interpret themmore » as a result of outflow rotation. The sense of the outflow and disk rotation is the same. Infalling gas from a rotating molecular core cannot explain the observed velocity gradient within the flow. Magneto-centrifugal disk winds or photoevaporated disk winds can produce the observed rotational speeds if they are ejected from a Keplerian disk at radii of several tens of AU. Nevertheless, these slow winds ejected from large radii are not very massive, and cannot account for the observed linear momentum and angular momentum rates of the molecular flow. Thus, the observed flow is probably entrained material from the parent cloud. DG Tau B is a good laboratory to model in detail the entrainment process and see if it can account for the observed angular momentum.« less

Spatially resolved galactic wind in lensed galaxy RCSGA 032727-132609

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bordoloi, Rongmon; Rigby, Jane R.; Tumlinson, Jason; Bayliss, Matthew B.; Sharon, Keren; Gladders, Michael G.; Wuyts, Eva

2016-05-01

We probe the spatial distribution of outflowing gas along four lines of sight separated by up to 6 kpc in a gravitationally lensed star-forming galaxy at z = 1.70. Using Mg II and Fe II emission and absorption as tracers, we find that the clumps of star formation are driving galactic outflows with velocities of -170 to -250 km s-1. The velocities of Mg II emission are redshifted with respect to the systemic velocities of the galaxy, consistent with being back-scattered. By contrast, the Fe II fluorescent emission lines are either slightly blueshifted or at the systemic velocity of the galaxy. Taken together, the velocity structure of the Mg II and Fe II emission is consistent with arising through scattering in galactic winds. Assuming a thin shell geometry for the outflowing gas, the estimated masses carried out by these outflows are large (≳30-50 M⊙ yr- 1), with mass loading factors several times the star formation rate. Almost 20 per cent to 50 per cent of the blueshifted absorption probably escapes the gravitational potential of the galaxy. In this galaxy, the outflow is `locally sourced', that is, the properties of the outflow in each line of sight are dominated by the properties of the nearest clump of star formation; the wind is not global to the galaxy. The mass outflow rates and the momentum flux carried out by outflows in individual star-forming knots of this object are comparable to that of starburst galaxies in the local Universe.

Spatially Resolved Galactic Wind in Lensed Galaxy RCSGA 032727-132609

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bordoloi, Rongmon; Rigby, Jane R.; Tumlinson, Janson; Bayliss, Matthew B.; Sharon, Keren; Gladders, Michael G.; Wuyts, Eva

2016-01-01

We probe the spatial distribution of outflowing gas along four lines of sight separated by up to 6 kpc in a gravitationally lensed star-forming galaxy at z = 1.70. Using Mg II and Fe II emission and absorption as tracers, we find that the clumps of star formation are driving galactic outflows with velocities of - 170 to - 250 km/s. The velocities of Mg II emission are redshifted with respect to the systemic velocities of the galaxy, consistent with being backscattered. By contrast, the Fe II fluorescent emission lines are either slightly blueshifted or at the systemic velocity of the galaxy. Taken together, the velocity structure of the Mg II and Fe II emission is consistent with arising through scattering in galactic winds. Assuming a thin shell geometry for the outflowing gas, the estimated masses carried out by these outflows are large (approx 30-50 M/yr), with mass loading factors several times the star formation rate. Almost 20 per cent to 50 per cent of the blueshifted absorption probably escapes the gravitational potential of the galaxy. In this galaxy, the outflow is 'locally sourced', that is, the properties of the outflow in each line of sight are dominated by the properties of the nearest clump of star formation; the wind is not global to the galaxy. The mass outflow rates and the momentum flux carried out by outflows in individual star-forming knots of this object are comparable to that of starburst galaxies in the local Universe.

Quasar feedback revealed by giant molecular outflows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feruglio, C.; Maiolino, R.; Piconcelli, E.; Menci, N.; Aussel, H.; Lamastra, A.; Fiore, F.

2010-07-01

In the standard scenario for galaxy evolution young star-forming galaxies transform into red bulge-dominated spheroids, where star formation has been quenched. To explain this transformation, a strong negative feedback generated by accretion onto a central super-massive black hole is often invoked. The depletion of gas resulting from quasar-driven outflows should eventually stop star-formation across the host galaxy and lead the black hole to “suicide” by starvation. Direct observational evidence for a major quasar feedback onto the host galaxy is still missing, because outflows previously observed in quasars are generally associated with the ionized component of the gas, which only accounts for a minor fraction of the total gas content, and typically occurrs in the central regions. We used the IRAM PdB Interferometer to observe the CO(1-0) transition in Mrk 231, the closest quasar known. Thanks to the wide band we detected broad wings of the CO line, with velocities of up to 750 km s-1 and spatially resolved on the kpc scale. These broad CO wings trace a giant molecular outflow of about 700 M_⊙/year, far larger than the ongoing star-formation rate (~200 M_⊙/year) observed in the host galaxy. This wind will totally expel the cold gas reservoir in Mrk 231 in about 107 yrs, therefore halting the star-formation activity on the same timescale. The inferred kinetic energy in the molecular outflow is ~1.2 × 1044 erg/s, corresponding to a few percent of the AGN bolometric luminosity, which is very close to the fraction expected by models ascribing quasar feedback to highly supersonic shocks generated by radiatively accelerated nuclear winds. Instead, the contribution by the SNe associated with the starburst fall short by several orders of magnitude to account for the kinetic energy observed in the outflow. The direct observational evidence for quasar feedback reported here provides solid support to the scenarios ascribing the observed properties of local massive galaxies to quasar-induced large-scale winds.

Does an Intrinsic Magnetic Field Inhibit or Enhance Planetary Ionosphere Outflow and Loss?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strangeway, R. J.; Russell, C. T.; Luhmann, J. G.; Moore, T. E.; Foster, J. C.; Barabash, S. V.; Nilsson, H.

2017-12-01

A characteristic feature of the planets Earth, Venus and Mars is the observation of the outflow of ionospheric ions, most notably oxygen. The oxygen ion outflow is frequently assumed to be a proxy for the loss of water from the planetary atmosphere. In terms of global outflow rates for the Earth the rate varies from 1025 to 1026 s-1, depending on geomagnetic activity. For both Venus and Mars global rates of the order 5x1024 s-1 have been reported. Venus and Mars do not have a large-scale intrinsic magnetic field, and there are several pathways for atmospheric and ionospheric loss. At Mars, because of its low gravity, neutral oxygen can escape through dissociative recombination. At Venus only processes related to the solar wind interaction with the planet such as sputtering and direct scavenging of the ionosphere by the solar wind can result in oxygen escape. At the Earth the intrinsic magnetic field forms a barrier to the solar wind, but reconnection of the Earth's magnetic field with the Interplanetary Magnetic Field allows solar wind energy and momentum to be transferred into the magnetosphere, resulting in ionospheric outflows. Observations of oxygen ions at the dayside magnetopause suggest that at least some of these ions escape. In terms of the evolution of planetary atmospheres how the solar-wind driven escape rates vary for magnetized versus umagnetized planets is also not clear. An enhanced solar wind dynamic pressure will increase escape from the unmagnetized planets, but it may also result in enhanced reconnection at the Earth, increasing outflow and loss rates for the Earth as well. Continued improvement in our understanding of the different pathways for ionospheric and atmospheric loss will allow us to determine how effective an intrinsic planetary field is in preserving a planetary atmosphere, or if we have to look for other explanations as to why the atmospheres of Venus and Mars have evolved to their desiccated state.

Achieving Zero Current for Polar Wind Outflow on Open Flux Tubes Subjected to Large Photoelectron Fluxes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, G. R.; Khazanov, G.; Horwitz, J. L.

1997-01-01

In this study we investigate how the condition of zero current on open flux tubes with polar wind outflow, subjected to large photoelectron fluxes, can be achieved. We employ a steady state collisionless semikinetic model to determine the density profiles of O(+), H(+), thermal electrons and photoelectrons coming from the ionosphere along with H(+), ions and electrons coming from the magnetosphere. The model solution attains a potential distribution which both satisfies the condition of charge neutrality and zero current. For the range of parameters considered in this study we find that a 45-60 volt discontinuous potential drop may develop to reflect most of the photoelectrons back toward the ionosphere. This develops because the downward flux of electrons from the magnetosphere to the ionosphere on typical open flux tubes (e.g. the polar rain) appears to be insufficient to balance the photoelectron flux from the ionosphere.

THE MULTIPHASE STRUCTURE AND POWER SOURCES OF GALACTIC WINDS IN MAJOR MERGERS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rupke, David S. N.; Veilleux, Sylvain, E-mail: drupke@gmail.com

2013-05-01

Massive, galaxy-scale outflows are known to be ubiquitous in major mergers of disk galaxies in the local universe. In this paper, we explore the multiphase structure and power sources of galactic winds in six ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) at z < 0.06 using deep integral field spectroscopy with the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS) on Gemini North. We probe the neutral, ionized, and dusty gas phases using Na I D, strong emission lines ([O I], H{alpha}, and [N II]), and continuum colors, respectively. We separate outflow motions from those due to rotation and tidal perturbations, and find that all of themore » galaxies in our sample host high-velocity flows on kiloparsec scales. The properties of these outflows are consistent with multiphase (ionized, neutral, and dusty) collimated bipolar winds emerging along the minor axis of the nuclear disk to scales of 1-2 kpc. In two cases, these collimated winds take the form of bipolar superbubbles, identified by clear kinematic signatures. Less collimated (but still high-velocity) flows are also present on scales up to 5 kpc in most systems. The three galaxies in our sample with obscured QSOs host higher velocity outflows than those in the three galaxies with no evidence for an active galactic nucleus. The peak outflow velocity in each of the QSOs is in the range 1450-3350 km s{sup -1}, and the highest velocities (2000-3000 km s{sup -1}) are seen only in ionized gas. The outflow energy and momentum in the QSOs are difficult to produce from a starburst alone, but are consistent with the QSO contributing significantly to the driving of the flow. Finally, when all gas phases are accounted for, the outflows are massive enough to provide negative feedback to star formation.« less

Synoptic Observations of The Terrestrial Polar Wind

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pollock, C. J.; Jahn, J.-M.; Moore, T. E.; Valek, P.; Wiig, J.

High altitude passes of NASA"s Polar spacecraft, during intevals when the Plasma Source Investigation (PSI) was operating to neutralize the spacecraft charge, are uti- lized to study the relatively low energy outflow of plasma from Earth's polar iono- sphere into the magnetosphere. Four years (1996 - 2000) of data from the Themal Ion Dynamics Experiment (TIDE) are analyzed to determine typical polar wind outflow parameters and their variability. These outflows, which are typically but not always present, are usually of high mach number, are strongly collimated along the outgoing field aligned direction and display significant temporal variability. Multi-species out- flows are distinguished from those of a single-species based on the energy signature. Preliminary results show that single species outflow is the rule and that observation of multi-species outflow is often associated with geomagnetic storms.

The origin of fast molecular outflows in quasars: molecule formation in AGN-driven galactic winds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richings, Alexander J.; Faucher-Giguère, Claude-André

2018-03-01

We explore the origin of fast molecular outflows that have been observed in active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Previous numerical studies have shown that it is difficult to create such an outflow by accelerating existing molecular clouds in the host galaxy, as the clouds will be destroyed before they can reach the high velocities that are observed. In this work, we consider an alternative scenario where molecules form in situ within the AGN outflow. We present a series of hydro-chemical simulations of an isotropic AGN wind interacting with a uniform medium. We follow the time-dependent chemistry of 157 species, including 20 molecules, to determine whether molecules can form rapidly enough to produce the observed molecular outflows. We find H2 outflow rates up to 140 M_{⊙} yr^{-1}, which is sensitive to density, AGN luminosity, and metallicity. We compute emission and absorption lines of CO, OH, and warm (a few hundred K) H2 from the simulations in post-processing. The CO-derived outflow rates and OH absorption strengths at solar metallicity agree with observations, although the maximum line-of-sight velocities from the model CO spectra are a factor ≈2 lower than is observed. We derive a CO (1-0) to H2 conversion factor of α _{CO (1-0)} = 0.13 M_{⊙} (K km s^{-1} pc2)^{-1}, 6 times lower than is commonly assumed in observations of such systems. We find strong emission from the mid-infrared lines of H2. The mass of H2 traced by this infrared emission is within a few per cent of the total H2 mass. This H2 emission may be observable by James Webb Space Telescope.

CONTROLLING INFLUENCE OF MAGNETIC FIELD ON SOLAR WIND OUTFLOW: AN INVESTIGATION USING CURRENT SHEET SOURCE SURFACE MODEL

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Poduval, B., E-mail: bpoduval@spacescience.org

2016-08-10

This Letter presents the results of an investigation into the controlling influence of large-scale magnetic field of the Sun in determining the solar wind outflow using two magnetostatic coronal models: current sheet source surface (CSSS) and potential field source surface. For this, we made use of the Wang and Sheeley inverse correlation between magnetic flux expansion rate (FTE) and observed solar wind speed (SWS) at 1 au. During the period of study, extended over solar cycle 23 and beginning of solar cycle 24, we found that the coefficients of the fitted quadratic equation representing the FTE–SWS inverse relation exhibited significantmore » temporal variation, implying the changing pattern of the influence of FTE on SWS over time. A particularly noteworthy feature is an anomaly in the behavior of the fitted coefficients during the extended minimum, 2008–2010 (CRs 2073–2092), which is considered due to the particularly complex nature of the solar magnetic field during this period. However, this variation was significant only for the CSSS model, though not a systematic dependence on the phase of the solar cycle. Further, we noticed that the CSSS model demonstrated better solar wind prediction during the period of study, which we attribute to the treatment of volume and sheet currents throughout the corona and the more accurate tracing of footpoint locations resulting from the geometry of the model.« less

The multi-phase winds of Markarian 231: from the hot, nuclear, ultra-fast wind to the galaxy-scale, molecular outflow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feruglio, C.; Fiore, F.; Carniani, S.; Piconcelli, E.; Zappacosta, L.; Bongiorno, A.; Cicone, C.; Maiolino, R.; Marconi, A.; Menci, N.; Puccetti, S.; Veilleux, S.

2015-11-01

Mrk 231 is a nearby ultra-luminous IR galaxy exhibiting a kpc-scale, multi-phase AGN-driven outflow. This galaxy represents the best target to investigate in detail the morphology and energetics of powerful outflows, as well as their still poorly-understood expansion mechanism and impact on the host galaxy. In this work, we present the best sensitivity and angular resolution maps of the molecular disk and outflow of Mrk 231, as traced by CO(2-1) and (3-2) observations obtained with the IRAM/PdBI. In addition, we analyze archival deep Chandra and NuSTAR X-ray observations. We use this unprecedented combination of multi-wavelength data sets to constrain the physical properties of both the molecular disk and outflow, the presence of a highly-ionized ultra-fast nuclear wind, and their connection. The molecular CO(2-1) outflow has a size of 1 kpc, and extends in all directions around the nucleus, being more prominent along the south-west to north-east direction, suggesting a wide-angle biconical geometry. The maximum projected velocity of the outflow is nearly constant out to 1 kpc, thus implying that the density of the outflowing material must decrease from the nucleus outwards as r-2. This suggests that either a large part of the gas leaves the flow during its expansion or that the bulk of the outflow has not yet reached out to 1 kpc, thus implying a limit on its age of 1 Myr. Mapping the mass and energy rates of the molecular outflow yields dot {M} OF = [500-1000] M⊙ yr-1 and Ėkin,OF = [7-10] × 1043 erg s-1. The total kinetic energy of the outflow is Ekin,OF is of the same order of the total energy of the molecular disk, Edisk. Remarkably, our analysis of the X-ray data reveals a nuclear ultra-fast outflow (UFO) with velocity -20 000 km s-1, dot {M}UFO = [0.3-2.1] M⊙ yr-1, and momentum load dot {P}UFO/ dot {P}rad = [0.2-1.6]. We find Ėkin,UFO Ėkin,OF as predicted for outflows undergoing an energy conserving expansion. This suggests that most of the UFO kinetic energy is transferred to mechanical energy of the kpc-scale outflow, strongly supporting that the energy released during accretion of matter onto super-massive black holes is the ultimate driver of giant massive outflows. The momentum flux dot {P}OF derived for the large scale outflows in Mrk 231 enables us to estimate a momentum boost dot {P}OF/ dot {P} UFO ≈ [30-60]. The ratios Ėkin,UFO/Lbol,AGN = [1-5] % and Ėkin,OF/Lbol,AGN = [1-3] % agree with the requirements of the most popular models of AGN feedback. Based on observations carried out with the IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer. IRAM is supported by INSU/CNRS (France), MPG (Germany) and IGN (Spain), and with Chandra and NuSTAR observatories.

The Supermassive Black Hole—Galaxy Connection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

King, Andrew

2014-09-01

The observed scaling relations imply that supermassive black holes (SMBH) and their host galaxies evolve together. Near-Eddington winds from the SMBH accretion discs explain many aspects of this connection. The wind Eddington factor should be in the range ˜1-30. A factor give black hole winds with velocities v˜0.1 c, observable in X-rays, just as seen in the most extreme ultrafast outflows (UFOs). Higher Eddington factors predict slower and less ionized winds, observable in the UV, as in BAL QSOs. In all cases the wind must shock against the host interstellar gas and it is plausible that these shocks should cool efficiently. There is detailed observational evidence for this in some UFOs. The wind sweeps up the interstellar gas into a thin shell and propels it outwards. For SMBH masses below a certain critical ( M- σ) value, all these outflows eventually stall and fall back, as the Eddington thrust of the wind is too weak to drive the gas to large radii. But once the SMBH mass reaches the critical M- σ value the global character of the outflow changes completely. The wind shock is no longer efficiently cooled, and the resulting thermal expansion drives the interstellar gas far from the black hole, which is unlikely to grow significantly further. Simple estimates of the maximum stellar bulge mass M b allowed by self-limited star formation show that the SMBH mass is typically about 10-3 M b at this point, in line with observation. The expansion-driven outflow reaches speeds v out≃1200 km s-1 and drives rates in cool (molecular) gas, giving a typical outflow mechanical energy L mech≃0.05 L Edd, where L Edd is the Eddington luminosity of the central SMBH. This is again in line with observation. These massive outflows may be what makes galaxies become red and dead, and can have several other potentially observable effects. In particular they have the right properties to enrich the intergalactic gas with metals. Our current picture of SMBH-galaxy coevolution is still incomplete, as there is no predictive theory of how the hole accretes gas from its surroundings. Recent progress in understanding how large-scale discs of gas can partially cancel angular momentum and promote dynamical infall offers a possible way forward.

Thermal Pollution Mathematical Model. Volume 5: User's Manual for Three-Dimensional Rigid-Lid Model. [environment impact of thermal discharges from power plants

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, S. S.; Sengupta, S.; Nwadike, E. V.; Sinha, S. K.

1980-01-01

A user's manual for a three dimensional, rigid lid model used for hydrothermal predictions of closed basins subjected to a heated discharge together with various other inflows and outflows is presented. The model has the capability to predict (1) wind driven circulation; (2) the circulation caused by inflows and outflows to the domain; and (3) the thermal effects in the domain, and to combine the above processes. The calibration procedure consists of comparing ground truth corrected airborne radiometer data with surface isotherms predicted by the model. The model was verified for accuracy at various sites and results are found to be fairly accurate in all verification runs.

Searching for outflows in ultraluminous X-ray sources through high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kosec, P.; Pinto, C.; Fabian, A. C.; Walton, D. J.

2018-02-01

Ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) are non-nuclear point sources exceeding the Eddington luminosity of a 10 M⊙ black hole. Modern consensus for a majority of the ULX population is that they are powered by stellar-mass black holes or neutron stars accreting well above the Eddington limit. Theoretical models of super-Eddington accretion predict existence of powerful outflows of moderately ionized gas at mildly relativistic velocities. So far, these winds have been found in three systems: NGC 1313 X-1, NGC 5408 X-1 and NGC 55 ULX. In this work, we create a sample of all ULXs with usable archival high-resolution X-ray data, with 10 sources in total, in which we aim to find more signatures of outflows. We perform Gaussian line scans to find any narrow spectral signatures, and physical wind model scans where possible. We tentatively identify an outflow in NGC 5204 X-1, blueshifted to 0.34c, which produces emission features with a total significance of at least 3σ. Next we compare ULXs with similar hardness ratios. Holmberg IX X-1 shows absorption features that could be associated with a photoionized outflowing absorber, similar to that seen in NGC 1313 X-1. The spectrum of Holmberg II X-1 possesses features similar to NGC 5408 X-1 and NGC 6946 X-1 shows O VIII rest-frame emission. All other sources from the sample also show tentative evidence of spectral features in their high-resolution spectra. Further observations with the XMM-Newton and Chandra gratings will place stronger constraints. Future missions like XARM and Athena will be able to detect them at larger distances and increase our sample.

Seasonal Overturning Circulation in the Red Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yao, F.; Hoteit, I.; Koehl, A.

2010-12-01

The Red Sea exhibits a distinct seasonal overturning circulation. In winter, a typical two-layer exchange structure, with a fresher inflow from the Gulf of Aden on top of an outflow from the Red Sea, is established. In summer months (June to September) this circulation pattern is changed to a three-layer structure: a surface outflow from the Red Sea on top of a subsurface intrusion of the Gulf of Aden Intermediate Water and a weakened deep outflow. This seasonal variability is studied using a general circulation model, MITgcm, with 6 hourly NCEP atmospheric forcing. The model is able to reproduce the observed seasonal variability very well. The forcing mechanisms of the seasonal variability related to seasonal surface wind stress and buoyancy flux, and water mass transformation processes associated with the seasonal overturning circulation are analyzed and presented.

Mock X-ray Observations of Localized LMC Outflows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomesh, Teague; Bustard, Chad; Zweibel, Ellen

2018-01-01

The Milky Way’s nearest neighbor, the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), is a perfect testing ground for modeling a variety of astrophysical phenomena. Specifically, the LMC provides a unique opportunity for the study of possible localized outflows driven by star formation and their x-ray signatures. We have developed FLASH simulations of theoretical outflows originating in the LMC that we have used to generate predicted observations of X-ray luminosity. This X-ray emission can be a useful probe of the hot gas in these winds which may couple to the cool gas and drive it from the disk. Future observations of the LMC may provide us with valuable checks on our model. This work is partially supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program under grant No. DGE-125625 and NSF grant No. AST-1616037.

Simulating Supernovae Driven Outflows in Dwarf Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodriguez, Jaimee-Ian

2018-01-01

Galactic outflows, or winds, prove to be a necessary input for galactic simulations to produce results comparable to observation, for it solves issues caused by what previous literature dubbed the “angular momentum catastrophe.” While it is known that the nature of outflows depends on the nature of the Interstellar Medium (ISM), the mechanisms behind outflows are still not completely understood. We investigate the driving force behind galactic outflows and the factors that influence their behavior, hypothesizing that supernovae within the galaxy drive these winds. We study isolated, high-resolution, smooth particle hydrodynamic simulations, focusing specifically on dwarf galaxies due to their shallow potential wells, which allow for more significant outflows. We find that outflows follow star formation (and associated supernovae) suggesting the causal relationship between the two. Furthermore, simulations with higher diffusivity differ little in star formation rate, but show significantly lower outflow rates, suggesting that environmental factors that have little effect on regulating star formation can greatly influence outflows, and so efficient outflows can be driven by a constant rate of supernovae, depending on ISM behavior. We are currently analyzing disk morphology and ambient density in order to comprehend the effect of supernovae on the immediate interstellar gas. By attaining greater understanding of the origin of galactic outflows, we will be able to not only improve the accuracy of simulations, we will also be able to gain greater insight into galactic formation and evolution, as outflows and resultant inflows may be vital to the regulation of galaxies throughout their lifetimes.

Long-range pollution transport during the MILAGRO-2006 campaign: a case study of a major Mexico City outflow event using free-floating altitude-controlled balloons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Voss, P. B.; Zaveri, R. A.; Flocke, F. M.; Mao, H.; Hartley, T. P.; Deamicis, P.; Deonandan, I.; Contreras-Jiménez, G.; Martínez-Antonio, O.; Figueroa Estrada, M.; Greenberg, D.; Campos, T. L.; Weinheimer, A. J.; Knapp, D. J.; Montzka, D. D.; Crounse, J. D.; Wennberg, P. O.; Apel, E.; Madronich, S.; de Foy, B.

2010-08-01

One of the major objectives of the Megacities Initiative: Local And Global Research Observations (MILAGRO-2006) campaign was to investigate the long-range transport of polluted Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) outflow and determine its downwind impacts on air quality and climate. Six research aircraft, including the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) C-130, made extensive chemical, aerosol, and radiation measurements above MCMA and more than 1000 km downwind in order to characterize the evolution of the outflow as it aged and dispersed over the Mesa Alta, Sierra Madre Oriental, Coastal Plain, and Gulf of Mexico. As part of this effort, free-floating Controlled-Meteorological (CMET) balloons, commanded to change altitude via satellite, made repeated profile measurements of winds and state variables within the advecting outflow. In this paper, we present an analysis of the data from two CMET balloons that were launched near Mexico City on the afternoon of 18 March 2006 and floated downwind with the MCMA pollution for nearly 30 h. The repeating profile measurements show the evolving structure of the outflow in considerable detail: its stability and stratification, interaction with other air masses, mixing episodes, and dispersion into the regional background. Air parcel trajectories, computed directly from the balloon wind profiles, show three transport pathways on 18-19 March: (a) high-altitude advection of the top of the MCMA mixed layer, (b) mid-level outflow over the Sierra Madre Oriental followed by decoupling and isolated transport over the Gulf of Mexico, and (c) low-level outflow with entrainment into a cleaner northwesterly jet above the Coastal Plain. The C-130 aircraft intercepted the balloon-based trajectories three times on 19 March, once along each of these pathways; in all three cases, peaks in urban tracer concentrations and LIDAR backscatter are consistent with MCMA pollution. In comparison with the transport models used in the campaign, the balloon-based trajectories appear to shear the outflow far more uniformly and decouple it from the surface, thus forming a thin but expansive polluted layer over the Gulf of Mexico that is well aligned with the aircraft observations. These results provide critical context for the extensive aircraft measurements made during the 18-19 March MCMA outflow event and may have broader implications for modelling and understanding long-range transport.

Lens-Aided Multi-Angle Spectroscopy (LAMAS) Reveals Small-Scale Outflow Structure in Quasars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Green, Paul J.

2006-06-01

Spectral differences between lensed quasar image components are common. Since lensing is intrinsically achromatic, these differences are typically explained as the effect of either microlensing, or as light path time delays sampling intrinsic quasar spectral variability. Here we advance a novel third hypothesis: some spectral differences are due to small line-of-sight differences through quasar disk wind outflows. In particular, we propose that variable spectral differences seen only in component A of the widest separation lens SDSS J1004+4112 are due to differential absorption along the sight lines. The absorber properties required by this hypothesis are akin to known broad absorption line (BAL) outflows but must have a broader, smoother velocity profile. We interpret the observed C IV emission-line variability as further evidence for spatial fine structure transverse to the line of sight. Since outflows are likely to be rotating, such absorber fine structure can consistently explain some of the UV and X-ray variability seen in AGNs. The implications are many: (1) Spectroscopic differences in other lensed objects may be due to this ``lens-aided multi-angle spectroscopy'' (LAMAS). (2) Outflows have fine structure on size scales of arcseconds, as seen from the nucleus. (3) Assuming either broad absorption line region sizes proposed in recent wind models, or typically assumed continuum emission region sizes, LAMAS and/or variability provide broadly consistent absorber size scale estimates of ~1015 cm. (4) Very broad smooth absorption may be ubiquitous in quasar spectra, even when no obvious troughs are seen.

X-ray evidence for ultra-fast outflows in AGNs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tombesi, Francesco; Sambruna, Rita; Braito, Valentina; Reeves, James; Reynolds, Christopher; Cappi, Massimo

2012-07-01

X-ray evidence for massive, highly ionized, ultra-fast outflows (UFOs) has been recently reported in a number of AGNs through the detection of blue-shifted Fe XXV/XXVI absorption lines. We present the results of a comprehensive spectral analysis of a large sample of 42 local Seyferts and 5 radio galaxies observed with XMM-Newton and Suzaku. We assessed the global detection significance of the absorption lines and performed a detailed photo-ionization modeling. We find that UFOs are common phenomena, being present in >40% of the sources. Their outflow velocity distribution is in the range ˜0.03--0.3c, with mean value of ˜0.14c. The ionization parameter is very high, in the range logξ˜3--6 erg~s^{-1}~cm, and the associated column densities are also large, in the range ˜10^{22}--10^{24} cm^{-2}. Their location is constrained at ˜0.0003--0.03pc (˜10^2--10^4 r_s) from the central black hole, consistent with what is expected for accretion disk winds/outflows. The mass outflow rates are in the interval ˜0.01--1M_{⊙}~yr^{-1} and the associated mechanical power is high, in the range ˜10^{43}--10^{45} erg/s. Therefore, UFOs are capable to provide a significant contribution to the AGN cosmological feedback and their study can provide important clues on the connection between accretion disks, winds and jets.

Soft X-ray Emission from Large-Scale Galactic Outflows in Seyfert Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colbert, E. J. M.; Baum, S.; O'Dea, C.; Veilleux, S.

1998-01-01

Kiloparsec-scale soft X-ray nebulae extend along the galaxy minor axes in several Seyfert galaxies, including NGC 2992, NGC 4388 and NGC 5506. In these three galaxies, the extended X-ray emission observed in ROSAT HRI images has 0.2-2.4 keV X-ray luminosities of 0.4-3.5 x 10(40) erg s(-1) . The X-ray nebulae are roughly co-spatial with the large-scale radio emission, suggesting that both are produced by large-scale galactic outflows. Assuming pressure balance between the radio and X-ray plasmas, the X-ray filling factor is >~ 10(4) times as large as the radio plasma filling factor, suggesting that large-scale outflows in Seyfert galaxies are predominantly winds of thermal X-ray emitting gas. We favor an interpretation in which large-scale outflows originate as AGN-driven jets that entrain and heat gas on kpc scales as they make their way out of the galaxy. AGN- and starburst-driven winds are also possible explanations if the winds are oriented along the rotation axis of the galaxy disk. Since large-scale outflows are present in at least 50 percent of Seyfert galaxies, the soft X-ray emission from the outflowing gas may, in many cases, explain the ``soft excess" X-ray feature observed below 2 keV in X-ray spectra of many Seyfert 2 galaxies.

Regulation of black-hole accretion by a disk wind during a violent outburst of V404 Cygni

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muñoz-Darias, T.; Casares, J.; Mata Sánchez, D.; Fender, R. P.; Armas Padilla, M.; Linares, M.; Ponti, G.; Charles, P. A.; Mooley, K. P.; Rodriguez, J.

2016-06-01

Accretion of matter onto black holes is universally associated with strong radiative feedback and powerful outflows. In particular, black-hole transients have outflows whose properties are strongly coupled to those of the accretion flow. This includes X-ray winds of ionized material, expelled from the accretion disk encircling the black hole, and collimated radio jets. Very recently, a distinct optical variability pattern has been reported in the transient stellar-mass black hole V404 Cygni, and interpreted as disrupted mass flow into the inner regions of its large accretion disk. Here we report observations of a sustained outer accretion disk wind in V404 Cyg, which is unlike any seen hitherto. We find that the outflowing wind is neutral, has a large covering factor, expands at one per cent of the speed of light and triggers a nebular phase once accretion drops sharply and the ejecta become optically thin. The large expelled mass (>10-8 solar masses) indicates that the outburst was prematurely ended when a sizeable fraction of the outer disk was depleted by the wind, detaching the inner regions from the rest of the disk. The luminous, but brief, accretion phases shown by transients with large accretion disks imply that this outflow is probably a fundamental ingredient in regulating mass accretion onto black holes.

Regulation of black-hole accretion by a disk wind during a violent outburst of V404 Cygni.

PubMed

Muñoz-Darias, T; Casares, J; Mata Sánchez, D; Fender, R P; Armas Padilla, M; Linares, M; Ponti, G; Charles, P A; Mooley, K P; Rodriguez, J

2016-06-02

Accretion of matter onto black holes is universally associated with strong radiative feedback and powerful outflows. In particular, black-hole transients have outflows whose properties are strongly coupled to those of the accretion flow. This includes X-ray winds of ionized material, expelled from the accretion disk encircling the black hole, and collimated radio jets. Very recently, a distinct optical variability pattern has been reported in the transient stellar-mass black hole V404 Cygni, and interpreted as disrupted mass flow into the inner regions of its large accretion disk. Here we report observations of a sustained outer accretion disk wind in V404 Cyg, which is unlike any seen hitherto. We find that the outflowing wind is neutral, has a large covering factor, expands at one per cent of the speed of light and triggers a nebular phase once accretion drops sharply and the ejecta become optically thin. The large expelled mass (>10(-8) solar masses) indicates that the outburst was prematurely ended when a sizeable fraction of the outer disk was depleted by the wind, detaching the inner regions from the rest of the disk. The luminous, but brief, accretion phases shown by transients with large accretion disks imply that this outflow is probably a fundamental ingredient in regulating mass accretion onto black holes.

Simulating Sources of Superstorm Plasmas

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fok, Mei-Ching

2008-01-01

We evaluated the contributions to magnetospheric pressure (ring current) of the solar wind, polar wind, auroral wind, and plasmaspheric wind, with the surprising result that the main phase pressure is dominated by plasmaspheric protons. We used global simulation fields from the LFM single fluid ideal MHD model. We embedded the Comprehensive Ring Current Model within it, driven by the LFM transpolar potential, and supplied with plasmas at its boundary including solar wind protons, polar wind protons, auroral wind O+, and plasmaspheric protons. We included auroral outflows and acceleration driven by the LFM ionospheric boundary condition, including parallel ion acceleration driven by upward currents. Our plasmasphere model runs within the CRCM and is driven by it. Ionospheric sources were treated using our Global Ion Kinetics code based on full equations of motion. This treatment neglects inertial loading and pressure exerted by the ionospheric plasmas, and will be superceded by multifluid simulations that include those effects. However, these simulations provide new insights into the respective role of ionospheric sources in storm-time magnetospheric dynamics.

Particle Acceleration in Relativistic Outflows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bykov, Andrei; Gehrels, Neil; Krawczynski, Henric; Lemoine, Martin; Pelletier, Guy; Pohl, Martin

2012-01-01

In this review we confront the current theoretical understanding of particle acceleration at relativistic outflows with recent observational results on various source classes thought to involve such outflows, e.g. gamma-ray bursts, active galactic nuclei, and pulsar wind nebulae. We highlight the possible contributions of these sources to ultra-high-energy cosmic rays.

Demographics and Case Studies of Galactic Outflows in the Local Universe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rupke, David

2017-07-01

Galactic outflows driven by both star formation and active black holes are an important driver of galaxy evolution. The local universe is a sensitive laboratory for understanding the scaling relations that characterize these winds and the physics that govern them. I will review what we know from statistical studies about the prevalance and properties of nearby galactic winds and how these properties depend on those of the host galaxy or power source. I will also highlight detailed case studies of key objects that illustrate the multiphase structure of these winds.

Shocks and metallicity gradients in normal star-forming galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ho, I.-Ting

Gas flow is one of the most fundamental processes driving galaxy evolution. This thesis explores gas flows in local galaxies by studying metallicity gradients and galactic-scale outflows in normal star-forming galaxies. This is made possible by new integral field spectroscopy data that provide simultaneously spatial and spectral information of galaxies. First, I measure metallicity gradients in isolated disk galaxies and show that their metallicity gradients are remarkably simple and universal. When the metallicity gradients are normalized to galaxy sizes, all the 49 galaxies studied have virtually the same metallicity gradient. I model the common metallicity gradient using a simple chemical evolution model to understand its origin. The common metallicity gradient is a direct result of the coevolution of gas and stellar disk while galactic disks build up their masses from inside-out. Tight constraints on the mass outflow rates and inflow rates can be placed by the chemical evolution model. Second, I investigate galactic winds in normal star-forming galaxies using data from an integral field spectroscopy survey. I demonstrate how to search for galactic winds by probing emission line ratios, shocks, and gas kinematics. Galactic winds are found to be common even in normal star-forming galaxies that were not expected to host winds. By comparing galaxies with and without hosting winds, I show that galaxies with high star formation rate surface densities and bursty star formation histories are more likely to drive large-scale galactic winds. Finally, lzifu, a toolkit for fitting multiple emission lines simultaneously in integral field spectroscopy data, is developed in this thesis. I describe in detail the structure of the toolkit and demonstrate the capabilities of lzifu.

Ionized and Neutral Outflows in the QUEST QSOs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Veilleux, Sylvain

2011-10-01

The role of galactic winds in gas-rich mergers is of crucial importance to understand galaxy and SMBH evolution. In recent months, our group has had three major scientific breakthroughs in this area: {1} The discovery with Herschel of massive molecular {OH-absorbing} outflows in several ULIRGs, including the nearest quasar, Mrk 231. {2} The independent discovery from mm-wave interferometric observations in the same object of a spatially resolved molecular {CO-emitting} wind with estimated mass outflow rate 3x larger than the star formation rate and spatially coincident with blueshifted neutral {Na ID-absorbing} gas in optical long-slit spectra. {3} The unambiguous determination from recent Gemini/IFU observations that the Na ID outflow in this object is wide-angle, thus driven by a QSO wind rather than a jet. This powerful outflow may be the long-sought "smoking gun" of quasar mechanical feedback purported to transform gas-rich mergers. However, our Herschel survey excludes all FIR-faint {UV-bright} "classic" QSOs by necessity. So here we propose a complementary FUV absorption-line survey of all FIR-bright -and- FIR-faint QSOs from the same parent sample. New {19 targets} and archival {11} spectra will be used to study, for the first time, the gaseous environments of QSOs as a function of host properties and age across the merger sequence ULIRG -> QSO. These data will allow us to distinguish between ionized & neutral quasar-driven outflows, starburst-driven winds, and tidal debris around the mergers. They will also be uniquely suited for a shallow but broad study of the warm & warm-hot intergalactic media, complementary to on-going surveys that are deeper but narrower.

Searching for the UV counterpart of the extraordinary X-ray UFO in the NLSy1 IRAS17020+4544

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krongold, Yair

2017-08-01

We recently reported the first unambiguous discovery in high resolution X-ray data of an ultra fast outflow (UFO) with velocity .1c. This wind, in Narrow Line Seyfert 1 galaxy IRAS17020+4544, represents so far the most compelling detection of an UFO, with many different absorption lines that give rise to very high significance detections. The charge states that form the wind clearly indicate a large range of ionization states in the gas, and significant absorption by Ly alpha, C IV, Si IV and N V (among other ions) is expected in the UV band. The goal of our proposed program is to observe an characterize the best X-ray detected UFO in the UV. These observations are crucial to study in great detail the UFO phenomenon, and understand its nature and its relation to the narrow absorption line low velocity systems. Only through detection of Ly alpha absorption in the UV data, measurements of the metallicity of these winds will be possible. The proposed program will help guide new theoretical models of UFOs origins, beyond the simple actual picture that predicts only very high ionization Fe absorption. UV data are required to understand the wind nature and launching mechanism (whether due to radiation pressure via line or continuum opacity, or magnetic forces). Fully characterizing the wind properties will put stronger constraints in the mass outflow and kinetic outflow rates of these systems, as well as in their geometry. Such estimates will give a much clearer picture of UFOs feedback potential, and will provide clues on the feedback mode in action (e.g. energy conserving vs. momentum conserving).

Mapping the solar wind HI outflow velocity in the inner heliosphere by coronagraphic ultraviolet and visible-light observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dolei, S.; Susino, R.; Sasso, C.; Bemporad, A.; Andretta, V.; Spadaro, D.; Ventura, R.; Antonucci, E.; Abbo, L.; Da Deppo, V.; Fineschi, S.; Focardi, M.; Frassetto, F.; Giordano, S.; Landini, F.; Naletto, G.; Nicolini, G.; Nicolosi, P.; Pancrazzi, M.; Romoli, M.; Telloni, D.

2018-05-01

We investigated the capability of mapping the solar wind outflow velocity of neutral hydrogen atoms by using synergistic visible-light and ultraviolet observations. We used polarised brightness images acquired by the LASCO/SOHO and Mk3/MLSO coronagraphs, and synoptic Lyα line observations of the UVCS/SOHO spectrometer to obtain daily maps of solar wind H I outflow velocity between 1.5 and 4.0 R⊙ on the SOHO plane of the sky during a complete solar rotation (from 1997 June 1 to 1997 June 28). The 28-days data sequence allows us to construct coronal off-limb Carrington maps of the resulting velocities at different heliocentric distances to investigate the space and time evolution of the outflowing solar plasma. In addition, we performed a parameter space exploration in order to study the dependence of the derived outflow velocities on the physical quantities characterising the Lyα emitting process in the corona. Our results are important in anticipation of the future science with the Metis instrument, selected to be part of the Solar Orbiter scientific payload. It was conceived to carry out near-sun coronagraphy, performing for the first time simultaneous imaging in polarised visible-light and ultraviolet H I Lyα line, so providing an unprecedented view of the solar wind acceleration region in the inner corona. The movie (see Sect. 4.2) is available at https://www.aanda.org

Stellar feedback in galaxies and the origin of galaxy-scale winds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hopkins, Philip F.; Quataert, Eliot; Murray, Norman

2012-04-01

Feedback from massive stars is believed to play a critical role in driving galactic super-winds that enrich the intergalactic medium and shape the galaxy mass function, mass-metallicity relation and other global galaxy properties. In previous papers, we have introduced new numerical methods for implementing stellar feedback on sub-giant molecular cloud (sub-GMC) through galactic scales in numerical simulations of galaxies; the key physical processes include radiation pressure in the ultraviolet through infrared, supernovae (Type I and Type II), stellar winds ('fast' O star through 'slow' asymptotic giant branch winds), and H II photoionization. Here, we show that these feedback mechanisms drive galactic winds with outflow rates as high as ˜10-20 times the galaxy star formation rate. The mass-loading efficiency (wind mass-loss rate divided by the star formation rate) scales roughly as ? (where Vc is the galaxy circular velocity), consistent with simple momentum-conservation expectations. We use our suite of simulations to study the relative contribution of each feedback mechanism to the generation of galactic winds in a range of galaxy models, from Small Magellanic Cloud like dwarfs and Milky Way (MW) analogues to z˜ 2 clumpy discs. In massive, gas-rich systems (local starbursts and high-z galaxies), radiation pressure dominates the wind generation. By contrast, for MW-like spirals and dwarf galaxies the gas densities are much lower and sources of shock-heated gas such as supernovae and stellar winds dominate the production of large-scale outflows. In all of our models, however, the winds have a complex multiphase structure that depends on the interaction between multiple feedback mechanisms operating on different spatial scales and time-scales: any single feedback mechanism fails to reproduce the winds observed. We use our simulations to provide fitting functions to the wind mass loading and velocities as a function of galaxy properties, for use in cosmological simulations and semi-analytic models. These differ from typically adopted formulae with an explicit dependence on the gas surface density that can be very important in both low-density dwarf galaxies and high-density gas-rich galaxies.

Warm Absorber Diagnostics of AGN Dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kallman, Timothy

Warm absorbers and related phenomena are observable manifestations of outflows or winds from active galactic nuclei (AGN) that have great potential value. Understanding AGN outflows is important for explaining the mass budgets of the central accreting black hole, and also for understanding feedback and the apparent co-evolution of black holes and their host galaxies. In the X-ray band warm absorbers are observed as photoelectric absorption and resonance line scattering features in the 0.5-10 keV energy band; the UV band also shows resonance line absorption. Warm absorbers are common in low luminosity AGN and they have been extensively studied observationally. They may play an important role in AGN feedback, regulating the net accretion onto the black hole and providing mechanical energy to the surroundings. However, fundamental properties of the warm absorbers are not known: What is the mechanism which drives the outflow?; what is the gas density in the flow and the geometrical distribution of the outflow?; what is the explanation for the apparent relation between warm absorbers and the surprising quasi-relativistic 'ultrafast outflows' (UFOs)? We propose a focused set of model calculations that are aimed at synthesizing observable properties of warm absorber flows and associated quantities. These will be used to explore various scenarios for warm absorber dynamics in order to answer the questions in the previous paragraph. The guiding principle will be to examine as wide a range as possible of warm absorber driving mechanisms, geometry and other properties, but with as careful consideration as possible to physical consistency. We will build on our previous work, which was a systematic campaign for testing important class of scenarios for driving the outflows. We have developed a set of tools that are unique and well suited for dynamical calculations including radiation in this context. We also have state-of-the-art tools for generating synthetic spectra, which are key for validating and testing models. New in this work is treatment of magnetically driven models, self-consistent calculation of the physical properties of the accretion flow and winds and their spectra. This will allow us to test the range of plausible physical origins for warm absorbers.

Galactic outflows, star formation histories, and time-scales in starburst dwarf galaxies from STARBIRDS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McQuinn, Kristen B. W.; Skillman, Evan D.; Heilman, Taryn N.; Mitchell, Noah P.; Kelley, Tyler

2018-07-01

Winds are predicted to be ubiquitous in low-mass, actively star-forming galaxies. Observationally, winds have been detected in relatively few local dwarf galaxies, with even fewer constraints placed on their time-scales. Here, we compare galactic outflows traced by diffuse, soft X-ray emission from Chandra Space Telescope archival observations to the star formation histories derived from Hubble Space Telescope imaging of the resolved stellar populations in six starburst dwarfs. We constrain the longevity of a wind to have an upper limit of 25 Myr based on galaxies whose starburst activity has already declined, although a larger sample is needed to confirm this result. We find an average 16 per cent efficiency for converting the mechanical energy of stellar feedback to thermal, soft X-ray emission on the 25 Myr time-scale, somewhat higher than simulations predict. The outflows have likely been sustained for time-scales comparable to the duration of the starbursts (i.e. 100s Myr), after taking into account the time for the development and cessation of the wind. The wind time-scales imply that material is driven to larger distances in the circumgalactic medium than estimated by assuming short, 5-10 Myr starburst durations, and that less material is recycled back to the host galaxy on short time-scales. In the detected outflows, the expelled hot gas shows various morphologies that are not consistent with a simple biconical outflow structure. The sample and analysis are part of a larger program, the STARBurst IRregular Dwarf Survey (STARBIRDS), aimed at understanding the life cycle and impact of starburst activity in low-mass systems.

Inter-annual variability and long term predictability of exchanges through the Strait of Gibraltar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boutov, Dmitri; Peliz, Álvaro; Miranda, Pedro M. A.; Soares, Pedro M. M.; Cardoso, Rita M.; Prieto, Laura; Ruiz, Javier; García-Lafuente, Jesus

2014-03-01

Inter-annual variability of calculated barotropic (netflow) and simulated baroclinic (inflow and outflow) exchanges through the Strait of Gibraltar is analyzed and their response to the main modes of atmospheric variability is investigated. Time series of the outflow obtained by high resolution simulations and estimated from in-situ Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) current measurements are compared. The time coefficients (TC) of the leading empirical orthogonal function (EOF) modes that describe zonal atmospheric circulation in the vicinity of the Strait (1st and 3rd of Sea-Level Pressure (SLP) and 1st of the wind) show significant covariance with the inflow and outflow. Based on these analyses, a regression model between these SLP TCs and outflow of the Mediterranean Water was developed. This regression outflow time series was compared with estimates based on current meter observations and the predictability and reconstruction of past exchange variability based on atmospheric pressure fields are discussed. The simple regression model seems to reproduce the outflow evolution fairly reasonably, with the exception of the year 2008, which is apparently anomalous without available physical explanation yet. The exchange time series show a reduced inter-annual variability (less than 1%, 2.6% and 3.1% of total 2-day variability, for netflow, inflow and outflow, respectively). From a statistical point of view no clear long-term tendencies were revealed. Anomalously high baroclinic fluxes are reported for the years of 2000-2001 that are coincident with strong impact on the Alboran Sea ecosystem. The origin of the anomalous flow is associated with a strong negative anomaly (~ - 9 hPa) in atmospheric pressure fields settled north of Iberian Peninsula and extending over the central Atlantic, favoring an increased zonal circulation in winter 2000/2001. These low pressure fields forced intense and durable westerly winds in the Gulf of Cadiz-Alboran system. The signal of this anomaly is also seen in time coefficients of the most significant EOF modes. The predictability of the exchanges for future climate is discussed.

Structure and Evolution of an Undular Bore on the High Plains and Its Effects on Migrating Birds.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Locatelli, John D.; Stoelinga, Mark T.; Hobbs, Peter V.; Johnson, Jim

1998-06-01

On 18 September 1992 a series of thunderstorms in Nebraska and eastern Colorado, which formed south of a synoptic-scale cold front and north of a Rocky Mountain lee trough, produced a cold outflow gust front that moved southeastward into Kansas, southeastern Colorado, and Oklahoma around sunset. When this cold outflow reached the vicinity of the lee trough, an undular bore developed on a nocturnally produced stable layer and moved through the range of the Dodge City WSR-88D Doppler radar. The radar data revealed that the undular bore, in the leading portion of a region of northwesterly winds about 45 km wide by 4 km high directly abutting the cold outflow, developed five undulations over the course of 3 h. Contrary to laboratory tank experiments, observations indicated that the solitary waves that composed the bore probably did not form from the enveloping of the head of the cold air outflow by the stable layer and the breaking off of the head of the cold air outflow. The synoptic-scale cold front subsequently intruded on the surface layer of air produced by the cold outflow, but there was no evidence for the formation of another bore.Profiler winds, in the region affected by the cold air outflow and the undular bore, contained signals from nocturnally, southward-migrating birds (most likely waterfowl) that took off in nonfavorable southerly winds and remained aloft for several hours longer than usual, thereby staying ahead of the turbulence associated with the undular bore.

Blowin' in the Wind: Both "Negative" and "Positive" Feedback in an Obscured High-z Quasar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cresci, G.; Mainieri, V.; Brusa, M.; Marconi, A.; Perna, M.; Mannucci, F.; Piconcelli, E.; Maiolino, R.; Feruglio, C.; Fiore, F.; Bongiorno, A.; Lanzuisi, G.; Merloni, A.; Schramm, M.; Silverman, J. D.; Civano, F.

2015-01-01

Quasar feedback in the form of powerful outflows is invoked as a key mechanism to quench star formation in galaxies, preventing massive galaxies to overgrow and producing the red colors of ellipticals. On the other hand, some models are also requiring "positive" active galactic nucleus feedback, inducing star formation in the host galaxy through enhanced gas pressure in the interstellar medium. However, finding observational evidence of the effects of both types of feedback is still one of the main challenges of extragalactic astronomy, as few observations of energetic and extended radiatively driven winds are available. Here we present SINFONI near infrared integral field spectroscopy of XID2028, an obscured, radio-quiet z = 1.59 QSO detected in the XMM-COSMOS survey, in which we clearly resolve a fast (1500 km s-1) and extended (up to 13 kpc from the black hole) outflow in the [O III] lines emitting gas, whose large velocity and outflow rate are not sustainable by star formation only. The narrow component of Hα emission and the rest frame U-band flux from Hubble Space Telescope/Advanced Camera for Surveys imaging enable to map the current star formation in the host galaxy: both tracers independently show that the outflow position lies in the center of an empty cavity surrounded by star forming regions on its edge. The outflow is therefore removing the gas from the host galaxy ("negative feedback"), but also triggering star formation by outflow induced pressure at the edges ("positive feedback"). XID2028 represents the first example of a host galaxy showing both types of feedback simultaneously at work.

The origin of ultrafast outflows in AGN: Monte Carlo simulations of the wind in PDS 456

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hagino, Kouichi; Odaka, Hirokazu; Done, Chris; Gandhi, Poshak; Watanabe, Shin; Sako, Masao; Takahashi, Tadayuki

2015-01-01

Ultrafast outflows (UFOs) are seen in many AGN, giving a possible mode for AGN feedback on to the host galaxy. However, the mechanism(s) for the launch and acceleration of these outflows are currently unknown, with UV line driving apparently strongly disfavoured as the material along the line of sight is so highly ionized that it has no UV transitions. We revisit this issue using the Suzaku X-ray data from PDS 456, an AGN with the most powerful UFO seen in the local Universe. We explore conditions in the wind by developing a new 3D Monte Carlo code for radiation transport. The code only handles highly ionized ions, but the data show the ionization state of the wind is high enough that this is appropriate, and this restriction makes it fast enough to explore parameter space. We reproduce the results of earlier work, confirming that the mass-loss rate in the wind is around 30 per cent of the inferred inflow rate through the outer disc. We show for the first time that UV line driving is likely to be a major contribution to the wind acceleration. The mass-loss rate in the wind matches that predicted from a purely line driven system, and this UV absorption can take place out of the line of sight. Continuum driving should also play a role as the source is close to Eddington. This predicts that the most extreme outflows will be produced from the highest mass accretion rate flows on to high-mass black holes, as observed.

High Resolution Studies of Mass Loss from Massive Binary Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Corcoran, Michael F.; Gull, Theodore R.; Hamaguchi, Kenji; Richardson, Noel; Madura, Thomas; Post Russell, Christopher Michael; Teodoro, Mairan; Nichols, Joy S.; Moffat, Anthony F. J.; Shenar, Tomer; Pablo, Herbert

2017-01-01

Mass loss from hot luminous single and binary stars has a significant, perhaps decisive, effect on their evolution. The combination of X-ray observations of hot shocked gas embedded in the stellar winds and high-resolution optical/UV spectra of the cooler mass in the outflow provides unique ways to study the unstable process by which massive stars lose mass both through continuous stellar winds and rare, impulsive, large-scale mass ejections. The ability to obtain coordinated observations with the Hubble Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (HST/STIS) and the Chandra High-Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer (HETGS) and other X-ray observatories has allowed, for the first time, studies of resolved line emisssion over the temperature range of 104- 108K, and has provided observations to confront numerical dynamical models in three dimensions. Such observations advance our knowledge of mass-loss asymmetries, spatial and temporal variabilities, and the fundamental underlying physics of the hot shocked outflow, providing more realistic constraints on the amount of mass lost by different luminous stars in a variety of evolutionary stages. We discuss the impact that these joint observational studies have had on our understanding of dynamical mass outflows from massive stars, with particular emphasis on two important massive binaries, Delta Ori Aa, a linchpin of the mass luminosity relation for upper HRD main sequence stars, and the supermassive colliding wind binary Eta Carinae.

The Soft X-ray View of Ultra Fast Outflows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reeves, J.; Braito, V.; Nardini, E.; Matzeu, G.; Lobban, A.; Costa, M.; Pounds, K.; Tombesi, F.; Behar, E.

2017-10-01

The recent large XMM-Newton programmes on the nearby quasars PDS 456 and PG 1211+143 have revealed prototype ultra fast outflows in the iron K band through highly blue shifted absorption lines. The wind velocities are in excess of 0.1c and are likely to make a significant contribution to the host galaxy feedback. Here we present evidence for the signature of the fast wind in the soft X-ray band from these luminous quasars, focusing on the spectroscopy with the RGS. In PDS 456, the RGS spectra reveal the presence of soft X-ray broad absorption line profiles, which suggests that PDS 456 is an X-ray equivalent to the BAL quasars, with outflow velocities reaching 0.2c. In PG 1211, the soft X-ray RGS spectra show a complex of several highly blue shifted absorption lines over a wide range of ionisation and reveal outflowing components with velocities between 0.06-0.17c. For both quasars, the soft X-ray absorption is highly variable, even on timescales of days and is most prominent when the quasar flux is low. Overall the results imply the presence of a soft X-ray component of the ultra fast outflows, which we attribute to a clumpy or inhomogeneous phase of the disk wind.

Solar forcing, and ionospheric ion outflow from Venus, Earth and Mars - A comparison

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lundin, R. N.

2012-12-01

Solar forcing by e.g. EUV radiation and the solar wind leads to outflow and escape of ionospheric ions from Earth, Venus and Mars. In-situ measurements in the Earth's space environment have demonstrated that the ion escape rate correlates with the magnitude of solar forcing, i.e. high solar EUV and solar wind forcing leads to enhanced escape rates. The Terrestrial outflow is dominated by H+ and O+ suggesting that the ultimate origin of outflowing ions is water. Recent measurements from the two arid planets Mars and Venus, their atmospheres dominated by CO2, display characteristics similar to that of the Earth - an outflow dominated by hydrogen (H+) and oxygen (O+, O2+) ions. Despite major differences in atmospheric composition, the composition of the ion outflow from Earth and Venus is very similar, i.e. H+ and O+ dominates and the outflow has a stoichiometric H/O ratio of close to 2. The latter implies escape of water. The ion outflow from Mars is dominated by O+, O2+, and H+. Here the stoichiometric ratio between hydrogen and oxygen ion is ≈1, implying that if the ion outflow originates from water, about half of the hydrogen mass disappears by other means. The primary origin of the ion outflow from Earth, Venus and Mars is a complex issue. Nevertheless, a predominant hydrogen and oxygen loss implies that water can easily escape planets orbiting close to the Sun, while Carbon-based molecules (e.g. CO2) resides more easily. Observations shows that the outflow of e.g. CO+ and CO2+ from Mars and Venus is minute compared to the outflow of hydrogen and oxygen ions. Magnetic shielding is an issue affecting the net ion outflow and escape from a planet, because acceleration processes are also the characteristics of magnetized plasmas. Recent findings suggests that, despite magnetic field pile-up at Mars and Venus, the stand-off distance is insufficient to prohibit a direct interaction between the solar wind and the magnetized ionospheric plasma in the induced magnetospheres of Mars and Venus. On the other hand, a planetary magnetic field, such as the Earth's dipole field and the Martian multipole crustal field, may foster shielding as well as plasma acceleration. However, in this case the ion acceleration may be confined in closed planetary magnetic flux tubes, leading to a low escape rates.

Compact Starburst Galaxies with Fast Outflows: Spatially Resolved Stellar Mass Profiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gottlieb, Sophia; Diamond-Stanic, Aleksandar; Lipscomb, Charles; Ohene, Senyo; Rines, Josh; Moustakas, John; Sell, Paul; Tremonti, Christy; Coil, Alison; Rudnick, Gregory; Hickox, Ryan C.; Geach, James; Kepley, Amanda

2018-01-01

Powerful galactic winds driven by stellar feedback and black hole accretion are thought to play an important role in regulating star formation in galaxies. In particular, strong stellar feedback from supernovae, stellar winds, radiation pressure, and cosmic rays is required by simulations of star-forming galaxies to prevent the vast majority of baryons from cooling and collapsing to form stars. However, it remains unclear whether these stellar processes play a significant role in expelling gas and shutting down star formation in massive progenitors of quiescent galaxies. What are the limits of stellar feedback? We present multi-band photometry with HST/WFC3 (F475W, F814W, F160W) for a dozen compact starburst galaxies at z~0.6 with half-light radii that suggest incredibly large central escape velocities. These massive galaxies are driving fast (>1000 km/s) outflows that have been previously attributed to stellar feedback associated with the compact (r~100 pc) starburst. But how compact is the stellar mass? In the context of the stellar feedback hypothesis, it is unclear whether these fast outflows are being driven at velocities comparable to the escape velocity of an incredibly dense stellar system (as predicted by some models of radiation-pressure winds) or at velocities that exceed the central escape velocity by large factor. Our spatially resolved measurements with HST show that the stellar mass is more extended than the light, and this requires that the physical mechanism responsible for driving the winds must be able to launch gas at velocities that are factors of 5-10 beyond the central escape velocity.

Analysis of severe atmospheric disturbances from airline flight records

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wingrove, R. C.; Bach, R. E., Jr.; Schultz, T. A.

1989-01-01

Advanced methods were developed to determine time varying winds and turbulence from digital flight data recorders carried aboard modern airliners. Analysis of several cases involving severe clear air turbulence encounters at cruise altitudes has shown that the aircraft encountered vortex arrays generated by destabilized wind shear layers above mountains or thunderstorms. A model was developed to identify the strength, size, and spacing of vortex arrays. This model is used to study the effects of severe wind hazards on operational safety for different types of aircraft. The study demonstrates that small remotely piloted vehicles and executive aircraft exhibit more violent behavior than do large airliners during encounters with high-altitude vortices. Analysis of digital flight data from the accident at Dallas/Ft. Worth in 1985 indicates that the aircraft encountered a microburst with rapidly changing winds embedded in a strong outflow near the ground. A multiple-vortex-ring model was developed to represent the microburst wind pattern. This model can be used in flight simulators to better understand the control problems in severe microburst encounters.

Inferring Polar Ion Outflows from Topside Ionograms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sojka, J. J.; Rice, D. D.; Eccles, V.; Schunk, R. W.; David, M.; Benson, R. F.; James, H. G.

2017-12-01

The high-latitude topside ionosphere is dominated by O+ ions from the F-region peak around 300 km to over 1000 km altitude. The O+ profile shape provides information on the thermal structure, field aligned plasma dynamics, and outflows into the magnetosphere. Topside electron density profiles (EDP) are either obtained from topside sounders or Incoherent Scatter Radars. There is a large archive of topside sounder ionograms and hand scaled EDPs from the Alouette and ISIS satellites between 1962 and 1990. Recent NASA data enhancement efforts have augmented these EDP archives by producing digital topside ionograms both from the 7-track analog telemetry tapes and from 35 mm topside film ionograms. Rice et al [2017] in their 35 mm ionogram recovery emphasized high latitude ionograms taken during disturbed conditions. The figure below contrasts ISIS-II EDPs extracted from 35 mm films before and during a major storm (Dst -200nT) on 9 April 1972 (left panel: quiet period before the storm; right panel: during the peak of the storm). Both satellite passes used for these EDPs were centered on the Resolute Bay location that in 1972 was close to the magnetic pole. They begin at auroral latitudes around 2100 MLT and end on the dayside around 0900MLT. We will present results of how ionospheric models replicate both the quiet and disturbed conditions shown in the figure. Three types of models will be contrasted: an empirical ionosphere (IRI), a physics based ionospheric model (TDIM), and a fluid-based polar-wind model (PW). During the storm pass, when it is expected that substantial heating is present, the ISIS-II topside EDPs provide severe constraints on the usage of these models. These constraints enable estimates of the outflow fluxes as well as the heating that has occurred. The comparisons with the empirical model establish how well the pre-storm topside is modeled and identifies the challenges as the storm magnitude increases. The physics-based TDIM does have storm drivers but is limited in how the 800 km topside boundary is set. In contrast, the polar wind model extends out to many Earth radii and, hence, physically handles ionospheric heating and ion outflows during storms. These topside EDP data will provide a means to establish the sensitivity of various ionospheric heating mechanisms that drive the ion outflow.

The Impacts of Bias in Cloud-Radiation-Dynamics Interactions on Central Pacific Seasonal and El Niño Simulations in Contemporary GCMs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, J.-L. F.; Suhas, E.; Richardson, Mark; Lee, Wei-Liang; Wang, Yi-Hui; Yu, Jia-Yuh; Lee, Tong; Fetzer, Eric; Stephens, Graeme; Shen, Min-Hua

2018-02-01

Most of the global climate models (GCMs) in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project, phase 5 do not include precipitating ice (aka falling snow) in their radiation calculations. We examine the importance of the radiative effects of precipitating ice on simulated surface wind stress and sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in terms of seasonal variation and in the evolution of central Pacific El Niño (CP-El Niño) events. Using controlled simulations with the CESM1 model, we show that the exclusion of precipitating ice radiative effects generates a persistent excessive upper-level radiative cooling and an increasingly unstable atmosphere over convective regions such as the western Pacific and tropical convergence zones. The invigorated convection leads to persistent anomalous low-level outflows which weaken the easterly trade winds, reducing upper-ocean mixing and leading to a positive SST bias in the model mean state. In CP-El Niño events, this means that outflow from the modeled convection in the central Pacific reduces winds to the east, allowing unrealistic eastward propagation of warm SST anomalies following the peak in CP-El Niño activity. Including the radiative effects of precipitating ice reduces these model biases and improves the simulated life cycle of the CP-El Niño. Improved simulations of present-day tropical seasonal variations and CP-El Niño events would increase the confidence in simulating their future behavior.

Circumstellar Disks and Outflows in Turbulent Molecular Cloud Cores: Possible Formation Mechanism for Misaligned Systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Matsumoto, Tomoaki; Machida, Masahiro N.; Inutsuka, Shu-ichiro, E-mail: matsu@hosei.ac.jp

2017-04-10

We investigate the formation of circumstellar disks and outflows subsequent to the collapse of molecular cloud cores with the magnetic field and turbulence. Numerical simulations are performed by using an adaptive mesh refinement to follow the evolution up to ∼1000 years after the formation of a protostar. In the simulations, circumstellar disks are formed around the protostars; those in magnetized models are considerably smaller than those in nonmagnetized models, but their size increases with time. The models with stronger magnetic fields tend to produce smaller disks. During evolution in the magnetized models, the mass ratios of a disk to amore » protostar is approximately constant at ∼1%–10%. The circumstellar disks are aligned according to their angular momentum, and the outflows accelerate along the magnetic field on the 10–100 au scale; this produces a disk that is misaligned with the outflow. The outflows are classified into two types: a magnetocentrifugal wind and a spiral flow. In the latter, because of the geometry, the axis of rotation is misaligned with the magnetic field. The magnetic field has an internal structure in the cloud cores, which also causes misalignment between the outflows and the magnetic field on the scale of the cloud core. The distribution of the angular momentum vectors in a core also has a non-monotonic internal structure. This should create a time-dependent accretion of angular momenta onto the circumstellar disk. Therefore, the circumstellar disks are expected to change their orientation as well as their sizes in the long-term evolutions.« less

Constraining Engine Paradigms of Pre-Planetary Nebulae Using Kinematic Properties of their Outflows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blackman, E.

2014-04-01

Binary interactions and accretion plausibly conspire to produce the ubiquitous collimated outflows from planetary nebulae (PN) and their presumed pre-planetary nebulae (PPN) progenitors. But which accretion engines are viable? The difficulty in observationally resolving the engines warrants indirect constraints. I discuss how momentum outflow data for PPN can be used to determine the minimum required accretion rate for presumed main sequence (MS) or white dwarf (WD) accretors by comparing to several example accretion rates inferred from published models. While the main goal is to show the method in anticipation of more data and better theoretical constraints, taking the present results at face value already rule out modes of accretion: Bondi-Hoyle Lyttleton (BHL) wind accretion and wind Roche lobe overflow (M-WRLOF, based on Mira parameters) are too feeble for all 19/19 objects for a MS accretor. For a WD accretor, BHL is ruled out for 18/19 objects and M-WRLOF for 15/19 objects. Roche lobe overflow from the primary can accommodate 7/19 objects but only common envelope evolution accretion modes seem to be able to accommodate all 19 objects. Sub-Eddington rates for a MS accretor are acceptable but 8/19 would require super-Eddington rates for a WD. I also briefly discuss a possible anti-correlation between age and maximum observed outflow speed, and the role of magnetic fields.

CSO CO (2–1) and Spitzer IRAC observations of a bipolar outflow in high-mass star-forming region IRAS 22506+5944

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Ze-Qiang; Qiu, Ke-Ping

2018-02-01

We present Caltech Submillimeter Observatory CO (2–1) and Spitzer IRAC observations toward IRAS 22506+5944, which is a 104 L ⊙ massive star-forming region. The CO (2–1) maps show an east-west bipolar molecular outflow originating from the 3 mm dust continuum peak. The Spitzer IRAC color-composite image reveals a pair of bow-shaped tips which are prominent in excess 4.5μm emission and are located at the leading fronts of the bipolar outflow, providing compelling evidence for the existence of bow-shocks as the driving agents of the molecular outflow. By comparing our CO (2–1) observations with previously published CO (1–0) data, we find that the CO (2–1)/(1–0) line ratio increases from low (∼5 kms‑1) to moderate (∼8–12 kms‑1) velocities, and then decreases at higher velocities. This is qualitatively consistent with the scenario that the molecular outflow is driven by multiple bow-shocks. We also revisit the position-velocity diagram of the CO (1–0) data, and find two spur structures along the outflow axis, which are further evidence for the presence of multiple jet bowshocks. Finally, power-law fittings to the mass spectrum of the outflow gives power law indexes more consistent with the jet bow-shock model than the wide-angle wind model.

Centrifugally driven winds from protostellar accretion discs - I. Formulation and initial results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nolan, C. A.; Salmeron, R.; Federrath, C.; Bicknell, G. V.; Sutherland, R. S.

2017-10-01

Protostellar discs play an important role in star formation, acting as the primary mass reservoir for accretion on to young stars and regulating the extent to which angular momentum and gas is released back into stellar nurseries through the launching of powerful disc winds. In this study, we explore how disc structure relates to the properties of the wind-launching region, mapping out the regions of protostellar discs where wind launching could be viable. We combine a series of 1.5D semi-analytic, steady-state, vertical disc-wind solutions into a radially extended 1+1.5D model, incorporating all three diffusion mechanisms (Ohm, Hall and ambipolar). We observe that the majority of mass outflow via disc winds occurs over a radial width of a fraction of an astronomical unit, with outflow rates attenuating rapidly on either side. We also find that the mass accretion rate, magnetic field strength and surface density profile each have significant effects on both the location of the wind-launching region and the ejection/accretion ratio \\dot{M}_out/\\dot{M}_in. Increasing either the accretion rate or the magnetic field strength corresponds to a shift of the wind-launching region to smaller radii and a decrease in \\dot{M}_out/\\dot{M}_in, while increasing the surface density corresponds to launching regions at larger radii with increased \\dot{M}_out/\\dot{M}_in. Finally, we discover a class of disc winds containing an ineffective launching configuration at intermediate radii, leading to two radially separated regions of wind launching and diminished \\dot{M}_out/\\dot{M}_in. We find that the wind locations and ejection/accretion ratio are consistent with current observational and theoretical estimates.

Three-Dimensional MHD Modeling of The Solar Corona and Solar Wind: Comparison with The Wang-Sheeley Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Usmanov, A. V.; Goldstein, M. L.

2003-01-01

We present simulation results from a tilted-dipole steady-state MHD model of the solar corona and solar wind and compare the output from our model with the Wang-Sheeley model which relates the divergence rate of magnetic flux tubes near the Sun (inferred from solar magnetograms) to the solar wind speed observed near Earth and at Ulysses. The boundary conditions in our model specified at the coronal base and our simulation region extends out to 10 AU. We assumed that a flux of Alfven waves with amplitude of 35 km per second emanates from the Sun and provides additional heating and acceleration for the coronal outflow in the open field regions. The waves are treated in the WKB approximation. The incorporation of wave acceleration allows us to reproduce the fast wind measurements obtained by Ulysses, while preserving reasonable agreement with plasma densities typically found at the coronal base. We find that our simulation results agree well with Wang and Sheeley's empirical model.

Exploring the Dust Content of Galactic Winds with MIPS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, Crystal; Engelbracht, Charles; Gordon, Karl

2005-06-01

This program explores the dust content of galactic winds. Nearly half of all stars in the universe probably form in a starburst event, where high concentrations of supernova explosions drive galactic-scale gaseous outflows. In nearby starburst galaxies, winds have been mapped at radio, optical, and X-ray frequencies revealing bipolar lobes of hot gas laced with cooler filaments bubbling out of the host galaxy. Most of the outflowing material is entrained interstellar gas, so it will remain quite dusty unless the grains are destroyed. Dusty winds have significant implications for the circulation of heavy elements in galaxies, the dust content of the intergalactic medium, and the acceleration of gaseous outflows. GALEX images of scattered ultraviolet light from galactic winds now provide compelling evidence for the survival of some grains. MIPS photometry of starburst winds at 24, 70, and 160 microns can, in principle, measure the dust temperature providing accurate estimates of the amount of dust (e.g. Engelbracht et al. 2004). To date, however, most MIPS observations of starburst galaxies are far too shallow to detect thermal emission from halo dust. The requested observations would provide the most sensitive observations currently possible for a sample of starburst galaxies, selected to span the full range of starburst luminosity and spatial geometry in the local universe.

Disk-driven hydromagnetic winds as a key ingredient of active galactic nuclei unification schemes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Konigl, Arieh; Kartje, John F.

1994-01-01

Centrifugally driven winds from the surfaces of magnetized accretion disks have been recognized as an attractive mechanism of removing the angular momentum of the accreted matter and of producing the bipolar outflows and jets that are often associated with compact astronomical objects. As previously suggested in the context of young stellar objects, such winds have unique observational manifestations stemming from their highly stratified density and velocity structure and from their exposure to the strong continuum radiation field of the compact object. We have applied this scenario to active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and investigated the properties of hydromagnetic outflows that originate within approximately 10(M(sub 8)) pc of the central 10(exp 8)(M(sub 8)) solar mass black hole. On the basis of our results, we propose that hydromagnetic disk-driven winds may underlie the classification of broad-line and narrow-line AGNs (e.g., the Seyfert 1/Seyfert 2 dichotomy) as well as the apparent dearth of luminous Seyfert 2 galaxies. More generally, we demonstrate that such winds could strongly influence the spectral characteristics of Seyfert galaxies, QSOs, and BL Lac objects (BLOs). In our picture, the torus is identified with the outer regions of the wind where dust uplifted from the disk surfaces by gas-grain collisions is embedded in the outflow. Using an efficient radiative transfer code, we show that the infrared emission of Seyfert galaxies and QSOs can be attributed to the reprocessing of the UV/soft X-ray AGN continuum by the dust in the wind and the disk. We demonstrate that the radiation pressure force flattens the dust distribution in objects with comparatively high (but possibly sub-Eddington) bolometric luminosities, and we propose this as one likely reason for the apparent paucity of narrow-line objects among certain high-luminosity AGNs. Using the XSTAR photoionization code, we show that the inner regions of the wind could naturally account for the warm (greater than or approximately equal to 10(exp 5) K) and hot (greater than or approximately equal to 10(exp 6) K) gas components that have been inferred to exist on scales less than or approximately equal to 10(exp 2) pc in several Seyfert galaxies. We suggest that the partially ionized gas in the inner regions of the wind, rather than the dusty, neutral outflow that originates further out in the disk, could account for the bulk of the X-ray absorption in Seyferts observed at relatively small angles to their symmetry axes. Finally, we discuss the application of this model to the interpretation of the approximately 0.6 keV X-ray absorption feature reported in several BLOs.

Shocked molecular hydrogen in the bipolar outflow NGC 2071

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burton, Michael G.; Geballe, T. R.; Brand, P. W. J. L.

1989-01-01

Maps of the emission from the v = 1-0 S(1) line of molecular hydrogen in the bipolar outflow of NGC 2071 are presented. The line emission is shown to peak at six positions distributed irregularly along two lobes which are parallel to, but offset about 20 arcsec from, the lobes of the high-velocity CO-line emission. The energetics and composition of the high-velocity gas support a model in which the driving agent is a bipolar atomic wind which arises from the vicinity of the central IR sources and shocks the surrounding molecular cloud, evacuating a cavity within it.

Mountain Breathing Revisited-the Hyperventilation of a Volcano Cinder Cone.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Woodcock, Alfred H.

1987-02-01

During 23 hours of fresh to strong winds in December 1975, air flowed rapidly and continuously out of a drill hole in the top of the summit cone of Mauna Kea volcano, Hawaii. Measurements made during this outflow indicate that the air entered the mountain dry and cold, but flowed out relatively wet and warm, resulting in an average latent- and sensible-heat loss from the cone interior of about 116 W·m2. A sensitive vane anemometer, and thermistor and mercury-in-glass thermometers, were used to make these observations.Published observations made during moderate winds in this and a second drill hole had revealed relatively low air and heat flow rates, alternating daily into as well as out of the cone, with outflow generally during the day and inflow largely at night. The diurnal differences in the flow direction suggested that the well-known, semidiurnal atmospheric-pressure changes were the main cause of the air "breathing" within the cone. The latent-heat outflow in moderate winds was about 4 W·m2.The continuous outflow observations presented here indicate that wind speed has a marked if not dominant effect on the airflow and heat flow from the Mauna Kea summit cones, and that the resulting cooling during one day of strong winds can equal that of ten or more days of lower winds. This intense local cooling may explain the long survival of permafrost on Mauna Kea, and underscores the potential of air-land interaction in altering the internal air pressure and heat and water distribution in the cinder cones of Mauna Kea and perhaps in other volcanoes as well.

Quantifying the AGN-driven outflows in ULIRGs (QUADROS) III: Measurements of the radii and kinetic powers of 8 near-nuclear outflows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spence, R. A. W.; Tadhunter, C. N.; Rose, M.; Rodríguez Zaurín, J.

2018-05-01

As part of the QUADROS project to quantify the impact of AGN-driven outflows in rapidly evolving galaxies in the local universe, we present observations of 8 nearby ULIRGs (0.04 < z < 0.2) taken with the ISIS spectrograph on the William Herschel Telescope (WHT), and also summarize the results of the project as a whole. Consistent with Rose et al. (2018), we find that the outflow regions are compact (0.08 < R_{[O III]} < 1.5 kpc), and the electron densities measured using the [S II], [O II] trans-auroral emission-line ratios are relatively high (2.5 < log ne (cm-3) < 4.5, median log ne (cm-3) ˜ 3.1). Many of the outflow regions are also significantly reddened (median E(B - V) ˜ 0.5). Assuming that the de-projected outflow velocities are represented by the 5^{th} percentile velocities (v05) of the broad, blueshifted components of [O III] λ5007, we calculate relatively modest mass outflow rates (0.1 < \\dot{M} < 20 M⊙ yr-1, median \\dot{M} ˜ 2 M⊙ yr-1), and find kinetic powers as a fraction of the AGN bolometric luminosity (\\dot{F} = \\dot{E}/L_bol) in the range 0.02 < \\dot{F} < 3 per cent, median \\dot{F} ˜ 0.3 per cent). The latter estimates are in line with the predictions of multi-stage outflow models, or single-stage models in which only a modest fraction of the initial kinetic power of the inner disk winds is transferred to the larger-scale outflows. Considering the QUADROS sample as a whole, we find no clear evidence for correlations between the properties of the outflows and the bolometric luminosities of the AGN, albeit based on a sample that covers a relatively small range in Lbol. Overall, our results suggest that there is a significant intrinsic scatter in outflow properties of ULIRGs for a given AGN luminosity.

Relativistic Outflows from ADAFs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Becker, Peter; Subramanian, Prasad; Kazanas, Demosthenes

2001-04-01

Advection-dominated accretion flows (ADAFs) have a positive Bernoulli parameter, and are therefore gravitationally bound. The Newtonian ADAF model has been generalized recently to obtain the ADIOS model that includes outflows of energy and angular momentum, thereby allowing accretion to proceed self-consistently. However, the utilization of a Newtonian gravitational potential limits the ability of this model to describe the inner region of the disk, where any relativistic outflows are likely to originate. In this paper we modify the ADIOS scenario to incorporate a seudo - Newtonian potential, which approximates the effects of general relativity. The analysis yields a unique, self - similar solution for the structure of the coupled disk/wind system. Interesting features of the new solution include the relativistic character of the outflow in the vicinity of the radius of marginal stability, which represents the inner edge of the quasi-Keplerian disk in our model. Our self - similar model may therefore help to explain the origin of relativistic jets in active galaxies. At large distances the radial dependence of the accretion rate approachs the unique form dot M ∝ r^1/2, with an associated density variation given by ρ ∝ r-1. This density variation agrees with that implied by the dependence of the X-ray hard time lags on the Fourier frequency for a number of accreting galactic black hole candidates. While intriguing, the results of our self-similar model need to be confirmed in the future by incorporating a detailed physical description of the energization mechanism that drives the outflow, which is likely to be powered by the shear of the underlying accretion disk.

How stellar feedback simultaneously regulates star formation and drives outflows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayward, Christopher C.; Hopkins, Philip F.

2017-02-01

We present an analytic model for how momentum deposition from stellar feedback simultaneously regulates star formation and drives outflows in a turbulent interstellar medium (ISM). Because the ISM is turbulent, a given patch of ISM exhibits sub-patches with a range of surface densities. The high-density patches are 'pushed' by feedback, thereby driving turbulence and self-regulating local star formation. Sufficiently low-density patches, however, are accelerated to above the escape velocity before the region can self-adjust and are thus vented as outflows. When the gas fraction is ≳ 0.3, the ratio of the turbulent velocity dispersion to the circular velocity is sufficiently high that at any given time, of the order of half of the ISM has surface density less than the critical value and thus can be blown out on a dynamical time. The resulting outflows have a mass-loading factor (η ≡ dot{M}_{out}/M_{star }) that is inversely proportional to the gas fraction times the circular velocity. At low gas fractions, the star formation rate needed for local self-regulation, and corresponding turbulent Mach number, declines rapidly; the ISM is 'smoother', and it is actually more difficult to drive winds with large mass-loading factors. Crucially, our model predicts that stellar-feedback-driven outflows should be suppressed at z ≲ 1 in M⋆ ≳ 1010 M⊙ galaxies. This mechanism allows massive galaxies to exhibit violent outflows at high redshifts and then 'shut down' those outflows at late times, thereby enabling the formation of a smooth, extended thin stellar disc. We provide simple fitting functions for η that should be useful for sub-resolution and semi-analytic models.

Investigations of protostellar outflow launching and gas entrainment: Hydrodynamic simulations and molecular emission

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Offner, Stella S. R.; Arce, Héctor G., E-mail: stella.offner@yale.edu

2014-03-20

We investigate protostellar outflow evolution, gas entrainment, and star formation efficiency using radiation-hydrodynamic simulations of isolated, turbulent low-mass cores. We adopt an X-wind launching model, in which the outflow rate is coupled to the instantaneous protostellar accretion rate and evolution. We vary the outflow collimation angle from θ = 0.01-0.1 and find that even well-collimated outflows effectively sweep up and entrain significant core mass. The Stage 0 lifetime ranges from 0.14-0.19 Myr, which is similar to the observed Class 0 lifetime. The star formation efficiency of the cores spans 0.41-0.51. In all cases, the outflows drive strong turbulence in themore » surrounding material. Although the initial core turbulence is purely solenoidal by construction, the simulations converge to approximate equipartition between solenoidal and compressive motions due to a combination of outflow driving and collapse. When compared to simulation of a cluster of protostars, which is not gravitationally centrally condensed, we find that the outflows drive motions that are mainly solenoidal. The final turbulent velocity dispersion is about twice the initial value of the cores, indicating that an individual outflow is easily able to replenish turbulent motions on sub-parsec scales. We post-process the simulations to produce synthetic molecular line emission maps of {sup 12}CO, {sup 13}CO, and C{sup 18}O and evaluate how well these tracers reproduce the underlying mass and velocity structure.« less

The photoelectron-driven polar wind: Coupled fluid- semikinetic simulations and measurements by the thermal ion dynamics experiment on the POLAR spacecraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, Yi-Jiun

1998-11-01

The polar wind is an ambipolar outflow of thermal plasma from the terrestrial high latitude ionosphere to the magnetosphere along geomagnetic field lines. This dissertation comprises a simulation and data analysis investigation of the polar wind from the ionosphere to the magnetosphere. In order to study the transport of ionospheric plasma from the collisional lower ionosphere to the collisionless magnetosphere, a self-consistent steady state coupled fluid-semikinetic model has been developed, which incorporates photoelectron and magnetospheric plasma effects. In applying this treatment to the simulation of the photoelectron-driven polar wind, an electric potential layer of the order of 40 Volts which develops above 3 RE altitude is obtained, when the downward magnetospheric electron fluxes are insufficient to balance the ionospheric photoelectron flux. This potential layer accelerates the ionospheric ions to supersonic speeds at high altitudes, but not at low altitudes (as some previous theories have suggested). In order to experimentally investigate the polar wind, low-energy ion data obtained by the Thermal Ion Dynamics Experiment (TIDE) on the POLAR satellite has been analyzed. A survey of the polar wind characteristics as observed by TIDE at 5000 km and 8 RE altitudes is presented in this dissertation. At 5000 km altitude, the H+ polar wind exhibited a supersonic outflow, while O+ displayed subsonic downflow. Dramatic decreases of the 5000 km H+ and O+ ion densities and fluxes correlated with increasing solar zenith angle for the ionospheric base, which is consistent with solar illumination ionization control of the 5000 km ion densities. However, the polar cap downward O+ flow and the density declined from dayside to nightside, which is also consistent with a cleft ion fountain origin for the polar cap O+. At 8 RE altitude, both H+ and O+ outflows were supersonic, and H+ was the dominant ion species. The typical velocity ratios, VO+:VHe+:VH+~2:3:5, may suggest transport processes which result in comparable energy gains, such as electric potential layer produced by photoelectron effects.

Fast ionized X-ray absorbers in AGNs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fukumura, K.; Tombesi, F.; Kazanas, D.; Shrader, C.; Behar, E.; Contopoulos, I.

2016-05-01

We investigate the physics of the X-ray ionized absorbers often identified as warm absorbers (WAs) and ultra-fast outflows (UFOs) in Seyfert AGNs from spectroscopic studies in the context of magnetically-driven accretion-disk wind scenario. Launched and accelerated by the action of a global magnetic field anchored to an underlying accretion disk around a black hole, outflowing plasma is irradiated and ionized by an AGN radiation field characterized by its spectral energy density (SED). By numerically solving the Grad-Shafranov equation in the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) framework, the physical property of the magnetized disk-wind is determined by a wind parameter set, which is then incorporated into radiative transfer calculations with xstar photoionization code under heating-cooling equilibrium state to compute the absorber's properties such as column density N_H, line-of-sight (LoS) velocity v, ionization parameter ξ, among others. Assuming that the wind density scales as n ∝ r-1, we calculate theoretical absorption measure distribution (AMD) for various ions seen in AGNs as well as line spectra especially for the Fe Kα absorption feature by focusing on a bright quasar PG 1211+143 as a case study and show the model's plausibility. In this note we demonstrate that the proposed MHD-driven disk-wind scenario is not only consistent with the observed X-ray data, but also help better constrain the underlying nature of the AGN environment in a close proximity to a central engine.

Grain formation around carbon stars. 1: Stationary outflow models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Egan, Michael P.; Leung, Chun Ming

1995-01-01

Asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars are known to be sites of dust formation and undergo significant mass loss. The outflow is believed to be driven by radiation pressure on grains and momentum coupling between the grains and gas. While the physics of shell dynamics and grain formation are closely coupled, most previous models of circumstellar shells have treated the problem separately. Studies of shell dynamics typically assume the existence of grains needed to drive the outflow, while most grain formation models assume a constant veolcity wind in which grains form. Furthermore, models of grain formation have relied primarily on classical nucleation theory instead of using a more realistic approach based on chemical kinetics. To model grain formation in carbon-rich AGB stars, we have coupled the kinetic equations governing small cluster growth to moment equations which determine the growth of large particles. Phenomenological models assuming stationary outflow are presented to demonstrate the differences between the classical nucleation approach and the kinetic equation method. It is found that classical nucleation theory predicts nucleation at a lower supersaturation ratio than is predicted by the kinetic equations, resulting in significant differences in grain properties. Coagulation of clusters larger than monomers is unimportant for grain formation in high mass-loss models but becomes more important to grain growth in low mass-loss situations. The properties of the dust grains are altered considerably if differential drift velocities are ignored in modeling grain formation. The effect of stellar temperature, stellar luminosity, and different outflow velocities are investigated. The models indicate that changing the stellar temperature while keeping the stellar luminosity constant has little effect on the physical parameters of the dust shell formed. Increasing the stellar luminosity while keeping the stellar temperature constant results in large differences in grain properties. For small outflow velocities, grains form at lower supersaturation ratios and close to the stellar photosphere, resulting in larger but fewer grains. The reverse is true when grains form under high outflow velocities, i.e., they form at higher supersaturation ratios, farther from the star, and are much smaller but at larger quantities.

Multi-Fluid Block-Adaptive-Tree Solar Wind Roe-Type Upwind Scheme: Magnetospheric Composition and Dynamics During Geomagnetic Storms, Initial Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gkocer, A.; Toth, G.; Ma, Y.; Gombosi, T.; Zhang, J. C.; Kistler, L. M.

2010-01-01

The magnetosphere contains a significant amount of ionospheric O{+}, particularly during geomagnetically active times. The presence of ionospheric plasma in the magnetosphere has a notable impact on magnetospheric composition and processes. We present a new multifluid MHD version of the BATS-R-US model of the magnetosphere to track the fate and consequences of ionospheric outflow. The multi-fluid MHD equations are presented as are the novel techniques for overcoming the formidable challenges associated with solving them. Our new model is then applied to the May 4, 1998 and March 31, 2001 geomagnetic storms. The results are juxtaposed with traditional single- fluid MHD and multispecies MHD simulations from a previous study, thereby allowing us to assess the benefits of using a more complex model with additional physics. We find that our multi-fluid MHD model (with outflow) gives comparable results to the multi-species MHD model (with outflow), including a more strongly negative Dst, reduced CPCP, and a drastically improved magnetic field at geosynchronous orbit, as compared to single-fluid MHD with no outflow. Significant differences in composition and magnetic field are found between the multi-species and multi-fluid approach further away from the Earth. We further demonstrate the ability to explore pressure and bulk velocity differences between H{+} and O(+}, which is not possible when utilizing the other techniques considered.

Relativistic Outflows from Advection-dominated Accretion Disks around Black Holes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Becker, Peter A.; Subramanian, Prasad; Kazanas, Demosthenes

2001-05-01

Advection-dominated accretion flows (ADAFs) have a positive Bernoulli parameter and are therefore gravitationally unbound. The Newtonian ADAF model has been generalized recently to obtain the ADIOS model that includes outflows of energy and angular momentum, thereby allowing accretion to proceed self-consistently. However, the utilization of a Newtonian gravitational potential limits the ability of this model to describe the inner region of the disk, where any relativistic outflows are likely to originate. In this paper we modify the ADIOS scenario to incorporate a pseudo-Newtonian potential, which approximates the effects of general relativity. The analysis yields a unique, self-similar solution for the structure of the coupled disk/wind system. Interesting features of the new solution include the relativistic character of the outflow in the vicinity of the radius of marginal stability, which represents the inner edge of the quasi-Keplerian disk in our model. Hence, our self-similar solution may help to explain the origin of relativistic jets in active galaxies. At large distances the radial dependence of the accretion rate approaches the unique form M~r1/2, with an associated density variation given by ρ~r-1. This density variation agrees with that implied by the dependence of the hard X-ray time lags on the Fourier frequency for a number of accreting galactic black hole candidates. While intriguing, the predictions made using our self-similar solution need to be confirmed in the future using a detailed model that includes a physical description of the energization mechanism that drives the outflow, which is likely to be powered by the shear of the underlying accretion disk.

A New Relativistic Component of the Accretion Disk Wind in PDS 456

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reeves, J. N.; Braito, V.; Nardini, E.; Lobban, A. P.; Matzeu, G. A.; Costa, M. T.

2018-02-01

Past X-ray observations of the nearby luminous quasar PDS 456 (at z = 0.184) have revealed a wide angle accretion disk wind, with an outflow velocity of ∼‑0.25c. Here, we unveil a new, relativistic component of the wind through hard X-ray observations with NuSTAR and XMM-Newton, obtained in 2017 March when the quasar was in a low-flux state. This very fast wind component, with an outflow velocity of ‑0.46 ± 0.02c, is detected in the iron K band, in addition to the ‑0.25c wind zone. The relativistic component may arise from the innermost disk wind, launched from close to the black hole at a radius of ∼10 gravitational radii. The opacity of the fast wind also increases during a possible obscuration event lasting for 50 ks. We suggest that the very fast wind may only be apparent during the lowest X-ray flux states of PDS 456, becoming overly ionized as the luminosity increases. Overall, the total wind power may even approach the Eddington value.

An Axisymmetric, Hydrodynamical Model for the Torus Wind in Active Galactic Nuclei

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dorodnitsyn, A.; Kallman, T.; Proga, D.

2008-01-01

We report on time-dependent axisymmetric simulations of an X-ray-excited flow from a parsec-scale, rotating, cold torus around an active galactic nucleus. Our simulations account for radiative heating and cooling and radiation pressure force. The simulations follow the development of a broad biconical outflow induced mainly by X-ray heating. We compute synthetic spectra predicted by our simulations. The wind characteristics and the spectra support the hypothesis that a rotationally supported torus can serve as the source of a wind which is responsible for the warm absorber gas observed in the X-ray spectra of many Seyfert galaxies.

A Nonlocal Calculation of Circumstellar OH Masers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Collison, A. J.; Nedoluha, G. E.

1993-12-01

We present calculations for circumstellar OH masers which explicitly account for the nonlocal interaction throughout the masing region. Excitation temperatures and observed emission are calculated for all four ground state maser lines. All other transitions are treated using a modified Sobolev approximation. Calculations are performed within the context of a simplified dust/outflow model which provides the pumping conditions and their variation with radius. Total velocity relaxation is implicitly assumed in the calculations. We find general agreement with the qualitative results of earlier work (Collison & Nedoluha, ApJ, 10 Feb 94 issue) and agree with the conclusions of Alcock & Ross (1986, ApJ, 305, 837) who showed that observed profiles can not be produced by a smooth, spherically symmetric wind model of the outflow.

Discovery of Ultra-fast Outflows in a Sample of Broad-line Radio Galaxies Observed with Suzaku

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tombesi, F.; Sambruna, R. M.; Reeves, J. N.; Braito, V.; Ballo, L.; Gofford, J.; Cappi, M.; Mushotzky, R. F.

2010-08-01

We present the results of a uniform and systematic search for blueshifted Fe K absorption lines in the X-ray spectra of five bright broad-line radio galaxies observed with Suzaku. We detect, for the first time in radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at X-rays, several absorption lines at energies greater than 7 keV in three out of five sources, namely, 3C 111, 3C 120, and 3C 390.3. The lines are detected with high significance according to both the F-test and extensive Monte Carlo simulations. Their likely interpretation as blueshifted Fe XXV and Fe XXVI K-shell resonance lines implies an origin from highly ionized gas outflowing with mildly relativistic velocities, in the range v ~= 0.04-0.15c. A fit with specific photoionization models gives ionization parameters in the range log ξ ~= 4-5.6 erg s-1 cm and column densities of N H ~= 1022-1023 cm-2. These characteristics are very similar to those of the ultra-fast outflows (UFOs) previously observed in radio-quiet AGNs. Their estimated location within ~0.01-0.3 pc of the central super-massive black hole suggests a likely origin related with accretion disk winds/outflows. Depending on the absorber covering fraction, the mass outflow rate of these UFOs can be comparable to the accretion rate and their kinetic power can correspond to a significant fraction of the bolometric luminosity and is comparable to their typical jet power. Therefore, these UFOs can play a significant role in the expected feedback from the AGN to the surrounding environment and can give us further clues on the relation between the accretion disk and the formation of winds/jets in both radio-quiet and radio-loud AGNs.

Velocity Space Evolution of Dayside Reconnection Outflow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Broll, J. M.; Fuselier, S. A.; Trattner, K. J.

2015-12-01

Magnetic reconnection is a universal phenomenon occurring when energy stored in a complicated magnetic field topology is released into the surrounding plasma as the field simplifies its configuration. At Earth's dayside magnetopause, reconnection is responsible for mass and energy input from the solar wind into the magnetosphere. We describe the evolution of the velocity-space evolution of plasma outflow from a dayside magnetic reconnection region. We analyze Cluster magnetopause crossings between 1 and 10 Earth radii from the reconnection X-line predicted by the maximum magnetic shear model. The effects of nonadiabatic processes, such as deformation of the profile due to finite-gyroradius-induced pitch-angle scattering and wave-particle interactions, are described. We compare observations and simulation results to describe the outflow evolution and infer the field-aligned distance between an observation and the reconnection site producing it.

Ultra-Fast Outflows in Radio-Loud AGN: New Constraints on Jet-Disk Connection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sambruna, Rita

There is strong observational and theoretical evidence that outflows/jets are coupled to accretion disks in black hole accreting systems, from Galactic to extragalactic sizes. While in radio-quiet AGN there is ample evidence for the presence of Ultra-Fast Outflows (UFOs) from the presence of blue-shifted absorption features in their 4-10~keV spectra, sub-relativistic winds are expected on theoretical basis in radio-loud AGN but have not been observed until now. Our recent Suzaku observations of 5 bright Broad- Line Radio Galaxies (BLRGs, the radio-loud counterparts of Seyferts) has started to change this picture. We found strong evidence for UFOs in 3 out of 5 BLRGs, with ionization parameters, column densities, and velocities of the absorber similar to Seyferts. Moreover, the outflows in BLRGs are likely to be energetically very significant: from the Suzaku data of the three sources, outflow masses similar to the accretion masses and kinetic energies of the wind similar to the X-ray luminosity and radio power of the jet are inferred. Clearly, UFOs in radio-loud AGN represent a new key ingredient to understand their central engines and in particular, the jet-disk linkage. Our discovery of UFOs in a handful of BLRGs raises the questions of how common disk winds are in radio-loud AGN, what the absorber physical and dynamical characteristics are, and what is the outflow role in broader picture of galaxy-black hole connection for radio sources, i.e., for large-scale feedback models. To address these and other issues, we propose to use archival XMM-Newton and Suzaku spectra to search for Ultra-Fast Outflows in a large number of radio sources. Over a period of two years, we will conduct a systematic, uniform analysis of the archival X-ray data, building on our extensive experience with a similar previous project for Seyferts, and using robust analysis and statistical methodologies. As an important side product, we will also obtain accurate, self- consistent measurements of the broad-band X-ray spectra of radio-loud AGN for comparison to radio-quiet, addressing the origin of the division between the two classes. In addition, the upcoming Astro-H mission will greatly benefit from the outcomes of this project, which will provide templates for realistic simulations to define the scientific requirements of the calorimeter, and a list of targets to design a sample for the core AGN projects of the team.

The origin of blueshifted absorption features in the X-ray spectrum of PG 1211+143: outflow or disc

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gallo, L. C.; Fabian, A. C.

2013-07-01

In some radio-quiet active galactic nuclei (AGN), high-energy absorption features in the X-ray spectra have been interpreted as ultrafast outflows (UFOs) - highly ionized material (e.g. Fe XXV and Fe XXVI) ejected at mildly relativistic velocities. In some cases, these outflows can carry energy in excess of the binding energy of the host galaxy. Needless to say, these features demand our attention as they are strong signatures of AGN feedback and will influence galaxy evolution. For the same reason, alternative models need to be discussed and refuted or confirmed. Gallo and Fabian proposed that some of these features could arise from resonance absorption of the reflected spectrum in a layer of ionized material located above and corotating with the accretion disc. Therefore, the absorbing medium would be subjected to similar blurring effects as seen in the disc. A priori, the existence of such plasma above the disc is as plausible as a fast wind. In this work, we highlight the ambiguity by demonstrating that the absorption model can describe the ˜7.6 keV absorption feature (and possibly other features) in the quasar PG 1211+143, an AGN that is often described as a classic example of a UFO. In this model, the 2-10 keV spectrum would be largely reflection dominated (as opposed to power law dominated in the wind models) and the resonance absorption would be originating in a layer between about 6 and 60 gravitational radii. The studies of such features constitute a cornerstone for future X-ray observatories like Astro-H and Athena+. Should our model prove correct, or at least important in some cases, then absorption will provide another diagnostic tool with which to probe the inner accretion flow with future missions.

A Study of PG Quasar-Driven Outflows with COS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamann, Frederick

2013-10-01

Quasar outflows are an important part of the quasar phenomenon, but many questions remain about their energetics, physical properties and the role they might play in providing feedback to host galaxy evolution. We searched our own COS far-UV observations from the QUEST survey and other large COS programs to find a sample of 6 bright PG quasars with broad {FWHM > 400 km/s} high velocity {v > 1000 km/s} absorption lines that clearly form in quasar-driven winds. These quasars can fill an important gap in our understanding between local Seyferts with low-speed winds and high-redshift quasars with extreme BAL outflows. They are also well-studied at other wavelengths, with some evidence for the quasars driving galaxy-scale blowouts and shutting down star formation. But almost nothing is known about the quasar outflows themselves. We propose a detailed study of these 6 outflow quasars using new COS FUV observations to 1} expand the existing wavelength coverage across critical lines that are diagnostic of the outflow physical conditions, kinetic energies, and metallicities, and 2} check for line variability as an indicator of the outflow structure and locations. This quasar sample includes unusual cases with many low-abundance {PV 1118,1128 and SIV 1063} and excited-state lines {SIV 1073*, CIII* 1175, CII* 1335} that will provide unprecedented constraints on the outflow properties, plus the first known OVI-only mini-BAL outflow {no lower ions detected} for which we will cover NeVIII 770,780 to probe the highest ionization gas. The high FUV sensitivity of COS is uniquely able to measure this wide range of outflow lines in low-redshift quasars with no Lya forest contamination.

Full-Sun observations for identifying the source of the slow solar wind

PubMed Central

Brooks, David H.; Ugarte-Urra, Ignacio; Warren, Harry P.

2015-01-01

Fast (>700 km s−1) and slow (~400 km s−1) winds stream from the Sun, permeate the heliosphere and influence the near-Earth environment. While the fast wind is known to emanate primarily from polar coronal holes, the source of the slow wind remains unknown. Here we identify possible sites of origin using a slow solar wind source map of the entire Sun, which we construct from specially designed, full-disk observations from the Hinode satellite, and a magnetic field model. Our map provides a full-Sun observation that combines three key ingredients for identifying the sources: velocity, plasma composition and magnetic topology and shows them as solar wind composition plasma outflowing on open magnetic field lines. The area coverage of the identified sources is large enough that the sum of their mass contributions can explain a significant fraction of the mass loss rate of the solar wind. PMID:25562705

Sea state indices for a coastal strait

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gemmrich, Johannes; Dewey, Richard

2017-04-01

The Strait of Georgia at the west coast of Canada is an enclosed coastal strait, about 250km long and 25 to 50 km wide, with great socio-economic importance. Regular freighter traffic, ferry services, commercial and sport fisheries, and recreational boating, makes the area one of the busiest marine areas in the world. Waves in SoG are generally small, with the median value of the significant wave height Hs=0.3m. However, strong outflows off the mountainous terrain can generate significant wave heights Hs > 2.5m, with high spatial and temporal variability. In addition, strong tidal currents and the Fraser River outflow generate localized regions of steep and breaking waves that are of particular concern. We have implemented the Wavewatch III model at 500m-resolution, forced by Environment Canada's high resolution atmospheric model winds and currents from the UBC NEMO implementation of the Salish Sea. The final output combines GIS layers of the predicted wave field (Hs, dominant wave length and direction), the modeled wind field and currents, observed currents from a set of CODAR systems, and a sea state index that highlights regions of potentially steep and dangerous waves.

The Properties and Prevalence of Galactic Outflows at z ~ 1 in the Extended Groth Strip

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kornei, Katherine A.; Shapley, Alice E.; Martin, Crystal L.; Coil, Alison L.; Lotz, Jennifer M.; Schiminovich, David; Bundy, Kevin; Noeske, Kai G.

2012-10-01

We investigate galactic-scale outflowing winds in 72 star-forming galaxies at z ~ 1 in the Extended Groth Strip. Galaxies were selected from the DEEP2 survey and follow-up LRIS spectroscopy was obtained covering Si II, C IV, Fe II, Mg II, and Mg I lines in the rest-frame ultraviolet. Using Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX), Hubble Space Telescope (HST), and Spitzer imaging available for the Extended Groth Strip, we examine galaxies on a per-object basis in order to better understand both the prevalence of galactic outflows at z ~ 1 and the star-forming and structural properties of objects experiencing outflows. Gas velocities, measured from the centroids of Fe II interstellar absorption lines, are found to span the interval [-217, +155] km s-1. We find that ~40% (10%) of the sample exhibits blueshifted Fe II lines at the 1σ (3σ) level. We also measure maximal outflow velocities using the profiles of the Fe II and Mg II lines; we find that Mg II frequently traces higher velocity gas than Fe II. Using quantitative morphological parameters derived from the HST imaging, we find that mergers are not a prerequisite for driving outflows. More face-on galaxies also show stronger winds than highly inclined systems, consistent with the canonical picture of winds emanating perpendicular to galactic disks. In light of clumpy galaxy morphologies, we develop a new physically motivated technique for estimating areas corresponding to star formation. We use these area measurements in tandem with GALEX-derived star formation rates (SFRs) to calculate SFR surface densities. At least 70% of the sample exceeds an SFR surface density of 0.1 M ⊙ yr-1 kpc-2, the threshold necessary for driving an outflow in local starbursts. At the same time, the outflow detection fraction of only 40% in Fe II absorption provides further evidence for an outflow geometry that is not spherically symmetric. We see a ~3σ trend between outflow velocity and SFR surface density, but no significant trend between outflow velocity and SFR. Higher resolution data are needed in order to test the scaling relations between outflow velocity and both SFR and SFR surface density predicted by theory. Based, in part, on data obtained at the W. M. Keck Observatory, which is operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California, and NASA, and was made possible by the generous financial support of the W. M. Keck Foundation.

Downscattering due to Wind Outflows in Compact X-ray Sources: Theory and Interpretation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Titarchuk, Lev; Shrader, Chris

2004-01-01

A number of recent lines of evidence point towards the presence of hot, outflowing plasma from the central regions of compact Galactic and extragalactic X-ray sources. Additionally, it has long been noted that many of these sources exhibit an "excess" continuum component, above approx. 10 keV, usually attributed to Compton Reflection from a static medium. Motivated by these facts, as well as by recent observational constraints on the Compton reflection models - specifically apparently discrepant variability timescales for line and continuum components in some cases - we consider possible of effects of out-flowing plasma on the high-energy continuum spectra of accretion powered compact objects. We present a general formulation for photon downscattering diffusion which includes recoil and Comptonization effects due to divergence of the flow. We then develop an analytical theory for the spectral formation in such systems that allows us to derive formulae for the emergent spectrum. Finally we perform the analytical model fitting on several Galactic X-ray binaries. Objects which have been modeled with high-covering-fraction Compton reflectors, such as GS1353-64 are included in our analysis. In addition, Cyg X-3, is which is widely believed to be characterized by dense circumstellar winds with temperature of order 10(exp 6) K, provides an interesting test case. Data from INTEGRAL and RXTE covering the approx. 3 - 300 keV range are used in our analysis. We further consider the possibility that the widely noted distortion of the power-law continuum above 10 keV may in some cases be explained by these spectral softening effects.

Solar Illumination Control of the Polar Wind

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maes, L.; Maggiolo, R.; De Keyser, J.; André, M.; Eriksson, A. I.; Haaland, S.; Li, K.; Poedts, S.

2017-11-01

Polar wind outflow is an important process through which the ionosphere supplies plasma to the magnetosphere. The main source of energy driving the polar wind is solar illumination of the ionosphere. As a result, many studies have found a relation between polar wind flux densities and solar EUV intensity, but less is known about their relation to the solar zenith angle at the ionospheric origin, certainly at higher altitudes. The low energy of the outflowing particles and spacecraft charging means it is very difficult to measure the polar wind at high altitudes. We take advantage of an alternative method that allows estimations of the polar wind flux densities far in the lobes. We analyze measurements made by the Cluster spacecraft at altitudes from 4 up to 20 RE. We observe a strong dependence on the solar zenith angle in the ion flux density and see that both the ion velocity and density exhibit a solar zenith angle dependence as well. We also find a seasonal variation of the flux density.

Chandra Detection of a Parsec Scale Wind in the Broad Line Radio Galaxy 3C 382

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reeves, J. N.; Sambruna, R. M.; Braito, V.; Eracleous, Michael

2009-01-01

We present unambiguous evidence for a parsec scale wind in the Broad-Line Radio Galaxy (BLRG) 3C 382, the first radio-loud AGN whereby an outflow has been measured with X-ray grating spectroscopy. A 118 ks Chandra grating (HETG) observation of 3C 382 has revealed the presence of several high ionization absorption lines in the soft X-ray band, from Fe, Ne, Mg and Si. The absorption lines are blue-shifted with respect to the systemic velocity of 3C 382 by -840+/-60 km/s and are resolved by Chandra with a velocity width of sigma = 340+/-70 km/s. The outflow appears to originate from a single zone of gas of column density N(sub H) = 1.3 x 10(exp 21)/sq cm and ionization parameter log(E/erg/cm/s) = 2.45. From the above measurements we calculate that the outflow is observed on parsec scales, within the likely range from 10-1000 pc, i.e., consistent with an origin in the Narrow Line Region. Finally we also discuss the possibility of a much faster (0.1c) outflow component, based on a blue-shifted iron K(alpha) emission line in the Suzaku observation of 3C 382, which could have an origin in an accretion disk wind.

A total and polarized infrared flux view of the AGN clumpy torus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lopez Rodriguez, Enrique

2013-12-01

Magnetohydrodynamical theories consider the torus of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) to be part of an outflow wind moving away from the central engine. In this framework, the torus is a particular region of the wind, where dusty and optically thick clouds are formed. The outflows are strongly related to the accretion rate and magnetic field strength, which play an important role in the creation, morphology and evolution of the torus. Through infrared (IR) imaging and polarimetry observations, this dissertation (1) searches for signatures of dusty tori in low-luminosity AGN (LLAGN); (2) explores the role and strength of magnetic field in the torus; and (3) investigates the nucleus of radio-loud AGN. Recent theoretical models predicted that LLAGN do not host a Seyfert-like torus, since low-luminosities (<1042 erg s-1 ) cannot sustain the required outflow rate. High-spatial resolution mid-IR (MIR) imaging and nuclear spectral energy distribution of 22 LLAGN reveals different IR characteristics by dividing the sample in terms of the Eddington ratio. These galaxies show a diversity of nuclear morphologies and have a high MIR/X-ray luminosity ratio compared to higher-luminosity AGN. Star formation, jets and/or truncated accretion disk can explain the MIR excess. Although several models have been made to account for the outflowing dusty winds from the central engine, the magnetic field strength at the position of the torus remains poorly characterized. Through a novel study using near-IR polarimetry, the magnetic field strength in the clumpy torus was estimated. Specifically, if paramagnetic alignment is assumed in the dusty clouds of the torus, the magnetic field strength of the torus of IC5063 is estimated to be in the range of 12--128 mG. Alternatively, Chandrasekhar-Fermi method suggests a lower-limit magnetic field strength of 13 mG. For the archetypical radio-loud AGN, Cygnus A, MIR polarimetry using CanariCam on the 10.4-m Gran Telescopio de Canarias revealed a high polarized, 11+/-3% and 12+/-3% (at Si2 and Si5 respectively) unresolved nucleus. Polarimetric modeling suggests that the MIR polarization arises from a synchrotron component. This result represents the most compelling MIR polarization detection of synchrotron radiation in Cygnus A.

Lunar and Planetary Science XXXV: Ancient Mars Water and Landforms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

Titles in this section include: 1) Giant Lowland Polygons: Relics of an Ancient Martian Ocean? 2) Lake Shorelines: Earth Analogs for Hypothesized Martian Coastal Features; 3) Complex Evolution of Paleolacustrine Systems on Mars: An Example from the Holden Crater; 4) Geomorphology and Hydraulics of Ma'adim Vallis, Mars, During a Noachian/Hesperian Boundary Paleoflood; 5) Geologic Evolution of Dao Vallis, Mars; 6) Advances in Reconstructing the Geologic History of the Chryse Region Outflow Channels on Mars; 7) Ravi Vallis, Mars - Paleoflood Origin and Genesis of Secondary Chaos Zones; 8) Walla Walla Vallis and Wallula Crater: Two Recently Discovered Martian Features Record Aqueous History; 9) Tharsis Recharge: a Source of Groundwater for Martian Outflow Channels; 10) Factors Controlling Water Volumes and Release Rates in Martian Outflow Channels; 11) Significance of Confined Cavernous Systems for Outflow Channel Water Sources, Reactivation Mechanisms and Chaos Formation; 12) Systematic Differences in Topography of Martian and Terrestrial Drainage Basins; 13) Waves on Seas of Mars and Titan: Wind-Tunnel Experiments on Wind-Wave Generation in Extraterrestrial Atmospheres.

Feeding the fire: tracing the mass-loading of 107 K galactic outflows with O VI absorption

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chisholm, J.; Bordoloi, R.; Rigby, J. R.; Bayliss, M.

2018-02-01

Galactic outflows regulate the amount of gas galaxies convert into stars. However, it is difficult to measure the mass outflows remove because they span a large range of temperatures and phases. Here, we study the rest-frame ultraviolet spectrum of a lensed galaxy at z ˜ 2.9 with prominent interstellar absorption lines from O I, tracing neutral gas, up to O VI, tracing transitional phase gas. The O VI profile mimics weak low-ionization profiles at low velocities, and strong saturated profiles at high velocities. These trends indicate that O VI gas is co-spatial with the low-ionization gas. Further, at velocities blueward of -200 km s-1 the column density of the low-ionization outflow rapidly drops while the O VI column density rises, suggesting that O VI is created as the low-ionization gas is destroyed. Photoionization models do not reproduce the observed O VI, but adequately match the low-ionization gas, indicating that the phases have different formation mechanisms. Photoionized outflows are more massive than O VI outflows for most of the observed velocities, although the O VI mass outflow rate exceeds the photoionized outflow at velocities above the galaxy's escape velocity. Therefore, most gas capable of escaping the galaxy is in a hot outflow phase. We suggest that the O VI absorption is a temporary by-product of conduction transferring mass from the photoionized phase to an unobserved hot wind, and discuss how this mass-loading impacts the observed circum-galactic medium.

ALMA Observations of the Water Fountain Pre-Planetary Nebula IRAS 16342-3814: High-Velocity Bipolar Jets and an Expanding Torus

PubMed Central

Sahai, R.; Vlemmings, W.H.T.; Gledhill, T.; Sánchez Contreras, C.; Lagadec, E.; Nyman, L-Å; Quintana-Lacaci, G.

2017-01-01

We have mapped 12CO J=3–2 and other molecular lines from the “water-fountain” bipolar pre-planetary nebula (PPN) IRAS 16342-3814 with ∼0⋅″35 resolution using ALMA. We find (i) two very high-speed knotty, jet-like molecular outflows, (ii) a central high-density (> few × 106 cm−3), expanding torus of diameter 1300 AU, and (iii) the circumstellar envelope of the progenitor AGB, generated by a sudden, very large increase in the mass-loss rate to > 3.5 × 10−4 M⊙ yr−1 in the past ~455 yr. Strong continuum emission at 0.89 mm from a central source (690 mJy), if due to thermally-emitting dust, implies a substantial mass (0.017 M⊙) of very large (~mm-sized) grains. The measured expansion ages of the above structural components imply that the torus (age~160 yr) and the younger high-velocity outflow (age~110 yr) were formed soon after the sharp increase in the AGB mass-loss rate. Assuming a binary model for the jets in IRAS 16342, the high momentum rate for the dominant jet-outflow in IRAS 16342 implies a high minimum accretion rate, ruling out standard Bondi-Hoyle-Lyttleton wind accretion and wind Roche lobe overflow (RLOF) models with white-dwarf or main-sequence companions. Most likely, enhanced RLOF from the primary or accretion modes operating within common envelope evolution are needed. PMID:28191303

ALMA Observations of the Water Fountain Pre-Planetary Nebula IRAS 16342-3814: High-Velocity Bipolar Jets and an Expanding Torus.

PubMed

Sahai, R; Vlemmings, W H T; Gledhill, T; Sánchez Contreras, C; Lagadec, E; Nyman, L-Å; Quintana-Lacaci, G

2017-01-20

We have mapped 12 CO J=3-2 and other molecular lines from the "water-fountain" bipolar pre-planetary nebula (PPN) IRAS 16342-3814 with [Formula: see text] resolution using ALMA. We find (i) two very high-speed knotty, jet-like molecular outflows, (ii) a central high-density (> few × 10 6 cm -3 ), expanding torus of diameter 1300 AU, and (iii) the circumstellar envelope of the progenitor AGB, generated by a sudden, very large increase in the mass-loss rate to > 3.5 × 10 -4 M ⊙ yr -1 in the past ~455 yr. Strong continuum emission at 0.89 mm from a central source (690 mJy), if due to thermally-emitting dust, implies a substantial mass (0.017 M ⊙ ) of very large (~mm-sized) grains. The measured expansion ages of the above structural components imply that the torus (age~160 yr) and the younger high-velocity outflow (age~110 yr) were formed soon after the sharp increase in the AGB mass-loss rate. Assuming a binary model for the jets in IRAS 16342, the high momentum rate for the dominant jet-outflow in IRAS 16342 implies a high minimum accretion rate, ruling out standard Bondi-Hoyle-Lyttleton wind accretion and wind Roche lobe overflow (RLOF) models with white-dwarf or main-sequence companions. Most likely, enhanced RLOF from the primary or accretion modes operating within common envelope evolution are needed.

ALMA Observations of the Water Fountain Pre-planetary Nebula IRAS 16342-3814: High-velocity Bipolar Jets and an Expanding Torus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sahai, R.; Vlemmings, W. H. T.; Gledhill, T.; Sánchez Contreras, C.; Lagadec, E.; Nyman, L.-Å; Quintana-Lacaci, G.

2017-01-01

We have mapped 12CO J = 3-2 and other molecular lines from the “water fountain” bipolar pre-planetary nebula (PPN) IRAS 16342-3814 with ˜0.″35 resolution using Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array. We find (I) two very high-speed knotty, jet-like molecular outflows; (II) a central high-density (> {few}× {10}6 cm-3), expanding torus of diameter 1300 au; and (III) the circumstellar envelope of the progenitor AGB, generated by a sudden, very large increase in the mass-loss rate to > 3.5× {10}-4 M⊙ yr-1 in the past ˜455 years. Strong continuum emission at 0.89 mm from a central source (690 mJy), if due to thermally emitting dust, implies a substantial mass (0.017 M⊙) of very large (˜millimeter-sized) grains. The measured expansion ages of the above structural components imply that the torus (age ˜160 years) and the younger high-velocity outflow (age ˜110 years) were formed soon after the sharp increase in the AGB mass-loss rate. Assuming a binary model for the jets in IRAS 16342, the high momentum rate for the dominant jet-outflow in IRAS 16342 implies a high minimum accretion rate, ruling out standard Bondi-Hoyle-Lyttleton wind accretion and wind Roche-lobe overflow (RLOF) models with white-dwarf or main-sequence companions. Most likely, enhanced RLOF from the primary or accretion modes operating within common-envelope evolution are needed.

AGN Obscuration Through Dusty Infrared Dominated Flows. 1; Radiation-Hydrodynamics Solution for the Wind

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dorodnitsyn, A.; Bisnovatyi-Kogan. G. S.; Kallman, T.

2011-01-01

We construct a radiation-hydrodynamics model for the obscuring toroidal structure in active galactic nuclei. In this model the obscuration is produced at parsec scale by a dense, dusty wind which is supported by infrared radiation pressure on dust grains. To find the distribution of radiation pressure, we numerically solve the 2D radiation transfer problem in a flux limited diffusion approximation. We iteratively couple the solution with calculations of stationary 1D models for the wind, and obtain the z-component of the velocity. Our results demonstrate that for AGN luminosities greater than 0.1 L(sub edd) external illumination can support a geometrically thick obscuration via outflows driven by infrared radiation pressure. The terminal velocity of marginally Compton-thin models (0.2 < tau(sub T) < 0.6), is comparable to or greater than the escape velocity. In Compton thick models the maximum value of the vertical component of the velocity is lower than the escape velocity, suggesting that a significant part of our torus is in the form of failed wind. The results demonstrate that obscuration via normal or failed infrared-driven winds is a viable option for the AGN torus problem and AGN unification models. Such winds can also provide an important channel for AGN feedback.

Artist Concept of the Interaction of the Solar Wind

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-07-17

Artist concept of the interaction of the solar wind the supersonic outflow of electrically charged particles from the Sun with Pluto predominantly nitrogen atmosphere based on NASA New Horizons SWAP instrument.

Superwind Outflows in Seyfert Galaxies? : Large-Scale Radio Maps of an Edge-On Sample

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colbert, E.; Gallimore, J.; Baum, S.; O'Dea, C.

1995-03-01

Large-scale galactic winds (superwinds) are commonly found flowing out of the nuclear region of ultraluminous infrared and powerful starburst galaxies. Stellar winds and supernovae from the nuclear starburst provide the energy to drive these superwinds. The outflowing gas escapes along the rotation axis, sweeping up and shock-heating clouds in the halo, which produces optical line emission, radio synchrotron emission, and X-rays. These features can most easily be studied in edge-on systems, so that the wind emission is not confused by that from the disk. We have begun a systematic search for superwind outflows in Seyfert galaxies. In an earlier optical emission-line survey, we found extended minor axis emission and/or double-peaked emission line profiles in >~30% of the sample objects. We present here large-scale (6cm VLA C-config) radio maps of 11 edge-on Seyfert galaxies, selected (without bias) from a distance-limited sample of 23 edge-on Seyferts. These data have been used to estimate the frequency of occurrence of superwinds. Preliminary results indicate that four (36%) of the 11 objects observed and six (26%) of the 23 objects in the distance-limited sample have extended radio emission oriented perpendicular to the galaxy disk. This emission may be produced by a galactic wind blowing out of the disk. Two (NGC 2992 and NGC 5506) of the nine objects for which we have both radio and optical data show good evidence for a galactic wind in both datasets. We suggest that galactic winds occur in >~30% of all Seyferts. A goal of this work is to find a diagnostic that can be used to distinguish between large-scale outflows that are driven by starbursts and those that are driven by an AGN. The presence of starburst-driven superwinds in Seyferts, if established, would have important implications for the connection between starburst galaxies and AGN.

Dissecting the Butterfly: Dual Outflows in the Dual AGN NGC 6240

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mueller Sanchez, Francisco; Comerford, Julie; Nevin, Rebecca; Davies, Richard; Treister, Ezequiel; Privon, George

2018-01-01

Current theories of galaxy evolution invoke some kind of feedback (from the stars or the supermassive black hole) to explain the properties of galaxies. However, numerical simulations and observations have not been able to evaluate the real impact of feedback in galaxies. This is largely because most studies have focused on studying stellar feedback or AGN feedback alone, instead of considering the combined effect of both. In fact, this is an unexplored territory for observations due to the difficulty of separating the contribution from the two sources.In this contribution I present the discovery of a dual outflow of different species of gas in the prototypical merging galaxy NGC 6240 using HST imaging, long-slit and integral-eld spectroscopy: an AGN-driven outflow of highly-ionized gas to the northeast and a starburst-driven outflow of ionized hydrogen to the northwest. The AGN outflow extends up to 4 kpc along a position angle of 56 degrees, has a conical shape with an opening angle of 52 degrees and a maximum line-of-sight velocity of 350 km/s. The WFC3 images also reveal a bubble of Halpha emission in the northwest, which has no counterpart in [O III], consistent with a scenario in which the starburst is ionizing and driving outflowing winds which inflate the bubble at an expansion velocity of 380 km/s. Assuming a spherical geometry for the starburst-driven bubble and a conical geometry for the AGN-driven outflow, we estimate mass outflow rates of 26 Msun/yr and 62 Msun/yr, respectively. We conclude that the AGN contribution to the evolution of the merger remnant and the formation of outflowing winds is signicant in the central 5 kpc of NGC 6240.

Formation of Hydrocarbons in the Outflows from Red Giants

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roberge, Wayne; Kress, Monika; Tielens, Alexander G.

1995-01-01

The formation of hydrocarbons in the oxygen-rich outflows from red giants was studied. The existence of organic molecules in such outflows has been known for several years; however, their surprisingly high abundances has been a mystery since all of the carbon had been thought to be irretrievably locked up in CO, the most strongly bound molecule. CO is the first molecule to form from the atoms present in the star's extended atmosphere, and as strong stellar winds drive a cooling outflow, dust grains condense out. In oxygen-rich outflows, the dust is thought to be composed mainly of silicates and other metal oxides. Perhaps the noble metals can condense out in metallic form, in particular the relatively abundant transition metals iron and nickel. We proposed that perhaps the carbon reservoir held as CO can be accessed through a catalytic process involving the chemisorption of CO and H2 onto grains rich in metallic iron. CO and H2 are the two most abundant molecules in circumstellar outflows, and they both are known to dissociate on transition metal surfaces at elevated temperatures, freeing carbon to form organic molecules such as methane. We believe methane is a precursor molecule to the organics observed in oxygen-rich red giants. We have developed a nonequilibrium numerical model of a surface chemical (catalytic) process. Based on this model, we believe that methane can be formed under the conditions present in circumstellar outflows. Although the methane formation rates are exceptionally low under these conditions, over dynamical timescales, a significant amount of CO can be converted to methane and driven further out in the envelope, explaining the presence of organics there.

Multiphase environment of compact galactic nuclei: the role of the nuclear star cluster

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Różańska, A.; Kunneriath, D.; Czerny, B.; Adhikari, T. P.; Karas, V.

2017-01-01

We study the conditions for the onset of thermal instability in the innermost regions of compact galactic nuclei, where the properties of the interstellar environment are governed by the interplay of quasi-spherical accretion on to a supermassive black hole (SMBH) and the heating/cooling processes of gas in a dense nuclear star cluster (NSC). Stellar winds are the source of material for radiatively inefficient (quasi-spherical, non-magnetized) inflow/outflow on to the central SMBH, where a stagnation point develops within the Bondi-type accretion. We study the local thermal equilibrium to determine the parameter space that allows cold and hot phases in mutual contact to co-exist. We include the effects of mechanical heating by stellar winds and radiative cooling/heating by the ambient field of the dense star cluster. We consider two examples: the NSC in the Milky Way central region (including the gaseous mini-spiral of Sgr A*), and the ultracompact dwarf galaxy M60-UCD1. We find that the two systems behave in different ways because they are placed in different areas of parameter space in the instability diagram: gas temperature versus dynamical ionization parameter. In the case of Sgr A*, stellar heating prevents the spontaneous formation of cold clouds. The plasma from stellar winds joins the hot X-ray emitting phase and forms an outflow. In M60-UCD1, our model predicts spontaneous formation of cold clouds in the inner part of the galaxy. These cold clouds may survive since the cooling time-scale is shorter than the inflow/outflow time-scale.

X-ray Evidence for Ultra-Fast Outflows in Local AGNs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tombesi, F.; Cappi, M.; Sambruna, R. M.; Reeves, J. N.; Reynolds, C. S.; Braito, V.; Dadina, M.

2012-08-01

X-ray evidence for ultra-fast outflows (UFOs) has been recently reported in a number of local AGNs through the detection of blue-shifted Fe XXV/XXVI absorption lines. We present the results of a comprehensive spectral analysis of a large sample of 42 local Seyferts and 5 Broad-Line Radio Galaxies (BLRGs) observed with XMM-Newton and Suzaku. We detect UFOs in ga 40% of the sources. Their outflow velocities are in the range ˜ 0.03-0.3c, with a mean value of ˜ 0.14c. The ionization is high, in the range logℰ ˜3-6rm erg s-1 cm, and also the associated column densities are large, in the interval ˜ 1022-1024rm cm-2. Overall, these results point to the presence of highly ionized and massive outflowing material in the innermost regions of AGNs. Their variability and location on sub-pc scales favor a direct association with accretion disk winds/outflows. This also suggests that UFOs may potentially play a significant role in the AGN cosmological feedback besides jets, and their study can provide important clues on the connection between accretion disks, winds, and jets.

Discovery of very high velocity outflow in V Hydra - Wind from an accretion disk in a binary?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sahai, R.; Wannier, P. G.

1988-01-01

High-resolution observations of lines from the CO v = 1-0 vibration-rotation band at 4.6 microns, taken with the FTS/KPNO 4-m telescope, are reported for the carbon-rich red giant V Hydra, which is surrounded by an extended expanding molecular envelope resulting from extensive mass loss. The spectrum shows, in addition to the expected absorption at the outflow velocity of the envelope, absorption extending up to 120 km/s bluewards of the stellar velocity. A comparison of the spectrum observed at two epochs shows that the high-velocity absorption features change with time. It is suggested that the observed high-velocity features in V Hydra arise in a high-velocity polar outflow from an accretion disk in a binary system, as proposed in the mass-loss model for bipolar envelopes by Morris (1988).

Fast Ionized X-Ray Absorbers in AGNs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fukumura, K.; Tombesi, F.; Kazanas, D.; Shrader, C.; Behar, E.; Contopoulos, I.

2016-01-01

We investigate the physics of the X-ray ionized absorbers often identified as warm absorbers (WAs) and ultra-fast outflows (UFOs) in Seyfert AGNs from spectroscopic studies in the context of magnetically-driven accretion-disk wind scenario. Launched and accelerated by the action of a global magnetic field anchored to an underlying accretion disk around a black hole, outflowing plasma is irradiated and ionized by an AGN radiation field characterized by its spectral energy density (SED). By numerically solving the Grad-Shafranov equation in the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) framework, the physical property of the magnetized disk-wind is determined by a wind parameter set, which is then incorporated into radiative transfer calculations with xstar photoionization code under heating-cooling equilibrium state to compute the absorber's properties such as column density N(sub H), line-of-sight (LoS) velocity v, ionization parameter xi, among others. Assuming that the wind density scales as n varies as r(exp. -1), we calculate theoretical absorption measure distribution (AMD) for various ions seen in AGNs as well as line spectra especially for the Fe K alpha absorption feature by focusing on a bright quasar PG 1211+143 as a case study and show the model's plausibility. In this note we demonstrate that the proposed MHD-driven disk-wind scenario is not only consistent with the observed X-ray data, but also help better constrain the underlying nature of the AGN environment in a close proximity to a central engine.

New Insights into AGN Mass Outflows: Detailed Study of the Spectral Properties of NGC 4151

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Denes Couto, Jullianna

2017-08-01

Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) exist in a few percent of all massive galaxies. It is believed that AGNs are powered by accretion of matter onto a supermassive black hole (SMBH), generating in the process huge amounts of radiation that span the entire electromagnetic spectrum. In turn, this also triggers the so-called AGN Feedback phenomenon, by inducing the formation of accretion disk winds (or outflows) that accelerate highly ionized gas outwards and affect the intergalactic medium of the host galaxy, reducing star formation rates and preventing bulge growth. It has been suggested that a dominant component of mass outflows is observable in the X-rays, and there are a limited number of detailed studies of single objects for which the relation between outflows and power of the central engine can be determined directly. The Seyfert 1.5 galaxy NGC 4151 is a great study candidate, given its proximity (14.077 Mpc, z = 0.0033), X-ray brightness and orientation. Over the past decades, it has been the target of many single and multiwavelength observations, and its heavily absorbed X-ray spectrum and complex absorption features have been extensively stud- ied and characterized. I have investigated the relationship between the long term X-ray spectral variability in and its intrinsic absorption, by comparing our 2014 simultaneous ultraviolet/X-Ray observations taken with Hubble Space Telescope Imaging Spectrometer (STIS) Echelle and Chandra High Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer (HETGS) with archival observations from Chandra, XMM-Newton and Suzaku. The observations were divided into "high" and "low" flux states, with the low states showing strong and unabsorbed extended emission at energies below 2 keV. The X-ray model consists of a broken powerlaw, neutral reflection and two dominant absorption components, a high and a low ionization component, which are present in all epochs. The model fittings suggest that the absorbers are very stable, with the principal changes in the intrinsic absorption resulting from a response to the variable strength of the ionizing continuum. However, the low states show evidence of larger column densities in one or both of the absorbers. Among plausible explanations for the column increase, I discuss the possibility of an expanding/contracting X-ray corona. The higher ionization component is consistent with being part of a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) wind, while the lower is possibly radiatively driven, which suggests that at a sufficiently large radial distance there could be a break point between MHD-dominated and radiatively driven outflows. The final model of the absorbed continuum was used as input to the analysis of the soft X-ray emission, which arises in an extended medium of several hundred parsecs. There is evidence of at least four components of gas, with different ionization states and different kinematic profiles. I calculated global covering factors, total masses, mass outflow rates and kinetic luminosity estimates for each component. The models results indicate that it is unlikely that the X-ray wind could contribute significantly to a large scale feedback on NGC 4151. However, this might not be the case for more powerful and energetic sources.

Thermal Disk Winds in X-Ray Binaries: Realistic Heating and Cooling Rates Give Rise to Slow, but Massive, Outflows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Higginbottom, N.; Proga, D.; Knigge, C.; Long, K. S.

2017-02-01

A number of X-ray binaries exhibit clear evidence for the presence of disk winds in the high/soft state. A promising driving mechanism for these outflows is mass loss driven by the thermal expansion of X-ray heated material in the outer disk atmosphere. Higginbottom & Proga recently demonstrated that the properties of thermally driven winds depend critically on the shape of the thermal equilibrium curve, since this determines the thermal stability of the irradiated material. For a given spectral energy distribution, the thermal equilibrium curve depends on an exact balance between the various heating and cooling mechanisms at work. Most previous work on thermally driven disk winds relied on an analytical approximation to these rates. Here, we use the photoionization code cloudy to generate realistic heating and cooling rates which we then use in a 2.5D hydrodynamic model computed in ZEUS to simulate thermal winds in a typical black hole X-ray binary. We find that these heating and cooling rates produce a significantly more complex thermal equilibrium curve, with dramatically different stability properties. The resulting flow, calculated in the optically thin limit, is qualitatively different from flows calculated using approximate analytical rates. Specifically, our thermal disk wind is much denser and slower, with a mass-loss rate that is a factor of two higher and characteristic velocities that are a factor of three lower. The low velocity of the flow—{v}\\max ≃ 200 km s-1—may be difficult to reconcile with observations. However, the high mass-loss rate—15 × the accretion rate—is promising, since it has the potential to destabilize the disk. Thermally driven disk winds may therefore provide a mechanism for state changes.

The steady state solutions of radiatively driven stellar winds for a non-Sobolev, pure absorption model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Poe, C. H.; Owocki, S. P.; Castor, J. I.

1990-01-01

The steady state solution topology for absorption line-driven flows is investigated for the condition that the Sobolev approximation is not used to compute the line force. The solution topology near the sonic point is of the nodal type with two positive slope solutions. The shallower of these slopes applies to reasonable lower boundary conditions and realistic ion thermal speed v(th) and to the Sobolev limit of zero of the usual Castor, Abbott, and Klein model. At finite v(th), this solution consists of a family of very similar solutions converging on the sonic point. It is concluded that a non-Sobolev, absorption line-driven flow with a realistic values of v(th) has no uniquely defined steady state. To the extent that a pure absorption model of the outflow of stellar winds is applicable, radiatively driven winds should be intrinsically variable.

Spatially resolved rest-UV spectroscopy of a prototypical quasar driven superwind at low-z

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, Sean

2017-08-01

Powerful galaxy-wide winds launched by quasars are thought to be a common evolutionary phase of massive galaxies, but observations of this phenomena are scarce. We have conducted a multi-wavelength observational campaign for J1356+1026, a poster-child obscured quasar driving a superwind at z=0.123. J1356+1026 is driving a nuclear molecular outflow and an extended ionized outflow observed as an [OIII] emitting bubble at 10 kpc that is spatially coincident with soft X-ray emission. Quasar-driven winds carry material at a wide range of densities and temperatures making it difficult to measure their energetics and the dominant phases are unknown. Here we propose spatially resolved rest-UV spectroscopy by acquiring circum-nuclear absorption spectra of J1356+1026 and emission spectra of its off-nucleus bubble using COS+G140L. The circum-nuclear spectrum will provide measurements of the outflow velocity through blueshifted absorption while the off-nuclear spectrum of the bubble will measure the ionization state and mechanisms of the outflow through powerful UV diagnostic lines. Together, these spectra will enable a more complete mass, energy and momentum accounting of a spatially resolved quasar driven superwind for the first time. Furthermore, detection of shocked gas through OVI emission will enable us to infer properties of the enigmatic volume-filling, low density component of the wind. To our knowledge, this will be the first spatially resolved rest UV spectroscopy of a quasar wind and the proposed observations will serve as a pilot to guide future HST proposals.

TIME-DOMAIN SPECTROSCOPY OF A T TAURI STAR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dupree, Andrea K.; Brickhouse, Nancy S.; Cranmer, Steven R.; Berlind, Perry L.; Strader, Jay; Smith, Graeme H.

2014-06-01

High resolution optical and near-infrared spectra of TW Hya, the nearest accreting T Tauri star, cover a decade and reveal the substantial changes in accretion and wind properties. Our spectra suggest that the broad near-IR, optical, and far-uv emission lines, centered on the star, originate in a turbulent post-shock region and can undergo scattering by the overlying stellar wind as well as absorption from infalling material. Stable absorption features appear in H-alpha, apparently caused by an accreting column silhouetted in the stellar wind. The free-fall velocity of material correlates inversely with the strength of the post-shock emission, consistent with a dipole accretion model. Terminal outflow velocities appear to be directly related to the amount of post-shock emission, giving evidence for an accretion-driven stellar wind.

Stationary hydrodynamic models of Wolf-Rayet stars with optically thick winds.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heger, A.; Langer, N.

1996-11-01

We investigate the influence of a grey, optically thick wind on the surface and internal structure of Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars. We calculate hydrodynamic models of chemically homogeneous helium stars with stationary outflows, solving the full set of stellar structure equations from the stellar center up to well beyond the sonic point of the wind, including the line force originating from absorption lines in a parameterized way. For specific assumptions about mass loss rate and wind opacity above our outer boundary, we find that the iron opacity peak may lead to local super-Eddington luminosities at the sonic point. By varying the stellar wind parameters over the whole physically plausible range, we show that the radius of the sonic point of the wind flow is always very close to the hydrostatic stellar radius obtained in WR star models which ignore the wind. However, our models confirm the possibility of large values for observable WR radii and correspondingly small effective temperatures found in earlier models. We show further that the energy which is contained in a typical WR wind can not be neglected. The stellar luminosity may be reduced by several 10%, which has a pronounced effect on the mass-luminosity relation, i. e., the WR masses derived for a given luminosity may be considerably larger. Thereby, also the momentum problem of WR winds is considerably reduced, as well as the scatter in the ˙(M) vs. M diagram for observed hydrogen-free WN stars.

Simplified models of stellar wind anatomy for interpreting high-resolution data. Analytical approach to embedded spiral geometries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Homan, Ward; Decin, Leen; de Koter, Alex; van Marle, Allard Jan; Lombaert, Robin; Vlemmings, Wouter

2015-07-01

Context. Recent high-resolution observations have shown that stellar winds harbour complexities that strongly deviate from spherical symmetry, which generally is assumed as standard wind model. One such morphology is the Archimedean spiral, which is generally believed to be formed by binary interactions, as has been directly observed in multiple sources. Aims: We seek to investigate the manifestation in the observables of spiral structures embedded in the spherical outflows of cool stars. We aim to provide an intuitive bedrock with which upcoming ALMA data can be compared and interpreted. Methods: By means of an extended parameter study, we modelled rotational CO emission from the stellar outflow of asymptotic giant branch stars. To this end, we developed a simplified analytical parametrised description of a 3D spiral structure. This model is embedded into a spherical wind and fed into the 3D radiative transfer code LIME, which produces 3D intensity maps throughout velocity space. Subsequently, we investigated the spectral signature of rotational transitions of CO in the models, as well as the spatial aspect of this emission by means of wide-slit position-velocity (PV) diagrams. Additionally, we quantified the potential for misinterpreting the 3D data in a 1D context. Finally, we simulated ALMA observations to explore the effect of interferometric noise and artefacts on the emission signatures. Results: The spectral signatures of the CO rotational transition v = 0J = 3 - 2 are very efficient at concealing the dual nature of the outflow. Only a select few parameter combinations allow for the spectral lines to disclose the presence of the spiral structure. If the spiral cannot be distinguished from the spherical signal, this might result in an incorrect interpretation in a 1D context. Consequently, erroneous mass-loss rates would be calculated. The magnitude of these errors is mainly confined to a factor of a few, but in extreme cases can exceed an order of magnitude. CO transitions of different rotationally excited levels show a characteristical evolution in their line shape that can be brought about by an embedded spiral structure. However, if spatial information on the source is also available, the use of wide-slit PV diagrams systematically expose the embedded spiral. The PV diagrams also readily provide most of the geometrical and physical properties of the spiral-harbouring wind. Simulations of ALMA observations prove that the choice of antenna configuration is strongly dependent on the geometrical properties of the spiral. We conclude that exploratory endeavours should observe the object of interest with a range of different maximum-baseline configurations. Appendix A is available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org

An Axisymmetric Hydrodynamical Model for the Torus Wind in AGN. 2; X-ray Excited Funnel Flow

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dorodnitsyn, A.; Kallman, T.; Proga, D.

2008-01-01

We have calculated a series of models of outflows from the obscuring torus in active galactic nuclei (AGN). Our modeling assumes that the inner face of a rotationally supported torus is illuminated and heated by the intense X-rays from the inner accretion disk and black hole. As a result of such heating a strong biconical outflow is observed in our simulations. We calculate 3-dimensional hydrodynamical models, assuming axial symmetry, and including the effects of X-ray heating, ionization, and radiation pressure. We discuss the behavior of a large family of these models, their velocity fields, mass fluxes and temperature, as functions of the torus properties and X-ray flux. Synthetic warm absorber spectra are calculated, assuming pure absorption, for sample models at various inclination angles and observing times. We show that these models have mass fluxes and flow speeds which are comparable to those which have been inferred from observations of Seyfert 1 warm absorbers, and that they can produce rich absorption line spectra.

Solar wind acceleration in the solar corona

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Giordano, S.; Antonucci, E.; Benna, C.; Kohl, J. L.; Noci, G.; Michels, J.; Fineschi, S.

1997-01-01

The intensity ratio of the O VI doublet in the extended area is analyzed. The O VI intensity data were obtained with the ultraviolet coronagraph spectrometer (UVCS) during the SOHO campaign 'whole sun month'. The long term observations above the north pole of the sun were used for the polar coronal data. Using these measurements, the solar wind outflow velocity in the extended corona was determined. The 100 km/s level is running along the streamer borders. The acceleration of the solar wind is found to be high in regions between streamers. In the central part of streamers, the outflow velocity of the coronal plasma remains below 100 km/s at least within 3.8 solar radii. The regions at the north and south poles, characterized by a more rapid acceleration of the solar wind, correspond to regions where the UVCS observes enhanced O VI line broadenings.

Density, Velocity and Ionization Structure in Accretion-Disc Winds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sonneborn, George (Technical Monitor); Long, Knox

2004-01-01

This was a project to exploit the unique capabilities of FUSE to monitor variations in the wind- formed spectral lines of the luminous, low-inclination, cataclysmic variables(CV) -- RW Sex. (The original proposal contained two additional objects but these were not approved.) These observations were intended to allow us to determine the relative roles of density and ionization state changes in the outflow and to search for spectroscopic signatures of stochastic small-scale structure and shocked gas. By monitoring the temporal behavior of blue-ward extended absorption lines with a wide range of ionization potentials and excitation energies, we proposed to track the changing physical conditions in the outflow. We planned to use a new Monte Carlo code to calculate the ionization structure of and radiative transfer through the CV wind. The analysis therefore was intended to establish the wind geometry, kinematics and ionization state, both in a time-averaged sense and as a function of time.

Global view of the upper level outflow patterns associated with tropical cyclone intensity changes during FGGE

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, L.; Gray, W. M.

1985-01-01

The characteristics of the upper tropospheric outflow patterns which occur with tropical cyclone intensification and weakening over all of the global tropical cyclone basins during the year long period of the First GARP Global Experiment (FGGE) are discussed. By intensification is meant the change in the tropical cyclone's maximum wind or central pressure, not the change of the cyclone's outer 1 to 3 deg radius mean wind which we classify as cyclone strength. All the 80 tropical cyclones which existed during the FGGE year are studied. Two-hundred mb wind fields are derived from the analysis of the European Center for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF) which makes extensive use of upper tropospheric satellite and aircraft winds. Corresponding satellite cloud pictures from the polar orbiting U.S. Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) and other supplementary polar and geostationary satellite data are also used.

Constraining MHD Disk-Winds with X-ray Absorbers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fukumura, Keigo; Tombesi, F.; Shrader, C. R.; Kazanas, D.; Contopoulos, J.; Behar, E.

2014-01-01

From the state-of-the-art spectroscopic observations of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) the robust features of absorption lines (e.g. most notably by H/He-like ions), called warm absorbers (WAs), have been often detected in soft X-rays (< 2 keV). While the identified WAs are often mildly blueshifted to yield line-of-sight velocities up to ~100-3,000 km/sec in typical X-ray-bright Seyfert 1 AGNs, a fraction of Seyfert galaxies such as PG 1211+143 exhibits even faster absorbers (v/ 0.1-0.2) called ultra-fast outflows (UFOs) whose physical condition is much more extreme compared with the WAs. Motivated by these recent X-ray data we show that the magnetically- driven accretion-disk wind model is a plausible scenario to explain the characteristic property of these X-ray absorbers. As a preliminary case study we demonstrate that the wind model parameters (e.g. viewing angle and wind density) can be constrained by data from PG 1211+143 at a statistically significant level with chi-squared spectral analysis. Our wind models can thus be implemented into the standard analysis package, XSPEC, as a table spectrum model for general analysis of X-ray absorbers.

Modeling the binary circumstellar medium of Type IIb/L/n supernova progenitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kolb, Christopher; Blondin, John; Borkowski, Kazik; Reynolds, Stephen

2018-01-01

Circumstellar interaction in close binary systems can produce a highly asymmetric environment, particularly for systems with a mass outflow velocity comparable to the binary orbital speed. This asymmetric circumstellar medium (CSM) becomes visible after a supernova explosion, when SN radiation illuminates the gas and when SN ejecta collide with the CSM. We aim to better understand the development of this asymmetric CSM, particularly for binary systems containing a red supergiant progenitor, and to study its impact on supernova morphology. To achieve this, we model the asymmetric wind and subsequent supernova explosion in full 3D hydrodynamics using the shock-capturing hydro code VH-1 on a spherical yin-yang grid. Wind interaction is computed in a frame co-rotating with the binary system, and gas is accelerated using a radiation pressure-driven wind model where optical depth of the radiative force is dependent on azimuthally-averaged gas density. We present characterization of our asymmetric wind density distribution model by fitting a polar-to-equatorial density contrast function to free parameters such as binary separation distance, primary mass loss rate, and binary mass ratio.

ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEUS OBSCURATION FROM WINDS: FROM DUSTY INFRARED-DRIVEN TO WARM AND X-RAY PHOTOIONIZED

PubMed Central

Dorodnitsyn, A.; Kallman, T.

2016-01-01

We present calculations of AGN winds at ~parsec scales, along with the associated obscuration. We take into account the pressure of infrared radiation on dust grains and the interaction of X-rays from a central black hole with hot and cold plasma. Infrared radiation (IR) is incorporated in radiation-hydrodynamic simulations adopting the flux-limited diffusion approximation. We find that in the range of X-ray luminosities L=0.05 – 0.6Ledd, the Compton-thick part of the flow (aka torus) has an opening angle of approximately 72° – 75° regardless of the luminosity. At L ≳ 0.1 the outflowing dusty wind provides the obscuration with IR pressure playing a major role. The global flow consists of two phases: the cold flow at inclinations θ ≳ 70° and a hot, ionized wind of lower density at lower inclinations. The dynamical pressure of the hot wind is important in shaping the denser IR supported flow. At luminosities ≤0.1Ledd episodes of outflow are followed by extended periods when the wind switches to slow accretion. PMID:27642184

Blowing in the Milky Way Wind: Neutral Hydrogen Clouds Tracing the Galactic Nuclear Outflow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Di Teodoro, Enrico M.; McClure-Griffiths, N. M.; Lockman, Felix J.; Denbo, Sara R.; Endsley, Ryan; Ford, H. Alyson; Harrington, Kevin

2018-03-01

We present the results of a new sensitive survey of neutral hydrogen above and below the Galactic Center with the Green Bank Telescope. The observations extend up to Galactic latitude | b| < 10^\\circ with an effective angular resolution of 9.‧5 and an average rms brightness temperature noise of 40 mK in a 1 {km} {{{s}}}-1 channel. The survey reveals the existence of a population of anomalous high-velocity clouds extending up to heights of about 1.5 kpc from the Galactic plane and showing no signature of Galactic rotation. These clouds have local standard of rest velocities | {V}LSR}| ≲ 360 {km} {{{s}}}-1, and assuming a Galactic Center origin, they have sizes of a few tens of parsec and neutral hydrogen masses spanning 10{--}{10}5 {M}ȯ . Accounting for selection effects, the cloud population is symmetric in longitude, latitude, and V LSR. We model the cloud kinematics in terms of an outflow expanding from the Galactic Center and find the population consistent with being material moving with radial velocity {V}{{w}}≃ 330 {km} {{{s}}}-1 distributed throughout a bicone with opening angle α > 140^\\circ . This simple model implies an outflow luminosity {L}{{w}}> 3× {10}40 erg s‑1 over the past 10 Myr, consistent with star formation feedback in the inner region of the Milky Way, with a cold gas mass-loss rate ≲ 0.1 {{M}ȯ {yr}}-1. These clouds may represent the cold gas component accelerated in the nuclear wind driven by our Galaxy, although some of the derived properties challenge current theoretical models of the entrainment process.

Ultrafast outflows in radio-loud active galactic nuclei

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tombesi, F.; Tazaki, F.; Mushotzky, R. F.; Ueda, Y.; Cappi, M.; Gofford, J.; Reeves, J. N.; Guainazzi, M.

2014-09-01

Recent X-ray observations show absorbing winds with velocities up to mildly relativistic values of the order of ˜0.1c in a limited sample of six broad-line radio galaxies. They are observed as blueshifted Fe XXV-XXVI K-shell absorption lines, similarly to the ultrafast outflows (UFOs) reported in Seyferts and quasars. In this work we extend the search for such Fe K absorption lines to a larger sample of 26 radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGN) observed with XMM-Newton and Suzaku. The sample is drawn from the Swift Burst Alert Telescope 58-month catalogue and blazars are excluded. X-ray bright Fanaroff-Riley Class II radio galaxies constitute the majority of the sources. Combining the results of this analysis with those in the literature we find that UFOs are detected in >27 per cent of the sources. However, correcting for the number of spectra with insufficient signal-to-noise ratio, we can estimate that the incidence of UFOs is this sample of radio-loud AGN is likely in the range f ≃ (50 ± 20) per cent. A photoionization modelling of the absorption lines with XSTAR allows us to estimate the distribution of their main parameters. The observed outflow velocities are broadly distributed between vout ≲ 1000 km s-1 and vout ≃ 0.4c, with mean and median values of vout ≃ 0.133c and vout ≃ 0.117c, respectively. The material is highly ionized, with an average ionization parameter of logξ ≃ 4.5 erg s-1 cm, and the column densities are larger than NH > 1022 cm-2. Overall, these characteristics are consistent with the presence of complex accretion disc winds in a significant fraction of radio-loud AGN and demonstrate that the presence of relativistic jets does not preclude the existence of winds, in accordance with several theoretical models.

Winds from cool stars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dupree, A. K.

1995-01-01

Spectral observations of cool stars enable study of the presence and character of winds and the mass loss process in objects with effective temperatures, gravities, and atmospheric compositions which differ from that of the Sun. A wealth of recent spectroscopic measurements from the Hubble Space Telescope, and the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer complement high resolution ground-based measures in the optical and infrared spectral regions. Such observations when combined with realistic semi-empirical atmospheric modeling allow us to estimate the physical conditions in the atmospheres and winds of many classes of cool stars. Line profiles support turbulent heating and mass motions. In low gravity stars, evidence is found for relatively fast (approximately 200 km s(exp -1)), warm winds with rapid acceleration occurring in the chromosphere. In some cases outflows commensurate with stellar escape velocities are present. Our current understanding of cool star winds will be reviewed including the implications of stellar observations for identification of atmospheric heating and acceleration processes.

A model for the spectroscopic variations of the peculiar symbiotic star MWC 560

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shore, Steven N.; Aufdenberg, Jason P.; Michalitsianos, A. G.

1994-01-01

In this note, we show that the ultraviolet and optical spectroscopic variability of this unique symbiotic star can be understood in terms of a time variable collimated stellar wind with a rapid acceleration near the source. Using the radial velocities observed during the ultraviolet bright phase, we find that a variation in the mass loss rate of a factor of ten can explain the ultraviolet spectral changes. The acceleration is far faster than normally observed in radiatively driven stellar winds and may be due to mechanical driving of the outflow from the disk.

Sublimating comets as the source of nucleation seeds for grain condensation in the gas outflow from AGB stars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whitmire, D. P.; Matese, John J.; Reynolds, R. T.

1989-01-01

A growing amount of observational and theoretical evidence suggests that most main sequence stars are surrounded by disks of cometary material. The dust production by comets in such disks is investigated when the central stars evolve up the red giant and asymptotic giant branch (AGB). Once released, the dust is ablated and accelerated by the gas outflow and the fragments become the seeds necessary for condensation of the gas. The origin of the requisite seeds has presented a well known problem for classical nucleation theory. This model is consistent with the dust production observed in M giants and supergiants (which have increasing luminosities) and the fact that earlier supergiants and most WR stars (whose luminosities are unchanging) do not have significant dust clouds even though they have significant stellar winds. Another consequence of the model is that the spatial distribution of the dust does not, in general, coincide with that of the gas outflow, in contrast to the conventional condensation model. A further prediction is that the condensation radius is greater that that predicted by conventional theory which is in agreement with IR interferometry measurements of alpha-Ori.

Large-eddy simulation of dust-uplift by a haboob density current

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Qian; Marsham, John H.; Tian, Wenshou; Parker, Douglas J.; Garcia-Carreras, Luis

2018-04-01

Cold pool outflows have been shown from both observations and convection-permitting models to be a dominant source of dust emissions ("haboobs") in the summertime Sahel and Sahara, and to cause dust uplift over deserts across the world. In this paper Met Office Large Eddy Model (LEM) simulations, which resolve the turbulence within the cold-pools much better than previous studies of haboobs with convection-permitting models, are used to investigate the winds that uplift dust in cold pools, and the resultant dust transport. In order to simulate the cold pool outflow, an idealized cooling is added in the model during the first 2 h of 5.7 h run time. Given the short duration of the runs, dust is treated as a passive tracer. Dust uplift largely occurs in the "head" of the density current, consistent with the few existing observations. In the modeled density current dust is largely restricted to the lowest, coldest and well mixed layers of the cold pool outflow (below around 400 m), except above the "head" of the cold pool where some dust reaches 2.5 km. This rapid transport to above 2 km will contribute to long atmospheric lifetimes of large dust particles from haboobs. Decreasing the model horizontal grid-spacing from 1.0 km to 100 m resolves more turbulence, locally increasing winds, increasing mixing and reducing the propagation speed of the density current. Total accumulated dust uplift is approximately twice as large in 1.0 km runs compared with 100 m runs, suggesting that for studying haboobs in convection-permitting runs the representation of turbulence and mixing is significant. Simulations with surface sensible heat fluxes representative of those from a desert region during daytime show that increasing surface fluxes slows the density current due to increased mixing, but increase dust uplift rates, due to increased downward transport of momentum to the surface.

Ultraviolet line diagnostics of accretion disk winds in cataclysmic variables

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vitello, Peter; Shlosman, Isaac

1993-01-01

The IUE data base is used to analyze the UV line shapes of the cataclysmic variables RW Sex, RW Tri, and V Sge. Observed lines are compared to synthetic line profiles computed using a model of rotating biconical winds from accretion disks. The wind model calculates the wind ionization structure self-consistently including photoionization from the disk and boundary layer and treats 3D line radiation transfer in the Sobolev approximation. It is found that winds from accretion disks provide a good fit for reasonable parameters to the observed UV lines which include the P Cygni profiles for low-inclination systems and pure emission at large inclination. Disk winds are preferable to spherical winds which originate on the white dwarf because they: (1) require a much lower ratio of mass-loss rate to accretion rate and are therefore more plausible energetically; (2) provide a natural source for a biconical distribution of mass outflow which produces strong scattering far above the disk leading to P Cygni profiles for low-inclination systems and pure line emission profiles at high inclination with the absence of eclipses in UV lines; and (3) produce rotation-broadened pure emission lines at high inclination.

UV line diagnostics of accretion disk winds in cataclysmic variables

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vitello, Peter; Shlosman, Isaac

1992-01-01

The IUE data base is used to analyze the UV line shapes of cataclysmic variables RW Sex, RW Tri, and V Sge. Observed lines are compared to synthetic line profiles computed using a model of rotating bi-conical winds from accretion disks. The wind model calculates the wind ionization structure self-consistently including photoionization from the disk and boundary layer and treats 3-D line radiation transfer in the Sobolev approximation. It is found that winds from accretion disks provide a good fit for reasonable parameters to the observed UV lines which include the P Cygni profiles for low inclination systems and pure emission at large inclination. Disk winds are preferable to spherical winds which originate on the white dwarf because they (1) require a much lower ratio of mass loss rate to accretion rate and are therefore more plausible energetically, (2) provide a natural source for a bi-conical distribution of mass outflow which produces strong scattering far above the disk leading to P Cygni profiles for low inclination systems, and pure line emission profiles at high inclination with the absence of eclipses in UV lines, and (3) produce rotation broadened pure emission lines at high inclination.

WPVS 007: Dramatic Broad Absorption Line Variability in a Narrow-line Seyfert 1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cooper, Erin M.; Leighly, K.; Hamann, F. W.; Grupe, D.; Dietrich, M.

2014-01-01

Blue-shifted broad absorption lines are the manifestation of gaseous outflows in astrophysical phenomena. In active galaxies, these outflowing winds may play a key role in the central engine physics by removing angular momentum and in influencing host galaxy evolution by imparting energy and chemically enriched gas to the surrounding medium. AGN wind variability affords us a valuable tool to study this still poorly understood phenomenon. The existence of a high velocity broad line outflow in WPVS007 is especially extraordinary, as Seyfert-luminosity active galaxies are unexpected to produce them. With its lower luminosity and compact size, the NLS1 galaxy WPVS007 (M_V=-19.7, z=0.02882) provides us the ability to study even colossal variability on merely human timescales. Since its 1996 FOS observation, displaying miniBALs but no true broad absorption lines, WPVS007 has experienced a short but rich history of UV BAL variability. By the 2003 FUSE observation, WPVS007 had developed a BAL with v_max ~ 6000km/s, indicating an optically thick, high velocity outflow. We present the 2010 and 2013 June and December HST COS spectra. Between 2003 and 2010, both the maximum and minimum outflow velocity had increased substantially. As of 2013 June, the continuum emission has since dimmed by a factor of ~2 and the BALs have appeared to weaken, with both decreased maximum and minimum velocities. Such dramatic shifts in BAL velocity are unprecedented, as BAL variability is typically confined to changes in optical depth. What is the nature of the variability in this BAL wind? The upcoming (as of the writing of this abstract) December observation should give us more insight into tackling that question, whether it be the transient response of a continuous flow to a fluctuating continuum or perhaps the continued decline of a discrete outflow event.

The rotating wind of the quasar PG 1700+518.

PubMed

Young, S; Axon, D J; Robinson, A; Hough, J H; Smith, J E

2007-11-01

It is now widely accepted that most galaxies undergo an active phase, during which a central super-massive black hole generates vast radiant luminosities through the gravitational accretion of gas. Winds launched from a rotating accretion disk surrounding the black hole are thought to play a critical role, allowing the disk to shed angular momentum that would otherwise inhibit accretion. Such winds are capable of depositing large amounts of mechanical energy in the host galaxy and its environs, profoundly affecting its formation and evolution, and perhaps regulating the formation of large-scale cosmological structures in the early Universe. Although there are good theoretical grounds for believing that outflows from active galactic nuclei originate as disk winds, observational verification has proven elusive. Here we show that structures observed in polarized light across the broad Halpha emission line in the quasar PG 1700+518 originate close to the accretion disk in an electron scattering wind. The wind has large rotational motions (approximately 4,000 km s(-1)), providing direct observational evidence that outflows from active galactic nuclei are launched from the disks. Moreover, the wind rises nearly vertically from the disk, favouring launch mechanisms that impart an initial acceleration perpendicular to the disk plane.

Dusty Winds in Active Galactic Nuclei: Reconciling Observations with Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hönig, Sebastian F.; Kishimoto, Makoto

2017-04-01

This Letter presents a revised radiative transfer model for the infrared (IR) emission of active galactic nuclei (AGNs). While current models assume that the IR is emitted from a dusty torus in the equatorial plane of the AGNs, spatially resolved observations indicate that the majority of the IR emission from ≲100 pc in many AGNs originates from the polar region, contradicting classical torus models. The new model CAT3D-WIND builds upon the suggestion that the dusty gas around the AGNs consists of an inflowing disk and an outflowing wind. Here, it is demonstrated that (1) such disk+wind models cover overall a similar parameter range of observed spectral features in the IR as classical clumpy torus models, e.g., the silicate feature strengths and mid-IR spectral slopes, (2) they reproduce the 3-5 μm bump observed in many type 1 AGNs unlike torus models, and (3) they are able to explain polar emission features seen in IR interferometry, even for type 1 AGNs at relatively low inclination, as demonstrated for NGC3783. These characteristics make it possible to reconcile radiative transfer models with observations and provide further evidence of a two-component parsec-scale dusty medium around AGNs: the disk gives rise to the 3-5 μm near-IR component, while the wind produces the mid-IR emission. The model SEDs will be made available for download.

NuSTAR View of the Black Hole Wind in the Galaxy Merger IRAS F11119+3257

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tombesi, F.; Veilleux, S.; Meléndez, M.; Lohfink, A.; Reeves, J. N.; Piconcelli, E.; Fiore, F.; Feruglio, C.

2017-12-01

Galactic winds driven by active galactic nuclei (AGNs) have been invoked to play a fundamental role in the co-evolution between supermassive black holes and their host galaxies. Finding observational evidence of such feedback mechanisms is of crucial importance and it requires a multi-wavelength approach in order to compare winds at different scales and phases. In Tombesi et al., we reported the detection of a powerful ultra-fast outflow (UFO) in the Suzaku X-ray spectrum of the ultra-luminous infrared galaxy IRAS F11119+3257. The comparison with a galaxy-scale OH molecular outflow observed with Herschel in the same source supported the energy-conserving scenario for AGN feedback. The main objective of this work is to perform an independent check of the Suzaku results using the higher sensitivity and wider X-ray continuum coverage of NuSTAR. We clearly detect a highly ionized Fe K UFO in the 100 ks NuSTAR spectrum with parameters N H = (3.2 ± 1.5) × 1024 cm-2, log ξ = {4.0}-0.3+1.2 erg s-1 cm, and {v}{out}={0.253}-0.118+0.061c. The launching radius is likely at a distance of r ≥ 16r s from the black hole. The mass outflow rate is in the range of {\\dot{M}}{out} ≃ 0.5-2 M ⊙ yr-1. The UFO momentum rate and power are {\\dot{P}}{out} ≃ 0.5-2 L AGN/c and {\\dot{E}}{out} ≃ 7%-27% L AGN, respectively. The UFO parameters are consistent between the 2013 Suzaku and the 2015 NuSTAR observations. Only the column density is found to be variable, possibly suggesting a clumpy wind. The comparison with the energetics of molecular outflows estimated in infrared and millimeter wavelengths support a connection between the nuclear and galaxy-scale winds in luminous AGNs.

Ancient Streamlined Islands of the Palos Outflow Channel

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-08-24

This image shows the northern terminus of an outflow channel located in the volcanic terrains of Amenthes Planum. The channel sources from the Palos impact crater to the south, where water flowed into the crater from Tinto Vallis and eventually formed a paleo lake. As rising lake levels breached through the crater's rim and inundated the plains to the north, the resulting high velocity, large discharge floods plucked out and eroded the volcanic plains scouring out the "Palos Outflow Channel" and the streamlined mesa-islands on its floor. These streamlined forms are the eroded remnants of plains material sculpted by catastrophic floods and are not sediment deposits emplaced by lower magnitude stream flows. Both the fluvial channel floor and the volcanic island surfaces are densely cratered by impacts suggesting that both the surfaces and the flood events are ancient. The morphology (shape) of the channel system and its islands have been preserved through the eons, but water has long been absent from this drainage system. Since then, winds have transported light-toned sediments across this terrain forming extensive dune fields within the channel system, on the floors of impact craters, and in other protected locations in the Palos Outflow Channel region. A closer look shows chevron, or fish-bone shaped, light-toned dunes located near the top of the image where numerous smaller channels have cut through the landscape. These dunes likely started out as Transverse Aeolian Ridges (TAR) that form perpendicular to the prevailing wind direction where the wind-blown sediment supply is scarce. This intriguing morphology likely reflects changes in the prevailing wind environment over time. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21023

Superwind Outflow in Seyfert Galaxies? : Optical Observations of an Edge-On Sample

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colbert, E.; Gallimore, J.; Baum, S.; O'Dea, C.; Lehnert, M.

1994-12-01

Large-scale galactic winds (superwinds) are commonly found flowing out of the nuclear region of ultraluminous infrared and powerful starburst galaxies. Stellar winds and supernovae from the nuclear starburst are thought to provide the energy to drive these superwinds. The outflowing gas escapes along the rotation axis, sweeping up and shock-heating clouds in the halo, which produces optical line emission, X-rays and radio synchrotron emission. These features can most easily be studied in edge-on systems, so that the wind emission is not confused by that from the disk. Diffuse radio emission has been found (Baum et al. 1993, ApJ, 419, 553) to extend out to kpc-scales in a number of edge-on Seyfert galaxies. We have therefore launched a systematic search for superwind outflows in Seyferts. We present here narrow-band optical images and optical spectra for a sample of edge-on Seyferts. These data have been used to estimate the frequency of occurence of superwinds. Approximately half of the sample objects show evidence for extended emission-line regions which are preferentially oriented perpendicular to the galaxy disk. It is possible that these emission-line regions may be energized by a superwind outflow from a circumnuclear starburst, although there may also be a contribution from the AGN itself. A goal of this work is to find a diagnostic that can be used to distinguish between large-scale outflows that are driven by starbursts and those that are driven by an AGN. The presence of starburst-driven superwinds in Seyferts, if established, would have important implications for the connection between starburst galaxies and AGN.

Another piece of the puzzle: The fast H I outflow in Mrk 231

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morganti, Raffaella; Veilleux, Sylvain; Oosterloo, Tom; Teng, Stacy H.; Rupke, David

2016-09-01

We present the detection, performed with the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope (WSRT) and the Karl Jansky Very Large Array (VLA), of a fast H I 21 cm outflow in the ultra-luminous infrared galaxy Mrk 231. The outflow is observed as shallow H I absorption blueshifted ~1300 km s-1 with respect to the systemic velocity and located against the inner kpc of the radio source. The outflowing gas has an estimated column density between 5 and 15 × 1018Tspin cm-2. We derive the Tspin to lie in the range 400-2000 K and the corresponding H I densities are nHI ~ 10-100 cm-3. Our results complement previous findings and confirm the multiphase nature of the outflow in Mrk 231. Although effects of the interaction between the radio plasma and the surrounding medium cannot be ruled out, the energetics and the lack of a clear kpc-scale jet suggest that the most likely origin of the H I outflow is a wide-angle nuclear wind, as earlier proposed to explain the neutral outflow traced by Na I and molecular gas in this source. Our results suggest that an H I component is present in fast outflows regardless of the acceleration mechanism (wind vs. jet driven) and that it must be connected with common properties of the pre-interaction gas involved. Considering the observed similarity of their column densities, the H I outflow likely represents the inner part of the broad wind identified on larger scales in atomic Na I. The mass outflow rate of the H I outflow (between 8 and 18 M⊙ yr-1) does not appear to be as large as that observed in molecular gas, partly owing to the smaller sizes of the outflowing region sampled by the H I absorption. These characteristics are commonly seen in other cases of outflows driven by the active galactic nucleus (AGN) suggesting that the H I may represent a short intermediate phase in the rapid cooling of the gas. The results further confirm H I as a good tracer for AGN-driven outflows not only in powerful radio sources. We also obtained deeper continuum images than previously available. They confirm the complex structure of the radio continuum originating both from the AGN and star formation. At the resolution obtained with the VLA (~1'') we do not see a kpc-scale jet. Instead, we detect a plateau of emission, likely due to star formation, surrounding the bright nuclear region. We also detect a poorly collimated bridge which may represent the channel feeding the southern lobe. The unprecedented depth of the low-resolution WSRT image reveals radio emission extending 50'' (43 kpc) to the south and 20'' (17 kpc) to the north. The continuum images and the average spectra (FITS files) are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/593/A30

Magneto-thermal Disk Winds from Protoplanetary Disks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bai, Xue-Ning; Ye, Jiani; Goodman, Jeremy; Yuan, Feng

2016-02-01

The global evolution and dispersal of protoplanetary disks (PPDs) are governed by disk angular-momentum transport and mass-loss processes. Recent numerical studies suggest that angular-momentum transport in the inner region of PPDs is largely driven by magnetized disk wind, yet the wind mass-loss rate remains unconstrained. On the other hand, disk mass loss has conventionally been attributed to photoevaporation, where external heating on the disk surface drives a thermal wind. We unify the two scenarios by developing a one-dimensional model of magnetized disk winds with a simple treatment of thermodynamics as a proxy for external heating. The wind properties largely depend on (1) the magnetic field strength at the wind base, characterized by the poloidal Alfvén speed vAp, (2) the sound speed cs near the wind base, and (3) how rapidly poloidal field lines diverge (achieve {R}-2 scaling). When {v}{Ap}\\gg {c}{{s}}, corotation is enforced near the wind base, resulting in centrifugal acceleration. Otherwise, the wind is accelerated mainly by the pressure of the toroidal magnetic field. In both cases, the dominant role played by magnetic forces likely yields wind outflow rates that exceed purely hydrodynamical mechanisms. For typical PPD accretion-rate and wind-launching conditions, we expect vAp to be comparable to cs at the wind base. The resulting wind is heavily loaded, with a total wind mass-loss rate likely reaching a considerable fraction of the wind-driven accretion rate. Implications for modeling global disk evolution and planet formation are also discussed.

GALACTIC WINDS DRIVEN BY ISOTROPIC AND ANISOTROPIC COSMIC-RAY DIFFUSION IN DISK GALAXIES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pakmor, R.; Pfrommer, C.; Simpson, C. M.

2016-06-20

The physics of cosmic rays (CRs) is a promising candidate for explaining the driving of galactic winds and outflows. Recent galaxy formation simulations have demonstrated the need for active CR transport either in the form of diffusion or streaming to successfully launch winds in galaxies. However, due to computational limitations, most previous simulations have modeled CR transport isotropically. Here, we discuss high-resolution simulations of isolated disk galaxies in a 10{sup 11} M {sub ⊙} halo with the moving-mesh code Arepo that include injection of CRs from supernovae, advective transport, CR cooling, and CR transport through isotropic or anisotropic diffusion. Wemore » show that either mode of diffusion leads to the formation of strong bipolar outflows. However, they develop significantly later in the simulation with anisotropic diffusion compared to the simulation with isotropic diffusion. Moreover, we find that isotropic diffusion allows most of the CRs to quickly diffuse out of the disk, while in the simulation with anisotropic diffusion, most CRs remain in the disk once the magnetic field becomes dominated by its azimuthal component, which occurs after ∼300 Myr. This has important consequences for the gas dynamics in the disk. In particular, we show that isotropic diffusion strongly suppresses the amplification of the magnetic field in the disk compared to anisotropic or no diffusion models. We therefore conclude that reliable simulations which include CR transport inevitably need to account for anisotropic diffusion.« less

Two-Dimensional Study of Mass Outflow from Central Gravitational Astrophysical Object. Analytical 2-D solutions for thermo-radiatively driven stellar winds.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kakouris, A.

The present PhD Thesis deals with the two-dimensional description of the plasma outflow from central astrophysical objects. The concept of stellar winds was originated by Eugene Parker 1958, and has become a very hot area of research the last decade. Mass outflow from all types of stars, as well as AGNs, quasars or planetary nebulae are observed in all astrophysical scales indicating at least two-dimensional (2-D) features (e.g. Hughes (editor), 1991, Beams and jets in astrophysics, Cambridge University Press). In a first stage, the flows are modeled empirically but their origin has to be in accordance with the fluid mechanics and the conservation laws. So, self-consistent 2-D models are needed (i.e. full solutions of the total set of equations which conserve mass, momentum and energy). The main mechanisms of ejecting plasma from an astrophysical object are the thermal (similar to solar wind), the radiative and the magnetic. Self consistent analytical 2-D steady hydrodynamic (HD) solutions for stellar winds have been presented by Tsinganos & Vlastou 1988, Tsinganos & Trussoni 1990, Tsinganos & Sauty 1992 and Lima & Priest 1993. Following their description we derive a new set of solutions in the present work. Our main assumptions are steady state (\\partial/\\partial t = 0), axisymmetry to the rotational axis (\\partial/\\partial \\phi = 0) and helicoidal geometry for the streamlines (meridional velocity {\\vec u}_{\\theta} = {\\vec 0} ). Besides, the fluid is assumed to be a nonmagnetized fully ionized hydrogen. The model could be named as non polytropic since we do not follow the polytropic assumption with a constant polytropic exponent but we evaluate the total external energy needed by the 1st law of Thermodynamics. Also, the solutions are \\theta-self similar since the dependence to the colatitude is given from the beginning. The generalized differential rotation of the fluid is taken into account considering a dependence of the rotational velocity of (V\\phi \\propto \\sin\\mu \\theta / R ) where \\mu is a parameter and R the radial distance. Using these assumptions we derive fully analytical (only a Simpson integration is needed) 2-D solutions of four types (with velocity maximum either along the equator or the polar axis of the central astrophysical object). One of them (named as solution in Range I) exhibits suitable features for stellar wind interpretation with velocity maximum along the equator because the outflow starts subsonic at the stellar surface and terminates supersonic at infinity. The other solutions are subsonic (breeze) or they could be examined only as inflows. The Range I solution is applied to real astrophysical objects. Moreover, the thermally driven 2 - D solutions are extended including the radiative force due to the absorption of the stellar light in the fluid. So, the 2-D solutions represent thermally and radiatively driven flows. The assumptions for the radiative force inclusion are that the radiative acceleration is radial and it is a function of radial distance solely (i.e. it is independent of the velocity). The first radiatively driven wind model was presented in 1975 by Castor, Abbott & Klein and was applied to O5f main sequence stars. In order to describe the radiative origin of the massive winds from early and late spectral type stars, the radiative force is separated into its continuum, thick lines and thin lines parts. The mechanism of the continuous absorption is the Thomson scattering of the photons by the free plasma electrons and it is always present. If the line contribution corresponds to the thick absorption spectral lines the model is named as 'thick line driven' otherwise the atmosphere is thought 'optically thin'. In this Thesis we consider an optically thin atmosphere and in this case the radiative force is written as a power law of distance (Chen & Marlborough 1994, Lamers 1986). Moreover, we examine the exponential dependence of the radiative acceleration upon the radial distance and exponential deviations from power laws. We apply to supergiant B stars and we obtain results in agreement with observations (Underhill & i oazan 1982). In the first chapter of the Thesis, the reader is introduced in the concept of the astrophysical flows. I show some observational data for outflows and the basic mechanisms of the outflows are reported. In chapter 2, the basic hydrodynamic equations are presented. In chapter 3, some 1-D or 2-D models (relevant to this Thesis) are reported. The new results appear in chapters 4, 5, 6 which posses the 3/4 of the Thesis. In chapter 4, the basic assumptions are presented and the full mathematical derivation and deduction of the solutions are given. The inclusion of the radiative force is also given. In chapter 5, the thermally driven solution is applied to astrophysical objects. We first apply to Sun and to young T Tauri stars and to late type supergiant stars. The 2-D nature of the solutions is presented. We note that the model fails to describe the outflow at the stellar surface because it needs relatively high initial velocities. In that area the magnetic field plays probably an important role. I deduce the role of the centrifugal force in the solutions comparing it with the thermal pressure force, the radiative force and gravity. The result is that the influence of the centrifugal force is negligible. Moreover, I apply the thermally and radiatively driven solution in Range I to B type supergiants. The problem of the high initial velocity at the stellar surface is waved when the radiative force is important. The results coincide with observations. In chapter 6, the haracteristics of the model are summarized and compared with previous models.

Far-ultraviolet Observations of Outflows from Infrared-luminous Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leitherer, Claus; Chandar, Rupali; Tremonti, Christy A.; Wofford, Aida; Schaerer, Daniel

2013-08-01

We obtained medium-resolution ultraviolet (UV) spectra between 1150 and 1450 Å of the four UV-bright, infrared-luminous starburst galaxies IRAS F08339+6517, NGC 3256, NGC 6090, and NGC 7552 using the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph on board the Hubble Space Telescope. The selected sightlines toward the starburst nuclei probe the properties of the recently formed massive stars and the physical conditions in the starburst-driven galactic superwinds. Despite being metal-rich and dusty, all four galaxies are strong Lyα emitters with equivalent widths ranging between 2 and 13 Å. The UV spectra show strong P Cygni-type high-ionization features indicative of stellar winds and blueshifted low-ionization lines formed in the interstellar and circumgalactic medium. We detect outflowing gas with bulk velocities of ~400 km s-1 and maximum velocities of almost 900 km s-1. These are among the highest values found in the local universe and comparable to outflow velocities found in luminous Lyman-break galaxies at intermediate and high redshift. The outflow velocities are unlikely to be high enough to cause escape of material from the galactic gravitational potential. However, the winds are significant for the evolution of the galaxies by transporting heavy elements from the starburst nuclei and enriching the galaxy halos. The derived mass outflow rates of ~100 M ⊙ yr-1 are comparable to or even higher than the star formation rates. The outflows can quench star formation and ultimately regulate the starburst as has been suggested for high-redshift galaxies.

Outflows, infall and evolution of a sample of embedded low-mass protostars. The William Herschel Line Legacy (WILL) survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mottram, J. C.; van Dishoeck, E. F.; Kristensen, L. E.; Karska, A.; San José-García, I.; Khanna, S.; Herczeg, G. J.; André, Ph.; Bontemps, S.; Cabrit, S.; Carney, M. T.; Drozdovskaya, M. N.; Dunham, M. M.; Evans, N. J.; Fedele, D.; Green, J. D.; Harsono, D.; Johnstone, D.; Jørgensen, J. K.; Könyves, V.; Nisini, B.; Persson, M. V.; Tafalla, M.; Visser, R.; Yıldız, U. A.

2017-04-01

Context. Herschel observations of water and highly excited CO (J > 9) have allowed the physical and chemical conditions in the more active parts of protostellar outflows to be quantified in detail for the first time. However, to date, the studied samples of Class 0/I protostars in nearby star-forming regions have been selected from bright, well-known sources and have not been large enough for statistically significant trends to be firmly established. Aims: We aim to explore the relationships between the outflow, envelope and physical properties of a flux-limited sample of embedded low-mass Class 0/I protostars. Methods: We present spectroscopic observations in H2O, CO and related species with Herschel HIFI and PACS, as well as ground-based follow-up with the JCMT and APEX in CO, HCO+ and isotopologues, of a sample of 49 nearby (d < 500 pc) candidate protostars selected from Spitzer and Herschel photometric surveys of the Gould Belt. This more than doubles the sample of sources observed by the WISH and DIGIT surveys. These data are used to study the outflow and envelope properties of these sources. We also compile their continuum spectral energy distributions (SEDs) from the near-IR to mm wavelengths in order to constrain their physical properties (e.g. Lbol, Tbol and Menv). Results: Water emission is dominated by shocks associated with the outflow, rather than the cooler, slower entrained outflowing gas probed by ground-based CO observations. These shocks become less energetic as sources evolve from Class 0 to Class I. Outflow force, measured from low-J CO, also decreases with source evolutionary stage, while the fraction of mass in the outflow relative to the total envelope (I.e. Mout/Menv) remains broadly constant between Class 0 and I. The median value of 1% is consistent with a core to star formation efficiency on the order of 50% and an outflow duty cycle on the order of 5%. Entrainment efficiency, as probed by FCO/Ṁacc, is also invariant with source properties and evolutionary stage. The median value implies a velocity at the wind launching radius of 6.3 km s-1, which in turn suggests an entrainment efficiency of between 30 and 60% if the wind is launched at 1 AU, or close to 100% if launched further out. L[O I] is strongly correlated with Lbol but not with Menv, in contrast to low-J CO, which is more closely correlated with the latter than the former. This suggests that [O I] traces the present-day accretion activity of the source while CO traces time-averaged accretion over the dynamical timescale of the outflow. H2O is more strongly correlated with Menv than Lbol, but the difference is smaller than low-J CO, consistent with water emission primarily tracing actively shocked material between the wind, traced by [O I], and the entrained molecular outflow, traced by low-J CO. L[O I] does not vary from Class 0 to Class I, unlike CO and H2O. This is likely due to the ratio of atomic to molecular gas in the wind increasing as the source evolves, balancing out the decrease in mass accretion rate. Infall signatures are detected in HCO+ and H2O in a few sources, but still remain surprisingly illusive in single-dish observations. Herschel is an ESA space observatory with science instruments provided by European-led Principal Investigator consortia and with important participation from NASA.

The Nature of the UV/X-ray Absorber In PG 2302+029

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sabra, Bassem M.; Hamann, Fred; Jannuzi, Buell T.; George, Ian M.; Shields, Joseph C.

2003-01-01

We present Chandra X-ray observations of the radio-quiet QSO PG 2302+029. This quasar has a rare system of ultra-high velocity (-56,000 km s(exp -1) UV absorption lines that form in an outflow from the active nucleus. The Chandra data indicate that soft X-ray absorption is also present. We perform a joint UV and X-ray analysis, using photoionization calculations, to determine the nature of the absorbing gas. The UV and X-ray datasets were not obtained simultaneously. Nonetheless, our analysis suggests that the X-ray absorption occurs at high velocities in the same general region as the UV absorber. There are not enough constraints to rule out multi-zone models. In fact, the distinct broad and narrow UV line profiles clearly indicate that multiple zones are present. Our preferred estimates of the ionization and total column density in the X-ray absorber (logU = 1.6, N(sub eta) = 10(exp 22.4) cm (exp -2) over predict the O VI lambda lambda1032,1038 absorption unless the X-ray absorber is also outflowing at approximately 56,000 km s(exp-l), but they over predict the Ne VIII lambda lambda 770,780 absorption at all velocities. If we assume that the X-ray absorbing gas is outflowing at the same velocity of the UV-absorbing wind and that the wind is radiatively accelerated, then the outflow must be launched at a radius of less than or equal to 10(exp 15) cm from the central continuum source. The smallness of this radius casts doubts on the assumption of radiative acceleration.

Signatures of hypermassive neutron star lifetimes on r-process nucleosynthesis in the disc ejecta from neutron star mergers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lippuner, Jonas; Fernández, Rodrigo; Roberts, Luke F.; Foucart, Francois; Kasen, Daniel; Metzger, Brian D.; Ott, Christian D.

2017-11-01

We investigate the nucleosynthesis of heavy elements in the winds ejected by accretion discs formed in neutron star mergers. We compute the element formation in disc outflows from hypermassive neutron star (HMNS) remnants of variable lifetime, including the effect of angular momentum transport in the disc evolution. We employ long-term axisymmetric hydrodynamic disc simulations to model the ejecta, and compute r-process nucleosynthesis with tracer particles using a nuclear reaction network containing ∼8000 species. We find that the previously known strong correlation between HMNS lifetime, ejected mass and average electron fraction in the outflow is directly related to the amount of neutrino irradiation on the disc, which dominates mass ejection at early times in the form of a neutrino-driven wind. Production of lanthanides and actinides saturates at short HMNS lifetimes (≲10 ms), with additional ejecta contributing to a blue optical kilonova component for longer-lived HMNSs. We find good agreement between the abundances from the disc outflow alone and the solar r-process distribution only for short HMNS lifetimes (≲10 ms). For longer lifetimes, the rare-earth and third r-process peaks are significantly underproduced compared to the solar pattern, requiring additional contributions from the dynamical ejecta. The nucleosynthesis signature from a spinning black hole (BH) can only overlap with that from an HMNS of moderate lifetime (≲60 ms). Finally, we show that angular momentum transport not only contributes with a late-time outflow component, but that it also enhances the neutrino-driven component by moving material to shallower regions of the gravitational potential, in addition to providing additional heating.

Polar Wind Measurements with TIDE/PSI and HYDRA on the Polar Spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Su, Y. J.; Horwitz, J. L.; Moore, Thomas E.; Giles, Barbara L.; Chandler, Michael O.; Craven, Paul D.; Chang, S.-W.; Scudder, J.

1998-01-01

The Thermal Ion Dynamics Experiment (TIDE) on the POLAR spacecraft has allowed sampling of the three-dimensional ion distributions with excellent energy, angular, and mass resolution. The companion Plasma Source Instrument, when operated, allows sufficient diminution of the electric potential to observe the polar wind at very high altitudes. In this presentation, we will describe the results of polar wind characteristics H+, He+, and 0+ as observed by TIDE at 5000 km and 8 RE altitudes. The relationship of the polar wind parameters with the solar zenith angle and with the day-night distance in the Solar Magnetic coordinate system will also be presented. We will compare these measurements with recent simulations of the photoelectron-driven polar wind using a couple fluid-semikinetic model. In addition, we will compare these polar wind observations with low-energy electrons sampled by the HYDRA experiment on POLAR to examine possible effects of the polar rain and photoelectrons and hopefully explain the large ion outflow velocity variations at POLAR apogee.

Time-dependent MHD simulations of the solar wind outflow using interplanetary scintillation observations

DOE PAGES

Kim, Tae K.; Pogorelov, Nikolai V.; Borovikov, Sergey N.; ...

2012-11-20

Numerical modeling of the heliosphere is a critical component of space weather forecasting. The accuracy of heliospheric models can be improved by using realistic boundary conditions and confirming the results with in situ spacecraft measurements. To accurately reproduce the solar wind (SW) plasma flow near Earth, we need realistic, time-dependent boundary conditions at a fixed distance from the Sun. We may prepare such boundary conditions using SW speed and density determined from interplanetary scintillation (IPS) observations, magnetic field derived from photospheric magnetograms, and temperature estimated from its correlation with SW speed. In conclusion, we present here the time-dependent MHD simulationmore » results obtained by using the 2011 IPS data from the Solar-Terrestrial Environment Laboratory as time-varying inner boundary conditions and compare the simulated data at Earth with OMNI data (spacecraft-interspersed, near-Earth solar wind data).« less

Ultrafast Outflows: Galaxy-scale Active Galactic Nucleus Feedback

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wagner, A. Y.; Umemura, M.; Bicknell, G. V.

2013-01-01

We show, using global three-dimensional grid-based hydrodynamical simulations, that ultrafast outflows (UFOs) from active galactic nuclei (AGNs) result in considerable feedback of energy and momentum into the interstellar medium (ISM) of the host galaxy. The AGN wind interacts strongly with the inhomogeneous, two-phase ISM consisting of dense clouds embedded in a tenuous, hot, hydrostatic medium. The outflow floods through the intercloud channels, sweeps up the hot ISM, and ablates and disperses the dense clouds. The momentum of the UFO is primarily transferred to the dense clouds via the ram pressure in the channel flow, and the wind-blown bubble evolves in the energy-driven regime. Any dependence on UFO opening angle disappears after the first interaction with obstructing clouds. On kpc scales, therefore, feedback by UFOs operates similarly to feedback by relativistic AGN jets. Negative feedback is significantly stronger if clouds are distributed spherically rather than in a disk. In the latter case, the turbulent backflow of the wind drives mass inflow toward the central black hole. Considering the common occurrence of UFOs in AGNs, they are likely to be important in the cosmological feedback cycles of galaxy formation.

ULTRAFAST OUTFLOWS: GALAXY-SCALE ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEUS FEEDBACK

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wagner, A. Y.; Umemura, M.; Bicknell, G. V., E-mail: ayw@ccs.tsukuba.ac.jp

We show, using global three-dimensional grid-based hydrodynamical simulations, that ultrafast outflows (UFOs) from active galactic nuclei (AGNs) result in considerable feedback of energy and momentum into the interstellar medium (ISM) of the host galaxy. The AGN wind interacts strongly with the inhomogeneous, two-phase ISM consisting of dense clouds embedded in a tenuous, hot, hydrostatic medium. The outflow floods through the intercloud channels, sweeps up the hot ISM, and ablates and disperses the dense clouds. The momentum of the UFO is primarily transferred to the dense clouds via the ram pressure in the channel flow, and the wind-blown bubble evolves inmore » the energy-driven regime. Any dependence on UFO opening angle disappears after the first interaction with obstructing clouds. On kpc scales, therefore, feedback by UFOs operates similarly to feedback by relativistic AGN jets. Negative feedback is significantly stronger if clouds are distributed spherically rather than in a disk. In the latter case, the turbulent backflow of the wind drives mass inflow toward the central black hole. Considering the common occurrence of UFOs in AGNs, they are likely to be important in the cosmological feedback cycles of galaxy formation.« less

Controlling Factors of the Fate of Ionospheric Outflow at Earth and Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liemohn, M. W.; Welling, D. T.; Ilie, R.; Ganushkina, N. Y.; Johnson, B. C.; Xu, S.; Dong, C.

2015-12-01

Both Earth and Mars experience ionospheric outflow, but the radically different magnetic field configurations at the two planets yield significantly different patterns of outflow and processes governing outflow. This study examines a set of numerical simulations for Earth and Mars to explore the factors controlling ionospheric outflow and the fate of the escaping ions (immediate precipitation, magnetospheric recirculation, or loss to deep space). Specifically, simulation results from the Space Weather Modeling Framework (SWMF), which is capable of handling both planetary space environments, are analyzed to assess the physical processes governing the fate of ionospheric ions. Velocity streamlines from the SWMF results are traced from the high-latitude inner boundary of the BATS-R-US MHD simulation domain and followed through geospace. Some of these streamlines return to the inner boundary of the simulation domain, others extend to the outer boundary of the domain, while most others eventually cross (or at least approach) the magnetospheric equatorial plane. At Earth, this plane is well defined, while at Mars there are multiple mini-magnetospheres in which ionospheric ions can become trapped. These streamlines are categorized according to their eventual destination. Multi-fluid MHD simulations are examined in this study, assessing the influence of species mass on trajectories through near-planet space. Steady-state numerical experiments with different levels of solar driving are examined to quantify the influence of each driver on outflow characteristics and the fate of outflowing ions. Real event intervals are considered to assess flows in a time-varying magnetospheric system. For Earth, as solar wind dynamic pressure increases, the dominant outflow region moves to lower latitudes and significantly more of the outflowing ions escape to deep space. As the interplanetary magnetic field increases in southward magnitude, the region of dominant outflow shifts to lower latitudes and more is injected into the inner magnetosphere. The ionospheric regions dominantly contributing to mass within the magnetosphere are assessed and compared for the different driving conditions. At Mars, the situation is much more complicated.

Neutrino-heated winds from rotating protomagnetars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vlasov, Andrey D.; Metzger, Brian D.; Thompson, Todd A.

2014-11-01

We calculate the steady-state properties of neutrino-driven winds from strongly magnetized, rotating protoneutron stars (PNSs; `protomagnetars') under the assumption that the outflow geometry is set by the force-free magnetic field of an aligned dipole. Our goal is to assess protomagnetars as sites of r-process nucleosynthesis and gamma-ray burst engines using a more realistic outflow geometry than assumed in previous works. One-dimensional solutions calculated along flux tubes corresponding to different polar field lines are stitched together to determine the global properties of the flow at a given neutrino luminosity and rotation period. Protomagnetars with rotation periods of P ˜ 2-5 ms are shown to produce outflows more favourable for the production of third-peak r-process nuclei due to their much shorter expansion times through the seed nucleus formation region, yet only moderately lower entropies, as compared to normal spherical PNS winds. Protomagnetars with moderately rapid birth periods P ˜ 3-5 ms may thus represent a promising galactic r-process site which is compatible with a variety of other observations, including the recent discovery of possible magnetar-powered supernovae in metal-poor galaxies. We also confirm previous results that the outflows from protomagnetars with P ˜ 1-2 ms can achieve maximum Lorentz factors Γmax ˜ 100-1000 in the range necessary to power gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). The implications of GRB jets with a heavy nuclei-dominated composition as sources of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays are also addressed.

The temperature structure, mass, and energy flow in the corona and inner solar wind

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Withbroe, George L.

1988-01-01

Remote-sensing and in situ data are used to constrain a radiative energy balance model in order to study the radial variations of coronal temperatures, densities, and outflow speeds in several types of coronal holes and in an unstructured quiet region of the corona. A one-fluid solar wind model is used which takes into account the effects of radiative and inward conductive losses in the low corona and the chromospheric-coronal transition region. The results show that the total nonradiative energy input in magnetically open coronal regions is 5 + or - 10 to the 5th ergs/sq cm, and that most of the energy heating the coronal plasma is dissipated within 2 solar radii of the solar surface.

Modeling Solar Zenith Angle Effects on the Polar Wind

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glocer, A; Kitamura, N.; Toth, G; Gombosi, T.

2012-01-01

We use the Polar Wind Outflow Model (PWOM) to study the geomagnetically quiet conditions in the polar cap during solar maximum. The PWOM solves the gyrotropic transport equations for O+, H+, and He+ along several magnetic field lines in the polar region in order to reconstruct the full 3D solution. We directly compare our simulation results to the data based empirical model of Kitamura et al. (2011) of electron density which is based on 63 months of Akebono satellite observations. The modeled ion and electron temperatures are also compared with a statistical compilation of quiet time data obtained by the EISCAT Svalbard Radar (ESR) and Intercosmos Satellites. The data and model agree reasonably well, albeit with some differences. This study shows that photoelectrons play an important role in explaining the differences between sunlit and dark results of electron density, ion composition, as well as ion and electron temperatures of the quiet time polar wind solution. Moreover, these results provide an initial validation of the PWOM s ability to model the quiet time "background" solution.

Modelling Wind Effects on Subtidal Salinity in Apalachicola Bay, Florida

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, W.; Jones, W. K.; Wu, T. S.

2002-07-01

Salinity is an important factor for oyster and estuarine productivity in Apalachicola Bay. Observations of salinity at oyster reefs have indicated a high correlation between subtidal salinity variations and the surface winds along the bay axis in an approximately east-west direction. In this paper, we applied a calibrated hydrodynamic model to examine the surface wind effects on the volume fluxes in the tidal inlets and the subtidal salinity variations in the bay. Model simulations show that, due to the large size of inlets located at the east and west ends of this long estuary, surface winds have significant effects on the volume fluxes in the estuary inlets for the water exchanges between the estuary and ocean. In general, eastward winds cause the inflow from the inlets at the western end and the outflow from inlets at the eastern end of the bay. Winds at 15 mph speed in the east-west direction can induce a 2000 m3 s-1 inflow of saline seawater into the bay from the inlets, a rate which is about 2·6 times that of the annual average freshwater inflow from the river. Due to the varied wind-induced volume fluxes in the inlets and the circulation in the bay, the time series of subtidal salinity at oyster reefs considerably increases during strong east-west wind conditions in comparison to salinity during windless conditions. In order to have a better understanding of the characteristics of the wind-induced subtidal circulation and salinity variations, the researchers also connected model simulations under constant east-west wind conditions. Results show that the volume fluxes are linearly proportional to the east-west wind stresses. Spatial distributions of daily average salinity and currents clearly show the significant effects of winds on the bay.

AGN Obscuration from Winds: From Dusty Infrared-Driven to Warm and X-Ray Photoionized

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dorodnitsyn, A.; Kallman, T.

2012-01-01

We present calculations of AGN winds at approximate parsec scales, along with the associated obscuration. We take into account the pressure of infrared radiation on dust grains and the interaction of X-rays from a central black hole with hot and cold plasma. Infrared radiation (IR) is incorporated in radiation-hydrodynamic simulations adopting the flux-limited diffusion approximation. We find that in the range of X-ray luminosities L=0.05 - 0.6L(sub Edd) the Compton-thick part of the flow (aka torus) has an opening angle of approximately 72? -75? regardless of the luminosity. At L 0.1 the outflowing dusty wind provides the obscuration with IR pressure playing a major role. The global flow consists of two phases: the cold flow at inclinations (theta) greater than or approximately 70? and a hot, ionized wind of lower density at lower inclinations. The dynamical pressure of the hot wind is important in shaping the denser IR supported flow. At luminosities less than or equal to 0.1L(sub Edd) episodes of outflow are followed by extended periods when the wind switches to slow accretion.

The Joint Airport Weather Studies Project - Current analysis highlights in the aviation safety context

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mccarthy, J.

1984-01-01

The principal objective of the Joint Airport Weather Studies Project was to obtain high-resolution velocity, turbulence, and thermodynamic data on a convective outflow called a microburst, an intense downdraft and resulting horizontal outflow near the surface. Data collection occurred during the summer of 1982 near Denver, CO. Data sensors included three pulsed-microwave Doppler and two pulsed CO2 lidar radars, along with 27 Portable Automated Mesonet surface weather stations, the FAA's low-level-wind-shear alert system (LLWSAS), and five instrumented research aircraft. Convective storms occurred on 75 of 91 operational days, with Doppler data being collected on at least 70 microbursts. Analyses reported included a thorough examination of microburst-climatology statistics, the capability of the LLWSAS to detect adequately and accurately the presence of low-altitude wind shear danger to aircraft, the capability of a terminal Doppler radar system development to provide improved wind-shear detection and warning, and progress toward improved wind-shear training for pilots.

The appearance of highly relativistic, spherically symmetric stellar winds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abramowicz, Marek A.; Novikov, Igor D.; Paczynski, Bohdan

1991-01-01

A nonluminous, steady state, spherically symmetric, relativistic wind, with the opacity dominated by electron scattering appears against a bright background as a dark circle with the radius rd. A luminous wind would appear as a bright spot with a radius rl = rd/2 pi gamma exp 3, where gamma is the Lorentz factor of the wind. The bright wind photosphere is convex for v equal to or less than 2c/3, and appears concave for higher outflow velocities.

MHD Simulation for Investigating the Dynamic State Transition Responsible for a Solar Eruption in Active Region 12158

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Hwanhee; Magara, Tetsuya

2018-06-01

We present a magnetohydrodynamic model of solar eruption based on the dynamic state transition from the quasi-static state to the eruptive state of an active region (AR) magnetic field. For the quasi-static state before an eruption, we consider the existence of a slow solar wind originating from an AR, which may continuously make the AR magnetic field deviate from mechanical equilibrium. In this model, we perform a three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulation of AR 12158 producing a coronal mass ejection, where the initial magnetic structure of the simulation is given by a nonlinear force-free field derived from an observed photospheric vector magnetic field. We then apply a pressure-driven outflow to the upper part of the magnetic structure to achieve a quasi-static pre-eruptive state. The simulation shows that the eruptive process observed in this AR may be caused by the dynamic state transition of an AR magnetic field, which is essentially different from the destabilization of a static magnetic field. The dynamic state transition is determined from the shape evolution of the magnetic field line according to the κH-mechanism. This work demonstrates how the mechanism works to produce a solar eruption in the dynamic solar corona governed by the gravitational field and the continuous outflows of solar wind.

Modeling investigation of the nutrient and phytoplankton variability in the Chesapeake Bay outflow plume

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Long; Xia, Meng

2018-03-01

The Chesapeake Bay outflow plume (CBOP) is the mixing zone between Chesapeake Bay and less eutrophic continental shelf waters. Variations in phytoplankton distribution in the CBOP are critical to the fish nursery habitat quality and ecosystem health; thus, an existing hydrodynamic-biogeochemical model for the bay and the adjacent coastal ocean was applied to understand the nutrient and phytoplankton variability in the plume and the dominant environmental drivers. The simulated nutrient and chlorophyll a distribution agreed well with field data and real-time satellite imagery. Based on the model calculation, the net dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and phosphorus (DIP) flux at the bay mouth was seaward and landward during 2003-2012, respectively. The CBOP was mostly nitrogen-limited because of the relatively low estuarine DIN export. The highest simulated phytoplankton biomass generally occurred in spring in the near field of the plume. Streamflow variations could regulate the estuarine residence time, and thus modulate nutrient export and phytoplankton biomass in the plume area; in comparison, changing nutrient loading with fixed streamflow had a less extensive impact, especially in the offshore and far-field regions. Correlation analyses and numerical experiments revealed that southerly winds on the shelf were effective in promoting the offshore plume expansion and phytoplankton accumulation. Climate change including precipitation and wind pattern shifts is likely to complicate the driving mechanisms of phytoplankton variability in the plume region.

Massive star winds interacting with magnetic fields on various scales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

David-Uraz, A.; Petit, V.; Erba, C.; Fullerton, A.; Walborn, N.; MacInnis, R.

2018-01-01

One of the defining processes which govern massive star evolution is their continuous mass loss via dense, supersonic line-driven winds. In the case of those OB stars which also host a surface magnetic field, the interaction between that field and the ionized outflow leads to complex circumstellar structures known as magnetospheres. In this contribution, we review recent developments in the field of massive star magnetospheres, including current efforts to characterize the largest magnetosphere surrounding an O star: that of NGC 1624-2. We also discuss the potential of the "analytic dynamical magnetosphere" (ADM) model to interpret multi-wavelength observations. Finally, we examine the possible effects of — heretofore undetected — small-scale magnetic fields on massive star winds and compare their hypothetical consequences to existing, unexplained observations.

Imaging the Top of the Solar Corona and the Young Solar Wind

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeForest, C. E.; Matthaeus, W. H.; Viall, N. M.; Cranmer, S. R.

2016-12-01

We present the first direct visual evidence of the quasi-stationary breakup of solar coronal structure and the rise of turbulence in the young solar wind, directly in the future flight path of Solar Probe. Although the corona and, more recently, the solar wind have both been observed directly with Thomson scattered light, the transition from the corona to the solar wind has remained a mystery. The corona itself is highly structured by the magnetic field and the outflowing solar wind, giving rise to radial "striae" - which comprise the familiar streamers, pseudostreamers, and rays. These striae are not visible in wide-field heliospheric images, nor are they clearly delineated with in-situ measurements of the solar wind. Using careful photometric analysis of the images from STEREO/HI-1, we have, for the first time, directly observed the breakup of radial coronal structure and the rise of nearly-isotropic turbulent structure in the outflowing slow solar wind plasma between 10° (40 Rs) and 20° (80 Rs) from the Sun. These observations are important not only for their direct science value, but for predicting and understanding the conditions expected near SPP as it flies through - and beyond - this final frontier of the heliosphere, the outer limits of the solar corona.

The analysis sensitivity to tropical winds from the Global Weather Experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Paegle, J.; Paegle, J. N.; Baker, W. E.

1986-01-01

The global scale divergent and rotational flow components of the Global Weather Experiment (GWE) are diagnosed from three different analyses of the data. The rotational flow shows closer agreement between the analyses than does the divergent flow. Although the major outflow and inflow centers are similarly placed in all analyses, the global kinetic energy of the divergent wind varies by about a factor of 2 between different analyses while the global kinetic energy of the rotational wind varies by only about 10 percent between the analyses. A series of real data assimilation experiments has been performed with the GLA general circulation model using different amounts of tropical wind data during the First Special Observing Period of the Global Weather Experiment. In exeriment 1, all available tropical wind data were used; in the second experiment, tropical wind data were suppressed; while, in the third and fourth experiments, only tropical wind data with westerly and easterly components, respectively, were assimilated. The rotational wind appears to be more sensitive to the presence or absence of tropical wind data than the divergent wind. It appears that the model, given only extratropical observations, generates excessively strong upper tropospheric westerlies. These biases are sufficiently pronounced to amplify the globally integrated rotational flow kinetic energy by about 10 percent and the global divergent flow kinetic energy by about a factor of 2. Including only easterly wind data in the tropics is more effective in controlling the model error than including only westerly wind data. This conclusion is especially noteworthy because approximately twice as many upper tropospheric westerly winds were available in these cases as easterly winds.

Winds from accretion disks - Ultraviolet line formation in cataclysmic variables

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shlosman, Isaac; Vitello, Peter

1993-01-01

Winds from accretion disks in cataclysmic variable stars are ubiquitous. Observations by IUE reveal P Cygni-shaped profiles of high-ionization lines which are attributed to these winds. We have studied the formation of UV emission lines in cataclysmic variables by constructing kinematical models of biconical rotating outflows from disks around white dwarfs. The photoionization in the wind is calculated taking into account the radiation fields of the disk, the boundary layer, and the white dwarf. The 3D radiative transfer is solved in the Sobolev approximation. Effects on the line shapes of varying basic physical parameters of the wind are shown explicitly. We identify and map the resonant scattering regions in the wind which have strongly biconical character regardless of the assumed velocity and radiation fields. Rotation at the base of the wind introduces a radial shear which decreases the line optical depth and reduces the line core intensity. We find that it is possible to reproduce the observed P Cygni line shapes and make some predictions to be verified in high-resolution observations.

Near-infrared polarimetric adaptive optics observations of NGC 1068: a torus created by a hydromagnetic outflow wind

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lopez-Rodriguez, E.; Packham, C.; Jones, T. J.; Nikutta, R.; McMaster, L.; Mason, R. E.; Elvis, M.; Shenoy, D.; Alonso-Herrero, A.; Ramírez, E.; González Martín, O.; Hönig, S. F.; Levenson, N. A.; Ramos Almeida, C.; Perlman, E.

2015-09-01

We present J' and K' imaging linear polarimetric adaptive optics observations of NGC 1068 using MMT-Pol on the 6.5-m MMT. These observations allow us to study the torus from a magnetohydrodynamical (MHD) framework. In a 0.5 arcsec (30 pc) aperture at K', we find that polarization arising from the passage of radiation from the inner edge of the torus through magnetically aligned dust grains in the clumps is the dominant polarization mechanism, with an intrinsic polarization of 7.0 ± 2.2 per cent. This result yields a torus magnetic field strength in the range of 4-82 mG through paramagnetic alignment, and 139^{+11}_{-20} mG through the Chandrasekhar-Fermi method. The measured position angle (P.A.) of polarization at K' is found to be similar to the P.A. of the obscuring dusty component at few parsec scales using infrared interferometric techniques. We show that the constant component of the magnetic field is responsible for the alignment of the dust grains, and aligned with the torus axis on to the plane of the sky. Adopting this magnetic field configuration and the physical conditions of the clumps in the MHD outflow wind model, we estimate a mass outflow rate ≤0.17 M⊙ yr-1 at 0.4 pc from the central engine for those clumps showing near-infrared dichroism. The models used were able to create the torus in a time-scale of ≥105 yr with a rotational velocity of ≤1228 km s-1 at 0.4 pc. We conclude that the evolution, morphology and kinematics of the torus in NGC 1068 can be explained within a MHD framework.

McNeil's Last Gasp: A Brief Post-Outburst Wind from V1647 Ori

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brittain, Sean D.; Simon, T.; Rettig, T. W.; Balsara, D.; Tilley, D.; Gibb, E.; Hinkle, K.; Troutman, M.

2007-05-01

We present new observations of the fundamental ro-vibrational CO spectra from V1647 Ori, the star whose recent outburst illuminated McNeil's Nebula. The spectra were acquired shortly after the luminosity of the source returned to its pre-outburst level (February 2006) and roughly one year later (December 2006 & February 2007). The CO lines evolved from centrally peaked emission lines during the outburst to P Cygni lines immediately following the outburst and back again to centrally peaked emission lines. We use a standard disk-magnetosphere interaction model to interpret the observations. The model predicts a decreasing truncation radius of the disk with increasing accretion rate. When the truncation radius of the disk moves radially inward or outward in response to changes in the accretion rate, the magnetic field must reorganize, leading to an enhanced reconnection rate. Such activity is expected to launch outflows, which have been observed at the onset and completion of the outburst of the system. We show that these trends are consistent with the fact that V1647 Ori produced a fast and hotter Hα outflow at the onset of the outburst whereas a slower, cooler CO outflow manifested itself as the system approached quiescence. This remarkable phenomenon provides further insight to how the disk and a stressed magnetosphere can generate disk driven winds. S.D.B. performed this work in part with support from the Michelson Fellowship Program. The data presented herein were obtained [in part] at the W.M. Keck Observatory and Gemini South Telescope. The Phoenix spectra were obtained as part of program GS-2006A-DD-1 and GS-2006B-DD-1.

Dusty Winds in Active Galactic Nuclei: Reconciling Observations with Models

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hönig, Sebastian F.; Kishimoto, Makoto, E-mail: S.Hoenig@soton.ac.uk

2017-04-01

This Letter presents a revised radiative transfer model for the infrared (IR) emission of active galactic nuclei (AGNs). While current models assume that the IR is emitted from a dusty torus in the equatorial plane of the AGNs, spatially resolved observations indicate that the majority of the IR emission from ≲100 pc in many AGNs originates from the polar region, contradicting classical torus models. The new model CAT3D-WIND builds upon the suggestion that the dusty gas around the AGNs consists of an inflowing disk and an outflowing wind. Here, it is demonstrated that (1) such disk+wind models cover overall amore » similar parameter range of observed spectral features in the IR as classical clumpy torus models, e.g., the silicate feature strengths and mid-IR spectral slopes, (2) they reproduce the 3–5 μ m bump observed in many type 1 AGNs unlike torus models, and (3) they are able to explain polar emission features seen in IR interferometry, even for type 1 AGNs at relatively low inclination, as demonstrated for NGC3783. These characteristics make it possible to reconcile radiative transfer models with observations and provide further evidence of a two-component parsec-scale dusty medium around AGNs: the disk gives rise to the 3–5 μ m near-IR component, while the wind produces the mid-IR emission. The model SEDs will be made available for download.« less

Seasonal-to-Interannual Variability in Antarctic Sea-Ice Dynamics, and Its Impact on Surface Fluxes and Water Mass Production

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Drinkwater, Mark R.

1999-01-01

Strong seasonal and interannual signals in Antarctic bottom-water outflow remain unexplained yet are highly correlated with anomalies in net sea-ice growth in coastal polynyas. The mechanisms responsible for driving salination and replenishment and rejuvenation of the dense shelf "source" waters likely also generate pulses of bottom water outflow. The objective of this research is to investigate time-scales of variability in the dynamics of sea-ice in the Southern Ocean in order to determine the primary sites for production of dense shelf waters. We are using a merged satellite/buoy sea-ice motion data set for the period 1978-present day to compute the dynamics of opening and closing of coastal polynyas over the continental shelf. The Ocean Circulation and Climate Advanced Model (OCCAM) ocean general circulation model with coupled sea-ice dynamics is presently forced using National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) data to simulate fluxes and the salination impact of the ocean shelf regions. This work is relevant in the context of measuring the influence of polar sea-ice dynamics upon polar ocean characteristics, and thereby upon global thermohaline ocean circulation. Interannual variability in simulated net freezing rate in the Southern Weddell Sea is shown for the period 1986-1993. There is a pronounced maximum of ice production in 1988 and minimum in 1991 in response to anomalies in equatorward meridional wind velocity. This follows a similar approximate 8-year interannual cycle in Sea Surface Temperature (SST) and satellite-derived ice-edge anomalies reported elsewhere as the "Antarctic Circumpolar Wave." The amplitude of interannual fluctuations in annual net ice production are about 40% of the mean value, implying significant interannual variance in brine rejection and upper ocean heat loss. Southward anomalies in wind stress induce negative anomalies in open water production, which are observed in passive microwave satellite images. Thus, cycles of enhanced poleward wind stress reduce ice growth by compacting the ice along the coastline and closing open water in leads and polynyas. Model simulations confirm that years of low ice production, such as 1991, coincide with years of lower than normal bottom water outflow. Future plans include the assimilation of satellite ice concentrations and ice drift dynamics to more accurately constrain boundary conditions in the model.

Low-Frequency Oscillations and Transport Processes Induced by Multiscale Transverse Structures in the Polar Wind Outflow: A Three-Dimensional Simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ganguli, Supriya B.; Gavrishchaka, Valeriy V.

1999-01-01

Multiscale transverse structures in the magnetic-field-aligned flows have been frequently observed in the auroral region by FAST and Freja satellites. A number of multiscale processes, such as broadband low-frequency oscillations and various cross-field transport effects are well correlated with these structures. To study these effects, we have used our three-dimensional multifluid model with multiscale transverse inhomogeneities in the initial velocity profile. Self-consistent-frequency mode driven by local transverse gradients in the generation of the low field-aligned ion flow and associated transport processes were simulated. Effects of particle interaction with the self-consistent time-dependent three-dimensional wave potential have been modeled using a distribution of test particles. For typical polar wind conditions it has been found that even large-scale (approximately 50 - 100 km) transverse inhomogeneities in the flow can generate low-frequency oscillations that lead to significant flow modifications, cross-field particle diffusion, and other transport effects. It has also been shown that even small-amplitude (approximately 10 - 20%) short-scale (approximately 10 km) modulations of the original large-scale flow profile significantly increases low-frequency mode generation and associated cross-field transport, not only at the local spatial scales imposed by the modulations but also on global scales. Note that this wave-induced cross-field transport is not included in any of the global numerical models of the ionosphere, ionosphere-thermosphere, or ionosphere-polar wind. The simulation results indicate that the wave-induced cross-field transport not only affects the ion outflow rates but also leads to a significant broadening of particle phase-space distribution and transverse particle diffusion.

Numerical Simulation of Hot Accretion Flows. III. Revisiting Wind Properties Using the Trajectory Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Feng; Gan, Zhaoming; Narayan, Ramesh; Sadowski, Aleksander; Bu, Defu; Bai, Xue-Ning

2015-05-01

Previous MHD simulations have shown that wind must exist in black hole hot accretion flows. In this paper, we continue our study by investigating the detailed properties of wind and the mechanism of wind production. For this aim, we make use of a 3D general relativistic MHD simulation of hot accretion flows around a Schwarzschild black hole. To distinguish real wind from turbulent outflows, we track the trajectories of the virtual Lagrangian particles from simulation data. We find two types of real outflows, i.e., a jet and a wind. The mass flux of wind is very significant, and its radial profile can be described by {{\\dot{M}}wind}≈ {{\\dot{M}}BH}≤ft( r/20 {{r}s} \\right), with {{\\dot{M}}BH} being the mass accretion rate at the black hole horizon and rs being the Schwarzschild radius. The poloidal wind speed almost remains constant once they are produced, but the flux-weighted wind speed roughly follows {{v}p,wind}(r)≈ 0.25{{v}k}(r), with vk(r) being the Keplerian speed at radius r. The mass flux of the jet is much lower, but the speed is much higher, {{v}p,jet} ˜ (0.3-0.4)c. Consequently, both the energy and momentum fluxes of the wind are much larger than those of the jet. The wind is produced and accelerated primarily by the combination of centrifugal force and magnetic pressure gradient, while the jet is mainly accelerated by the magnetic pressure gradient. Finally, we find that the wind production efficiency {{ɛ }wind}\\equiv {{\\dot{E}}wind}/{{\\dot{M}}BH}{{c}2}˜ 1/1000 is in good agreement with the value required from large-scale galaxy simulations with active galactic nucleus feedback.

Unifying X-ray winds in radio galaxies with Chandra HETG

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tombesi, Francesco

2013-09-01

X-ray winds are routinely observed in the spectra of Seyfert galaxies. They can be classified as warm absorbers (WAs), with v~100-1,000km/s, and ultra-fast outflows (UFOs), with v>10,000km/s. In stark contrast, the lack of sensitive enough observations allowed the detection of WAs or UFOs only in very few radio galaxies. Therefore, we propose to observe a small sample of three radio galaxies with the Chandra HETG - 3C111 for 150ks, 3C390.3 for 150ks and 3C120 for 200ks - to detect and study in detail their WAs. We will quantify the importance of mechanical feedback from winds in radio galaxies and compare them to the radio jet power. We will also test whether WAs and UFOs can be unified in a single, multi-phase and multi-scale outflow, as recently reported for Seyferts.

Propagation and Dissipation of MHD Waves in Coronal Holes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dwivedi, B. N.

2006-11-01

bholadwivedi@gmail.com In view of the landmark result on the solar wind outflow, starting between 5 Mm and 20 Mm above the photosphere in magnetic funnels, we investigate the propagation and dissipation of MHD waves in coronal holes. We underline the importance of Alfvén wave dissipation in the magnetic funnels through the viscous and resistive plasma. Our results show that Alfvén waves are one of the primary energy sources in the innermost part of coronal holes where the solar wind outflow starts. We also consider compressive viscosity and thermal conductivity to study the propagation and dissipation of long period slow longitudinal MHD waves in polar coronal holes. We discuss their likely role in the line profile narrowing, and in the energy budget for coronal holes and the solar wind. We compare the contribution of longitudinal MHD waves with high frequency Alfvén waves.

Efficiency of Magnetic to Kinetic Energy Conversion in a Monopole Magnetosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tchekhovskoy, Alexander; McKinney, Jonathan C.; Narayan, Ramesh

2009-07-01

Unconfined relativistic outflows from rotating, magnetized compact objects are often well modeled by assuming that the field geometry is approximately a split-monopole at large radii. Earlier work has indicated that such an unconfined flow has an inefficient conversion of magnetic energy to kinetic energy. This has led to the conclusion that ideal magnetohydrodynamical (MHD) processes fail to explain observations of, e.g., the Crab pulsar wind at large radii where energy conversion appears efficient. In addition, as a model for astrophysical jets, the monopole field geometry has been abandoned in favor of externally confined jets since the latter appeared to be generically more efficient jet accelerators. We perform time-dependent axisymmetric relativistic MHD simulations in order to find steady-state solutions for a wind from a compact object endowed with a monopole field geometry. Our simulations follow the outflow for 10 orders of magnitude in distance from the compact object, which is large enough to study both the initial "acceleration zone" of the magnetized wind as well as the asymptotic "coasting zone." We obtain the surprising result that acceleration is actually efficient in the polar region, which develops a jet despite not being confined by an external medium. Our models contain jets that have sufficient energy to account for moderately energetic long and short gamma-ray burst (GRB) events (~1051-1052 erg), collimate into narrow opening angles (opening half-angle θ j ≈ 0.03 rad), become matter-dominated at large radii (electromagnetic energy flux per unit matter energy flux σ < 1), and move at ultrarelativistic Lorentz factors (γ j ~ 200 for our fiducial model). The simulated jets have γ j θ j ~ 5-15, so they are in principle capable of generating "achromatic jet breaks" in GRB afterglow light curves. By defining a "causality surface" beyond which the jet cannot communicate with a generalized "magnetic nozzle" near the axis of rotation, we obtain approximate analytical solutions for the Lorentz factor that fit the numerical solutions well. This allows us to extend our results to monopole wind models with arbitrary magnetization. Overall, our results demonstrate that the production of ultrarelativistic jets is a more robust process than previously thought.

Powerful, Rotating Disk Winds from Stellar-mass Black Holes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, J. M.; Fabian, A. C.; Kaastra, J.; Kallman, T.; King, A. L.; Proga, D.; Raymond, J.; Reynolds, C. S.

2015-12-01

We present an analysis of ionized X-ray disk winds found in the Fe K band of four stellar-mass black holes observed with Chandra, including 4U 1630-47, GRO J1655-40, H 1743-322, and GRS 1915+105. High-resolution photoionization grids were generated in order to model the data. Third-order gratings spectra were used to resolve complex absorption profiles into atomic effects and multiple velocity components. The Fe xxv line is found to be shaped by contributions from the intercombination line (in absorption), and the Fe xxvi line is detected as a spin-orbit doublet. The data require 2-3 absorption zones, depending on the source. The fastest components have velocities approaching or exceeding 0.01c, increasing mass outflow rates and wind kinetic power by orders of magnitude over prior single-zone models. The first-order spectra require re-emission from the wind, broadened by a degree that is loosely consistent with Keplerian orbital velocities at the photoionization radius. This suggests that disk winds are rotating with the orbital velocity of the underlying disk, and provides a new means of estimating launching radii—crucial to understanding wind driving mechanisms. Some aspects of the wind velocities and radii correspond well to the broad-line region in active galactic nuclei (AGNs), suggesting a physical connection. We discuss these results in terms of prevalent models for disk wind production and disk accretion itself, and implications for massive black holes in AGNs.

Broad absorption line symbiotic stars: highly ionized species in the fast outflow from MWC 560

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lucy, Adrian B.; Knigge, Christian; Sokoloski, J. L.

2018-07-01

In symbiotic binaries, jets and disc winds may be integral to the physics of accretion on to white dwarfs from cool giants. The persistent outflow from symbiotic star MWC 560 (≡V694 Mon) is known to manifest as broad absorption lines (BALs), most prominently at the Balmer transitions. We report the detection of high-ionization BALs from C IV, Si IV, N V, and He II in International Ultraviolet Explorer spectra obtained on 1990 April 29-30, when an optical outburst temporarily erased the obscuring `iron curtain' of absorption troughs from Fe II and similar ions. The C IV and Si IV BALs reached maximum radial velocities at least 1000 km s-1 higher than contemporaneous Mg II and He II BALs; the same behaviours occur in the winds of quasars and cataclysmic variables. An iron curtain lifts to unveil high-ionization BALs during the P Cygni phase observed in some novae, suggesting by analogy a temporary switch in MWC 560 from persistent outflow to discrete mass ejection. At least three more symbiotic stars exhibit broad absorption with blue edges faster than 1500 km s-1; high-ionization BALs have been reported in AS 304 (≡V4018 Sgr), while transient Balmer BALs have been reported in Z And and CH Cyg. These BAL-producing fast outflows can have wider opening angles than has been previously supposed. BAL symbiotics are short-time-scale laboratories for their giga-scale analogues, broad absorption line quasars (BALQSOs), which display a similarly wide range of ionization states in their winds.

Solar Jets as Sources of Outflows, Heating and Waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nishizuka, N.

2013-05-01

Recent space solar observations of the Sun, such as Hinode and SDO, have revealed that magnetic reconnection is ubiquitous in the solar atmosphere, ranging from small scale reconnection (observed as nanoflares) to large scale one (observed as long duration flares or giant arcades). Especially recent Hinode observations has found various types of tiny chromospheric jets, such as chromospheric anemone jets, penumbral microjets and light bridge jets from sunspot umbra. It was also found that the corona is full of tiny X-ray jets. Often they are seen as helical spinning jets with Alfvenic waves in the corona. Sometimes they are seen as chromospheric jets with slow-mode magnetoacoustic waves and sometimes as unresolved jet-like events at the footpoint of recurrent outflows and waves at the edge of the active region. There is increasing evidence of magnetic reconnection in these tiny jets and its association with waves. The origin of outflows and waves is one of the issues concerning coronal heating and solar wind acceleration. To answer this question, we had a challenge to reproduce solar jets with laboratory plasma experiment and directly measured outflows and waves. As a result, we could find a propagating wave excited by magnetic reconnection, whose energy flux is 10% of the released magnetic energy. That is enough for solar wind acceleration and locally enough for coronal heating, consistent with numerical MHD simulations of solar jets. Here we would discuss recent observations with Hinode, theories and experimental results related to jets and waves by magnetic reconnection, and discuss possible implication to reconnection physics, coronal heating and solar wind acceleration.

Broad absorption line symbiotic stars: highly ionized species in the fast outflow from MWC 560

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lucy, Adrian B.; Knigge, Christian; Sokoloski, J. L.

2018-04-01

In symbiotic binaries, jets and disk winds may be integral to the physics of accretion onto white dwarfs from cool giants. The persistent outflow from symbiotic star MWC 560 (≡V694 Mon) is known to manifest as broad absorption lines (BALs), most prominently at the Balmer transitions. We report the detection of high-ionization BALs from C IV, Si IV, N V, and He II in International Ultraviolet Explorer spectra obtained on 1990 April 29 - 30, when an optical outburst temporarily erased the obscuring `iron curtain' of absorption troughs from Fe II and similar ions. The C IV and Si IV BALs reached maximum radial velocities at least 1000 km s-1 higher than contemporaneous Mg II and He II BALs; the same behaviors occur in the winds of quasars and cataclysmic variables. An iron curtain lifts to unveil high-ionization BALs during the P Cygni phase observed in some novae, suggesting by analogy a temporary switch in MWC 560 from persistent outflow to discrete mass ejection. At least three more symbiotic stars exhibit broad absorption with blue edges faster than 1500 km s-1; high-ionization BALs have been reported in AS 304 (≡V4018 Sgr), while transient Balmer BALs have been reported in Z And and CH Cyg. These BAL-producing fast outflows can have wider opening angles than has been previously supposed. BAL symbiotics are short-timescale laboratories for their giga-scale analogs, broad absorption line quasars (BALQSOs), which display a similarly wide range of ionization states in their winds.

Spectroscopic diagnostics of extended corona and solar wind with UVCS/Spartan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Strachan, L.; Gardner, L. D.; Kohl, J. L.

1995-01-01

The primary goal of the Ultraviolet Coronal Spectrometer on Spartan 201 (UVCS/Spartan) is to make spectroscopic diagnostic measurements that can be used to derive plasma parameters in the extended solar corona where it is believed that significant heating of the corona and acceleration of the solar wind take place. Direct and indirect measurements of particle velocity distribution, thermal and non-thermal temperatures, and bulk outflow velocities are crucial to aid in the identification of physical processes that may be responsible for coronal heating and solar wind acceleration. UVCS/Spartan has made two flights in April 1993 and September 1994, the latter coinciding with the South Polar Passage of the Ulysses spacecraft. Observations were made of the large-scale structures and sub-structures of coronal holes and streamers at heliocentric heights between 1.5 solar radii and 3.5 solar radii. Measurements were made of H I Lyman-alpha intensities and profiles, and line intensities of minor ions like O(5+) and Fe(11+). We will present results from the flights and discuss how these measurements are used to constrain values for the proton thermal and non-thermal kinetic temperatures, proton bulk outflow velocities, and minor ion temperatures and bulk outflow velocities. Plans for the upcoming flight in July 1995 will also be discussed.

Numerical Simulations of Turbulent Molecular Clouds Regulated by Radiation Feedback Forces. II. Radiation-Gas Interactions and Outflows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raskutti, Sudhir; Ostriker, Eve C.; Skinner, M. Aaron

2017-12-01

Momentum deposition by radiation pressure from young, massive stars may help to destroy molecular clouds and unbind stellar clusters by driving large-scale outflows. We extend our previous numerical radiation hydrodynamic study of turbulent star-forming clouds to analyze the detailed interaction between non-ionizing UV radiation and the cloud material. Our simulations trace the evolution of gas and star particles through self-gravitating collapse, star formation, and cloud destruction via radiation-driven outflows. These models are idealized in that we include only radiation feedback and adopt an isothermal equation of state. Turbulence creates a structure of dense filaments and large holes through which radiation escapes, such that only ˜50% of the radiation is (cumulatively) absorbed by the end of star formation. The surface density distribution of gas by mass as seen by the central cluster is roughly lognormal with {σ }{ln{{Σ }}}=1.3{--}1.7, similar to the externally projected surface density distribution. This allows low surface density regions to be driven outwards to nearly 10 times their initial escape speed {v}{esc}. Although the velocity distribution of outflows is broadened by the lognormal surface density distribution, the overall efficiency of momentum injection to the gas cloud is reduced because much of the radiation escapes. The mean outflow velocity is approximately twice the escape speed from the initial cloud radius. Our results are also informative for understanding galactic-scale wind driving by radiation, in particular, the relationship between velocity and surface density for individual outflow structures and the resulting velocity and mass distributions arising from turbulent sources.

Bipolar outflows and Jets From Young Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bally, J.

2000-05-01

Stars produce powerful jets and winds during their birth. These primary outflows power shock waves (Herbig-Haro objects) and entrain surrounding gas to produce molecular outflows. Many outflows reach parsec-scale dimensions whose dynamical ages can become comparable to the accretion age of the source star. Thus, these giant outflows provide fossil records of the mass loss histories of their parent stars. Jet symmetries provide tantalizing clues about the violent history of stellar accretion and dynamical interactions with nearby companions. These flows inject sufficient energy and momentum into the surrounding medium to alter the physical and chemical state of the gas, generate turbulence, disrupt the parent cloud, and self-regulate the rate of star formation. Recent observations have revealed a new class of externally irradiated jets which are rendered visible by the light of nearby massive stars. Some of these jets appear to be millions of years old, indicating that outflow activity can persist for much longer than previously thought. Stellar jets provide ideal laboratories for the investigation of accretion powered outflows and associated shocks since their time-dependent behavior can be observed with a rich variety of spectral line diagnostics.

Intrinsic, Narrow N V Absorption Reveals a Clumpy Outflow in z < 0.4 Radio-Loud Quasars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeMarcy, Bryan; Serra, Viktoriah; Culliton, Chris; Ganguly, Rajib; Runnoe, Jessie; Charlton, Jane; Eracleous, Michael; Misawa, Toru; Narayanan, Anand

2018-01-01

Quasar outflows are often invoked in models for galaxy evolution to inject energy and momentum into the gas in the host galaxy and influence its star formation history. Thus, the study of quasar outflows is essential for understanding galaxy evolution. N V absorption systems within the associated region (|Δv| ≤ 5000 km s-1) of the quasar are thought to be intrinsic since many show evidence for partial covering of the quasar. A recent archival study of quasar spectra taken with COS/G130M or G160M found 39/181 radio-quiet quasars show intrinsic N V absorption, while none of the 31 radio-loud quasars have N V absorption detected (Culliton et al. 2017). Further investigation of these radio-loud quasars showed a clear bias towards compact morphologies as revealed by FIRST 1.4 GHz imaging and comparatively flat radio spectra. This suggests we are viewing more face-on orientations which prevent us from seeing absorption outflows. The cause for such bias within the HST archive is still unknown; however, it could explain the lack of radio-loud intrinsic N V absorption seen by Culliton et al. (2017). Alternatively, the quasar wind structure may be fundamentally different between radio-loud and radio-quiet objects. We used COS/G130M or G160M to obtain rest-frame UV spectra (1195 Å - 1250 Å) of 14 low-redshift SDSS radio-loud quasars which show lobe-dominated FIRST morphologies to distinguish between these possibilities. Intrinsic N V absorption was detected in 6 of our 14 quasars. This suggests the lack of detections in the archival study was a result of an orientation effect/sampling bias rather than to differences in wind structure between radio-loud and radio-quiet quasars. Interestingly, we find significant overlap in radio core fractions between quasars with and without N V detection. Quasars in our sample with N V detection span a range of core fractions from < 0.01 up to 0.89 while those without detected N V range from 0.04 up to 0.93. A laminar outflow with a small opening angle would be difficult to explain given this overlap in radio core fractions. Our observations suggest a clumpy, sporadic outflow is the more likely explanation.

Active Galactic Nucleus Obscuration from Winds: From Dusty Infrared-Driven to Warm and X-Ray Photoionized

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dorodnitsyn, Anton V.; Kallman, Timothy R.

2012-01-01

We present calculations of active galactic nucleus winds at approx.parsec scales along with the associated obscuration. We take into account the pressure of infrared radiation on dust grains and the interaction of X-rays from a central black hole with hot and cold plasma. Infrared radiation (IR) is incorporated in radiation-hydrodynamic simulations adopting the flux-limited diffusion approximation. We find that in the range of X-ray luminosities L = 0.05-0.6 L(sub Edd), the Compton-thick part of the flow (aka torus) has an opening angle of approximately 72deg - 75deg regardless of the luminosity. At L > or approx. 0.1, the outflowing dusty wind provides the obscuration with IR pressure playing a major role. The global flow consists of two phases: the cold flow at inclinations (theta) > or approx.70deg and a hot, ionized wind of lower density at lower inclinations. The dynamical pressure of the hot wind is important in shaping the denser IR-supported flow. At luminosities < or = 0.1 L(sub Edd) episodes of outflow are followed by extended periods when the wind switches to slow accretion. Key words: acceleration of particles . galaxies: active . hydrodynamics . methods: numerical Online-only material: color figures

Direct evidence for kinetic effects associated with solar wind reconnection

PubMed Central

Xu, Xiaojun; Wang, Yi; Wei, Fengsi; Feng, Xueshang; Deng, Xiaohua; Ma, Yonghui; Zhou, Meng; Pang, Ye; Wong, Hon-Cheng

2015-01-01

Kinetic effects resulting from the two-fluid physics play a crucial role in the fast collisionless reconnection, which is a process to explosively release massive energy stored in magnetic fields in space and astrophysical plasmas. In-situ observations in the Earth's magnetosphere provide solid consistence with theoretical models on the point that kinetic effects are required in the collisionless reconnection. However, all the observations associated with solar wind reconnection have been analyzed in the context of magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) although a lot of solar wind reconnection exhausts have been reported. Because of the absence of kinetic effects and substantial heating, whether the reconnections are still ongoing when they are detected in the solar wind remains unknown. Here, by dual-spacecraft observations, we report a solar wind reconnection with clear Hall magnetic fields. Its corresponding Alfvenic electron outflow jet, derived from the decouple between ions and electrons, is identified, showing direct evidence for kinetic effects that dominate the collisionless reconnection. The turbulence associated with the exhaust is a kind of background solar wind turbulence, implying that the reconnection generated turbulence has not much developed. PMID:25628139

Direct evidence for kinetic effects associated with solar wind reconnection.

PubMed

Xu, Xiaojun; Wang, Yi; Wei, Fengsi; Feng, Xueshang; Deng, Xiaohua; Ma, Yonghui; Zhou, Meng; Pang, Ye; Wong, Hon-Cheng

2015-01-28

Kinetic effects resulting from the two-fluid physics play a crucial role in the fast collisionless reconnection, which is a process to explosively release massive energy stored in magnetic fields in space and astrophysical plasmas. In-situ observations in the Earth's magnetosphere provide solid consistence with theoretical models on the point that kinetic effects are required in the collisionless reconnection. However, all the observations associated with solar wind reconnection have been analyzed in the context of magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) although a lot of solar wind reconnection exhausts have been reported. Because of the absence of kinetic effects and substantial heating, whether the reconnections are still ongoing when they are detected in the solar wind remains unknown. Here, by dual-spacecraft observations, we report a solar wind reconnection with clear Hall magnetic fields. Its corresponding Alfvenic electron outflow jet, derived from the decouple between ions and electrons, is identified, showing direct evidence for kinetic effects that dominate the collisionless reconnection. The turbulence associated with the exhaust is a kind of background solar wind turbulence, implying that the reconnection generated turbulence has not much developed.

Modeling Gas-Aerosol Processes during MILAGRO 2006

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zaveri, R. A.; Chapman, E. G.; Easter, R. C.; Fast, J. D.; Flocke, F.; Kleinman, L. I.; Madronich, S.; Springston, S. R.; Voss, P. B.; Weinheimer, A.

2007-12-01

Significant gas-aerosol interactions are expected in the Mexico City outflow due to formation of various semi- volatile secondary inorganic and organic gases that can partition into the particulate phase and due to various heterogeneous chemical processes. A number of T0-T1-T2 Lagrangian transport episodes during the MILAGRO campaign provide focused modeling opportunities to elucidate the roles of various chemical and physical processes in the evolution of the primary trace gases and aerosol particles emitted in Mexico City over a period of 4-8 hours. Additionally, one long-range Lagrangian transport episode on March 18-19, 2006, as characterized by the Controlled Meteorological (CMET) balloon trajectories, presents an excellent opportunity to model evolution of Mexico City pollutants over 26 hours. The key tools in our analysis of these Lagrangian episodes include a comprehensive Lagrangian box-model and the WRF-chem model based on the new Model for Simulating Aerosol Interactions and Chemistry (MOSAIC), which simulates gas-phase photochemistry, heterogeneous reactions, equilibrium particulate phase-state and water content, and dynamic gas-particle partitioning for size- resolved aerosols. Extensive gas, aerosol, and meteorological measurements onboard the G1 and C130 aircraft and T0, T1, and T2 ground sites will be used to initialize, constrain, and evaluate the models. For the long-range transport event, in-situ vertical profiles of wind vectors from repeated CMET balloon soundings in the Mexico City outflow will be used to nudge the winds in the WRF-chem simulation. Preliminary model results will be presented with the intention to explore further collaborative opportunities to use additional gas and particulate measurements to better constrain and evaluate the models.

The dependence of cosmic ray-driven galactic winds on halo mass

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jacob, Svenja; Pakmor, Rüdiger; Simpson, Christine M.; Springel, Volker; Pfrommer, Christoph

2018-03-01

Galactic winds regulate star formation in disc galaxies and help to enrich the circum-galactic medium. They are therefore crucial for galaxy formation, but their driving mechanism is still poorly understood. Recent studies have demonstrated that cosmic rays (CRs) can drive outflows if active CR transport is taken into account. Using hydrodynamical simulations of isolated galaxies with virial masses between 1010 and 1013 M⊙, we study how the properties of CR-driven winds depend on halo mass. CRs are treated in a two-fluid approximation and their transport is modelled through isotropic or anisotropic diffusion. We find that CRs are only able to drive mass-loaded winds beyond the virial radius in haloes with masses below 1012 M⊙. For our lowest examined halo mass, the wind is roughly spherical and has velocities of ˜20 km s-1. With increasing halo mass, the wind becomes biconical and can reach 10 times higher velocities. The mass loading factor drops rapidly with virial mass, a dependence that approximately follows a power law with a slope between -1 and -2. This scaling is slightly steeper than observational inferences, and also steeper than commonly used prescriptions for wind feedback in cosmological simulations. The slope is quite robust to variations of the CR injection efficiency or the CR diffusion coefficient. In contrast to the mass loading, the energy loading shows no significant dependence on halo mass. While these scalings are close to successful heuristic models of wind feedback, the CR-driven winds in our present models are not yet powerful enough to fully account for the required feedback strength.

Weaving the history of the solar wind with magnetic field lines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alvarado Gomez, Julian

2017-08-01

Despite its fundamental role for the evolution of the solar system, our observational knowledge of the wind properties of the young Sun comes from a single stellar observation. This unexpected fact for a field such as astrophysics arises from the difficulty of detecting Sun-like stellar winds. Their detection relies on the appearance of an astrospheric signature (from the stellar wind-ISM interaction region), visible only with the aid of high-resolution HST Lyman-alpha spectra. However, observations and modelling of the present day Sun have revealed that magnetic fields constitute the main driver of the solar wind, providing guidance on how such winds would look like back in time. In this context we propose observations of four young Sun-like stars in order to detect their astrospheres and characterise their stellar winds. For all these objects we have recovered surface magnetic field maps using the technique of Zeeman Doppler Imaging, and developed detailed wind models based on these observed field distributions. Even a single detection would represent a major step forward for our understanding of the history of the solar wind, and the outflows in more active stars. Mass loss rate estimates from HST will be confronted with predictions from realistic models of the corona/stellar wind. In one of our objects the comparison would allow us to quantify the wind variability induced by the magnetic cycle of a star, other than the Sun, for the first time. Three of our targets are planet hosts, thus the HST spectra would also provide key information on the high-energy environment of these systems, guaranteeing their legacy value for the growing field of exoplanet characterisation.

Resolving the Circumgalactic Medium in the NEPHTHYS Simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richardson, Mark Lawrence Albert; Devriendt, Julien; Slyz, Adrianne; Rosdahl, Karl Joakim; Kimm, Taysun

2018-01-01

NEPHTHYS is a RAMSES Cosmological-zoom galaxy simulation suite investigating the impact of stellar feedback (winds, radiation, and type Ia and II SNe) on z > 1 ~L* galaxies and their environments. NEPHTHYS has ~10 pc resolution in the galaxy, where the scales driving star formation and the interaction of stellar feedback with the ISM can begin to be resolved. As outflows, winds, and radiation permeate through the circumgalactic medium (CGM) they can heat or cool gas, and deposit metals throughout the CGM. Such material in the CGM is seen by spectroscopic studies of distant quasars, where CGM gas of foreground galaxies is observed in absorption. It is still unclear what the origin and evolution of this gas is. To help answer this, NEPHTHYS includes additional refinement in the CGM, refining it to an unrivaled 80 pc resolution. I will discuss how this extra resolution is crucial for resolving the complex structure of outflows and accretion in the CGM. Specifically, the metal mass and covering fraction of metals and high energy ions is increased, while the better resolved outflows leads to a decrease in the overall baryon content of galaxy halos, and individual outflow events can have larger velocities. Our results suggest that absorption observations of CGM are tracing a clumpy column of gas with multiple kinematic components.

SPECTROSCOPY ALONG MULTIPLE, LENSED SIGHT LINES THROUGH OUTFLOWING WINDS IN THE QUASAR SDSS J1029+2623

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Misawa, Toru; Inada, Naohisa; Ohsuga, Ken

2013-02-01

We study the origin of absorption features on the blue side of the C IV broad emission line of the large-separation lensed quasar SDSS J1029+2623 at z{sub em} {approx} 2.197. The quasar images, produced by a foreground cluster of galaxies, have a maximum separation angle of {theta} {approx} 22.''5. The large angular separation suggests that the sight lines to the quasar central source can go through different regions of outflowing winds from the accretion disk of the quasar, providing a unique opportunity to study the structure of outflows from the accretion disk, a key ingredient for the evolution of quasarsmore » as well as for galaxy formation and evolution. Based on medium- and high-resolution spectroscopy of the two brightest images conducted at the Subaru telescope, we find that each image has different intrinsic levels of absorptions, which can be attributed either to variability of absorption features over the time delay between the lensed images, {Delta}t {approx} 744 days, or to the fine structure of quasar outflows probed by the multiple sight lines toward the quasar. While both these scenarios are consistent with the current data, we argue that they can be distinguished with additional spectroscopic monitoring observations.« less

Physical Processes for Driving Ionospheric Outflows in Global Simulations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, Thomas Earle; Strangeway, Robert J.

2009-01-01

We review and assess the importance of processes thought to drive ionospheric outflows, linking them as appropriate to the solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field, and to the spatial and temporal distribution of their magnetospheric internal responses. These begin with the diffuse effects of photoionization and thermal equilibrium of the ionospheric topside, enhancing Jeans' escape, with ambipolar diffusion and acceleration. Auroral outflows begin with dayside reconnexion and resultant field-aligned currents and driven convection. These produce plasmaspheric plumes, collisional heating and wave-particle interactions, centrifugal acceleration, and auroral acceleration by parallel electric fields, including enhanced ambipolar fields from electron heating by precipitating particles. Observations and simulations show that solar wind energy dissipation into the atmosphere is concentrated by the geomagnetic field into auroral regions with an amplification factor of 10-100, enhancing heavy species plasma and gas escape from gravity, and providing more current carrying capacity. Internal plasmas thus enable electromagnetic driving via coupling to the plasma, neutral gas and by extension, the entire body " We assess the Importance of each of these processes in terms of local escape flux production as well as global outflow, and suggest methods for their implementation within multispecies global simulation codes. We complete 'he survey with an assessment of outstanding obstacles to this objective.

Zooming into local active galactic nuclei: the power of combining SDSS-IV MaNGA with higher resolution integral field unit observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wylezalek, Dominika; Schnorr Müller, Allan; Zakamska, Nadia L.; Storchi-Bergmann, Thaisa; Greene, Jenny E.; Müller-Sánchez, Francisco; Kelly, Michael; Liu, Guilin; Law, David R.; Barrera-Ballesteros, Jorge K.; Riffel, Rogemar A.; Thomas, Daniel

2017-05-01

Ionized gas outflows driven by active galactic nuclei (AGN) are ubiquitous in high-luminosity AGN with outflow speeds apparently correlated with the total bolometric luminosity of the AGN. This empirical relation and theoretical work suggest that in the range Lbol ˜ 1043-45 erg s-1 there must exist a threshold luminosity above which the AGN becomes powerful enough to launch winds that will be able to escape the galaxy potential. In this paper, we present pilot observations of two AGN in this transitional range that were taken with the Gemini North Multi-Object Spectrograph integral field unit (IFU). Both sources have also previously been observed within the Sloan Digital Sky Survey-IV (SDSS) Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory (MaNGA) survey. While the MaNGA IFU maps probe the gas fields on galaxy-wide scales and show that some regions are dominated by AGN ionization, the new Gemini IFU data zoom into the centre with four times better spatial resolution. In the object with the lower Lbol we find evidence of a young or stalled biconical AGN-driven outflow where none was obvious at the MaNGA resolution. In the object with the higher Lbol we trace the large-scale biconical outflow into the nuclear region and connect the outflow from small to large scales. These observations suggest that AGN luminosity and galaxy potential are crucial in shaping wind launching and propagation in low-luminosity AGN. The transition from small and young outflows to galaxy-wide feedback can only be understood by combining large-scale IFU data that trace the galaxy velocity field with higher resolution, small-scale IFU maps.

ALMA Cycle 1 Observations of the HH46/47 Molecular Outflow: Structure, Entrainment, and Core Impact

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yichen; Arce, Héctor G.; Mardones, Diego; Cabrit, Sylvie; Dunham, Michael M.; Garay, Guido; Noriega-Crespo, Alberto; Offner, Stella S. R.; Raga, Alejandro C.; Corder, Stuartt A.

2016-12-01

We present Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array Cycle 1 observations of the HH 46/47 molecular outflow using combined 12 m array and Atacama Compact Array observations. The improved angular resolution and sensitivity of our multi-line maps reveal structures that help us study the entrainment process in much more detail and allow us to obtain more precise estimates of outflow properties than in previous observations. We use {}13{{CO}} (1-0) and {{{C}}}18{{O}} (1-0) emission to correct for the {}12{{CO}} (1-0) optical depth to accurately estimate the outflow mass, momentum, and kinetic energy. This correction increases the estimates of the mass, momentum, and kinetic energy by factors of about 9, 5, and 2, respectively, with respect to estimates assuming optically thin emission. The new {}13{{CO}} and {{{C}}}18{{O}} data also allow us to trace denser and slower outflow material than that traced by the {}12{{CO}} maps, and they reveal an outflow cavity wall at very low velocities (as low as 0.2 {\\text{km s}}-1 with respect to the core’s central velocity). Adding the slower material traced only by {}13{{CO}} and {{{C}}}18{{O}}, there is another factor of three increase in the mass estimate and 50% increase in the momentum estimate. The estimated outflow properties indicate that the outflow is capable of dispersing the parent core within the typical lifetime of the embedded phase of a low-mass protostar and that it is responsible for a core-to-star efficiency of 1/4 to 1/3. We find that the outflow cavity wall is composed of multiple shells associated with a series of jet bow-shock events. Within about 3000 au of the protostar the {}13{{CO}} and {{{C}}}18{{O}} emission trace a circumstellar envelope with both rotation and infall motions, which we compare with a simple analytic model. The CS (2-1) emission reveals tentative evidence of a slowly moving rotating outflow, which we suggest is entrained not only poloidally but also toroidally by a disk wind that is launched from relatively large radii from the source.

Simulating and understanding the gap outflow and oceanic response over the Gulf of Tehuantepec during GOTEX

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hong, Xiaodong; Peng, Melinda; Wang, Shouping; Wang, Qing

2018-06-01

Tehuantepecer is a strong mountain gap wind traveling through Chivela Pass into eastern Pacific coast in southern Mexico, most commonly between October and February and brings huge impacts on local and surrounding meteorology and oceanography. Gulf of Tehuantepec EXperiment (GOTEX) was conducted in February 2004 to enhance the understanding of the strong offshore gap wind, ocean cooling, vertical circulations and interactions among them. The gap wind event during GOTEX was simulated using the U.S. Navy Coupled Ocean/Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System (COAMPS®). The simulations are compared and validated with the observations retrieved from several satellites (GOES 10-12, MODIS/Aqua/Terra, TMI, and QuikSCAT) and Airborne EXpendable BathyThermograph (AXBT). The study shows that the gap wind outflow has a fanlike pattern expending from the coast and with a strong diurnal variability. The surface wind stress and cooling along the axis of the gap wind outflow caused intense upwelling and vertical mixing in the upper ocean; both contributed to the cooling of the ocean mixed layer under the gap wind. The cooling pattern of sea surface temperature (SST) also reflects temperature advection by the nearby ocean eddies to have a crescent shape. Two sensitivity experiments were conducted to understand the relative roles of the wind stress and heat flux on the ocean cooling. The control has more cooling right under the gap flow region than either the wind-stress-only or the heat-flux-only experiment. Overall, the wind stress has a slightly larger effect in bringing down the ocean temperature near the surface and plays a more important role in local ocean circulations beneath the mixed layer. The impact of surface heat flux on the ocean is more limited to the top 30 m within the mixed layer and is symmetric to the gap flow region by cooling the ocean under the gap flow region and reducing the warming on both sides. The effect of surface wind stress is to induce more cooling in the mixed layer under the gap wind through upwelling associated with Ekman divergence at the surface. Its effect deeper down is antisymmetric related to the nearby thermocline dome by inducing more upwelling to the east side of the gap flow region and more downwelling on the west side. Diagnostics from the mixed layer heat budget for the control and sensitivity experiments confirm that the surface heat flux has more influence on the broader area and the wind stress has more influence in a deeper region.

Confinement of the Crab Nebula with tangled magnetic field by its supernova remnant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanaka, Shuta J.; Toma, Kenji; Tominaga, Nozomu

2018-05-01

A pulsar wind is a relativistic outflow dominated by Poynting energy at its base. Based on the standard ideal magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model of pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe) with the ordered magnetic field, the observed slow expansion vPWN ≪ c requires the wind to be dominated by kinetic energy at the upstream of its termination shock, which conflicts with the pulsar wind theory (σ-problem). In this paper, we extend the standard model of PWNe by phenomenologically taking into account conversion of the ordered to turbulent magnetic field and dissipation of the turbulent magnetic field. Disordering of the magnetic structure is inferred from the recent three-dimensional relativistic ideal MHD simulations, while magnetic dissipation is a non-ideal MHD effect requiring a finite resistivity. We apply this model to the Crab Nebula and find that the conversion effect is important for the flow deceleration, while the dissipation effect is not. Even for Poynting-dominated pulsar wind, we obtain the Crab Nebula's vPWN by adopting a finite conversion time-scale of ˜0.3 yr. Magnetic dissipation primarily affects the synchrotron radiation properties. Any values of the pulsar wind magnetization σw are allowed within the present model of the PWN dynamics alone, and even a small termination shock radius of ≪0.1 pc reproduces the observed dynamical features of the Crab Nebula. In order to establish a high-σw model of PWNe, it is important to extend the present model by taking into account the broadband spectrum and its spacial profiles.

Momentum and energy balance in late-type stellar winds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Macgregor, K. B.

1981-01-01

Observations at ultraviolet and X-ray wavelengths indicate that the classical picture of a static stellar atmosphere containing a radiative equilibrium temperature distribution is inapplicable to the majority of late type stars. Mass loss and the presence of atmospheric regions characterized by gas temperatures in excess of the stellar effective temperature appear to be almost ubiquitous throughout the HR diagram. Evidence pertaining to the thermal and dynamical structure of the outer envelopes of cool stars is summarized. These results are compared with the predictions of several theoretical models which were proposed to account for mass loss from latetype stars. Models in which the outflow is thermally radiatively, or wave driven are considered for identification of the physical processes responsible for the observed wind properties. The observed variation of both the wind, thermal and dynamical structure as one proceeds from the supergiant branch toward the main sequence in the cool portion of the HR diagram give consideration to potential mechanisms for heating and cooling the flow from low gravity stars.

Pulsar Wind Nebulae Modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bucciantini, Niccolò

2014-03-01

Pulsar Wind Nebulae (PWNe) are ideal astrophysical laboratories where high energy relativistic phenomena can be investigated. They are close, well resolved in our observations, and the knowledge derived in their study has a strong impact in many other fields, from AGNs to GRBs. Yet there are still unresolved issues, that prevent us from a full clear understanding of these objects. The lucky combination of high resolution X-ray imaging and numerical codes to handle the outflow and dynamical properties of relativistic MHD, has opened a new avenue of investigation that has lead to interesting progresses in the last years. Despite all of this, we do not understand yet how particles are accelerated, and the functioning of the pulsar wind and pulsar magnetosphere, that power PWNe. I will review what is now commonly known as the MHD paradigm, and in particular I will focus on various approaches that have been and are currently used to model these systems. For each I will highlight its advantages, limitations, and degree of applicability.

The Winds of B Supergiants

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Massa, Derck; West, D. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

We present the most suitable data sets available in the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) archive for the study of time-dependent stellar winds in early B supergiants. The UV line profile variability in 11 B0 to B3 stars is analyzed, compared and discussed, based on 16 separate data sets comprising over 600 homogeneously reduced high-resolution spectrograms. The targets include 'normal' stars with moderate rotation rates and examples of rapid rotators. A gallery of grey-scale images (dynamic spectra) is presented, which demonstrates the richness and range of wind variability and highlights different structures in the winds of these stars. This work emphasizes the suitability of B supergiants for wind studies, under-pinned by the fact that they exhibit unsaturated wind lines for a wide range of ionization. The wind activity of B supergiants is substantial and has highly varied characteristics. The variability evident in individual stars is classified and described in terms of discrete absorption components, spontaneous absorption, bowed structures, recurrence, and ionization variability and stratification. Similar structures can occur in stars of different fundamental parameters but also different structures may occur in the same star at a given epoch. We discuss the physical phenomena that may be associated with the spectral signatures, and highlight the challenges that these phenomena present to theoretical studies of time-dependent outflows in massive stars. In addition, SEI line-synthesis modelling of the UV wind lines is used to provide further information about the state of the winds in our program stars. Typically the range, implied by the line profile variability, in the product of mass-loss rate and ion fraction (M qi) is a factor of approximately 1.5, when integrated between 0.2 and 0.9 v infinity; it it can however be several times larger over localized velocity regions. At a given effective temperature the mean relative ion ratios can differ by a factor of 5. The general excess in predicted (forward-scattered) emission in the low velocity regime is discussed in turns of structured outflows. Mean ion fractions are estimated over the B0 to B1 spectral classes, and trends in the ionic ratios as a function of wind velocity are described. The low values obtained for the ion fractions of UV resonance lines may reflect the role of clumping in the wind.

The Winds of B Supergiants

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Massa, D.; Oliversen, R. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

We present the most suitable data sets available in the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) archive for the study of time-dependent stellar winds in early B supergiants. The UV line profile variability in 11 B0 to B3 stars is analyzed, compared and discussed, based on 16 separate data sets comprising over 600 homogeneously reduced high-resolution spectrograms. The targets include 'normal' stars with moderate rotation rates and examples of rapid rotators. A gallery of grey-scale images (dynamic spectra) is presented, which demonstrates the richness and range of wind variability and highlights different structures in the winds of these stars. This work emphasises the suitability of B supergiants for wind studies, under-pinned by the fact that they exhibit unsaturated wind lines for a wide range of ionization. The wind activity of B supergiants is substantial and has highly varied characteristics. The variability evident in individual stars is classified and described in terms of discrete absorption components, spontaneous absorption, bowed structures, recurrence, and ionization variability and stratification. Similar structures can occur in stars of different fundamental parameters, but also different structures may occur in the same star at a given epoch. We discuss the physical phenomena that may be associated with the spectral signatures, and highlight the challenges that these phenomena present to theoretical studies of time-dependent outflows in massive stars. In addition, SEI line-synthesis modelling of the UV wind lines is used to provide further information about the state of the winds in our program stars. Typically the range, implied by the line profile variability, in the product of mass-loss rate and ion fraction (M (dot) q(sub i)) is a factor of approximately 1.5, when integrated between 0.2 and 0.9 v infinity; it can however be several times larger over localized velocity regions. At a given effective temperature the mean relative ion ratios can differ by a factor of 5. The general excess in predicted (forward-scattered) emission in the low velocity regime is discussed in terms of structured outflows. Mean ion fractions are estimated over the B0 to B1 spectral classes, and trends in the ionic ratios as a function of wind velocity are described. The low values obtained for the ion fractions of UV resonance lines may reflect the role of clumping in the wind.

Advection-dominated Inflow/Outflows from Evaporating Accretion Disks.

PubMed

Turolla; Dullemond

2000-03-01

In this Letter we investigate the properties of advection-dominated accretion flows (ADAFs) fed by the evaporation of a Shakura-Sunyaev accretion disk (SSD). In our picture, the ADAF fills the central cavity evacuated by the SSD and extends beyond the transition radius into a coronal region. We find that, because of global angular momentum conservation, a significant fraction of the hot gas flows away from the black hole, forming a transsonic wind, unless the injection rate depends only weakly on radius (if r2sigma&d2;~r-xi, xi<1&solm0;2). The Bernoulli number of the inflowing gas is negative if the transition radius is less, similar100 Schwarzschild radii, so matter falling into the hole is gravitationally bound. The ratio of inflowing to outflowing mass is approximately 1/2, so in these solutions the accretion rate is of the same order as in standard ADAFs and much larger than in advection-dominated inflow/outflow models. The possible relevance of evaporation-fed solutions to accretion flows in black hole X-ray binaries is briefly discussed.

Ultrafast outflows in Super-Eddington Tidal Disruption Events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kara, Erin

2017-08-01

The disruption of a star from the strong tidal forces of a supermassive black hole can cause the stellar debris to fall back towards the black hole at super Eddington rates. Efficient circularization of the debris can lead to the formation of an accretion disc with luminosities close to or potentially exceeding Eddington limit. Most super-Eddington accretion flow models (including recent magnetohydrodynamic simulations) predict large scale height, optically thick equatorial winds at relativistic velocities. In this talk, we will present observational results from two of the most well-observed X-ray emitting Tidal Disruption Events, Swift J1644+57 and ASASSN-14li. Both of these objects show evidence for massive outflows at tens of percent of the speed of light. The outflow in Swift J1644+57 was detected via blue shifted emission and reverberation of the iron K alpha line, and ASASSN-14li shows a potential P Cygni profile of the OVIII line. We will discuss the constraints that these observations put on the geometry of the super-Eddington accretion flows in tidal disruption events.

RADIATIVE AND MOMENTUM-BASED MECHANICAL ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEUS FEEDBACK IN A THREE-DIMENSIONAL GALAXY EVOLUTION CODE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Choi, Ena; Ostriker, Jeremiah P.; Naab, Thorsten

2012-08-01

We study the growth of black holes (BHs) in galaxies using three-dimensional smoothed particle hydrodynamic simulations with new implementations of the momentum mechanical feedback, and restriction of accreted elements to those that are gravitationally bound to the BH. We also include the feedback from the X-ray radiation emitted by the BH, which heats the surrounding gas in the host galaxies, and adds radial momentum to the fluid. We perform simulations of isolated galaxies and merging galaxies and test various feedback models with the new treatment of the Bondi radius criterion. We find that overall the BH growth is similar tomore » what has been obtained by earlier works using the Springel, Di Matteo, and Hernquist algorithms. However, the outflowing wind velocities and mechanical energy emitted by winds are considerably higher (v{sub w} {approx} 1000-3000 km s{sup -1}) compared to the standard thermal feedback model (v{sub w} {approx} 50-100 km s{sup -1}). While the thermal feedback model emits only 0.1% of BH released energy in winds, the momentum feedback model emits more than 30% of the total energy released by the BH in winds. In the momentum feedback model, the degree of fluctuation in both radiant and wind output is considerably larger than in standard treatments. We check that the new model of BH mass accretion agrees with analytic results for the standard Bondi problem.« less

A STUDY OF THE X-RAYED OUTFLOW OF APM 08279+5255 THROUGH PHOTOIONIZATION CODES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Saez, Cristian; Chartas, George, E-mail: saez@astro.psu.edu, E-mail: chartasg@cofc.edu

2011-08-20

We present new results from our study of the X-rayed outflow of the z = 3.91 gravitationally lensed broad absorption line quasar APM 08279+5255. These results are based on spectral fits to all the long exposure observations of APM 08279+5255 using a new quasar-outflow model. This model is based on CLOUDY{sup 3} CLOUDY is a photoionization code designed to simulate conditions in interstellar matter under a broad range of conditions. We have used version 08.00 of the code last described by Ferland et al. (1998). The atomic database used by CLOUDY is described in Ferguson et al. (2001) and http://www.pa.uky.edu/{approx}verner/atom.html.more » simulations of a near-relativistic quasar outflow. The main conclusions from our multi-epoch spectral re-analysis of Chandra, XMM-Newton, and Suzaku observations of APM 08279+5255 are the following. (1) In every observation, we confirm the presence of two strong features, one at rest-frame energies between 1-4 keV and the other between 7-18 keV. (2) We confirm that the low-energy absorption (1-4 keV rest frame) arises from a low-ionization absorber with log(N{sub H}/cm{sup -2}) {approx} 23 and the high-energy absorption (7-18 keV rest frame) arises from highly ionized (3 {approx}< log {xi} {approx}< 4, where {xi} is the ionization parameter) iron in a near-relativistic outflowing wind. Assuming this interpretation, we find that the velocities on the outflow could get up to {approx}0.7c. (3) We confirm a correlation between the maximum outflow velocity and the photon index and find possible trends between the maximum outflow velocity and the X-ray luminosity, and between the total column density and the photon index. We performed calculations of the force multipliers of material illuminated by absorbed power laws and a Mathews-Ferland spectral energy distribution (SED). We found that variations of the X-ray and UV parts of the SEDs and the presence of a moderate absorbing shield will produce important changes in the strength of the radiative driving force. These results support the observed trend found between the outflow velocity and X-ray photon index in APM 08279+5255. If this result is confirmed it will imply that radiation pressure is an important mechanism in producing quasar outflows.« less

Magnetized Disk Winds in NGC 3783

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fukumura, Keigo; Kazanas, Demosthenes; Shrader, Chris; Behar, Ehud; Tombesi, Francesco; Contopoulos, Ioannis

2018-01-01

We analyze a 900 kilosecond stacked Chandra/HETG (High-Energy Transmission Grating) spectrum of NGC 3783 in the context of magnetically driven accretion-disk wind models in an effort to provide tight constraints on the global conditions of the underlying absorbers. Motivated by the earlier measurements of its absorption measure distribution (AMD) indicating X-ray-absorbing ionic columns that decrease slowly with decreasing ionization parameter, we employ 2-dimension (2-D) magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) disk wind models to describe the global outflow. We compute its photoionization structure along with the wind kinematic properties, allowing us to further calculate in a self-consistent fashion the shapes of the major X-ray absorption lines. With the wind radial density profile determined by the AMD, the profiles of the ensemble of the observed absorption features are determined by the two global parameters of the MHD wind; i.e., disk inclination theta (sub obs) and wind density normalization n (sub o). Considering the most significant absorption features in the approximately 1.8-20 angstrom range, we show that the MHD wind is best described by n(r) approximately equal to 6.9 times 10 (sup 11) (r/r (sub o)) (sup - 1.15) cubic centimeters and theta (sub obs). We argue that winds launched by X-ray heating or radiation pressure, or even MHD winds but with steeper radial density profiles, are strongly disfavored by data. Considering the properties of Fe K-band absorption features (i.e., Fe XXV and Fe XXVI), while typically prominent in the active galactic nucleus X-ray spectra, they appear to be weak in NGC 3783. For the specific parameters of our model obtained by fitting the AMD and the rest of the absorption features, these features are found to be weak, in agreement with observations.

Magnetized Disk Winds in NGC 3783

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fukumura, Keigo; Kazanas, Demosthenes; Shrader, Chris; Behar, Ehud; Tombesi, Francesco; Contopoulos, Ioannis

2018-01-01

We analyze a 900 ks stacked Chandra/HETG spectrum of NGC 3783 in the context of magnetically driven accretion-disk wind models in an effort to provide tight constraints on the global conditions of the underlying absorbers. Motivated by the earlier measurements of its absorption measure distribution (AMD) indicating X-ray-absorbing ionic columns that decrease slowly with decreasing ionization parameter, we employ 2D magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) disk wind models to describe the global outflow. We compute its photoionization structure along with the wind kinematic properties, allowing us to further calculate in a self-consistent fashion the shapes of the major X-ray absorption lines. With the wind radial density profile determined by the AMD, the profiles of the ensemble of the observed absorption features are determined by the two global parameters of the MHD wind; i.e., disk inclination {θ }{obs} and wind density normalization n o . Considering the most significant absorption features in the ∼1.8–20 Å range, we show that the MHD wind is best described by n{(r)∼ 6.9× {10}11(r/{r}o)}-1.15 cm‑3 and {θ }{obs}=44^\\circ . We argue that winds launched by X-ray heating or radiation pressure, or even MHD winds but with steeper radial density profiles, are strongly disfavored by data. Considering the properties of Fe K-band absorption features (i.e., Fe XXV and Fe XXVI), while typically prominent in the active galactic nucleus X-ray spectra, they appear to be weak in NGC 3783. For the specific parameters of our model obtained by fitting the AMD and the rest of the absorption features, these features are found to be weak, in agreement with observations.

Super-Eddington stellar winds driven by near-surface energy deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quataert, Eliot; Fernández, Rodrigo; Kasen, Daniel; Klion, Hannah; Paxton, Bill

2016-05-01

We develop analytic and numerical models of the properties of super-Eddington stellar winds, motivated by phases in stellar evolution when super-Eddington energy deposition (via, e.g. unstable fusion, wave heating, or a binary companion) heats a region near the stellar surface. This appears to occur in the giant eruptions of luminous blue variables (LBVs), Type IIn supernovae progenitors, classical novae, and X-ray bursts. We show that when the wind kinetic power exceeds Eddington, the photons are trapped and behave like a fluid. Convection does not play a significant role in the wind energy transport. The wind properties depend on the ratio of a characteristic speed in the problem v_crit˜ (dot{E} G)^{1/5} (where dot{E} is the heating rate) to the stellar escape speed near the heating region vesc(rh). For vcrit ≳ vesc(rh), the wind kinetic power at large radii dot{E}_w ˜ dot{E}. For vcrit ≲ vesc(rh), most of the energy is used to unbind the wind material and thus dot{E}_w ≲ dot{E}. Multidimensional hydrodynamic simulations without radiation diffusion using FLASH and one-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations with radiation diffusion using MESA are in good agreement with the analytic predictions. The photon luminosity from the wind is itself super-Eddington but in many cases the photon luminosity is likely dominated by `internal shocks' in the wind. We discuss the application of our models to eruptive mass-loss from massive stars and argue that the wind models described here can account for the broad properties of LBV outflows and the enhanced mass-loss in the years prior to Type IIn core-collapse supernovae.

Constraining the geometry of AGN outflows with reflection spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parker, M. L.; Buisson, D. J. K.; Jiang, J.; Gallo, L. C.; Kara, E.; Matzeu, G. A.; Walton, D. J.

2018-06-01

We collate active galactic nuclei (AGN) with reported detections of both relativistic reflection and ultra-fast outflows. By comparing the inclination of the inner disc from reflection with the line-of-sight velocity of the outflow, we show that it is possible to meaningfully constrain the geometry of the absorbing material. We find a clear relation between the velocity and inclination, and demonstrate that it can potentially be explained either by simple wind geometries or by absorption from the disc surface. Due to systematic errors and a shortage of high-quality simultaneous measurements our conclusions are tentative, but this study represents a proof-of-concept that has great potential.

Bow shocks as tracers of the environment and stellar outflows near the supermassive black hole.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stofanova, L.; Zajaček, M.; Karas, V.

2017-10-01

Bow shocks develop near stars in the supersonic motion with respect to the surrounding interstellar environment. In particular, extended shocks emerge due to the interaction of stars with strong winds. We discuss the expected shape and orientation of bow shocks in the context of fast moving stars near a supermassive black hole (SMBH) embedded within Bondi-type accretion flow (Zajaček et al. 2016, MNRAS; Štofanová 2016, BSc. Thesis). We present models which take into account different velocities of the probe star and also consider various scenarios for the ambient medium near the vicinity of the black hole such as an inflow/outflow of the material towards/outwards SMBH or a model which considers inflow and outflow at the same time. Under suitable circumstances, a bow shock structure can be detected in infrared domain and their properties can trace the environment of the Galactic center. On the other hand, if density of the ambient medium is determined from mm/radio observations, bow shocks can be used to constrain mass-loss rates of massive OB/WR stars. X-rays can supplement the spectral evidence, though, the structures are below the angular resolution of the current instruments even in the most favourable case of the Milky Way's SMBH (Sgr A*).

Ultra-fast outflows (aka UFOs) in AGNs and their relevance for feedback

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cappi, Massimo; Tombesi, F.; Giustini, M.; Dadina, M.; Braito, V.; Kaastra, J.; Reeves, J.; Chartas, G.; Gaspari, M.; Vignali, C.; Gofford, J.; Lanzuisi, G.

2012-09-01

During the last decade, several observational evidences have been accumulated for the existence of massive, high velocity winds/outflows (aka UFOs) in nearby AGNs and, possibly, distant quasars. I will review here such evidences, present some of the latest results in this field, and discuss the relevance of UFOs for both understanding the physics of accretion/ejection flows on supermassive black holes, and for quantifying the amount of AGN feedback.

An accreting black hole model for Sagittarius A

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Melia, Fulvio

1992-01-01

Several observations, notably of broad He I, Br-alpha, and Br-gamma emission lines from the vicinity of IRS 16, indicate the presence of a strong circumnuclear wind near the dynamical center of the Galaxy. Sgr A, a hypothesized supermassive object situated about 0.06 pc to the west of IRS 16, should be accreting from this wind if it is not itself a source of gaseous outflow, for which there is currently no observational evidence. Here, the spectrum and flux of radiation resulting from this process are calculated, and it is shown that they are consistent with the data over at least 12 decades of frequency. Together with the kinematic studies of the stellar and gas distributions in this region, the model argues strongly in favor of Sgr A being a black hole with mass over a million solar masses.

Super-Eddington stellar winds: unifying radiative-enthalpy versus flux-driven models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Owocki, Stanley P.; Townsend, Richard H. D.; Quataert, Eliot

2017-12-01

We derive semi-analytic solutions for optically thick, super-Eddington stellar winds, induced by an assumed steady energy addition Δ {\\dot{E}} concentrated around a near-surface heating radius R in a massive star of central luminosity L*. We show that obtaining steady wind solutions requires both that the resulting total luminosity L_o = L_\\ast + Δ {\\dot{E}} exceed the Eddington luminosity, Γo ≡ Lo/LEdd > 1, and that the induced mass-loss rate be such that the 'photon-tiring' parameter, m ≡ {\\dot{M}} GM/R L_o ≤ 1-1/Γ _o, ensuring the luminosity is sufficient to overcome the gravitational potential GM/R. Our analysis unifies previous super-Eddington wind models that either: (1) assumed a direct radiative flux-driving without accounting for the advection of radiative enthalpy that can become important in such an optically thick flow; or (2) assumed that such super-Eddington outflows are adiabatic, neglecting the effects of the diffusive radiative flux. We show that these distinct models become applicable in the asymptotic limits of small versus large values of mΓo, respectively. By solving the coupled differential equations for radiative diffusion and wind momentum, we obtain general solutions that effectively bridge the behaviours of these limiting models. Two key scaling results are for the terminal wind speed to escape speed, which is found to vary as v_∞^2/v_esc^2 = Γ _o/(1+m Γ _o) -1, and for the final observed luminosity Lobs, which for all allowed steady-solutions with m < 1 - 1/Γo exceeds the Eddington luminosity, Lobs > LEdd. Our super-Eddington wind solutions have potential applicability for modelling phases of eruptive mass-loss from massive stars, classical novae, and the remnants of stellar mergers.

Geometry and physical conditions in the stellar wind of AG Carinae

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leitherer, Claus; Allen, Richard; Altner, Bruce; Damineli, Augusto; Drissen, Laurent; Idiart, Thais; Lupie, Olivia; Nota, Antonella; Robert, Carmelle; Schmutz, Werner

1994-01-01

AG Carinae is one of the prototypes of the class of Luminous Blue Variables (LBVs). Since 1990 the star has continuously brightened in its visual continuum. We report on a multi-instrument and -wavelength observing campaign to monitor the current activity phase of AG Car. Ground-based photometry, polarimetry, spectroscopy, and space-ultraviolet spectroscopy and spectropolarimetry have been obtained. From the variability of the polarization at ultraviolet and optical wavelengths we detect significant intrinsic polarization. P(sub int) greater than or equal to 0.5% is a large value for a hot, luminous star, suggesting departure from spherical symmetry in the wind of AG Car. The intrinsic polarization is variable on a timescale of 2 months or less. The measured ultraviolet polarization (intrinsic + interstellar) dropped to 0.5% in 1992 May and returned to 1% in 1992 July. The results are interpreted in terms of a variable outflow with a density enhancement in the equatorial plane. A similar model was suggested for the related object R127 in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). This geometry is reminiscent of the large-scale morphology of the gas nebula and dust 'jet' surrounding AG Car. It is therefore likely that physical conditions close to the stellar surface are responsible for the geometry of the spatially resolved circumstellar material around AG Car. Despite the drastic change of the photospheric conditions, the mass-loss rate did not increase. We find no evidence for a positive correlation between wind density and stellar radius. This makes models that explain the radius increase by opacity effects in the outflow unlikely. The mechanism responsible for the temperature and radius variations is still unknown but most likely has its origin in subphotospheric regions.

Power law "thermalization" of ion pickup and ionospheric outflows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, T. E.; Ofman, L.; Glocer, A.; Gershman, D. J.; Khazanov, G. V.; Paterson, W. R.

2016-12-01

One observed feature of ionospheric outflows is that the active ion heating processes produce power law tails of the core plasma velocity distribution, as well as transverse or conic peaks in the angular distributions. This characteristic is shared with hot ion distributions produced by ion pickup in the solar wind, resulting from cometary or interstellar gas ionization, and with hot ions observed around the Space Transportation System during gas releases. We revisit relevant observations and consider the hypothesis that the ion pickup thermalization process tends to produce power law (𝛋) energy distributions, using a simulation of the instability of a simple pickup (ring) distribution. Simulation results are derived for cases representative of both solar wind pickup, where ion velocities exceed the local Alfvén speed, and ionospheric pickup, where the local Alfvén speed exceeds ion velocities. The sub-Alfvenic pickup ring distribution appears to have a slow growth rate (per ion gyro period), that is, the instability evolves more slowly in the latter case than in the former. Implications for ionospheric outflow are discussed.

Dust emission mechanisms in the central Sahara: new insights from remote field observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allen, C.; Washington, R.; Engelstaedter, S.

2013-12-01

North Africa is the world's largest source of mineral aerosol (dust). The Fennec Project, an international consortium led by the University of Oxford, is the first project to systematically instrument the remote central Sahara Desert. These observations have, among others, provided new insights into the atmospheric mechanisms of dust emission. Bordj Badji Mokhtar, in south-west Algeria, is within kilometres of the centre of the global mean summer dust maximum. The site, operated by Fennec partners ONM Algerie, has been heavily instrumented since summer 2011. During the Intensive Observation Period (IOP) in June 2011, four main emission mechanisms were observed and documented: cold pool outflows, low level jets (LLJs), monsoon surges and dry convective plumes. Establishing the relative importance of dust emission mechanisms has been a long-standing research goal. A detailed partitioning exercise of dust events during the IOP shows that 45% of the dust over BBM was generated by local emission in cold pool outflows, 14% by LLJs and only 2% by dry convective plumes. 27% of the dust was advected to the site rather than locally emitted and 12% of the dust was residual or ';background' dust. The work shows the primacy of cold pool outflows for dust emission in the region and also the important contribution of dust advection. In accordance with long-held ideas, the cube of wind speed is strongly correlated with dust emission. Surprisingly however, particles in long-range advection (>500km) were found to be larger than locally emitted dust. Although a clear LLJ wind structure is evident in the mean diurnal cycle during the IOP (12m/s peak winds at 935hPa between 04-05h), LLJs are only responsible for a relatively small amount of dust emission. There is significant daily variability in LLJ strength; the strongest winds are produced by a relatively small number of events. The position and strength of the Saharan Heat Low is strongly associated with the development (or otherwise) of LLJs. However, the presence of a LLJ is not a guarantee of dust emission. Momentum calculations show that dust emission always occurs if momentum mixes down to the surface, but mix-down does not always happen - particularly if the surface temperature inversion is strong or ground heating is weak. Fennec findings are not only providing new insights into dust emission processes, they are also an excellent test-bed for models and satellite algorithms in a region where high-quality ';ground-truthing' measurements have been scarce. Conditions of (relatively) high water vapour appear to be a common cause of error. In one model, wind speeds in the core of monsoon LLJs are underestimated by 8.5m/s compared to observations.

Outflows in low-mass galaxies at z >1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maseda, Michael V.; MUSE GTO Consortium

2017-03-01

Star formation histories of local dwarf galaxies, derived through resolved stellar populations, appear complex and varied. The general picture derived from hydrodynamical simulations is one of cold gas accretion and bursty star formation, followed by feedback from supernovae and winds that heat and eject the central gas reservoirs. This ejection halts star formation until the material cools and re-accretes, resulting in an episodic SFH, particularly at stellar masses below ~ 109 M⊙. Such feedback has often been cited as the driving force behind the observed slowly-rising rotation curves in local dwarfs, due to an under-density of dark matter compared to theoretical models, which is one of the primary challenges to LCDM cosmology. However, these events have not yet been directly observed at high-redshift. Recently, using HST imaging and grism spectroscopy, we have uncovered an abundant population of low-mass galaxies (M* < 109 M⊙) at z = 1 - 2 that are undergoing strong bursts of star formation, in agreement with the theoretical predictions. These Extreme Emission Line Galaxies, with high specific SFRs and shallow gravitational potential wells, are ideal places to test the theoretical prediction of strong feedback-driven outflows. Here we use deep MUSE spectroscopy to search these galaxies for signatures of outflowing material, namely kinematic offsets between absorption lines (in the restframe optical and UV), which trace cool gas, and the nebular emission lines, which define the systemic redshift of the galaxy. Although the EELGs are intrinsically very faint, stacked spectra reveal blueshifted velocity centroids for Fe II absorption, which is indicative of outflowing cold gas. This represents the first constraint on outflows in M* < 109 M⊙ galaxies at z = 1 - 2. These outflows should regulate the star formation histories of low-mass galaxies at early cosmic times and thus play a crucial role in galaxy growth and evolution.

AGN-enhanced outflows of low-ionization gas in star-forming galaxies at 1.7 < z < 4.6*

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Talia, M.; Brusa, M.; Cimatti, A.; Lemaux, B. C.; Amorin, R.; Bardelli, S.; Cassarà, L. P.; Cucciati, O.; Garilli, B.; Grazian, A.; Guaita, L.; Hathi, N. P.; Koekemoer, A.; Le Fèvre, O.; Maccagni, D.; Nakajima, K.; Pentericci, L.; Pforr, J.; Schaerer, D.; Vanzella, E.; Vergani, D.; Zamorani, G.; Zucca, E.

2017-11-01

Fast and energetic winds are invoked by galaxy formation models as essential processes in the evolution of galaxies. These outflows can be powered either by star formation (SF) and/or active galactic nucleus (AGN) activity, but the relative dominance of the two mechanisms is still under debate. We use spectroscopic stacking analysis to study the properties of the low-ionization phase of the outflow in a sample of 1330 star-forming galaxies (SFGs) and 79 X-ray-detected (1042 < LX < 1045 erg s-1) Type 2 AGN at 1.7 < z < 4.6 selected from a compilation of deep optical spectroscopic surveys, mostly zCOSMOS-Deep and VIMOS Ultra Deep Survey (VUDS). We measure mean velocity offsets of ˜- 150 km s-1 in the SFGs, while in the AGN sample the velocity is much higher (˜- 950 km s-1), suggesting that the AGN is boosting the outflow up to velocities that could not be reached only with the SF contribution. The sample of X-ray AGN has on average a lower SF rate than non-AGN SFGs of similar mass: this, combined with the enhanced outflow velocity in AGN hosts, is consistent with AGN feedback in action. We further divide our sample of AGN into two X-ray luminosity bins: we measure the same velocity offsets in both stacked spectra, at odds with results reported for the highly ionized phase in local AGN, suggesting that the two phases of the outflow may be mixed only up to relatively low velocities, while the highest velocities can be reached only by the highly ionized phase.

Suzaku Discovery of Ultra-fast Outflows in Radio-loud AGN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sambruna, Rita M.; Tombesi, F.; Reeves, J.; Braito, V.; Gofford, J.; Cappi, M.

2010-03-01

We present the results of an analysis of the 3.5--10.5 keV spectra of five bright Broad-Line Radio Galaxies (BLRGs) using proprietary and archival Suzaku observations. In three sources -- 3C 111, 3C 120, and 3C 390.3 -- we find evidence, for the first time in a radio-loud AGN, for absorption features at observed energies 7 keV and 8--9 keV, with high significance according to both the F-test and extensive Monte Carlo simulations (99% or larger). In the remaining two BLRGs, 3C 382 and 3C 445, there is no evidence for such absorption features in the XIS spectra. If interpreted as due to Fe XXV and/or Fe XXVI K-shell resonance lines, the absorption features in 3C 111, 3C 120, and 3C 390.3 imply an origin from an ionized gas outflowing with velocities in the range v 0.04-0.15c, reminiscent of Ultra-Fast Outflows (UFOs) previously observed in radio-quiet Seyfert galaxies. A fit with specific photoionization models gives ionization parameters log ξ 4--5.6 erg s-1 cm and column densities of NH 1022-23 cm-2, similar to the values observed in Seyferts. Based on light travel time arguments, we estimate that the UFOs in the three BLRGs are located within 20--500 gravitational radii from the central black hole, and thus most likely are connected to disk winds/outflows. Our estimates show that the UFOs mass outflow rate is comparable to the accretion rate and their kinetic energy a significant fraction of the AGN bolometric luminosity, making these outflows significant for the global energetic of these systems, in particular for mechanisms of jet formation.

The onset of Wolf-Rayet wind outflow and the nature of the hot component in the symbiotic nova PU Vulpecula

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sion, Edward M.; Shore, Steven N.; Ready, Christian J.; Scheible, Maureen P.

1993-01-01

We have analyzed temporal variations in the far ultraviolet He II (1640), Si IV (1393, 1402), and C IV (1548, 1550) line profiles in eight high dispersion, International Ultraviolet Explorer Short Wavelength Prime spectra of the symbiotic nova PU Vul by comparatively examining these profiles on a common velocity scale. We see clear evidence of the onset of a Wolf-Rayet-like wind outflow from the bloated, contracting white dwarf hot component with terminal velocity of approximately equals -550 to -600 km/s. We have quantitatively analyzed the complicated He II (1640) emission region for the first time and show that the discrete absorption features seen in the He II region occur at precisely the same velocites in each spectrum, thus demonstrating that the absorbing source is steady and not affected by any orbital motion. We demonstrate that there is an underlying He II wind emission feature whose true shape is hidden by superposed absorption due to the foreground red giant wind flowing in front of the white dwarf and abscuring the white dwarf's wind outflow. We present synthetic spectra of He II emission behind an absorbing slab with u = 20 km/s, T = 5000 K, and column densities in the range N = 1 x 10(exp 22) and 1 x 10(exp 23)/sq cm which explain these absorptions. Our analysis of the Si IV and C IV resonance doublets, in velocity space, reveal temporal variations in the profile between 1987 and 1991 with the emergence of clear P Cygni profiles in Si IV by 1990. A nebular emission feature in C III 1909 also appears in the most recent spectra (e.g., SW42538H) while it was absent or extremely weak in the earliest spectra (e.g., SW36332H), thus strengthening evidence that the nebular emission, as seen in permitted and semiforbidden lines, intensities in step with the onset of the hot, fast, wind outflow. We also report the first detection of narrow interstellar (circumbinary shell?) absorption lines near -1 km/s, most strongly in Al III (1854, 1862) and Si IV (1392, 1402). We have carried out a rough quantitative analysis of the He II wind emission by using the theoretical He II Wolf-Rayet profiles of Hamann & Schmutz (1987). We obtain a lower limit to the He II net emission equivalent width of approximately 1 A, a hot component temperature in the range 25,000 to 35,000 K, a hot component radius in the range 5 solar radius to 30 solar radius, a maximum wind velocity of approximately equals -600 km/s and a rough upper limit to the mass-loss rate of less than 1 x 10(exp -5) solar mass/yr. To our knowledge, this is the first quantitative wind analysis, albeit crude, to be carried out for the hot component of a symbiotic nova or symbiotic variable.

Gap Winds in a Fjord: Howe Sound, British Columbia.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jackson, Peter L.

1993-01-01

Gap, outflow, or Squamish wind, is the cold low level seaward flow of air through fjords which dissect the coastal mountain barrier of northwestern North America. These flows, occurring mainly during winter, can be strong, threatening safety, economic activity and comfort. Howe Sound gap winds were studied using a combination of observations and several types of models. Observations of winds in Howe Sound showed that gap wind strength varied considerably along the channel, across the channel and vertically. Generally, winds increase down the channel, are strongest along the eastern side, and are below 1000 m depth. Observations were unable to answer all questions about gap winds due to data sparseness, particularly in the vertical direction. Therefore, several modelling approaches were used. The modelling began with a complete 3-dimensional quasi-Boussinesq model (CSU RAMS) and ended with the creation and testing of models which are conceptually simpler, and more easily interpreted and manipulated. A gap wind simulation made using RAMS was shown to be mostly successful by statistical evaluation compared to other mesoscale simulations, and by visual inspection of the fields. The RAMS output, which has very high temporal and spatial resolution, provided much additional information about the details of gap flow. In particular, RAMS results suggested a close analogy between gap wind and hydraulic channel flow, with hydraulic features such as supercritical flow and hydraulic jumps apparent. These findings imply gap wind flow could potentially be represented by much simpler models. The simplest possible models containing pressure gradient, advection and friction but not incorporating hydraulic effects, were created, tested, and found lacking. A hydraulic model, which in addition incorporates varying gap wind height and channel geometry, was created and shown to successfully simulate gap winds. Force balance analysis from RAMS and the hydraulic model showed that pressure gradient and advection are the most important forces, followed by friction which becomes an important force in fast supercritical flow. The sensitivity of gap wind speed to various parameters was found from sensitivity tests using the hydraulic model. Results indicated that gap wind speed increases with increasing boundary layer height and speed at the head of channel, and increasing synoptic pressure gradient. Gap wind speed decreases with increasing friction, and increasing boundary layer height at the seaward channel end. Increasing temperature differences between the cold gap wind air and the warmer air aloft was found to increase the variability of the flow--higher maximum but lower mean wind speeds.

Quasar outflows and AGN feedback in the extreme UV: HST/COS observations of HE 0238-1904

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arav, Nahum; Borguet, Benoit; Chamberlain, Carter; Edmonds, Doug; Danforth, Charles

2013-12-01

Spectroscopic observations of quasar outflows at rest-frame 500-1000 Å have immense diagnostic power. We present analyses of such data, where absorption troughs from O IV and O IV* allow us to obtain the distance of the outflows from the AGN and troughs from Ne VIII and Mg X reveal the warm absorber phase of the outflow. Their inferred column densities, combined with those of O VI, N IV and H I, yield two important results. (1) The outflow shows two ionization phases, where the high-ionization phase carries the bulk of the material. This is similar to the situation seen in X-ray warm absorber studies. Furthermore, the low-ionization phase is inferred to have a volume filling factor of 10-5-10-6. (2) We determine a distance of 3000 pc from the outflow to the central source using the O IV*/O IV column density ratio and the knowledge of the ionization parameter. Since this is a typical high-ionization outflow, we can determine robust values for the outflow's mass flux and kinetic luminosity of 40 M⊙ yr-1 and 1045 erg s-1, respectively, where the latter is roughly equal to 1 per cent of the bolometric luminosity. Such a large kinetic luminosity and mass flow rate measured in a typical high-ionization wind suggest that quasar outflows are a major contributor to AGN feedback mechanisms.

Numerical simulations of continuum-driven winds of super-Eddington stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Marle, A. J.; Owocki, S. P.; Shaviv, N. J.

2008-09-01

We present the results of numerical simulations of continuum-driven winds of stars that exceed the Eddington limit and compare these against predictions from earlier analytical solutions. Our models are based on the assumption that the stellar atmosphere consists of clumped matter, where the individual clumps have a much larger optical thickness than the matter between the clumps. This `porosity' of the stellar atmosphere reduces the coupling between radiation and matter, since photons tend to escape through the more tenuous gas between the clumps. This allows a star that formally exceeds the Eddington limit to remain stable, yet produce a steady outflow from the region where the clumps become optically thin. We have made a parameter study of wind models for a variety of input conditions in order to explore the properties of continuum-driven winds. The results show that the numerical simulations reproduce quite closely the analytical scalings. The mass-loss rates produced in our models are much larger than can be achieved by line driving. This makes continuum driving a good mechanism to explain the large mass-loss and flow speeds of giant outbursts, as observed in η Carinae and other luminous blue variable stars. Continuum driving may also be important in population III stars, since line driving becomes ineffective at low metallicities. We also explore the effect of photon tiring and the limits it places on the wind parameters.

Evidence for Pulsation-Driven Mass Loss from δ Cephei

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marengo, M.; Evans, N. R.; Matthews, L. D.; Bono, G.; Barmby, P.; Welch, D. L.; Romaniello, M.; Su, K. Y. L.; Fazio, G. G.; Huelsman, D.

We found the first direct evidence that the Cepheid class namesake, δ Cephei, is currently losing mass. These observations are based on data obtained with the Spitzer Space Telescope in the infrared, and with the Very Large Array in the radio. We found that δ Cephei is associated with a vast circumstellar structure, reminiscent of a bow shock. This structure is created as the wind from the star interacts with the local interstellar medium. We measure an outflow velocity of ≈ 35. 5 km s- 1 and a mass loss rate of ≈ 10- 7-10- 6 M ⊙ year- 1. The very low dust content of the outflow suggests that the wind is possibly pulsation-driven, rather than dust-driven as common for other classes of evolved stars.

Radiation hydrodynamic simulations of line-driven disk winds for ultra-fast outflows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nomura, Mariko; Ohsuga, Ken; Takahashi, Hiroyuki R.; Wada, Keiichi; Yoshida, Tessei

2016-02-01

Using two-dimensional radiation hydrodynamic simulations, we investigate the origin of the ultra-fast outflows (UFOs) that are often observed in luminous active galactic nuclei (AGNs). We found that the radiation force due to the spectral lines generates strong winds (line-driven disk winds) that are launched from the inner region of accretion disks (˜30 Schwarzschild radii). A wide range of black hole masses (MBH) and Eddington ratios (ε) was investigated to study the conditions causing the line-driven winds. For MBH = 106-109 M⊙ and ε = 0.1-0.7, funnel-shaped disk winds appear, in which dense matter is accelerated outward with an opening angle of 70°-80° and with 10% of the speed of light. If we observe the wind along its direction, the velocity, the column density, and the ionization state are consistent with those of the observed UFOs. As long as obscuration by the torus does not affect the observation of X-ray bands, the UFOs could be statistically observed in about 13%-28% of the luminous AGNs, which is not inconsistent with the observed ratio (˜40%). We also found that the results are insensitive to the X-ray luminosity and the density of the disk surface. Thus, we can conclude that UFOs could exist in any luminous AGNs, such as narrow-line Seyfert 1s and quasars with ε > 0.1, with which fast line-driven winds are associated.

Techniques used to identify tornado producing thunderstorms using geosynchronous satellite data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schrab, Kevin J.; Anderson, Charles E.; Monahan, John F.

1992-01-01

Satellite imagery in the outbreak region in the time prior to and during tornado occurrence was examined in detail to obtain descriptive characteristics of the anvil plume. These characteristics include outflow strength (UMAX), departure of anvil centerline from the storm relative ambient wind (MDA), storm relative ambient wind (SRAW), and maximum surface vorticity (SFCVOR). It is shown that by using satellite derived parameters which characterize the flow field in the anvil region, the occurrence and intensity of tornadoes, which the parent thunderstorm produces, can be identified. Analysis of the censored regression models revealed that the five explanatory variables (UMAX, MDA, SRAW, UMAX-2, and SFCVOR) were all significant predictors in the identification of tornadic intensity of a particular thunderstorm.

THE MOLECULAR WIND IN THE NEAREST SEYFERT GALAXY CIRCINUS REVEALED BY ALMA

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zschaechner, Laura K.; Walter, Fabian; Farina, Emanuele P.

2016-12-01

We present ALMA observations of the inner 1′ (1.2 kpc) of the Circinus galaxy, the nearest Seyfert. We target CO (1–0) in the region associated with a well-known multiphase outflow driven by the central active galactic nucleus (AGN). While the geometry of Circinus and its outflow make disentangling the latter difficult, we see indications of outflowing molecular gas at velocities consistent with the ionized outflow. We constrain the mass of the outflowing molecular gas to be 1.5 × 10{sup 5}−5.1 × 10{sup 6} M {sub ⊙}, yielding a molecular outflow rate of 0.35–12.3 M {sub ⊙} yr{sup −1}. The values within this range aremore » comparable to the star formation (SF) rate in Circinus, indicating that the outflow indeed regulates SF to some degree. The molecular outflow in Circinus is considerably lower in mass and energetics than previously studied AGN-driven outflows, especially given its high ratio of AGN luminosity to bolometric luminosity. The molecular outflow in Circinus is, however, consistent with some trends put forth by Cicone et al., including a linear relation between kinetic power and AGN luminosity, as well as its momentum rate versus bolometric luminosity (although the latter places Circinus among the starburst galaxies in that sample). We detect additional molecular species including CN and C{sup 17}O.« less

Ultrafast outflows disappear in high-radiation fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pinto, C.; Alston, W.; Parker, M. L.; Fabian, A. C.; Gallo, L. C.; Buisson, D. J. K.; Walton, D. J.; Kara, E.; Jiang, J.; Lohfink, A.; Reynolds, C. S.

2018-05-01

Ultrafast outflows (UFOs) are the most extreme winds launched by active galactic nuclei (AGN) due to their mildly relativistic speeds (˜0.1-0.3c) and are thought to significantly contribute to galactic evolution via AGN feedback. Their nature and launching mechanism are however not well understood. Recently, we have discovered the presence of a variable UFO in the narrow-line Seyfert 1 IRAS 13224-3809. The UFO varies in response to the brightness of the source. In this work we perform flux-resolved X-ray spectroscopy to study the variability of the UFO and found that the ionization parameter is correlated with the luminosity. In the brightest states the gas is almost completely ionized by the powerful radiation field and the UFO is hardly detected. This agrees with our recent results obtained with principal component analysis. We might have found the tip of the iceberg: the high ionization of the outflowing gas may explain why it is commonly difficult to detect UFOs in AGN and possibly suggest that we may underestimate their actual feedback. We have also found a tentative correlation between the outflow velocity and the luminosity, which is expected from theoretical predictions of radiation-pressure-driven winds. This trend is rather marginal due to the Fe XXV-XXVI degeneracy. Further work is needed to break such degeneracy through time-resolved spectroscopy.

Fast Winds and Mass Loss from Metal-Poor Field Giants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dupree, A. K.; Smith, Graeme H.; Strader, Jay

2009-11-01

Echelle spectra of the infrared He I λ10830 line were obtained with NIRSPEC on the Keck 2 telescope for 41 metal-deficient field giant stars including those on the red giant branch (RGB), asymptotic giant branch (AGB), and red horizontal branch (RHB). The presence of this He I line is ubiquitous in stars with T effgsim 4500 K and MV fainter than -1.5, and reveals the dynamics of the atmosphere. The line strength increases with effective temperature for T effgsim 5300 K in RHB stars. In AGB and RGB stars, the line strength increases with luminosity. Fast outflows (gsim 60 km s-1) are detected from the majority of the stars and about 40% of the outflows have sufficient speed as to allow escape of material from the star as well as from a globular cluster. Outflow speeds and line strengths do not depend on metallicity for our sample ([Fe/H]= -0.7 to -3.0), suggesting the driving mechanism for these winds derives from magnetic and/or hydrodynamic processes. Gas outflows are present in every luminous giant, but are not detected in all stars of lower luminosity indicating possible variability. Mass loss rates ranging from ~3 × 10-10 to ~6 × 10-8 M sun yr-1 estimated from the Sobolev approximation for line formation represent values with evolutionary significance for red giants and RHB stars. We estimate that 0.2 M sun will be lost on the RGB, and the torque of this wind can account for observations of slowly rotating RHB stars in the field. About 0.1-0.2 M sun will be lost on the RHB itself. This first empirical determination of mass loss on the RHB may contribute to the appearance of extended horizontal branches in globular clusters. The spectra appear to resolve the problem of missing intracluster material in globular clusters. Opportunities exist for "wind smothering" of dwarf stars by winds from the evolved population, possibly leading to surface pollution in regions of high stellar density. Data presented herein were obtained at the W. M. Keck Observatory, which is operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Observatory was made possible by the generous financial support of the W. M. Keck Foundation.

Coupling of the coronal helium abundance to the solar wind

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hansteen, Viggo H.; Leer, Egil; Holzer, Thomas E.

1994-01-01

Models of the transition region-corona-solar wind system are investigated in order to find the coronal helium abundance and to study the role played by coronal helium in controlling the solar wind proton flux. The thermal force on alpha-particles in the transition region sets the flow of helium into the corona. The frictional coupling between alpha-particles and protons and/or the electric polarization field determines the proton flux in the solar wind as well as the fate of the coronal helium content. The models are constructed by solving the time-dependent population and momentum equations for all species of hydrogen and helium in an atmosphere with a given temperature profile. Several temperature profiles are considered in order to very the roles of frictional coupling and electric polarization field in the solar wind, and the thermal force in the transition region. Steady-state solutions are found for coronae with a hydrogen flux at 1 AU of 1.0 x 10(exp 9)/cm(exp 2)/sec or larger. For coronae with lower hydrogen fluxes, the helium flux into the corona is larger than the flux 'pulled out' by the solar wind protons, and solutions with increasing coronal helium content are found. The timescale for forming a helium-filled corona, that may allow for a steady outflow, is long compared to the mixing time for the corona.

Dynamos in asymptotic-giant-branch stars as the origin of magnetic fields shaping planetary nebulae.

PubMed

Blackman, E G; Frank, A; Markiel, J A; Thomas, J H; Van Horn, H M

2001-01-25

Planetary nebulae are thought to be formed when a slow wind from the progenitor giant star is overtaken by a subsequent fast wind generated as the star enters its white dwarf stage. A shock forms near the boundary between the winds, creating the relatively dense shell characteristic of a planetary nebula. A spherically symmetric wind will produce a spherically symmetric shell, yet over half of known planetary nebulae are not spherical; rather, they are elliptical or bipolar in shape. A magnetic field could launch and collimate a bipolar outflow, but the origin of such a field has hitherto been unclear, and some previous work has even suggested that a field could not be generated. Here we show that an asymptotic-giant-branch (AGB) star can indeed generate a strong magnetic field, having as its origin a dynamo at the interface between the rapidly rotating core and the more slowly rotating envelope of the star. The fields are strong enough to shape the bipolar outflows that produce the observed bipolar planetary nebulae. Magnetic braking of the stellar core during this process may also explain the puzzlingly slow rotation of most white dwarf stars.

Space Plasma Physics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wu, S. T.

2000-01-01

Dr. James L. Horwitz and R. Hugh Comfort's studies with the high altitude TIDE data have been progressing well. We concluded a study on the relationship of polar cap ion properties observed by TIDE near apogee with solar wind and IMF conditions. We found that in general H+ did not correlate as well as O+ with solar wind and IMF parameters. O+ density correlated(sub IMF), and Kp. At lower solar wind speeds, O+ density decreased with increasing latitude, but this trend was not observed at higher solar wind speeds. By comparing these results with results from other studies of O+ in different parts of the magnetosphere, we concluded that O+ ions often leave the ionosphere near the foot point of the cusp/cleft region, pass through the high-altitude polar cap lobes, and eventually arrive in the plasma sheet. We found that H+ outflows are a persistent feature of the polar cap and are not as dependent on the geophysical conditions; even classical polar wind models show H+ ions readily escaping owing to their low mass. Minor correlations with solar wind drivers were found; specifically, H+ density correlated best with IMF By, V(sub sw)B(sub IMF), and ESW(sub sw).

Large eddy simulation of dust-uplift by haboob density currents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Q.

2017-12-01

Cold pool outflows have been shown from both observations and convection-permitting models to be a dominant source of dust uplift ("haboobs") in the summertime Sahel and Sahara, and to cause dust uplift over deserts across the world. In this paper large eddy model (LEM) simulations, which resolve the turbulence within the cold-pools much better than previous studies of haboobs which have used convection-permitting models, are used to investigate the winds that cause dust uplift in cold pools, and the resultant dust uplift and transport. Dust uplift largely occurs in the head of the density current, consistent with the few existing observations. In the modeled density current dust is largely restricted to the lowest coldest and well mixed layer of the cold pool outflow (below around 400 m), except above the head of the cold pool where some dust reaches 2.5 km. This rapid transport to high altitude will contribute to long atmospheric lifetimes of large dust particles from haboobs. Decreasing the model horizontal grid-spacing from 1.0 km to 100 m resolves more turbulence, locally increasing winds, increasing mixing and reducing the propagation speed of the density current. Total accumulated dust uplift is approximately twice as large in 1.0 km runs compared with 100 m runs, suggesting that for studying haboobs in convection-permitting runs the representation of turbulence and mixing is significant. Simulations with surface sensible heat fluxes representative of those from a desert region in daytime show that increasing surface fluxes slow the density current due to increased mixing, but increase dust uplift rates, due to increased downward transport of momentum to the surface.

Impacts of auroral current systems on ionospheric upflow/outflow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burleigh, M.; Zettergren, M. D.; Lynch, K. A.; Lessard, M.; Harrington, M.; Varney, R. H.; Reimer, A.

2017-12-01

The downward current region of an auroral current system often contains large perpendicular DC electric fields. These DC electric fields frictionally heat the local ion population resulting in anisotropic increases in ion temperature that cause large pressure gradients which push the ions outward and upward. These ions may undergo further acceleration from transverse heating by broadband ELF waves and at high altitudes the mirror force can propel ions to escape velocities, resulting in outflow to the magnetosphere. Despite these processes being generally well-known, ion outflow remains difficult to predict due to the myriad of processes acting over a large range of altitudes and physical regimes. The resulting temperature anisotropies, which are known to be able to affect upflow, have an unclear degree of impact in highly variable situations like substorm expansions on the nightside or PMAFs/FTEs on the dayside.In this study we use an anisotropic fluid model, GEMINI-TIA, to examine detailed features of temperature anisotropies and resulting ion downflows/upflows/outflows occurring during the ISINGLASS and RENU2 sounding rocket campaigns. GEMINI-TIA is a 2D ionospheric model is based on a truncated 16-moment description and solves the conservation of mass, momentum, parallel energy, and perpendicular energy for species relevant to the E, F, and topside ionospheric regions. This model encapsulates ionospheric upflow and outflow processes through the inclusion of DC electric fields, and empirical descriptions of heating by soft electron precipitation and BBELF waves. The fluid transport equations are accompanied by an electrostatic current continuity equation to self-consistently describe auroral electric fields. Data used to constrain the model can include perpendicular electric fields, characteristic energy, and total energy flux from incoherent scatter radar, any available neutral density and wind measurements, and precipitating electron fluxes. Results from these constrained simulations are compared against in-situ observations. This allows for the ionospheric temperature anisotropies, which are notoriously difficult to observe, and their impacts on ion upflow response due to auroral drivers to be evaluated by enforcing realistic temporal and spatial dependencies on the drivers.

Dynamic Agents of Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Coupling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Khazanov, George V.; Rowland, Douglas E.; Moore, Thomas E.; Collier, Michael

2011-01-01

VISIONS sounding rocket mission (VISualizing Ion Outflow via Neutral atom imaging during a Substorm) has been awarded to NASA/GSFC (PI Rowland) in order to provide the first combined remote sensing and in situ measurements of the regions where ion acceleration to above 5 e V is occurring, and of the sources of free energy and acceleration mechanisms that accelerate the ions. The key science question of VISIONS is how, when, and where, are ions accelerated to escape velocities in the auroral zone below 1000 km, following substorm onset? Sources of free energy that power this ion acceleration process include (but not limited) electron precipitation, field-aligned currents, velocity shears, and Alfvenic Poynting flux. The combine effect of all these processes on ionospheric ion outflows will be investigated in a framework of the kinetic model that has been developed by Khazanov et al. in order to study the polar wind transport in the presence of photoelectrons.

Intraseasonal flow and its impact on the chlorophyll-a concentration in the Sunda Strait and its vicinity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Tengfei; Li, Shujiang; Hamzah, Faisal; Setiawan, Agus; Susanto, R. Dwi; Cao, Guojiao; Wei, Zexun

2018-06-01

Sunda Strait is the outflow strait of the South China Sea branch of the Pacific to Indian Ocean Throughflow. The annual mean volume transport through the Sunda Strait is around 0.25 Sv from the Java Sea to the eastern Indian Ocean, only 2.5% of the IndonesianThroughflow, and thus has been ignored by previous investigations. However, the Nutrient concentrations in the Sunda Strait and its vicinity are found highly related to the water transport through the Sunda Strait. Particularly, our observation shows significant intraseasonal variability (ISV) of currents at period around 25-45 days in the Sunda Strait. Both remote and local wind forcing contribute to the ISVs in the Sunda Strait. The intraseasonal oscillation of sea surface wind in the central Indian Ocean drives upwelling/downwelling equatorial Kelvin waves to propagate along the equator and subsequently along the Sumatra-Java coasts, resulting in negative/positive sea level anomalies in the south of the Sunda Strait. The local intraseasonal sea surface wind anomalies also tend to induce negative/positive sea level anomalies in the south of the Sunda Strait by offshore/onshore Ekman transport while there are upwelling/downwelling events. The ensuring sea level gradient associated with the sea level anomalies in the south of the Sunda Strait induces intraseasonal outflow (from Indian Ocean to Java Sea) and inflow (from Java Sea to Indian Ocean) through the strait. Analyses also show that the chlorophyll-a concentrations in the south of the Sunda Strait are lower/higher during the inflow/outflow period of the ISV events in March through May. The mechanism attributes to both the nutrient-rich water transported by the intraseasonal flow in the Sunda Strait and by the upwelling and Ekman transport driven by the local sea surface wind anomalies.

Stratified Magnetically Driven Accretion-Disk Winds and Their Relations To Jets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fukumura, Keigo; Tombesi, Francesco; Kazanas, Demosthenes; Shrader, Chris; Behar, Ehud; Contopoulos, Ioannis

2013-01-01

We explore the poloidal structure of two-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) winds in relation to their potential association with the X-ray warm absorbers (WAs) and the highly ionized ultra-fast outflows (UFOs) in active galactic nuclei (AGNs), in a single unifying approach. We present the density n(r, theta), ionization parameter xi(r, theta), and velocity structure v(r, theta) of such ionized winds for typical values of their fluid-to-magnetic flux ratio, F, and specific angular momentum, H, for which wind solutions become super-Alfvenic. We explore the geometrical shape of winds for different values of these parameters and delineate the values that produce the widest and narrowest opening angles of these winds, quantities necessary in the determination of the statistics of AGN obscuration. We find that winds with smaller H show a poloidal geometry of narrower opening angles with their Alfv´en surface at lower inclination angles and therefore they produce the highest line of sight (LoS) velocities for observers at higher latitudes with the respect to the disk plane. We further note a physical and spatial correlation between the X-ray WAs and UFOs that form along the same LoS to the observer but at different radii, r, and distinct values of n, xi, and v consistent with the latest spectroscopic data of radio-quiet Seyfert galaxies. We also show that, at least in the case of 3C 111, the winds' pressure is sufficient to contain the relativistic plasma responsible for its radio emission. Stratified MHD disk winds could therefore serve as a unique means to understand and unify the diverse AGN outflows.

Stratified Magnetically Driven Accretion-disk Winds and Their Relations to Jets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fukumura, Keigo; Tombesi, Francesco; Kazanas, Demosthenes; Shrader, Chris; Behar, Ehud; Contopoulos, Ioannis

2014-01-01

We explore the poloidal structure of two-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) winds in relation to their potential association with the X-ray warm absorbers (WAs) and the highly ionized ultra-fast outflows (UFOs) in active galactic nuclei (AGNs), in a single unifying approach. We present the density n(r, θ), ionization parameter ξ(r, θ), and velocity structure v(r, θ) of such ionized winds for typical values of their fluid-to-magnetic flux ratio, F, and specific angular momentum, H, for which wind solutions become super-Alfvénic. We explore the geometrical shape of winds for different values of these parameters and delineate the values that produce the widest and narrowest opening angles of these winds, quantities necessary in the determination of the statistics of AGN obscuration. We find that winds with smaller H show a poloidal geometry of narrower opening angles with their Alfvén surface at lower inclination angles and therefore they produce the highest line of sight (LoS) velocities for observers at higher latitudes with the respect to the disk plane. We further note a physical and spatial correlation between the X-ray WAs and UFOs that form along the same LoS to the observer but at different radii, r, and distinct values of n, ξ, and v consistent with the latest spectroscopic data of radio-quiet Seyfert galaxies. We also show that, at least in the case of 3C 111, the winds' pressure is sufficient to contain the relativistic plasma responsible for its radio emission. Stratified MHD disk winds could therefore serve as a unique means to understand and unify the diverse AGN outflows.

Arcsecond Resolution Mapping of Sulfur Dioxide Emission in the Circumstellar Envelope of VY Canis Majoris

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, Roger R.; Moullet, Arielle; Patel, Nimesh A.; Biersteker, John; Derose, Kimberly L.; Young, Kenneth H.

2012-02-01

We report Submillimeter Array observations of SO2 emission in the circumstellar envelope (CSE) of the red supergiant VY Canis Majoris, with an angular resolution of ≈1''. SO2 emission appears in three distinct outflow regions surrounding the central continuum peak emission that is spatially unresolved. No bipolar structure is noted in the sources. A fourth source of SO2 is identified as a spherical wind centered at the systemic velocity. We estimate the SO2 column density and rotational temperature assuming local thermal equilibrium (LTE) as well as perform non-LTE radiative transfer analysis using RADEX. Column densities of SO2 are found to be ~1016 cm-2 in the outflows and in the spherical wind. Comparison with existing maps of the two parent species OH and SO shows the SO2 distribution to be consistent with that of OH. The abundance ratio f_{SO_{2}}/f_{SO} is greater than unity for all radii larger than 3 × 1016 cm. SO2 is distributed in fragmented clumps compared to SO, PN, and SiS molecules. These observations lend support to specific models of circumstellar chemistry that predict f_{SO_{2}}/f_{SO}>1 and may suggest the role of localized effects such as shocks in the production of SO2 in the CSE.

A Numerical Study of Nonlinear Nonhydrostatic Conditional Symmetric Instability in a Convectively Unstable Atmosphere.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seman, Charles J.

1994-06-01

Nonlinear nonhydrostatic conditional symmetric instability (CSI) is studied as an initial value problem using a two-dimensional (y, z)nonlinear, nonhydrostatic numerical mesoscale/cloud model. The initial atmosphere for the rotating, baroclinic (BCF) simulation contains large convective available potential energy (CAPE). Analytical theory, various model output diagnostics, and a companion nonrotating barotropic (BTNF) simulation are used to interpret the results from the BCF simulation. A single warm moist thermal initiates convection for the two 8-h simulations.The BCF simulation exhibited a very intricate life cycle. Following the initial convection, a series of discrete convective cells developed within a growing mesoscale circulation. Between hours 4 and 8, the circulation grew upscale into a structure resembling that of a squall-line mesoscale convective system (MCS). The mesoscale updrafts were nearly vertical and the circulation was strongest on the baroclinically cool side of the initial convection, as predicted by a two-dimensional Lagrangian parcel model of CSI with CAPE. The cool-side mesoscale circulation grew nearly exponentially over the last 5 h as it slowly propagated toward the warm air. Significant vertical transport of zonal momentum occurred in the (multicellular) convection that developed, resulting in local subgeostrophic zonal wind anomalies aloft. Over time, geostrophic adjustment acted to balance these anomalies. The system became warm core, with mesohigh pressure aloft and mesolow pressure at the surface. A positive zonal wind anomaly also formed downstream from the mesohigh.Analysis of the BCF simulation showed that convective momentum transport played a key role in the evolution of the simulated MCS, in that it fostered the development of the nonlinear CSI on mesoscale time scales. The vertical momentum transport in the initial deep convection generated a subgeostrophic zonal momentum anomaly aloft; the resulting imbalance in pressure gradient and Coriolis forces accelerated the meridional outflow toward the baroclinically cool side, transporting zonal momentum horizontally. The vertical (horizontal) momentum transport occurred on a convective (inertial) time scale. Taken together, the sloping convective updraft/cool side outflow represents the release of the CSI in the convectively unstable atmosphere. Further diagnostics showed that mass transports in the horizontal outflow branch ventilated the upper levels of the system, with enhanced mesoscale lifting in the core and on the leading edge of the MCS, which assisted in convective redevelopments on mesoscale time scales. Geostrophic adjustment acted to balance the convectively generated zonal momentum anomalies, thereby limiting the strength of the meridional outflow predicted by CSI theory. Circulation tendency diagnostics showed that the mesoscale circulation developed in response to thermal wind imbalances generated by the deep convection.Comparison of the BCF and BTNF simulations showed that baroclinicity enhanced mesoscale circulation growth. The BTNF circulation was more transient on mesoscale time and space scales. Overall, the BCF system produced more rainfall than the BTNF.Based on the present and past work in CSI theory, a new definition for the term `slantwise convection' is proposed.

Inversion Build-Up and Cold-Air Outflow in a Small Alpine Sinkhole

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lehner, Manuela; Whiteman, C. David; Dorninger, Manfred

2017-06-01

Semi-idealized model simulations are made of the nocturnal cold-air pool development in the approximately 1-km wide and 100-200-m deep Grünloch basin, Austria. The simulations show qualitatively good agreement with vertical temperature and wind profiles and surface measurements collected during a meteorological field expedition. A two-layer stable atmosphere forms in the basin, with a very strong inversion in the lowest part, below the approximate height of the lowest gap in the surrounding orography. The upper part of the stable layer is less strongly stratified and extends to the approximate height of the second-lowest gap. The basin atmosphere cools most strongly during the first few hours of the night, after which temperatures decrease only slowly. An outflow of air forms through the lowest gap in the surrounding orography. The outflow connects with a weak inflow of air through a gap on the opposite sidewall, forming a vertically and horizontally confined jet over the basin. Basin cooling shows strong sensitivity to surface-layer characteristics, highlighting the large impact of variations in vegetation and soil cover on cold-air pool development, as well as the importance of surface-layer parametrization in numerical simulations of cold-air-pool development.

The small observed scale of AGN-driven outflows, and inside-out disc quenching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zubovas, Kastytis; King, Andrew

2016-11-01

Observations of massive outflows with detectable central active galactic nuclei (AGN) typically find them within radii ≲10 kpc. We show that this apparent size restriction is a natural result of AGN driving if this process injects total energy only of the order of the gas binding energy to the outflow, and the AGN varies over time (`flickers') as suggested in recent work. After the end of all AGN activity, the outflow continues to expand to larger radii, powered by the thermal expansion of the remnant-shocked AGN wind. We suggest that on average, outflows should be detected further from the nucleus in more massive galaxies. In massive gas-rich galaxies, these could be several tens of kpc in radius. We also consider the effect that pressure of such outflows has on a galaxy disc. In moderately gas-rich discs, with gas-to-baryon fraction <0.2, the outflow may induce star formation significant enough to be distinguished from quiescent by an apparently different normalization of the Kennicutt-Schmidt law. The star formation enhancement is probably stronger in the outskirts of galaxy discs, so coasting outflows might be detected by their effects upon the disc even after the driving AGN has shut off. We compare our results to the recent inference of inside-out quenching of star formation in galaxy discs.

Compact objects at the heart of outflows in large and small systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sell, Paul Harrison

2013-12-01

This thesis focuses on studying and assessing high-energy feedback generated by both stellar mass and supermassive compact objects. From these two perspectives, I help bridge the gap in understanding how jets and winds can transform their much larger environments in thousands to millions of years, astronomically short timescales. I have acquired X-ray and optical data that aim to elucidate the role these objects play in powering parsec-scale shockwaves in the ISM and in driving kiloparsec-scale outflows in galaxies. I present Chandra X-ray imaging, Hubble Space Telescope imaging, and WIYN Hydra multi-object optical spectroscopic observations. The data reveal the morphologies of the systems and constrain on a range of interesting parameters: power, outflow velocity, density, accretion efficiency, and timescale. My analysis provides perspective on the importance of black holes, both large and small, and neutron stars for driving outflows into the interstellar and intergalactic medium. On kiloparsec scales, I explore the nature of what appear to be merging or recently merging post-starburst galaxies with very high-velocity winds. This work is part of a multiwavelength effort to characterize the niche these galaxies fill in the larger scheme of galaxy evolution. My focus is on the accretion activity of the coalescing supermassive black holes in their cores. This work leads us to compare the relative importance of a massive starburst to the supermassive black holes in the cores of the galaxies. On parsec scales, I present case studies of two prominent microquasars, Galactic X-ray binaries with jets, Circinus X-1 and Cygnus X-1. In the case of Circinus X-1, I present very deep follow-up observations of parsec-scale shock plumes driven by a powerful, bipolar jet. In the case of Cygnus X-1, I present follow-up observations to probe a recently discovered outflow near the binary. I calculate robust, physically motivated limits on the total power needed to drive the outflows in both of these systems.

Sulfur Chemistry in the Envelope of VY Canis Majoris: Detailed Analysis of SO and SO2 Emission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adande, G. R.; Edwards, J. L.; Ziurys, L. M.

2013-11-01

Detailed radiative transfer modeling has been carried out for SO2 and SO originating in the envelope of the O-rich supergiant star VY Canis Majoris (VY CMa). A total of 27 transitions of SO2 and 7 transitions of SO lying in the energy range 3.0-138.2 cm-1 were analyzed using a new non-LTE radiative transfer code that incorporates non-spherical geometries. The spectra were primarily obtained from the Arizona Radio Observatory (ARO) 1 mm spectral survey of VY CMa, conducted with the Submillimeter Telescope; additional lines were measured with the ARO 12 m antenna at 2 and 3 mm. SO2 and SO were found to arise from five distinct outflows within the envelope, four which are asymmetric with respect to the star. Three flows arise from high-velocity red-shifted material, one from a blue-shifted wind, and the final from a classic "spherical" expansion. In the spherical component, the peak fractional abundance, relative to H2, of both molecules is f ~ 2.5 × 10-7 at r ~ 25 R *, and steadily decreases outward. SO2 appears to be a "parent" molecule, formed near the stellar photosphere. In the asymmetric outflows, both SO and SO2 are more prominent at large stellar radii in dense (106-107 cm-3), clumpy material, achieving their maximum abundance between 200 and 600 R * with f ~ 3.0 × 10-8-1.5 × 10-7. These results suggest that in the collimated outflows, both species are either produced by shock chemistry or are remnant inner shell material swept up in the high-velocity winds.

Strong disk winds traced throughout outbursts in black-hole X-ray binaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tetarenko, B. E.; Lasota, J.-P.; Heinke, C. O.; Dubus, G.; Sivakoff, G. R.

2018-02-01

Recurring outbursts associated with matter flowing onto compact stellar remnants (such as black holes, neutron stars and white dwarfs) in close binary systems provide a way of constraining the poorly understood accretion process. The light curves of these outbursts are shaped by the efficiency of angular-momentum (and thus mass) transport in the accretion disks, which has traditionally been encoded in a viscosity parameter, α. Numerical simulations of the magneto-rotational instability that is believed to be the physical mechanism behind this transport yield values of α of roughly 0.1–0.2, consistent with values determined from observations of accreting white dwarfs. Equivalent viscosity parameters have hitherto not been estimated for disks around neutron stars or black holes. Here we report the results of an analysis of archival X-ray light curves of 21 outbursts in black-hole X-ray binaries. By applying a Bayesian approach to a model of accretion, we determine corresponding values of α of around 0.2–1.0. These high values may be interpreted as an indication either of a very high intrinsic rate of angular-momentum transport in the disk, which could be sustained by the magneto-rotational instability only if a large-scale magnetic field threads the disk, or that mass is being lost from the disk through substantial outflows, which strongly shape the outburst in the black-hole X-ray binary. The lack of correlation between our estimates of α and the accretion state of the binaries implies that such outflows can remove a substantial fraction of the disk mass in all accretion states and therefore suggests that the outflows correspond to magnetically driven disk winds rather than thermally driven ones, which require specific radiative conditions.

Strong disk winds traced throughout outbursts in black-hole X-ray binaries.

PubMed

Tetarenko, B E; Lasota, J-P; Heinke, C O; Dubus, G; Sivakoff, G R

2018-02-01

Recurring outbursts associated with matter flowing onto compact stellar remnants (such as black holes, neutron stars and white dwarfs) in close binary systems provide a way of constraining the poorly understood accretion process. The light curves of these outbursts are shaped by the efficiency of angular-momentum (and thus mass) transport in the accretion disks, which has traditionally been encoded in a viscosity parameter, α. Numerical simulations of the magneto-rotational instability that is believed to be the physical mechanism behind this transport yield values of α of roughly 0.1-0.2, consistent with values determined from observations of accreting white dwarfs. Equivalent viscosity parameters have hitherto not been estimated for disks around neutron stars or black holes. Here we report the results of an analysis of archival X-ray light curves of 21 outbursts in black-hole X-ray binaries. By applying a Bayesian approach to a model of accretion, we determine corresponding values of α of around 0.2-1.0. These high values may be interpreted as an indication either of a very high intrinsic rate of angular-momentum transport in the disk, which could be sustained by the magneto-rotational instability only if a large-scale magnetic field threads the disk, or that mass is being lost from the disk through substantial outflows, which strongly shape the outburst in the black-hole X-ray binary. The lack of correlation between our estimates of α and the accretion state of the binaries implies that such outflows can remove a substantial fraction of the disk mass in all accretion states and therefore suggests that the outflows correspond to magnetically driven disk winds rather than thermally driven ones, which require specific radiative conditions.

Shocks and Molecules in Protostellar Outflows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arce, Héctor

2014-06-01

As protostars form through the gravitational infall of material from their parent molecular cloud, they power energetic bipolar outflows that interact with the surrounding medium. Protostellar outflows are important to the chemical evolution of star forming regions, as the shocks produced by the interaction of the high-velocity protostellar wind and the ambient cloud can heat the surrounding medium and trigger chemical and physical processes that would otherwise not take place in a quiescent molecular cloud. Protostellar outflows, are therefore a great laboratory to study shock physics and shock-induced chemistry. I will present results from millimeter-wave observations of a small sample of outflow shocks. The spectra show clear evidence of the existence of complex organic molecules (e.g., methyl formate, ethanol, acetaldehyde) and high abundance of certain simple molecules (e.g., HCO^+, HCN, H_2O) in outflows. Results indicate that, most likely, the complex species formed on the surface of grains and were then ejected from the grain mantles by the shock. Spectral surveys of shocked regions using ALMA could therefore be used to probe the composition of dust in molecular clouds. Our results demonstrate that outflows modify the chemical composition of the surrounding gaseous environment and that this needs to be considered when using certain species to study active star forming regions.

Optical hydrogen absorption consistent with a bow shock around the hot Jupiter HD 189733 b

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cauley, P. Wilson; Redfield, Seth; Jensen, Adam G.; Barman, Travis; Endl, Michael; Cochran, William D.

Hot Jupiters, i.e., Jupiter-mass planets with orbital semi major axes of <10 stellar radii, can interact strongly with their host stars. If the planet is moving supersonically through the stellar wind, a bow shock will form ahead of the planet where the planetary magnetosphere slams into the the stellar wind or where the planetary outflow and stellar wind meet. Here we present high resolution spectra of the hydrogen Balmer lines for a single transit of the hot Jupiter HD 189733 b. Transmission spectra of the Balmer lines show strong absorption ~70 minutes before the predicted optical transit, implying a significant column density of excited hydrogen orbiting ahead of the planet. We show that a simple geometric bow shock model is able to reproduce the important features of the absorption time series while simultaneously matching the line profile morphology. Our model suggests a large planetary magnetic field strength of ~28 G. Follow-up observations are needed to confirm the pre-transit signal and investigate any variability in the measurement.

Characteristics of a dry, pulsating microburst at Denver Stapleton Airport

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Proctor, Fred H.

1994-01-01

This study examines the influence of ambient vertical wind shear on microburst intensity, asymmetry, and translation. Results show that microburst asymmetry is influenced by the magnitude of the low-level ambient vertical shear. The microburst outflow elongates in the direction of the shear vector (which is not necessarily in the direction of translation), and generates the greatest hazard (for commercial jet transports) along paths orthogonal to the shear vector. The model results also show that the asymmetry increases with increasing shear magnitude. One implication of these results concerns the detection of a microburst by a ground-based doppler systems. These systems may underestimate the hazard for landing and departing aircraft that are on trajectories orthogonal to both the sensor beam and shear vector, especially if the magnitude of the shear is large. Another implication is that microburst are more likely to be asymmetrical in regions (seasons) where there is climatologically a significant low-level shear. The model results also show that the rotor microbursts and severe wind damage can be a product of the microburst interaction with strong ambient wind shear.

Quasar Outflows and AGN Feedback in the Extreme UV: HST/COS Observations of QSO HE0238-1904

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arav, Nahum; Borguet, B.; Chamberlain, C.; Edmonds, D.; Danforth, C.

2014-01-01

Spectroscopic observations of quasar outflows at rest-frame 500-1000 Angstrom have immense diagnostic power. We present analyses of such data, where absorption troughs from three important ions are measured: first, O IV and O IV* that allow us to obtain the distance of high ionization outflows from the AGN; second, Ne VIII and Mg X that are sensitive to the very high ionization phase of the outflow. Their inferred column densities, combined with those of troughs from O VI, N IV, and H I, yield two important results: 1) The outflow shows two ionization phases, where the high ionization phase carries the bulk of the material. This is similar to the situation seen in x-ray warm absorber studies. Furthermore, the low ionization phase is inferred to have a volume filling factor of 10^(-5)-10^(-6). 2) From the O IV to O IV* column density ratio, and the knowledge of the ionization parameter, we determine a distance of 3000 pc. from the outflow to the central source. Since this is a typical high ionization outflow, we can determine robust values for the mass flux and kinetic luminosity of the outflow: 40 solar masses per year and 10^45 ergs/s, respectively, where the latter is roughly equal to 1% of the bolometric luminosity. Such a large kinetic luminosity and mass flow rate measured in a typical high ionization wind suggests that quasar outflows are a major contributor to AGN feedback mechanisms.

Fast Ionized X-ray Absorbers in AGNs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fukumura, K.; Tombesi, F.; Kazanas, D.; Shrader, C.; Behar, E.; Contopoulos, I.

2015-07-01

We present a study of X-ray ionization of MHD accretion-disk wind models in an effort to explain the highly-ionized ultra-fast outflows (UFOs) identified as X-ray absorbers recently detected in various sub-classes of Seyfert AGNs. Our primary focus is to show that magnetically-driven outflows are physically plausible candidates to account for the AGN X-ray spectroscopic observations. We calculate its X-ray ionization and the ensuing X-ray absorption line spectra in comparison with an XXM-Newton/EPIC spectrum of the narrow-line Seyfert AGN, PG 1211+143. We find, through identifying the detected features with Fe Kα transitions, that the absorber has a characteristic ionization parameter of log(xi[erg cm/s]) = 5-6 and a hydrogen-equivalent column density on the order of 1e23 cm-2, outflowing at a sub-relativistic velocity of v/c = 0.1-0.2. The best-fit model favors its radial location at R = 200 Rs (Rs is the Schwarzschild radius), with a disk inner truncation radius at Rt = 30Rs. The overall K-shell feature in data is suggested to be dominated by Fe XXV with very little contribution from Fe XXVI and weakly-ionized iron, which is in a good agreement with a series of earlier analysis of the UFOs in various AGNs including PG 1211+143.

Model for the broadband Crab nebula spectrum with injection of a log-parabola electron distribution at the wind termination shock

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fraschetti, F.; Pohl, M.

2017-10-01

We develop a model of the steady-state spectrum of the Crab nebula encompassing both the radio/soft X-ray and the GeV/multi-TeV observations. By solving the transport equation for TeV electrons injected at the wind termination shock as a log-parabola momentum distribution and evolved via energy losses, we determine analytically the resulting photon differential energy spectrum. We find an impressive agreement with the observations in the synchrotron region. The predicted synchrotron self-Compton accommodates the previously unsolved origin of the broad 200 GeV peak that matches the Fermi/LAT data beyond 1 GeV with the MAGIC data. A natural interpretation of the deviation from power-law of the photon spectrum customarily fit with empirical broken power-laws is provided. This model can be applied to the radio-to- multi-TeV spectra of a variety of astrophysical outflows, including pulsar wind nebulae and supernova remnants. We also show that MeV-range energetic particle distribution at interplanetary shocks typically fit with broken-power laws or Band function can be accurately reproduced by log-parabolas.

The Red Sea outflow regulated by the Indian monsoon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aiki, Hidenori; Takahashi, Keiko; Yamagata, Toshio

2006-08-01

To investigate why the Red Sea water overflows less in summer and more in winter, we have developed a locally high-resolution global OGCM with transposed poles in the Arabian peninsula and India. Based on a series of sensitivity experiments with different sets of idealized atmospheric forcing, the present study shows that the summer cessation of the strait outflow is remotely induced by the monsoonal wind over the Indian Ocean, in particular that over the western Arabian Sea. During the southwest monsoon (May-September), thermocline in the Gulf of Aden shoals as a result of coastal Ekman upwelling induced by the predominantly northeastward wind in the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. Because this shoaling is maximum during the southwest summer monsoon, the Red Sea water is blocked at the Bab el Mandeb Strait by upwelling of the intermediate water of the Gulf of Aden in late summer. The simulation also shows the three-dimensional evolution of the Red Sea water tongue at the mid-depths in the Gulf of Aden. While the tongue meanders, the discharged Red Sea outflow water (RSOW) (incoming Indian Ocean intermediate water (IOIW)) is always characterized by anticyclonic (cyclonic) vorticity, as suggested from the potential vorticity difference.

The Influence of Galactic Outflows on the Formation of Nearby Dwarf Galaxies.

PubMed

Scannapieco; Ferrara; Broadhurst

2000-06-10

We show that the gas in growing density perturbations is vulnerable to the influence of winds outflowing from nearby collapsed galaxies that have already formed stars. This suggests that the formation of nearby galaxies with masses less, similar10(9) M( middle dot in circle) is likely to be suppressed, irrespective of the details of galaxy formation. An impinging wind may shock-heat the gas of a nearby perturbation to above the virial temperature, thereby mechanically evaporating the gas, or the baryons may be stripped from the perturbation entirely if they are accelerated to above the escape velocity. We show that baryonic stripping is the most effective of these two processes, because shock-heated clouds that are too large to be stripped are able to radiatively cool within a sound crossing time, limiting evaporation. The intergalactic medium temperatures and star formation rates required for outflows to have a significant influence on the formation of low-mass galaxies are consistent with current observations, but may soon be examined directly via associated distortions in the cosmic microwave background and with near-infrared observations from the Next Generation Space Telescope, which may detect the supernovae from early-forming stars.

Evidence for Ultra-Fast Outflows in Radio-Quiet AGNs. 2; Detailed Photoionization Modeling of Fe K-Shell Absorption Lines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tombesi, Francesco; Clapp, M.; Reeves, J. N.; Palumbo, G. G. C.; Braito, V.; Dadina, M.

2011-01-01

X-ray absorption line spectroscopy has recently shown evidence for previously unknown Ultra-fast Outflows (UFOs) in radio-quiet AGNs. In the previous paper of this series we defined UFOs as those absorbers with an outflow velocity higher than 10,000km/s and assessed the statistical significance of the associated blue shifted FeK absorption lines in a large sample of 42 local radio-quiet AGNs observed with XMM-Newton. In the present paper we report a detailed curve of growth analysis and directly model the FeK absorbers with the Xstar photo-ionization code. We confirm that the frequency of sources in the radio-quiet sample showing UFOs is >35%. The outflow velocity distribution spans from \\sim10,000km/s (\\sim0.03c) up to \\siml00,000kmis (\\sim0.3c), with a peak and mean value of\\sim42,000km/s (\\sim0.14c). The ionization parameter is very high and in the range log\\xi 3-6 erg s/cm, with a mean value of log\\xi 4.2 erg s/cm. The associated column densities are also large, in the range N_H\\siml0(exp 22)-10(exp 24)/sq cm, with a mean value of N_H\\siml0(exp23)/sq cm. We discuss and estimate how selection effects, such as those related to the limited instrumental sensitivity at energies above 7keV, may hamper the detection of even higher velocities and higher ionization absorbers. We argue that, overall, these results point to the presence of extremely ionized and possibly almost Compton thick outflowing material in the innermost regions of AGNs. This also suggests that UFOs may potentially play a significant role in the expected cosmological feedback from AGNs and their study can provide important clues on the connection between accretion disks, winds and jets.

A disk wind in AB Aurigae traced with Hα interferometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perraut, K.; Dougados, C.; Lima, G. H. R. A.; Benisty, M.; Mourard, D.; Ligi, R.; Nardetto, N.; Tallon-Bosc, I.; ten Brummelaar, T.; Farrington, C.

2016-11-01

Context. A crucial issue in star formation is understanding the physical mechanism by which mass is accreted onto and ejected by a young star, then collimated into jets. Hydrogen lines are often used to trace mass accretion in young stars, but recent observations suggest that they could instead trace mass outflow in a disk wind. Aims: Obtaining direct constraints on the HI line formation regions is crucial in order to disentangle the different models. We present high angular and spectral resolution observations of the Hα line of the Herbig Ae star AB Aur to probe the origin of this line at sub-AU scales, and to place constraints on the geometry of the emitting region. Methods: We use the visible spectrograph VEGA at the CHARA long-baseline optical array to resolve the AB Aur circumstellar environment from spectrally resolved interferometric measurements across the Hα emission line. We developed a 2D radiative transfer model to fit the emission line profile and the spectro-interferometric observables. The model includes the combination of a Blandford & Payne magneto-centrifugal disk wind and a magnetospheric accretion flow. Results: We measure a visibility decrease within the Hα line, indicating that we clearly resolve the Hα formation region. We derive a Gaussian half width at half maximum between 0.05 and 0.15 AU in the core of the line, which indicates that the bulk of the Hα emission has a size scale intermediate between the disk inner truncation radius and the dusty disk inner rim. A clear asymmetric differential phase signal is found with a minimum of -30° ± 15° towards the core of the line. We show that these observations are in general agreement with predictions from a magneto-centrifugal disk wind arising from the innermost regions of the disk. Better agreement, in particular with the differential phases, is found when a compact magnetospheric accretion flow is included. Conclusions: We resolve the Hα formation region in a young accreting intermediate mass star and show that both the spectroscopic and interferometric measurements can be reproduced well by a model where the bulk of Hα forms in a MHD disk wind arising from the innermost regions of the accretion disk. These findings support similar results recently obtained in the Brγ line and confirm the importance of outflows in the HI line formation processes in young intermediate mass stars. Based on observations made with the VEGA/CHARA instrument.

Long-range pollution transport during the MILAGRO-2006 campaign: a case study of a major Mexico City outflow event using free-floating altitude-controlled balloons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Voss, P. B.; Zaveri, R. A.; Flocke, F. M.; Mao, H.; Hartley, T. P.; Deamicis, P.; Deonandan, I.; Contreras-Jiménez, G.; Martínez-Antonio, O.; Figueroa Estrada, M.; Greenberg, D.; Campos, T. L.; Weinheimer, A. J.; Knapp, D. J.; Montzka, D. D.; Crounse, J. D.; Wennberg, P. O.; Apel, E.; Madronich, S.; de Foy, B.

2010-02-01

One of the major objectives of the Megacities Initiative: Local And Global Research Observations (MILAGRO-2006) campaign was to investigate the long-range transport of polluted Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) outflow and determine its downwind impacts on air quality and climate. Six research aircraft, including the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) C-130, made extensive chemical, aerosol, and radiation measurements above MCMA and more than 1000 km downwind in order to characterize the evolution of the outflow as it aged and dispersed over the Mesa Alta and Gulf of Mexico. As part of this effort, free-floating Controlled-Meteorological (CMET) balloons, commanded to change altitude via satellite, made repeated profile measurements of winds and state variables within the advecting outflow. In this paper, we present an analysis based on the data from two CMET balloons that were launched near Mexico City on the afternoon of 18 March 2006 and floated downwind with the MCMA pollution for nearly 30 h. The repeating profile measurements show the evolving structure of the outflow in considerable detail: its stability and stratification, interaction with other air masses, mixing episodes, and dispersion into the regional background. Air parcel trajectories, computed directly from the balloon wind profiles, show three different transport pathways on 18-19 March: (a) high-altitude advection of the top of the MCMA mixed layer, (b) mid-level outflow over the Sierra Madre Oriental followed by decoupling and isolated transport over the Gulf, and (c) low-altitude outflow with entrainment into a cleaner westerly jet below the plateau. The C-130 aircraft intercepted the balloon-based trajectories three times on 19 March, once along each of these pathways. In all three cases, distinct peaks in the urban tracer signatures and LIDAR backscatter imagery were consistent with MCMA pollution. The coherence of the high-altitude outflow was well preserved after one day whereas that lower in the atmosphere was more widely dispersed over the same time period. Other C-130 intercepts of polluted air are shown to have likely originated outside of MCMA. These findings, and the aircraft intercepts in particular, should prove useful in answering a range of scientific questions pertaining to the transport, transformation, and downwind impacts of megacity air pollution.

AGN Outflow Shocks on Bonnor–Ebert Spheres

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dugan, Zachary; Silk, Joseph; Rahman, Mubdi

Feedback from active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and subsequent jet cocoons and outflow bubbles can have a significant impact on star formation in the host galaxy. To investigate feedback physics on small scales, we perform hydrodynamic simulations of realistically fast AGN winds striking Bonnor–Ebert spheres and examine gravitational collapse and ablation. We test AGN wind velocities ranging from 300 to 3000 km s{sup −1} and wind densities ranging from 0.5 to 10 m {sub p} cm{sup −3}. We include heating and cooling of low- and high-temperature gas, self-gravity, and spatially correlated perturbations in the shock, with a maximum resolution of 0.01more » pc. We find that the ram pressure is the most important factor that determines the fate of the cloud. High ram pressure winds increase fragmentation and decrease the star formation rate, but they also cause star formation to occur on a much shorter timescale and with increased velocities of the newly formed stars. We find a threshold ram pressure of ∼2 × 10{sup −8} dyn cm{sup −2} above which stars are not formed because the resulting clumps have internal velocities large enough to prevent collapse. Our results indicate that simultaneous positive and negative feedback will be possible in a single galaxy, as AGN wind parameters will vary with location within a galaxy.« less

Discovery of Suprathermal Fe+ in and near Earth's Magnetosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christon, S. P.; Hamilton, D. C.; Plane, J. M. C.; Mitchell, D. G.; Grebowsky, J. M.; Spjeldvik, W. N.; Nylund, S. R.

2017-12-01

Suprathermal (87-212 keV/e) singly charged iron, Fe+, has been observed in and near Earth's equatorial magnetosphere using long-term ( 21 years) Geotail/STICS ion composition data. Fe+ is rare compared to dominant suprathermal solar wind and ionospheric origin heavy ions. Earth's suprathermal Fe+ appears to be positively associated with both geomagnetic and solar activity. Three candidate lower-energy sources are examined for relevance: ionospheric outflow of Fe+ escaped from ion layers altitude, charge exchange of nominal solar wind Fe+≥7, and/or solar wind transported inner source pickup Fe+ (likely formed by solar wind Fe+≥7 interaction with near sun interplanetary dust particles, IDPs). Semi-permanent ionospheric Fe+ layers form near 100 km altitude from the tons of IDPs entering Earth's atmosphere daily. Fe+ scattered from these layers is observed up to 1000 km altitude, likely escaping in strong ionospheric outflows. Using 26% of STICS's magnetosphere-dominated data at low-to-moderate geomagnetic activity levels, we demonstrate that solar wind Fe charge exchange secondaries are not an obvious Fe+ source then. Earth flyby and cruise data from Cassini/CHEMS, a nearly identical instrument, show that inner source pickup Fe+ is likely not important at suprathermal energies. Therefore, lacking any other candidate sources, it appears that ionospheric Fe+ constitutes at least an important portion of Earth's suprathermal Fe+, comparable to observations at Saturn where ionospheric origin suprathermal Fe+ has also been observed.

Chemical content of the circumstellar envelope of the oxygen-rich AGB star R Doradus. Non-LTE abundance analysis of CO, SiO, and HCN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van de Sande, M.; Decin, L.; Lombaert, R.; Khouri, T.; de Koter, A.; Wyrowski, F.; De Nutte, R.; Homan, W.

2018-01-01

Context. The stellar outflows of low- to intermediate-mass stars are characterised by a rich chemistry. Condensation of molecular gas species into dust grains is a key component in a chain of physical processes that leads to the onset of a stellar wind. In order to improve our understanding of the coupling between the micro-scale chemistry and macro-scale dynamics, we need to retrieve the abundance of molecules throughout the outflow. Aims: Our aim is to determine the radial abundance profile of SiO and HCN throughout the stellar outflow of R Dor, an oxygen-rich AGB star with a low mass-loss rate. SiO is thought to play an essential role in the dust-formation process of oxygen-rich AGB stars. The presence of HCN in an oxygen-rich environment is thought to be due to non-equilibrium chemistry in the inner wind. Methods: We analysed molecular transitions of CO, SiO, and HCN measured with the APEX telescope and all three instruments on the Herschel Space Observatory, together with data available in the literature. Photometric data and the infrared spectrum measured by ISO-SWS were used to constrain the dust component of the outflow. Using both continuum and line radiative transfer methods, a physical envelope model of both gas and dust was established. We performed an analysis of the SiO and HCN molecular transitions in order to calculate their abundances. Results: We have obtained an envelope model that describes the dust and the gas in the outflow, and determined the abundance of SiO and HCN throughout the region of the stellar outflow probed by our molecular data. For SiO, we find that the initial abundance lies between 5.5 × 10-5 and 6.0 × 10-5 with respect to H2. The abundance profile is constant up to 60 ± 10 R∗, after which it declines following a Gaussian profile with an e-folding radius of 3.5 ± 0.5 × 1013 cm or 1.4 ± 0.2 R∗. For HCN, we find an initial abundance of 5.0 × 10-7 with respect to H2. The Gaussian profile that describes the decline starts at the stellar surface and has an e-folding radius re of 1.85 ± 0.05 × 1015 cm or 74 ± 2 R∗. Conclusions: We cannot unambiguously identify the mechanism by which SiO is destroyed at 60 ± 10 R∗. The initial abundances found are higher than previously determined (except for one previous study on SiO), which might be due to the inclusion of higher-J transitions. The difference in abundance for SiO and HCN compared to high mass-loss rate Mira star IK Tau might be due to different pulsation characteristics of the central star and/or a difference in dust condensation physics.

New Insights into the Puzzling P-Cygni Profiles of Magnetic Massive Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erba, Christiana; David-Uraz, Alexandre; Petit, Véronique; Owocki, Stanley P.

2017-11-01

Magnetic massive stars comprise approximately 10% of the total OB star population. Modern spectropolarimetry shows these stars host strong, stable, large-scale, often nearly dipolar surface magnetic fields of 1 kG or more. These global magnetic fields trap and deflect outflowing stellar wind material, forming an anisotropic magnetosphere that can be probed with wind-sensitive UV resonance lines. Recent HST UV spectra of NGC 1624-2, the most magnetic O star observed to date, show atypically unsaturated P-Cygni profiles in the Civ resonant doublet, as well as a distinct variation with rotational phase. We examine the effect of non-radial, magnetically-channeled wind outflow on P-Cygni line formation, using a Sobolev Exact Integration (SEI) approach for direct comparison with HST UV spectra of NGC 1624-2. We demonstrate that the addition of a magnetic field desaturates the absorption trough of the P-Cygni profiles, but further efforts are needed to fully account for the observed line profile variation. Our study thus provides a first step toward a broader understanding of how strong magnetic fields affect mass loss diagnostics from UV lines.

MULTIPLE OUTFLOWS IN THE GIANT ERUPTION OF A MASSIVE STAR

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Humphreys, Roberta M.; Gordon, Michael S.; Jones, Terry J.

The supernova impostor PSN J09132750+7627410 in NGC 2748 reached a maximum luminosity of ≈−14 mag. It was quickly realized that it was not a true supernova, but another example of a nonterminal giant eruption. PSN J09132750+7627410 is distinguished by multiple P Cygni absorption minima in the Balmer emission lines that correspond to outflow velocities of −400, −1100, and −1600 km s{sup −1}. Multiple outflows have been observed in only a few other objects. In this paper we describe the evolution of the spectrum and the P Cygni profiles for 3 months past maximum, the post-maximum formation of a cool, densemore » wind, and the identification of a possible progenitor. One of the possible progenitors is an infrared source. Its pre-eruption spectral energy distribution suggests a bolometric luminosity of −8.3 mag and a dust temperature of 780 K. If it is the progenitor, it is above the AGB limit, unlike the intermediate-luminosity red transients. The three P Cygni profiles could be due to ejecta from the current eruption, the wind of the progenitor, or previous mass-loss events. We suggest that they were all formed as part of the same high-mass-loss event and are due to material ejected at different velocities or energies. We also suggest that multiple outflows during giant eruptions may be more common than reported.« less

A Compton-thick Wind in the High Luminosity Quasar, PDS 456

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reeves, J. N.; O'Brien, P. T.; Behar, E.; Miller, L.; Turner, T. J.; Braito, V.; Fabian, A. C.; Kaspi, S.; Mushotzky, R.; Ward, M.

2009-01-01

PDS 456 is a nearby (z=0.184), luminous (L(sub bol) approximately equal to 10(exp 47) ergs(exp -1) type I quasar. A deep 190 ks Suzaku observation in February 2007 revealed the complex, broad band X-ray spectrum of PDS 456. The Suzaku spectrum exhibits highly statistically significant absorption features near 9 keV in the quasar rest-frame. We show that the most plausible origin of the absorption is from blue-shifted resonance (1s-2p) transitions of hydrogen-like iron (at 6.97 keV in the rest frame). This indicates that a highly ionized outflow may be present moving at near relativistic velocities (0.26-0.31c). A possible hard X-ray excess is detected above 15 keV with HXD (at 99.8% confidence), which may arise from high column density gas (N(sub H) greater than 10(exp 24)cm(exp -2) partially covering the X-ray emission, or through strong Compton reflection. Here we propose that the iron K-shell absorption in PDS 456 is associated with a thick, possibly clumpy outflow, covering about 20% of 4(pi) steradian solid angle. The outflow is likely launched from the inner accretion disk, within 15-100 gravitational radii of the black hole. The kinetic power of the outflow may be similar to the bolometric luminosity of PDS 456. Such a powerful wind could have a significant effect on the co-evolution of the host galaxy and its supermassive black hole, through feedback.

Probing the Physics of Core-Collapse Supernovae and Ultra-Relativistic Outflows using Pulsar Wind Nebulae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gelfand, Joseph

Core-collapse supernovae, the powerful explosions triggered by the gravitational collapse of massive stars, play an important role in evolution of star-forming galaxies like our Milky Way. Not only do these explosions eject the outer envelope of the progenitor star with extremely high velocities, creating a supernova remnant (SNR), the rotational energy of the resultant neutron star powers an ultra-relativistic outflow called a pulsar wind which creates a pulsar wind nebula (PWN) as it expands into its surroundings. Despite almost a century of study, many fundamental questions remain, including: How is a neutron star formed during a core-collapse supernova? How are particles created in the neutron star magnetosphere? How are particles accelerated to the PeV energies inside PWNe? Answering these questions requires measuring the properties of the progenitor star and pulsar wind for a diverse collection of neutron stars. Currently, this is best done by studying those PWNe inside a SNR, since their evolution is very sensitive to the initial spin period of the neutron star, the mass and initial kinetic energy of the supernova ejecta, and the magnetization and particle spectrum of the pulsar wind - quantities critical for answering the above questions. To this end, we propose to measure these properties for 17 neutron stars whose spin-down inferred dipole surface magnetic field strengths and characteristic ages differ by 1.5 orders of magnitude by fitting the broadband spectral energy distribution (SED) and dynamical properties of their associated PWNe with a model for the dynamical and spectral evolution of a PWN inside SNR. To do so, we will first re-analyze all archival X-ray (e.g., XMM, Chandra, INTEGRAL, NuSTAR) and gamma-ray (e.g., Fermi-LAT Pass 8) data on each PWN to ensure consistent measurements of the volume-integrated properties (e.g., X-ray photon index and unabsorbed flux, GeV spectrum) needed for this analysis. Additionally, we will use a Markoff Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm to search the entire parameter space - allowing us to both determine the statistical and systematic errors of the derived quantities and make testable predictions for future observations. The results of this investigation are relevant to many areas of astrophysics. Particle acceleration occurs in many magnetized relativistic outflows, from active galactic nuclei to gamma-ray bursts, and insight into the acceleration mechanism present in PWNe would be directly applicable to these systems. Additionally, our modeling with help us determine if PWNe are the origin of the anomalous population of GeV cosmic ray electrons and positrons often theorized to be the result of decaying dark matter. Lastly, PWNe are expected to be an important class of sources for next-generation observatories like ATHENA, the Square Kilometer Array, and the Cherenkov Telescope Array, and our modeling will provide valuable insight into what can and cannot be discovered using these telescopes. This work directly address NASA's strategic objective to advance understanding of the fundamental physics of the universe by studying the behavior of matter and energy in extreme environments.

Line-driven winds revisited in the context of Be stars: Ω-slow solutions with high k values

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Silaj, J.; Jones, C. E.; Curé, M.

2014-11-01

The standard, or fast, solutions of m-CAK line-driven wind theory cannot account for slowly outflowing disks like the ones that surround Be stars. It has been previously shown that there exists another family of solutions—the Ω-slow solutions—that is characterized by much slower terminal velocities and higher mass-loss rates. We have solved the one-dimensional m-CAK hydrodynamical equation of rotating radiation-driven winds for this latter solution, starting from standard values of the line force parameters (α, k, and δ), and then systematically varying the values of α and k. Terminal velocities and mass-loss rates that are in good agreement with those foundmore » in Be stars are obtained from the solutions with lower α and higher k values. Furthermore, the equatorial densities of such solutions are comparable to those that are typically assumed in ad hoc models. For very high values of k, we find that the wind solutions exhibit a new kind of behavior.« less

Infrared Spectro-Interferometry of Massive Stars: Disks, Winds, Outflows, and Stellar Multiplicity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kraus, Stefan

2007-06-01

Interferometry is the ultimate technology for overcoming the limitations which diffraction and the atmosphere-induced seeing impose on the resolution achievable with ground-based telescopes. The latest generation of long-baseline interferometric instruments (in particular VLTI/AMBER and VLTI/MIDI), combines the high spatial resolution (typically a few milliarcseconds) with spectroscopic capabilities, allowing one to characterize the geometry of a continuum-emitting region over a wide spectral range or to spatially resolve the emitting region of Doppler-broadened spectral lines in many velocity channels. One branch of astrophysics which might particularly benefit from these advances in technology is the study of massive (O-B type) stars. In order to characterize these stars and their companions and to study accretion and outflow processes in their vicinity with unprecedented angular resolution, we have performed interferometric studies on four key objects, representing the still most enigmatic evolutionary phases of massive stars; namely the pre-main-sequence (MWC 147, NGC 7538 IRS1, Theta 1 Orionis C) and the post-main-sequence phase (Eta Carinae). MWC 147: As indicated by its strong infrared excess, this young Herbig Be star (B6-type) is still associated with residual material from its formation; maybe arranged in a circumstellar disk. In order to investigate the geometry of the material, we combined, for the first time, long-baseline spectro-interferometric observations at near- (NIR) and mid-infrared (MIR) wavelengths (using VLTI/AMBER, VLTI/MIDI, and archival PTI data). Fitting analytic models to the obtained interferometric data revealed a significant elongation of the continuum-emitting region. For a physical interpretation, we modeled the geometry of the dust distribution using 2-D radiative transfer simulations of Keplerian disks with and without a puffed-up inner rim, simultaneously fitting the wavelength-dependent visibilities and the SED, which we complemented with archival Spitzer/IRS spectra. Surprisingly, we found that passive disk models, which can reproduce the SED well, are in strong conflict with the interferometric data. However, when including emission from an optically thick inner gaseous disk, good quantitative agreement was found for all observables, suggesting that MWC 147 harbours a still actively accreting disk. NGC 7538 IRS1/2: NGC 7538 IRS1 is a high-mass (O7-type) protostar with a CO outflow, an associated ultracompact H II region, and a linear methanol maser structure, which might trace a Keplerian-rotating circumstellar disk. We investigated the NIR morphology of the source with unprecedented resolution using NIR bispectrum speckle interferometry obtained at the BTA 6 m and the MMT 6.5 m telescopes. Our high-dynamic range images show fan-shaped outflow structures, in which we detected 18 stars and several blobs of diffuse emission. Complementary archival Spitzer/IRAC images were used to relate the detected structures with the outflow at larger scales. We found a misalignment of various outflow axes and interpreted this in the context of a disk precession model, also using molecular hydrodynamic simulations. As a possible triggering mechanism, we identified non-coplanar tidal interaction of an (yet undiscovered) close companion with the circumbinary disk. Finally, our observations resolved the nearby massive protostar NGC 7538 IRS2 as a close binary with a separation of 195 mas, finding indications for shock interaction between the outflows from IRS1 and IRS2. Theta 1 Orionis C/D: Located in the Orion Trapezium Cluster, Theta 1 C is one of the youngest and nearest high-mass (O5-O7) stars. The star is also known to be a close binary system. We traced the orbital motion from 1997.8 to 2004.8 using visual and NIR bispectrum speckle interferometry at the BTA 6 m telescope. In 2005.9, we obtained first IOTA long-baseline interferometry on the Theta 1 C system, allowing us to derive preliminary solutions for the dynamical orbit and the dynamical mass. Taking the measured flux ratio and the derived location in the HR-diagram into account, we estimated the spectral types and masses of Theta 1 Ori C1 and C2 to be O5.5 (M=34.0 M_sun) and O9.5 (M=15.5 M_sun), respectively. Thus, the companion C2 appears to be much more massive than previously thought, suggesting strong wind-wind interaction during the periastron passage, which we predict for epoch 2007.5 with a small physical separation of only approx. 1.5 AU. From the IOTA data on Theta 1 Ori C, we reconstructed the first optical aperture synthesis image of a young star. We also obtained IOTA data for Theta 1 Ori D, which appears resolved, perhaps indicating the presence of a close, faint companion. Eta Carinae: Using VLTI/AMBER, we performed the first NIR spectro-interferometry of the Luminous Blue Variable (LBV) Eta Car, simultaneously obtaining high spatial and spectral resolutions (R=1,500 and 12,000). The measured wavelength-dependent visibilities, differential phases, and closure phases were used to constrain the geometry of the continuum-emitting region, as well as the Br Gamma 2.166 micron and He I 2.059 micron line-emitting region. We compared the measured visibilities with predictions of the radiative transfer model of Hillier et al. (2001), finding good agreement. For the interpretation of the non-zero differential and closure phases measured within the Br Gamma line, we present a simple geometric model of an inclined, latitude-dependent wind zone. Thus, our observations support theoretical models of anisotropic winds from fast-rotating, luminous hot stars with enhanced high-velocity mass loss near the polar regions. In the He I line, we measured non-zero phases as well, indicating asymmetries in the brightness distribution, which we discuss in the context of wind-wind interaction between Eta Car and its hypothetical hot binary companion. Using simulations, we examined the possibility to directly detect this companion in future observations. Besides these astrophysical results of my dissertation, I present work related to methodological and technical aspects of infrared interferometry. The principles of a data reduction software developed for IOTA/IONIC3 and a pipeline for VLTI/AMBER are discussed. Furthermore, I summarize comparative studies which aim to evaluate the performance of different image reconstruction algorithms in order to explore the prospects and limitations of optical aperture synthesis imaging.

FE K EMISSION AND ABSORPTION FEATURES IN THE XMM-EPIC SPECTRUM OF THE SEYFERT GALAXY IC 4329A

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Markowitz, A.; Reeves, J. N.; Braito, V.

2001-01-01

We present a re-analysis of the XMM-Newton long-look of the X-ray bright Seyfert galaxy IC 4329a. The Fe K bandpass is dominated by two peaks, consistent with emission from neutral or near-neutral Fe Ka and KP. A relativistic diskline model whereby both peaks are the result of one doubly-peaked diskline profile is found to be a poor description of the data. Models using two relativistic disklines are found to describe the emission profile well. A low-inclination, moderately-relativistic dual-diskline model is possible if the contribution from narrow components, due to distant material, is small or absent. A high-inclination, moderately relativistic profile for each peak is possible if there are roughly equal contributions from both the broad and narrow components. Upper limits on Fe XXV and Fe XXVI emission and absorption at the systemic velocity of IC 4329a are obtained. We also present the results of RXTE monitoring of this source obtained so far; the combined XMM-Newton and RXTE data sets allow us to explore the time-resolved spectral behavior of this source on time scales ranging from hours to 2 years. We find no strong evidence for variability of the Fe Ka emission line on any time scale probed, likely due to the minimal level of continuum variability. We detect a narrow absorption line, at a energy of 7.68 keV in the rest frame of the source; its significance has been confirmed using Monte Carlo simulations. This feature is most likely due to absorption from Fe XXVI blueshifted to approximately 0.1c relative to the systemic velocity, making IC 4329a the lowest-redshift AGN known with a high-velocity, highly-ionized outflow component. As is often the case with similar outflows seen in high-luminosity quasars, the estimated mass outflow rate is larger than the inflow accretion rate, signaling that the outflow represents a substantial portion of the total energy budget of the AGN. The outflow could arise from a radiatively-driven disk wind, or it may be in the form of a discrete, transient blob of ejected material.

The Accretion Disk Wind in the Black Hole GRS 1915 + 105

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, J.M.; Raymond, J.; Fabian, A. C.; Gallo, E.; Kaastra, J.; Kallman, T.; King, A. L.; Proga, D.; Reynolds, C. S.; Zoghbi, A.

2016-01-01

We report on a 120 kiloseconds Chandra/HETG spectrum of the black hole GRS 1915+105. The observation was made during an extended and bright soft state in 2015 June. An extremely rich disk wind absorption spectrum is detected, similar to that observed at lower sensitivity in 2007. The very high resolution of the third-order spectrum reveals four components to the disk wind in the Fe K band alone; the fastest has a blueshift of v = 0.03 c (velocity equals 0.03 the speed of light). Broadened reemission from the wind is also detected in the first-order spectrum, giving rise to clear accretion disk P Cygni profiles. Dynamical modeling of the re-emission spectrum gives wind launching radii of r approximately equal to 10 (sup 2-4) GM (Gravitational constant times Mass) divided by c (sup 2) (the speed of light squared). Wind density values of n approximately equal to 10 (sup 13-16) per cubic centimeter are then required by the ionization parameter formalism. The small launching radii, high density values, and inferred high mass outflow rates signal a role for magnetic driving. With simple, reasonable assumptions, the wind properties constrain the magnitude of the emergent magnetic field to be B approximately equal to 10 (sup 3-4) G (Gravitational constant) if the wind is driven via magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) pressure from within the disk and B approximately equal to 10 (sup 4-5) G (Gravitational constant) if the wind is driven by magnetocentrifugal acceleration. The MHD estimates are below upper limits predicted by the canonical alpha-disk model. We discuss these results in terms of fundamental disk physics and black hole accretion modes.

Ocean Mixed Layer Response to Gap Wind Scenarios

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-12-01

Kostas Rados for helpful discussions and MATLAB codes. • LT. Robin Corey Cherrett USN for advice and discussions. Professor Qing Wang, thank you...and the flow can extent for hundreds of miles (Clarke 1988, Cherrett 2006). The magnitude of these winds usually depends on the pressure gradient...was studied by Cherrett (2006) with the emphases on the atmospheric boundary layer and surface characteristics of the gap outflow region. Since our

GRB 011121: A Collimated Outflow into Wind-Blown Surroundings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greiner, J.; Klose, S.; Salvato, M.; Zeh, A.; Schwarz, R.; Hartmann, D. H.; Masetti, N.; Stecklum, B.; Lamer, G.; Lodieu, N.;

Solar wind influence on Jupiter's magnetosphere and aurora

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vogt, Marissa; Gyalay, Szilard; Withers, Paul

2016-04-01

Jupiter's magnetosphere is often said to be rotationally driven, with strong centrifugal stresses due to large spatial scales and a rapid planetary rotation period. For example, the main auroral emission at Jupiter is not due to the magnetosphere-solar wind interaction but is driven by a system of corotation enforcement currents that arises to speed up outflowing Iogenic plasma. Additionally, processes like tail reconnection are also thought to be driven, at least in part, by processes internal to the magnetosphere. While the solar wind is generally expected to have only a small influence on Jupiter's magnetosphere and aurora, there is considerable observational evidence that the solar wind does affect the magnetopause standoff distance, auroral radio emissions, and the position and brightness of the UV auroral emissions. We will report on the results of a comprehensive, quantitative study of the influence of the solar wind on various magnetospheric data sets measured by the Galileo mission from 1996 to 2003. Using the Michigan Solar Wind Model (mSWiM) to predict the solar wind conditions upstream of Jupiter, we have identified intervals of high and low solar wind dynamic pressure. We can use this information to quantify how a magnetospheric compression affects the magnetospheric field configuration, which in turn will affect the ionospheric mapping of the main auroral emission. We also consider whether there is evidence that reconnection events occur preferentially during certain solar wind conditions or that the solar wind modulates the quasi-periodicity seen in the magnetic field dipolarizations and flow bursts.

Ionospheric Outflow in the Magnetosphere: Circulation and Consequences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Welling, D. T.; Liemohn, M. W.

2017-12-01

Including ionospheric outflow in global magnetohydrodynamic models of near-Earth outer space has become an important step towards understanding the role of this plasma source in the magnetosphere. Such simulations have revealed the importance of outflow in populating the plasma sheet and inner magnetosphere as a function of outflow source characteristics. More importantly, these experiments have shown how outflow can control global dynamics, including tail dynamics and dayside reconnection rate. The broad impact of light and heavy ion outflow can create non-linear feedback loops between outflow and the magnetosphere. This paper reviews some of the most important revelations from global magnetospheric modeling that includes ionospheric outflow of light and heavy ions. It also introduces new advances in outflow modeling and coupling outflow to the magnetosphere.

Studying the outflow-core interaction with ALMA Cycle 1 observations of the HH 46/47 molecular outflow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yichen; Arce, Hector G.; Mardones, Diego; Dunham, Michael; Garay, Guido; Noriega-Crespo, Alberto; Corder, Stuartt; Offner, Stella; Cabrit, Sylvie

2016-01-01

We present ALMA Cycle 1 observations of the HH 46/47 molecular outflow which is driven by a low-mass Class 0/I protostar. Previous ALMA Cycle 0 12CO observation showed outflow cavities produced by the entrainment of ambient gas by the protostellar jet and wide-angle wind. Here we present analysis of observation of 12CO, 13CO, C18O and other species using combined 12m array and ACA observations. The improved angular resolution and sensitivity allow us to detect details of the outflow structure. Specially, we see that the outflow cavity wall is composed of two or more layers of outflowing gas, which separately connect to different shocked regions along the outflow axis inside the cavity, suggesting the outflow cavity wall is composed of multiple shells entrained by a series of jet bow-shock events. The new 13CO and C18O data also allow us to trace relatively denser and slower outflow material than that traced by the 12CO. These species are only detected within about 1 to 2 km/s from the cloud velocity, tracing the outflow to lower velocities than what is possible using only the 12CO emission. Interestingly, the cavity wall of the red lobe appears at very low outflow velocities (as low as ~0.2 km/s). In addition, 13CO and C18O allow us to correct for the CO optical depth, allowing us to obtain more accurate estimates of the outflow mass, momentum and kinetic energy. Applying the optical depth correction significantly increases the previous mass estimate by a factor of 14. The outflow kinetic energy distribution shows that even though the red lobe is mainly entrained by jet bow-shocks, most of the outflow energy is being deposited into the cloud at the base of the outflow cavity rather than around the heads of the bow shocks. The estimated total mass, momentum, and energy of the outflow indicate that the outflow has the ability to disperse the parent core. We found possible evidence for a slowly moving rotating outflow in CS. Our 13CO and C18O observations also trace a circumstellar envelope with both rotation and infall motions.

Luminous Infrared Galaxies. III. Multiple Merger, Extended Massive Star Formation, Galactic Wind, and Nuclear Inflow in NGC 3256

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lípari, S.; Díaz, R.; Taniguchi, Y.; Terlevich, R.; Dottori, H.; Carranza, G.

2000-08-01

We report detailed evidence for multiple merger, extended massive star formation, galactic wind, and circular/noncircular motions in the luminous infrared galaxy NGC 3256, based on observations of high-resolution imaging (Hubble Space Telescope, ESO NTT), and extensive spectroscopic data (more than 1000 spectra, collected at Estación Astrofísica de Bosque Alegre, Complejo Astronómico el Leoncito, Cerro Tololo InterAmerican Observatory, and IUE observatories). We find in a detailed morphological study (resolution ~15 pc) that the extended massive star formation process detected previously in NGC 3256 shows extended triple asymmetrical spiral arms (r~5 kpc), emanating from three different nuclei. The main optical nucleus shows a small spiral disk (r~500 pc), which is a continuation of the external one and reaches the very nucleus. The core shows blue elongated structure (50 pc×25 pc) and harbors a blue stellar cluster candidate (r~8 pc). We discuss this complex morphology in the framework of an extended massive star formation driven by a multiple merger process (models of Hernquist et al. and Taniguchi et al.). We study the kinematics of this system and present a detailed Hα velocity field for the central region (40''×40'' rmax~30''~5 kpc), with a spatial resolution of 1" and errors of +/-15 km s-1. The color and isovelocity maps show mainly (1) a kinematic center of circular motion with ``spider'' shape, located between the main optical nucleus and the close (5") mid-IR nucleus and (2) noncircular motions in the external parts. We obtained three ``sinusoidal rotation curves'' (from the Hα velocity field) around position angle (P.A.) ~55°, ~90°, and ~130°. In the main optical nucleus we found a clear ``outflow component'' associated with galactic winds plus an ``inflow radial motion.'' The outflow component was also detected in the central and external regions (r<=5-6 kpc). The main axis of the inflow region (P.A.~80deg) is practically perpendicular to the ouflow axis (at P.A.~160deg). We analyze in detail the physical conditions in the giant H II regions located in the asymmetric spiral arms, the two main optical nuclei, and the outflow component (using long-slit spectroscopy, plus standard models of photoionization, shocks, and starbursts). We present four detailed emission-line ratios (N II/Hα, S II/Hα, S II/S II), and FWHM (Hα) maps for the central region (30''×30'' rmax~22''~4 kpc), with a spatial resolution of 1". In the central region (r~5-6 kpc) we detected that the nuclear starburst and the extended giant H II regions (in the spiral arms) have very similar properties, i.e., high metallicity and low-ionization spectra, with Teff=35,000 K, solar abundance, a range of Te~6000-7000 K, and Ne~100-1000 cm-3. The nuclear and extended outflow shows properties typical of galactic wind/shocks, associated with the nuclear starburst. We suggest that the interaction between dynamical effects, the galactic wind (outflow), low-energy cosmic rays, and the molecular+ionized gas (probably in the inflow phase) could be the possible mechanism that generate the ``similar extended properties in the massive star formation, at a scale of 5-6 kpc!'' We have also studied the presence of the close merger/interacting systems NGC 3256C (at ~150 kpc, ΔV=-100 km s-1) and the possible association between the NGC 3256 and 3263 groups of galaxies. In conclusion, these results suggest that NGC 3256 is the product of a multiple merger, which generated an extended massive star formation process with an associated galactic wind plus a nuclear inflow. Therefore, NGC 3256 is another example in which the relation between mergers and extreme starburst (and the powerful galactic wind, ``multiple'' Type II supernova explosions) play an important role in the evolution of galaxies (the hypothesis of Rieke et al., Joseph et al., Terlevich et al., Heckman et al., and Lípari et al.). Based on observations obtained at the Hubble Space Telescope (HST; Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 [WFPC2] and NICMOS) satellite; International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) satellite; European Southern Observatory (ESO, NTT); Chile, Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), Chile; Complejo Astronómico el Leoncito (CASLEO), Argentina; Estación Astrofísica de Bosque Alegre (BALEGRE), Argentina.

Rapidly variable relatvistic absorption

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parker, M.; Pinto, C.; Fabian, A.; Lohfink, A.; Buisson, D.; Alston, W.; Jiang, J.

2017-10-01

I will present results from the 1.5Ms XMM-Newton observing campaign on the most X-ray variable AGN, IRAS 13224-3809. We find a series of nine absorption lines with a velocity of 0.24c from an ultra-fast outflow. For the first time, we are able to see extremely rapid variability of the UFO features, and can link this to the X-ray variability from the inner accretion disk. We find a clear flux dependence of the outflow features, suggesting that the wind is ionized by increasing X-ray emission.

Review of the theory of pulsar-wind nebulae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bucciantini, N.

2014-03-01

Pulsar-wind nebulae (PWNe) are ideal astrophysical laboratories where high energy relativistic phenomena can be investigated. They are close, well resolved in our observations, and the knowledge derived in their study has a strong impact in many other fields, from AGNs to GRBs. Yet there are still unresolved issues, that prevent us from a full clear understanding of these objects. The lucky combination of high resolution X-ray imaging and numerical codes to handle the outflow and dynamical properties of relativistic MHD, has opened a new avenue of investigation that has lead to interesting progressed in the last years. Despite all of these, we do not understand yet how particles are accelerated, and the functioning of the pulsar wind and pulsar magnetosphere, that power PWNe. I will review what is now commonly known as the MHD paradigm, and in particular I will focus on various approaches that have been and are currently used to model these systems. For each I will highlight its advantages and limitations, and degree of applicability.

The structure and dynamics of barrier jets along the southeast Alaskan coast

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olson, Joseph Benjamin

Coastal barrier jets along the complex orography of southeastern Alaska were investigated using high resolution observations and model simulations. Barrier jet events were sampled with the Wyoming King-Air research aircraft during the Southeastern Alaskan Regional Jet (SARJET) field experiment in 2004. These observations, combined with simulations of select cases by the Penn State-NCAR Mesoscale Model (MM5), were used to better understand barrier jet structure and dynamics. A suite of idealized simulations were used to put the case studies in perspective with a larger set of atmospheric conditions, while also evaluating previous theoretical and observational results. Two SARJET case studies were investigated along the tall and steep Fairweather Mountains near Juneau, Alaska. The first case (24 September 2004) was a classical barrier jet forced primarily by onshore flow and upslope adiabatic cooling, with maximum winds >30 m s-1 at the coast between 600-800 m ASL and an offshore extent of ˜60 km. In contrast, the hybrid jet (12 October 2004) was influenced by an offshore-directed gap flow at the coast, which produced a warm anomaly over the coast associated with downslope flow and a wind maximum (˜30 m s-1) that was displaced 30-40 km offshore at 500 m ASL. A sensitivity experiment in which the coastal mountain gap was filled led to a ˜40% reduction in the jet width, and the position of the jet maximum shifted ˜40 km to the coast, but the overall jet intensity remained approximately the same. The generality of these SARJET results was tested by generating a set of three-dimensional idealized MM5 simulations by varying wind speeds, wind directions, and static stabilities for the classical jet simulations, while incrementing the magnitude of the inland cold pool (instead of static stability) for hybrid jet simulations. The broad inland terrain was shown to impact the upstream winds by rotating them cyclonically to become more terrain-parallel within 500-1000 km of the coast. This reduced cross-barrier component acted to reduce the local Froude number of the impinging flow, thus enhancing the potential for flow blocking. Thus, the enhancement of the large-scale mountain anticyclone by the inland terrain acts to "precondition" the impinging flow for barrier jet development. The largest simulated wind speed enhancements (˜1.9-2.0) for the classic and hybrid jets occurred for low Froude numbers ( Fr), with a maximum at Fr ˜0.3-0.4. Low ambient wind speeds (10--15 m s-1) and southerly (170-180°) wind directions (˜30-45° from coast-parallel) were also ingredients for the largest wind speed enhancements. The widest barrier jets were found in simulations with ambient winds oriented nearly terrain-parallel (˜160°) with strong static stability (N > 0.01 s-1). Hybrid barrier jets were slightly wider than the classical, with the gap outflows acting to shift the position of the jet maximum further away from the coast. During periods of maximal gap outflow (hrs 6-18), the height of the jet maximums were typically lower than the classical simulations, since the hybrid jet maximum was located at the top of the shallow gap outflow. The jet height was most correlated with total wind speed, Utotal, and negatively correlated with static stability, N, suggesting that the height of the jet maximum approximately scales as U total/N, which is proportional to the vertical wavelength of a mountain wave. Finally, a detailed assessment of the usefulness of the previous linear theory and scale analysis on barrier jets was performed. The high Fr relationship (L = Nhm/ f) performed better than the low Fr relationship (L = Un/f) in determining the offshore extent of the barrier jet. The implementation of the dividing streamline concept of Sheppard's model for determining the proper blocking height (hd) resulted in a modified form (L = Nhd/ f), which improved the predictive skill. For the determination of maximum wind speeds, the high Fr relationship (DeltaV = Nhm) was found to be better correlated with the measured values than the low Fr relationship ( DeltaV = Un) throughout the full range of Fr. Two-dimensional linear theory performed poorly for Fr < 0.5. Modifications were made to these previous relationships to better account for the three dimensional winds, which helped to improve the estimated wind speed enhancements.

The impact of star formation feedback on the circumgalactic medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fielding, Drummond; Quataert, Eliot; McCourt, Michael; Thompson, Todd A.

2017-04-01

We use idealized 3D hydrodynamic simulations to study the dynamics and thermal structure of the circumgalactic medium (CGM). Our simulations quantify the role of cooling, stellar feedback driven galactic winds and cosmological gas accretion in setting the properties of the CGM in dark matter haloes ranging from 1011 to 1012 M⊙. Our simulations support a conceptual picture in which the properties of the CGM, and the key physics governing it, change markedly near a critical halo mass of Mcrit ≈ 1011.5 M⊙. As in calculations without stellar feedback, above Mcrit halo gas is supported by thermal pressure created in the virial shock. The thermal properties at small radii are regulated by feedback triggered when tcool/tff ≲ 10 in the hot gas. Below Mcrit, however, there is no thermally supported halo and self-regulation at tcool/tff ˜ 10 does not apply. Instead, the gas is out of hydrostatic equilibrium and largely supported against gravity by bulk flows (turbulence and coherent inflow/outflow) arising from the interaction between cosmological gas inflow and outflowing galactic winds. In these lower mass haloes, the phase structure depends sensitively on the outflows' energy per unit mass and mass-loading, which may allow measurements of the CGM thermal state to constrain the nature of galactic winds. Our simulations account for some of the properties of the multiphase halo gas inferred from quasar absorption line observations, including the presence of significant mass at a wide range of temperatures, and the characteristic O VI and C IV column densities and kinematics. However, we underpredict the neutral hydrogen content of the z ˜ 0 CGM.

A numerical study of circulation in the Gulf of Riga, Baltic Sea. Part I: Whole-basin gyres and mean currents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lips, Urmas; Zhurbas, Victor; Skudra, Maris; Väli, Germo

2016-01-01

A regional model of the Gulf of Riga (GoR) with horizontal grid spacing of 0.5 nautical miles was applied to study the features and driving forces of the whole-basin circulation in the GoR. The initial conditions and atmospheric forcing were taken from the operational models High Resolution Operational Model for the Baltic (HIROMB) and High Resolution Limited Area Model (HIRLAM), respectively. The wind stress curl is shown to be a major contributor to the whole-basin circulation pattern. An anticyclonic circulation pattern in the summer is determined by a combined effect of the negative wind stress curl, thermal density stratification and bottom topography. Positive values of the wind stress curl and a cyclonic circulation pattern prevail during the cold period of the year when seasonal thermocline is absent. During calm periods, the anticyclonic type of circulation is established due to a combined effect of the river runoff, saltier water inflow into and mixed water outflow from the GoR. Two seasonal baroclinic jet-like currents are identified in the summer: the Northward Longshore Current in the western GoR and Southward Subsurface Longshore Current in the eastern GoR. The alteration of the circulation pattern in the GoR from cyclonic in the cold period of the year to anticyclonic in the summer, and vice versa, was shown to be observed not every year due to inter-annual variability of wind forcing.

Exploring the Inner Acceleration Region of Solar Wind: A Study Based on Coronagraphic UV and Visible Light Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bemporad, A.

2017-09-01

This work combined coronagraphic visible light (VL) and UV data to provide with an unprecedented view of the inner corona where the nascent solar wind is accelerated. The UV (H I Lyα) and VL (polarized brightness) images (reconstructed with SOHO/UVCS, LASCO, and Mauna Loa data) have been analyzed with the Doppler dimming technique to provide for the first time daily 2D images of the radial wind speed between 1 and 6 R ⊙ over 1 month of observations. Results show that both polar and equatorial regions are characterized at the base of the corona by plasma outflows at speeds > 100 km s-1. The plasma is then decelerated within ˜1.5 R ⊙ at the poles and ˜2.0 R ⊙ at the equator, where local minima of the expansion speeds are reached, and gently reaccelerated higher up, reaching speeds typical of fast and slow wind components. The mass flux is highly variable with latitude and time at the equator and more uniform and stable over the poles. The polar flow is asymmetric, with speeds above the south pole lower than those above the north pole. A correlation (anticorrelation) between the wind speed and its density is found below (above) ˜1.8 R ⊙. The 2D distribution of forces responsible for deceleration and reacceleration of solar wind is provided and interpreted in terms of Alfvén waves. These results provide a possible connection between small-scale outflows reported with other instruments at the base of the corona and bulk wind flows measured higher up.

Pulsar wind nebulae created by fast-moving pulsars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kargaltsev, O.; Pavlov, G. G.; Klingler, N.; Rangelov, B.

2017-10-01

We review multiwavelength properties of pulsar wind nebulae created by supersonically moving pulsars and the effects of pulsar motion on the pulsar wind nebulae morphologies and the ambient medium. Supersonic pulsar wind nebulae are characterized by bow-shaped shocks around the pulsar and/or cometary tails filled with the shocked pulsar wind. In the past several years significant advances in supersonic pulsar wind nebula studies have been made in deep observations with the Chandra and XMM-Newton X-ray observatories and the Hubble Space Telescope. In particular, these observations have revealed very diverse supersonic pulsar wind nebula morphologies in the pulsar vicinity, different spectral behaviours of long pulsar tails, the presence of puzzling outflows misaligned with the pulsar velocity and far-UV bow shocks. Here we review the current observational status focusing on recent developments and their implications.

Observations of the Evolution of Ion Outflow During a Sawtooth Event

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lund, E. J.; Nowrouzi, N.; Kistler, L. M.; Cai, X.; Frey, H. U.

2015-12-01

Sawtooth oscillations are one of several convection modes known to exist in the magnetosphere. Recent simulations have suggested that O+^+ ions transported from the high-latitude ionosphere to the magnetotail can drive sawtooth events. We present observational case studies of sawtooth events using data from FAST near the noon-midnight meridional plane, Cluster in the magnetotail, GOES and LANL energetic particle sensors at geosynchronous orbit, and ACE solar wind data to investigate the evolution of ion outflow during sawtooth events and the question of whether O+^+ outflow from one tooth helps to drive subsequent teeth. We find that oxygen enters the tail from the lobes after each tooth onset, the oxygen fraction in the magnetotail often increases after a tooth onset, and that the oxygen fraction of outflowing ions increases after a tooth event both in the cusp and on the nightside. However, a significant amount of low energy oxygen (≲1 keV) can end up in the dayside inner magnetosphere.

The Surprising Absence of Absorption in the Far-ultraviolet Spectrum of Mrk 231

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Veilleux, S.; Trippe, M.; Hamann, F.; Rupke, D. S. N.; Tripp, T. M.; Netzer, H.; Lutz, D.; Sembach, K. R.; Krug, H.; Teng, Stacy H.;

Discovery of Suprathermal Ionospheric Origin Fe+ in and Near Earth's Magnetosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christon, S. P.; Hamilton, D. C.; Plane, J. M. C.; Mitchell, D. G.; Grebowsky, J. M.; Spjeldvik, W. N.; Nylund, S. R.

2017-11-01

Suprathermal (87-212 keV/e) singly charged iron, Fe+, has been discovered in and near Earth's 9-30 RE equatorial magnetosphere using 21 years of Geotail STICS (suprathermal ion composition spectrometer) data. Its detection is enhanced during higher geomagnetic and solar activity levels. Fe+, rare compared to dominant suprathermal solar wind and ionospheric origin heavy ions, might derive from one or all three candidate lower-energy sources: (a) ionospheric outflow of Fe+ escaped from ion layers near 100 km altitude, (b) charge exchange of nominal solar wind iron, Fe+≥7, in Earth's exosphere, or (c) inner source pickup Fe+ carried by the solar wind, likely formed by solar wind Fe interaction with near-Sun interplanetary dust particles. Earth's semipermanent ionospheric Fe+ layers derive from tons of interplanetary dust particles entering Earth's atmosphere daily, and Fe+ scattered from these layers is observed up to 1000 km altitude, likely escaping in strong ionospheric outflows. Using 26% of STICS's magnetosphere-dominated data when possible Fe+2 ions are not masked by other ions, we demonstrate that solar wind Fe charge exchange secondaries are not an obvious Fe+ source. Contemporaneous Earth flyby and cruise data from charge-energy-mass spectrometer on the Cassini spacecraft, a functionally identical instrument, show that inner source pickup Fe+ is likely not important at suprathermal energies. Consequently, we suggest that ionospheric Fe+ constitutes at least a significant portion of Earth's suprathermal Fe+, comparable to the situation at Saturn where suprathermal Fe+ is also likely of ionospheric origin.

Theory of High-Energy Emission from the Pulsar/Be Star System PSR 1259-63. I. Radiation Mechanisms and Interaction Geometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tavani, Marco; Arons, Jonathan

1997-03-01

We study the physical processes in the system containing the 47 ms radio pulsar PSR B1259-63 orbiting around a Be star in a highly eccentric orbit. This system is the only known binary where a radio pulsar is observed to interact with gaseous material from a Be star. A rapidly rotating radio pulsar such as PSR B1259-63 is expected to produce a wind of electromagnetic emission and relativistic particles, and this binary is an ideal astrophysical laboratory to study the mass outflow/pulsar interaction in a highly time-variable environment. Motivated by the results of a recent multiwavelength campaign during the 1994 January periastron passage of PSR B1259-63, we discuss several issues regarding the mechanism of high-energy emission. Unpulsed power-law emission from the PSR B1259-63 system was detected near periastron in the energy range 1-200 keV. The observed X-ray/soft γ-ray emission is characterized by moderate luminosity, small and constant column density, lack of detectable pulsations, and peculiar spectral and intensity variability. In principle, high-energy (X-ray and gamma-ray) emission from the system can be produced by different mechanisms including (1) mass accretion onto the surface of the neutron star, (2) ``propeller''-like magnetospheric interaction at a small pulsar distance, and (3) shock-powered emission in a pulsar wind termination shock at a large distance from the pulsar. We carry out a series of calculations aimed at modeling the high-energy data of the PSR B1259-63 system throughout its orbit and especially near periastron. We find that the observed high-energy emission from the PSR B1259-63 system is not compatible with accretion or propeller-powered emission. This conclusion is supported by a model based on standard properties of Be stars and for plausible assumptions about the pulsar/outflow interaction geometry. We find that shock-powered high-energy emission produced by the pulsar/outflow interaction is consistent with all the characteristics of the high-energy emission of the PSR B1259-63 system. This opens the possibility of obtaining for the first time constraints on the physical properties of the PSR B1259-63 pulsar wind and its interaction properties in a strongly time-variable nebular environment. By studying the time evolution of the pulsar cavity, we can constrain the magnitude and geometry of the mass outflow as the PSR B1259-63 orbits around its Be star companion. The pulsar/outflow interaction is most likely mediated by a collisionless shock at the internal boundary of the pulsar cavity. The system shows all the characteristics of a binary plerion being diffuse and compact near apastron and periastron, respectively. The PSR B1259-63 system is subject to different radiative regimes depending on whether synchrotron or inverse-Compton (IC) cooling dominates the radiation of electron/positron pairs (e+/- pairs) advected away from the inner boundary of the pulsar cavity. The highly nonthermal nature of the observed X-ray/soft γ-ray emission from the PSR B1259-63 system near periastron establishes the existence of an efficient particle acceleration mechanism within a timescale shown to be less than ~102-103 s. A synchrotron/IC model of emission of e+/- pairs accelerated at the inner shock front of the pulsar cavity and adiabatically expanding in the MHD flow provides an excellent explanation of the observed time-variable X-ray flux and spectrum from the PSR B1259-63 system. We find that the best model for the PSR B1259-63 system is consistent with the pulsar orbital plane being misaligned with the plane of a thick equatorial Be star outflow. The angular width of the equatorially enhanced Be star outflow is constrained to be ~50° at the pulsar distance, and the misalignment angle is >~25°. We calculate the intensity and spectrum of the high-energy emission for the whole PSR B1259-63 orbit and predict the characteristics of the emission near the apastron region based on the periastron results. The mass-loss rate is deduced to be approximately constant in time during a ~2 yr period. Our results for the Be star outflow of the PSR B1259-63 system are consistent with models of the radio eclipses near periastron. The consequences of our analysis have general validity. Our study of the PSR B1259-63 system shows that X-ray emission can be caused by a mechanism alternative to accretion in a system containing an energetic pulsar interacting with nebular material. This fact can have far-reaching consequences for the interpretation of galactic astrophysical systems showing nonthermal X-ray and γ-ray emission. We show that a binary system such as PSR B1259-63 offers a novel way to study the acceleration process of relativistic plasmas subject to strongly time variable radiative environments.

X-ray diagnostics of massive star winds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oskinova, L. M.; Ignace, R.; Huenemoerder, D. P.

2017-11-01

Observations with powerful X-ray telescopes, such as XMM-Newton and Chandra, significantly advance our understanding of massive stars. Nearly all early-type stars are X-ray sources. Studies of their X-ray emission provide important diagnostics of stellar winds. High-resolution X-ray spectra of O-type stars are well explained when stellar wind clumping is taking into account, providing further support to a modern picture of stellar winds as non-stationary, inhomogeneous outflows. X-ray variability is detected from such winds, on time scales likely associated with stellar rotation. High-resolution X-ray spectroscopy indicates that the winds of late O-type stars are predominantly in a hot phase. Consequently, X-rays provide the best observational window to study these winds. X-ray spectroscopy of evolved, Wolf-Rayet type, stars allows to probe their powerful metal enhanced winds, while the mechanisms responsible for the X-ray emission of these stars are not yet understood.

High-energy emission from the eclipsing millisecond pulsar PSR 1957+20

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arons, Jonathan; Tavani, Marco

1993-01-01

The properties of the high-energy emission expected from the eclipsing millisecond pulsar system PSR 1957+20 are investigated. Emission is considered by both the relativistic shock produced by the pulsar wind in the nebula surrounding the binary and by the shock constraining the mass outflow from the companion star of PSR 1957+20. On the basis of the results of microscopic plasma physical models of relativistic shocks it is suggested that the high-energy radiation is produced in the range from X-rays to MeV gamma rays in the binary and in the range from 0.01 eV to about 40 keV in the nebula. Doppler boost of the emission in the radiating wind suggests the flux should vary on the orbital time scale, with the largest flux observed roughly coincident with the pulsar's radio eclipse.

Galaxy evolution. Black hole feedback in the luminous quasar PDS 456.

PubMed

Nardini, E; Reeves, J N; Gofford, J; Harrison, F A; Risaliti, G; Braito, V; Costa, M T; Matzeu, G A; Walton, D J; Behar, E; Boggs, S E; Christensen, F E; Craig, W W; Hailey, C J; Matt, G; Miller, J M; O'Brien, P T; Stern, D; Turner, T J; Ward, M J

2015-02-20

The evolution of galaxies is connected to the growth of supermassive black holes in their centers. During the quasar phase, a huge luminosity is released as matter falls onto the black hole, and radiation-driven winds can transfer most of this energy back to the host galaxy. Over five different epochs, we detected the signatures of a nearly spherical stream of highly ionized gas in the broadband x-ray spectra of the luminous quasar PDS 456. This persistent wind is expelled at relativistic speeds from the inner accretion disk, and its wide aperture suggests an effective coupling with the ambient gas. The outflow's kinetic power larger than 10(46) ergs per second is enough to provide the feedback required by models of black hole and host galaxy coevolution. Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

A Multi-wavelength Study of an Isolated MSP Bow Shock

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romani, Roger W.; Slane, Patrick; Green, Andrew

2017-08-01

PSR J2124-3358 is the only single MSP known to sport an Halpha bow shock. This shock, now also seen in the UV, encloses an unusual X-ray pulsar wind nebula (PWN) with a long off-axis trail. Combining the X-ray and UV images with AAT/KOALA integral field spectroscopy of the Halpha emission, we have an unusually complete picture of the pulsar's (101 km/s transverse) motion and the latitudinal distribution of its wind flux. These images reveal the 3-D orientation of a hard-spectrum PWN jet and a softer equatorial outflow. Within the context of a thin shock model, we can constrain the total energy output of the pulsar and the neutron star moment of inertia. The IFU spectra show extreme Balmer dominance, which also constrains the nature of the UV shock emission.

Chandra Takes on Heavy Jets and Massive Winds in 4U 1630-47

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neilsen, Joey

2014-11-01

Recently, Díaz Trigo et al. reported the discovery of relativistic baryons in a jet in XMM/ATCA observations of the 2012 outburst of the black hole 4U 1630-47. We present a search for a similarly massive jet earlier in the same outburst using high-resolution X-ray spectra from the Chandra HETGS. Despite a detection of radio emission with ATCA, we find no evidence of a heavy jet in the X-ray spectrum, with tight upper limits on the relativistic emission lines seen by Díaz Trigo eight months later. Instead, we find deep absorption lines from a massive, highly ionized disk wind, whose properties can be probed with detailed photoionization models. We explore several scenarios to explain the two modes of massive outflow in this remarkable black hole system.

In-N-Out: The Gas Cycle from Dwarfs to Spiral Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christensen, Charlotte R.; Davé, Romeel; Governato, Fabio; Pontzen, Andrew; Brooks, Alyson; Munshi, Ferah; Quinn, Thomas; Wadsley, James

2016-06-01

We examine the scalings of galactic outflows with halo mass across a suite of 20 high-resolution cosmological zoom galaxy simulations covering halo masses in the range {10}9.5{--}{10}12 {M}⊙ . These simulations self-consistently generate outflows from the available supernova energy in a manner that successfully reproduces key galaxy observables, including the stellar mass-halo mass, Tully-Fisher, and mass-metallicity relations. We quantify the importance of ejective feedback to setting the stellar mass relative to the efficiency of gas accretion and star formation. Ejective feedback is increasingly important as galaxy mass decreases; we find an effective mass loading factor that scales as {v}{{circ}}-2.2, with an amplitude and shape that are invariant with redshift. These scalings are consistent with analytic models for energy-driven wind, based solely on the halo potential. Recycling is common: about half of the outflow mass across all galaxy masses is later reaccreted. The recycling timescale is typically ˜1 Gyr, virtually independent of halo mass. Recycled material is reaccreted farther out in the disk and with typically ˜2-3 times more angular momentum. These results elucidate and quantify how the baryon cycle plausibly regulates star formation and alters the angular momentum distribution of disk material across the halo mass range where most cosmic star formation occurs.

Analysis of the X-ray emission of nine Swift afterglows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panaitescu, A.; Mészáros, P.; Gehrels, N.; Burrows, D.; Nousek, J.

2006-03-01

The X-ray light curves of nine Swift XRT afterglows (050126, 050128, 050219A, 050315, 050318, 050319, 050401, 050408 and 050505) display a complex behaviour: a steep t-3.0+/-0.3 decay until ~400 s, followed by a significantly slower t-0.65+/-0.20 fall-off, which at 0.2-2 day after the burst evolves into a t-1.7+/-0.5 decay. We consider three possible models for the geometry of relativistic blast-waves (spherical outflows, non-spreading jets and spreading jets), two possible dynamical regimes for the forward shock (adiabatic and fully radiative), and we take into account a possible angular structure of the outflow and delayed energy injection in the blast-wave to identify the models which reconcile the X-ray light-curve decay with the slope of the X-ray continuum for each of the above three afterglow phases. By piecing together the various models for each phase in a way that makes physical sense, we identify possible models for the entire X-ray afterglow. The major conclusion of this work is that a long-lived episode of energy injection in the blast-wave, during which the shock energy increases at t1.0+/-0.5, is required for five afterglows and could be at work in the other four as well. For some afterglows, there may be other mechanisms that can explain the t < 400 s fast falling-off X-ray light curve (e.g. the large-angle gamma-ray burst emission), the 400 s to 5 h slow decay (e.g. a structured outflow), or the steepening at 0.2-2 day (e.g. a jet-break, a collimated outflow transiting from a wind with a r-3 radial density profile to a homogeneous or outward-increasing density region). Optical observations in conjunction with the X-ray can distinguish among these various models. Our simple tests allow the determination of the location of the cooling frequency relative to the X-ray domain and, thus, of the index of the electron power-law distribution with energy in the blast-wave. The resulting indices are clearly inconsistent with a universal value.

The SAMI Galaxy Survey: understanding observations of large-scale outflows at low redshift with EAGLE simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tescari, E.; Cortese, L.; Power, C.; Wyithe, J. S. B.; Ho, I.-T.; Crain, R. A.; Bland-Hawthorn, J.; Croom, S. M.; Kewley, L. J.; Schaye, J.; Bower, R. G.; Theuns, T.; Schaller, M.; Barnes, L.; Brough, S.; Bryant, J. J.; Goodwin, M.; Gunawardhana, M. L. P.; Lawrence, J. S.; Leslie, S. K.; López-Sánchez, Á. R.; Lorente, N. P. F.; Medling, A. M.; Richards, S. N.; Sweet, S. M.; Tonini, C.

2018-01-01

This work presents a study of galactic outflows driven by stellar feedback. We extract main-sequence disc galaxies with stellar mass 109 ≤ M⋆/ M⊙ ≤ 5.7 × 1010 at redshift z = 0 from the highest resolution cosmological simulation of the Evolution and Assembly of GaLaxies and their Environments (EAGLE) set. Synthetic gas rotation velocity and velocity dispersion (σ) maps are created and compared to observations of disc galaxies obtained with the Sydney-AAO (Australian Astronomical Observatory) Multi-object Integral field spectrograph (SAMI), where σ-values greater than 150 km s-1 are most naturally explained by bipolar outflows powered by starburst activity. We find that the extension of the simulated edge-on (pixelated) velocity dispersion probability distribution depends on stellar mass and star formation rate surface density (ΣSFR), with low-M⋆/low-ΣSFR galaxies showing a narrow peak at low σ (∼30 km s-1) and more active, high-M⋆/high-ΣSFR galaxies reaching σ > 150 km s-1. Although supernova-driven galactic winds in the EAGLE simulations may not entrain enough gas with T <105 K compared to observed galaxies, we find that gas temperature is a good proxy for the presence of outflows. There is a direct correlation between the thermal state of the gas and its state of motion as described by the σ-distribution. The following equivalence relations hold in EAGLE: (i) low-σ peak ⇔ disc of the galaxy ⇔ gas with T <105 K; (ii) high-σ tail ⇔ galactic winds ⇔ gas with T ≥105 K.

Modeling MHD accretion-ejection: episodic ejections of jets triggered by a mean-field disk dynamo

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stepanovs, Deniss; Fendt, Christian; Sheikhnezami, Somayeh, E-mail: deniss@stepanovs.org, E-mail: fendt@mpia.de

2014-11-20

We present MHD simulations exploring the launching, acceleration, and collimation of jets and disk winds. The evolution of the disk structure is consistently taken into account. Extending our earlier studies, we now consider the self-generation of the magnetic field by an α{sup 2}Ω mean-field dynamo. The disk magnetization remains on a rather low level, which helps to evolve the simulations for T > 10, 000 dynamical time steps on a domain extending 1500 inner disk radii. We find the magnetic field of the inner disk to be similar to the commonly found open field structure, favoring magneto-centrifugal launching. The outermore » disk field is highly inclined and predominantly radial. Here, differential rotation induces a strong toroidal component, which plays a key role in outflow launching. These outflows from the outer disk are slower, denser, and less collimated. If the dynamo action is not quenched, magnetic flux is continuously generated, diffuses outward through the disk, and fills the entire disk. We have invented a toy model triggering a time-dependent mean-field dynamo. The duty cycles of this dynamo lead to episodic ejections on similar timescales. When the dynamo is suppressed as the magnetization falls below a critical value, the generation of the outflows and also accretion is inhibited. The general result is that we can steer episodic ejection and large-scale jet knots by a disk-intrinsic dynamo that is time-dependent and regenerates the jet-launching magnetic field.« less

A TEST OF THE FORMATION MECHANISM OF THE BROAD LINE REGION IN ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Czerny, Bozena; Du, Pu; Wang, Jian-Min

2016-11-20

The origin of the broad line region (BLR) in active galaxies remains unknown. It seems to be related to the underlying accretion disk, but an efficient mechanism is required to raise the material from the disk surface without giving signatures of the outflow that are too strong in the case of the low ionization lines. We discuss in detail two proposed mechanisms: (1) radiation pressure acting on dust in the disk atmosphere creating a failed wind and (2) the gravitational instability of the underlying disk. We compare the predicted location of the inner radius of the BLR in those two scenarios withmore » the observed position obtained from the reverberation studies of several active galaxies. The failed dusty outflow model well represents the observational data while the predictions of the self-gravitational instability are not consistent with observations. The issue that remains is why do we not see any imprints of the underlying disk instability in the BLR properties.« less

Coronal Jets Simulated with the Global Alfvén Wave Solar Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szente, J.; Toth, G.; Manchester, W. B., IV; van der Holst, B.; Landi, E.; Gombosi, T. I.; DeVore, C. R.; Antiochos, S. K.

2017-01-01

This paper describes a numerical modeling study of coronal jets to understand their effects on the global corona and their contribution to the solar wind. We implement jets into a well-established three-dimensional, two-temperature magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) solar corona model employing Alfvén-wave dissipation to produce a realistic solar-wind background. The jets are produced by positioning a compact magnetic dipole under the solar surface and rotating the boundary plasma around the dipole's magnetic axis. The moving plasma drags the magnetic field lines along with it, ultimately leading to a reconnection-driven jet similar to that described by Pariat et al. We compare line-of-sight synthetic images to multiple jet observations at EUV and X-ray bands, and find very close matches in terms of physical structure, dynamics, and emission. Key contributors to this agreement are the greatly enhanced plasma density and temperature in our jets compared to previous models. These enhancements arise from the comprehensive thermodynamic model that we use and, also, our inclusion of a dense chromosphere at the base of our jet-generating regions. We further find that the large-scale corona is affected significantly by the outwardly propagating torsional Alfvén waves generated by our polar jet, across 40° in latitude and out to 24 R⊙. We estimate that polar jets contribute only a few percent to the steady-state solar-wind energy outflow.

High resolution simulations on the North Aegean Sea seasonal circulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kourafalou, V. H.; Barbopoulos, K.

2003-01-01

The seasonal characteristics of the circulation in the North Aegean Sea are examined with the aid of a climatological type simulation (three-year run with perpetual year forcing) on a fine resolution grid (2.5 km by 2.5 km). The model is based on the Princeton Ocean Model with a parameterisation of plume dynamics that is employed for the input of waters with hydrographic properties that are different than the properties of basin waters, as the Black Sea Water (BSW) outflow through the Dardanelles Strait and riverine sources. The model is nested with a sequence of coarser regional and basin-wide models that provide for the long-term interaction between the study area and the Eastern Mediterranean at large. The results are employed to discuss the response of the North Aegean to the important circulation forcing mechanisms in the region, namely wind stress, heat and salt fluxes, buoyancy due to rivers and the BSW outflow (which is low in salinity and occasionally low in temperature) and the interaction with the Southern Aegean. The high resolution allows for the detailed representation of the complicated topography that presides in the region. This helps produce a rich eddy field and it allows for variability in the pathways of BSW that has implications in the basin hydrography and circulation.

Texes Observations of M Supergiants: Dynamics and Thermodynamics of Wind Acceleration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harper, Graham M.; Richter, Matthew J.; Ryde, Nils; Brown, Alexander; Brown, Joanna; Greathouse, Thomas K.; Strong, Shadrian

2009-08-01

We have detected [Fe II] 17.94 μm and 24.52 μm emission from a sample of M supergiants (μ Cep, α Sco, α Ori, CE Tau, AD Per, and α Her) using the Texas Echelon Cross Echelle Spectrograph on NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility. These low opacity emission lines are resolved at R sime 50, 000 and provide new diagnostics of the dynamics and thermodynamics of the stellar wind acceleration zone. The [Fe II] lines, from the first excited term (a 4 F), are sensitive to the warm plasma where energy is deposited into the extended atmosphere to form the chromosphere and wind outflow. These diagnostics complement previous Kuiper Airborne Observatory and Infrared Space Observatory observations which were sensitive to the cooler and more extended circumstellar envelopes. The turbulent velocities of V turb sime 12-13 km s-1 observed in the [Fe II] a 4 F forbidden lines are found to be a common property of our sample, and are less than that derived from the hotter chromospheric C II] 2325 Å lines observed in α Ori, where V turb sime 17-19 km s-1. For the first time, we have dynamically resolved the motions of the dominant cool atmospheric component discovered in α Ori from multiwavelength radio interferometry by Lim et al. Surprisingly, the emission centroids are quite Gaussian and at rest with respect to the M supergiants. These constraints combined with model calculations of the infrared emission line fluxes for α Ori imply that the warm material has a low outflow velocity and is located close to the star. We have also detected narrow [Fe I] 24.04 μm emission that confirms Fe II is the dominant ionization state in α Ori's extended atmosphere.

The Puzzles of the Vela Pulsar-Wind Nebula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kargaltsev, Oleg; Pavlov, G. G.

2008-03-01

Very few pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe) can be studied at the level of detail comparable to that achieved for the Crab PWN. The nearby Vela PWN is the best candidate for such an in-depth study. Using Chandra ACIS observations of 2000-2002, we produced a "movie" which shows that not only the NW outer jet, reported by Pavlov et al. (2003), but also the entire bright Vela PWN is remarkably variable. The most dramatic changes occur in the outer arc, the SE inner jet, and the bright knots in the SE part of the inner PWN. On a time scale of 1-3 weeks, the outer arc changes its brightness, shape, and spectrum, the knots move, disappear and appear again, while the SE inner jet changes its brightness and size. In contrast with the Crab PWN, we see no moving "wisps". The observed changes can be attributed to instabilities in the pulsar wind and to varying density/pressure in the ambient medium. Deep combined images show that the inner arc is part of a ring, but the pulsar is offset from its plane. The large width of the SE outer "jet" suggests either an intrinsic asymmetry of the SE and NW polar outflows or that the SE jet broadens in a low-pressure cavity behind the moving pulsar. We also found a puzzling "bar" at the base of the inner SE jet, possibly a shock in a polar outflow. An adaptively binned spectral map demonstrates that the inner PWN elements have extremely hard spectra (significantly harder than those of the Crab inner PWN), incompatible with those predicted by the shock acceleration models. Overall, the Vela PWN shows a wealth of puzzling features, different from the Crab; their nature can be understood in a specially designed series of Chandra ACIS observations.

An X-Ray/SDSS Sample: Observational Characterization of The Outflowing Gas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perna, Michele; Brusa, M.; Lanzuisi, G.; Mignoli, M.

2016-10-01

Powerful ionised AGN-driven outflows, commonly detected both locally and at high redshift, are invoked to contribute to the co-evolution of SMBH and galaxies through feedback phenomena. Our recent works (Brusa+2015; 2016; Perna+2015a,b) have shown that the XMM-COSMOS targets with evidence of outflows collected so far ( 10 sources) appear to be associated with low X-ray kbol corrections (Lbol /LX ˜ 18), in spite of their spread in obscuration, in the locations on the SFR-Mstar diagram, in their radio emission. A higher statistical significance is required to validate a connection between outflow phenomena and a X-ray loudness. Moreover, in order to validate their binding nature to the galaxy fate, it is crucial to correctly determine the outflow energetics. This requires time consuming integral field spectroscopic (IFS) observations, which are, at present, mostly limited to high luminosity objectsThe study of SDSS data offers a complementary strategy to IFS efforts. I will present physical and demographic characterization of the AGN-galaxy system during the feedback phase obtained studying a sample of 500 X-ray/SDSS AGNs, at z<0.8. Outflow velocity inferred from [OIII]5007 emission line profile has been related to optical (e.g., [OIII] and bolometric luminosities, Eddington ratio, stellar velocity dispersion) and X-ray properties (intrinsic X-ray luminosity, obscuration and X-ray kbol correction), to determine what drives ionised winds. Several diagnostic line ratios have been used to infer the physical properties of the ionised outflowing gas. The knowledge of these properties can reduce the actual uncertainties in the outflow energetics by a factor of ten, pointing to improve our understanding of the AGN outflow phenomenon and its impact on galaxy evolution.

X-rays from Magnetic B-type Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fletcher, Corinne; Petit, Véronique; Caballero-Nieves, Saida Maria; Nazé, Yaël; Owocki, Stan; Wade, Gregg; Cohen, David; Townsend, Richard; David-Uraz, Alexandre; Shultz, Matt

2018-01-01

Recent surveys have found that ~10% of OB-type stars host strong (~1kG), mostly dipolar magnetic fields. The prominent idea describing the interaction between the stellar winds and the magnetic field is the magnetically confined wind shock model. In this model, the ionized wind material is forced to move along the closed magnetic field loops and collides at the magnetic equator creating a shock. As the shocked material cools radiatively it will emit X-rays. Therefore, X-ray spectroscopy is a key tool in detecting and characterizing the wind material confined by the magnetic fields of these stars. Some of these magnetic B-type stars are found to have very short rotational periods. The effects of the rapid rotation on the X-ray production within the magnetosphere have yet to be explored in detail. The added centrifugal force is predicted to cause faster wind outflows along the field lines, which could lead to higher shock temperatures and harder X-rays. However, this is not observed in all rapidly rotating magnetic B-type stars. In order to address this question from a theoretical point of view, we use the X-ray Analytical Dynamical Magnetosphere model, developed for slow rotators and implement the physics of rapid rotation. Using X-ray spectroscopy from ESA’s XMM-Newton space telescope, we observed 5 rapidly rotating B-types stars to add to the previous list of observations. Comparing the observed X-ray luminosity and hardness ratio to that predicted by the XADM allows us to determine the role an added centrifugal acceleration plays in the magnetospheres of these stars.

Predicting Tropical Cyclogenesis with a Global Mesoscale Model: Hierarchical Multiscale Interactions During the Formation of Tropical Cyclone Nargis(2008)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shen, B.-W.; Tao, W.-K.; Lau, W. K.; Atlas, R.

2010-01-01

Very severe cyclonic storm Nargis devastated Burma (Myanmar) in May 2008, caused tremendous damage and numerous fatalities, and became one of the 10 deadliest tropical cyclones (TCs) of all time. To increase the warning time in order to save lives and reduce economic damage, it is important to extend the lead time in the prediction of TCs like Nargis. As recent advances in high-resolution global models and supercomputing technology have shown the potential for improving TC track and intensity forecasts, the ability of a global mesoscale model to predict TC genesis in the Indian Ocean is examined in this study with the aim of improving simulations of TC climate. High-resolution global simulations with real data show that the initial formation and intensity variations of TC Nargis can be realistically predicted up to 5 days in advance. Preliminary analysis suggests that improved representations of the following environmental conditions and their hierarchical multiscale interactions were the key to achieving this lead time: (1) a westerly wind burst and equatorial trough, (2) an enhanced monsoon circulation with a zero wind shear line, (3) good upper-level outflow with anti-cyclonic wind shear between 200 and 850 hPa, and (4) low-level moisture convergence.

Fundamental Physics of the Slow Solar Wind - What do we Know?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ofman, L.; Abbo, L.; Antiochos, S. K.; Hansteen, V. H.; Harra, L.; Ko, Y. K.; Lapenta, G.; Li, B.; Riley, P.; Strachan, L.; von Steiger, R.; Wang, Y. M.

2016-12-01

Fundamental physical properties of the slow solar wind (SSW), such as density, temperature, outflow speed, heavy ion abundances and charges states were obtained from in-situ measurements at 1AU in the past from WIND, ACE, and other spacecraft. Plasma and magnetic field measurement are available as close as 0.3 AU from Helios data, Spektr-R, and MESSENGER spacecraft. Remote sensing spectroscopic measurements are available in the corona and below from SOHO/UVCS, Hinode, and other missions. One of the major objectives of the Solar Orbiter and Solar Probe Plus missions is to study the sources of the SSW close to the Sun. The present state of understanding of the physics of the SSW is based on the combination of the existing observations, theoretical and numerical 3D MHD and multi-fluid models, that connect between the SSW sources in the corona and the heliosphere. Recently, hybrid models that combine fluid electrons and kinetic ions of the expanding solar wind were developed, and provide further insights of the local SSW plasma heating processes that related to turbulent magnetic fluctuations spectra and kinetic ion instabilities observed in the SSW plasma. These models produce the velocity distribution functions (VDFs) of the protons and heavier ions as well as the ion anisotropic temperatures. I will discuss the results of the above observations and models, and review the current status of our understanding of the fundamental physics of the SSW. I will review the open questions, and discuss how they could be addressed with near future observations and models.

XMM-Newton, powerful AGN winds and galaxy feedback

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pounds, K.; King, A.

2016-06-01

The discovery that ultra-fast ionized winds - sufficiently powerful to disrupt growth of the host galaxy - are a common feature of luminous AGN is major scientific breakthrough led by XMM-Newton. An extended observation in 2014 of the prototype UFO, PG1211+143, has revealed an unusually complex outflow, with distinct and persisting velocities detected in both hard and soft X-ray spectra. While the general properties of UFOs are consistent with being launched - at the local escape velocity - from the inner disc where the accretion rate is modestly super-Eddington (King and Pounds, Ann Rev Astron Astro- phys 2015), these more complex flows have raised questions about the outflow geometry and the importance of shocks and enhanced cooling. XMM-Newton seems likely to remain the best Observatory to study UFOs prior to Athena, and further extended observations, of PG1211+143 and other bright AGN, have the exciting potential to establish the typical wind dynamics, while providing new insights on the accretion geometry and continuum source structure. An emphasis on such large, coordinated observing programmes with XMM-Newton over the next decade will continue the successful philosophy pioneered by EXOSAT, while helping to inform the optimum planning for Athena

The Response of the Ionospheric Cusp to the Solar Wind Through Two Perspectives: Low Energy Charged Particle In-Situ Measurements and Low-Energy Neutral Atom Imaging

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Coffey, V. N.; Moore, T. E.; Chandler, M. O.; Giles, B. L.; Craven, P. D.; Rose, M. Franklin (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

The Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration (IMAGE) mission provides a new perspective on the study of the response of the magnetosphere/ionosphere system to changing solar wind conditions, particularly the variability of ion outflow. Learning to interpret this new type of data becomes an essential step in the process of melding these results with the wealth of in-situ charged particle observations obtained over the past 25 years. In order to understand how the in-situ data correspond to and contrast with IMAGE results we will perform a conjunctive study of event data from two instruments to shed light on the coupling of the solar wind and ionosphere from these different perspectives. We will use the Low Energy Neutral Atom instrument (LENA) which images energetic neutral atom emissions from upward flowing ionospheric ions and the Thermal Ion Dynamics Instrument (TIDE) on the Polar satellite which measures in-situ ion outflow from 0.3-300 eV. Our primary goal will be to understand how comparing the imaging and in-situ perspectives can aid in the analysis of both data sets.

An investigation of the detection of tornadic thunderstorms by observing storm top features using geosynchronous satellite imagery

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, Charles E.

1991-01-01

The number of tornado outbreak cases studied in detail was increased from the original 8. Detailed ground and aerial studies were carried out of two outbreak cases of considerable importance. It was demonstrated that multiple regression was able to predict the tornadic potential of a given thunderstorm cell by its cirrus anvil plume characteristics. It was also shown that the plume outflow intensity and the deviation of the plume alignment from storm relative winds at anvil altitude could account for the variance in tornadic potential for a given cell ranging from 0.37 to 0.82 for linear to values near 0.9 for quadratic regression. Several predictors were used in various discriminant analysis models and in censored regression models to obtain forecasts of whether a cell is tornadic and how strong tornadic it could be potentially. The experiments were performed with the synoptic scale vertical shear in the horizontal wind and with synoptic scale surface vorticity in the proximity of the cell.

Diffusion-plus-drift models for the mass leakage from centrifugal magnetospheres of magnetic hot-stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Owocki, Stanley P.; Cranmer, Steven R.

2018-03-01

In the subset of luminous, early-type stars with strong, large-scale magnetic fields and moderate to rapid rotation, material from the star's radiatively driven stellar wind outflow becomes trapped by closed magnetic loops, forming a centrifugally supported, corotating magnetosphere. We present here a semi-analytic analysis of how this quasi-steady accumulation of wind mass can be balanced by losses associated with a combination of an outward, centrifugally driven drift in the region beyond the Kepler co-rotation radius, and an inward/outward diffusion near this radius. We thereby derive scaling relations for the equilibrium spatial distribution of mass, and the associated emission measure for observational diagnostics like Balmer line emission. We discuss the potential application of these relations for interpreting surveys of the emission line diagnostics for OB stars with centrifugally supported magnetospheres. For a specific model of turbulent field-line-wandering rooted in surface motions associated with the iron opacity bump, we estimate values for the associated diffusion and drift coefficients.

New Observation of the Polar Wind in the Topside Ionosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yau, Andrew W.; Howarth, Andrew

2016-07-01

The theoretical prediction of the "classical" polar wind dates back to the works of Banks et al., Lemaire et al., Marubashi, Nishida, and other authors in the late sixties and early seventies. Since then, direct in-situ observations of the polar wind have been made on a number of satellites above the topside ionosphere, notably ISIS-2, Akebono, and DE-1, at altitudes of 1400-50,000 km. In this paper, we present the first in-situ observation of the polar wind inside the topside ionosphere on the Enhanced Polar Outflow Probe (e-POP) down to 600 km, and we compare our low-altitude observation with earlier observations at higher altitudes as well as theoretical predictions.

Metal distribution in the intracluster medium: a comprehensive numerical study of twelve galaxy clusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Höller, Harald; Stöckl, Josef; Benson, Andrew; Haider, Markus; Steinhauser, Dominik; Lovisari, Lorenzo; Pranger, Florian

2014-09-01

We present a simulation setup for studying the dynamical and chemical evolution of the intracluster medium (ICM) and analyze a sample of 12 galaxy clusters that are diverse both kinetically (pre-merger, merging, virialized) and in total mass (Mvir = 1.17 × 1014 - 1.06 × 1015 M⊙). We analyzed the metal mass fraction in the ICM as a function of redshift and discuss radial trends as well as projected 2D metallicity maps. The setup combines high mass resolution N-body simulations with the semi-analytical galaxy formation model Galacticus for consistent treatment of the subgrid physics (such as galactic winds and ram-pressure stripping) in the cosmological hydrodynamical simulations. The interface between Galacticus and the hydro simulation of the ICM with FLASH is discussed with respect to observations of star formation rate histories, radial star formation trends in galaxy clusters, and the metallicity at different redshifts. As a test for the robustness of the wind model, we compare three prescriptions from different approaches. For the wind model directly taken from Galacticus, we find mean ICM metallicities between 0.2-0.8 Z⊙ within the inner 1 Mpc at z = 0. The main contribution to the metal mass fraction comes from galactic winds. The outflows are efficiently mixed in the ICM, leading to a steady homogenization of metallicities until ram-pressure stripping becomes effective at low redshifts. We find a very peculiar and yet common drop in metal mass fractions within the inner ~200 kpc of the cool cores, which is due to a combination of wind suppression by outer pressure within our model and a lack of mixing after the formation of these dense regions. Appendix A is available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org

Upwelling to Outflowing Oxygen Ions at Auroral Latitudes during Quiet Times: Exploiting a New Satellite Database

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Redmon, Robert J.

The mechanisms by which thermal O+ escapes from the top of the ionosphere and into the magnetosphere are not fully understood even with 30 years of active research. This thesis introduces a new database, builds a simulation framework around a thermospheric model and exploits these tools to gain new insights into the study of O+ ion outflows. A dynamic auroral boundary identification system is developed using Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) spacecraft observations at 850 km to build a database characterizing the oxygen source region. This database resolves the ambiguity of the expansion and contraction of the auroral zone. Mining this new dataset, new understanding is revealed. We describe the statistical trajectory of the cleft ion fountain return flows over the polar cap as a function of activity and the orientation of the interplanetary magnetic field y-component. A substantial peak in upward moving O+ in the morning hours is discovered. Using published high altitude data we demonstrate that between 850 and 6000 km altitude, O+ is energized predominantly through transverse heating; and acceleration in this altitude region is relatively more important in the cusp than at midnight. We compare data with a thermospheric model to study the effects of solar irradiance, electron precipitation and neutral wind on the distribution of upward O+ at auroral latitudes. EUV irradiance is shown to play a dominant role in establishing a dawn-focused source population of upwelling O+ that is responsible for a pre-noon feature in escaping O+ fluxes. This feature has been corroborated by observations on platforms including the Dynamics Explorer 1 (DE-1), Polar, and Fast Auroral Snapshot SnapshoT (FAST) spacecraft. During quiet times our analysis shows that the neutral wind is more important than electron precipitation in establishing the dayside O+ upwelling distribution. Electron precipitation is found to play a relatively modest role in controlling dayside, and a critical role in controlling nightside, upwelling O+. This thesis provides a new database, and insights into the study of oxygen ion outflows during quiet times. These results and tools will be essential for researchers working on topics involving magnetosphere-ionosphere interactions.

The MUSE Hubble Ultra Deep Field Survey. VII. Fe II* emission in star-forming galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finley, Hayley; Bouché, Nicolas; Contini, Thierry; Paalvast, Mieke; Boogaard, Leindert; Maseda, Michael; Bacon, Roland; Blaizot, Jérémy; Brinchmann, Jarle; Epinat, Benoît; Feltre, Anna; Marino, Raffaella Anna; Muzahid, Sowgat; Richard, Johan; Schaye, Joop; Verhamme, Anne; Weilbacher, Peter M.; Wisotzki, Lutz

2017-11-01

Non-resonant Fe II* (λ2365, λ2396, λ2612, λ2626) emission can potentially trace galactic winds in emission and provide useful constraints to wind models. From the 3.15' × 3.15' mosaic of the Hubble Ultra Deep Field (UDF) obtained with the VLT/MUSE integral field spectrograph, we identify a statistical sample of 40 Fe II* emitters and 50 MgIII (λλ2796,2803) emitters from a sample of 271 [O II]λλ3726,3729 emitters with reliable redshifts from z = 0.85-1.50 down to 2 × 10-18 (3σ) ergs s-1 cm-2 (for [O II]), covering the M⋆ range from 108-1011 M⊙. The Fe II* and Mg II emitters follow the galaxy main sequence, but with a clear dichotomy. Galaxies with masses below 109 M⊙ and star formation rates (SFRs) of ≲ 1 M⊙ yr-1 have MgIII emission without accompanying Fe II* emission, whereas galaxies with masses above 1010 M⊙ and SFRs ≳ 10 M⊙ yr-1 have Fe II* emission without accompanying MgIII emission. Between these two regimes, galaxies have both MgIII and Fe II* emission, typically with MgIII P Cygni profiles. Indeed, the MgIII profile shows a progression along the main sequence from pure emission to P Cygni profiles to strong absorption, due to resonant trapping. Combining the deep MUSE data with HST ancillary information, we find that galaxies with pure MgIII emission profiles have lower SFR surface densities than those with either MgIII P Cygni profiles or Fe II* emission. These spectral signatures produced through continuum scattering and fluorescence, MgIII P Cygni profiles and Fe II* emission, are better candidates for tracing galactic outflows than pure MgIII emission, which may originate from HIII regions. We compare the absorption and emission rest-frame equivalent widths for pairs of FeIII transitions to predictions from outflow models and find that the observations consistently have less total re-emission than absorption, suggesting either dust extinction or non-isotropic outflow geometries.

Simulation of streamflow temperatures in the Yakima River basin, Washington, April-October 1981

USGS Publications Warehouse

Vaccaro, J.J.

1986-01-01

The effects of storage, diversion, return flow, and meteorological variables on water temperature in the Yakima River, in Washington State, were simulated, and the changes in water temperature that could be expected under four alternative-management scenarios were examined for improvement in anadromous fish environment. A streamflow routing model and Lagrangian streamflow temperature model were used to simulate water discharge and temperature in the river. The estimated model errors were 12% for daily discharge and 1.7 C for daily temperature. Sensitivity analysis of the simulation of water temperatures showed that the effect of reservoir outflow temperatures diminishes in a downstream direction. A 4 C increase in outflow temperatures results in a 1.0 C increase in mean irrigation season water temperature at Umtanum in the upper Yakima River basin, but only a 0.01C increase at Prosser in the lower basin. The influence of air temperature on water temperature increases in a downstream direction and is the dominant influence in the lower basin. A 4 C increase in air temperature over the entire basin resulted in a 2.34 C increase in river temperatures at Prosser in the lower basin and 1.46 C at Umtanum in the upper basin. Changes in wind speed and model wind-function parameters had little effect on the model predicted water temperature. Of four alternative management scenarios suggested by the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Yakima Indian Nation, the 1981 reservoir releases maintained without diversions or return flow in the river basin produced water temperatures nearest those considered as preferable for salmon and steelhead trout habitat. The alternative management scenario for no reservoir storage and no diversions or return flows in the river basin (estimate of natural conditions) produced conditions that were the least like those considered as preferable for salmon and steelhead trout habitat. (Author 's abstract)

Circulation in the Chesapeake Bay entrance region: Estuary-shelf interaction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boicourt, W. C.

1981-01-01

Current meters and temperature-salinity recorders confirm the assumption that the upper layers of the continental shelf waters off Chesapeake Bay can be banded in summer, such that the coastal boundary layer (consisting of the Bay outflow) and the outer shelf flow southward while the inner shelf flows to the north, driven by the prevailing southerly winds. These measurements show that the estuary itself may also be banded in its lower reaches such that the inflow is confined primarily to the deep channel, while the upper layer outflow is split into two flow maxima on either side of this channel.

Open and partially closed models of the solar wind interaction with outer planet magnetospheres: the case of Saturn

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belenkaya, Elena S.; Cowley, Stanley W. H.; Alexeev, Igor I.; Kalegaev, Vladimir V.; Pensionerov, Ivan A.; Blokhina, Marina S.; Parunakian, David A.

2017-12-01

A wide variety of interactions take place between the magnetized solar wind plasma outflow from the Sun and celestial bodies within the solar system. Magnetized planets form magnetospheres in the solar wind, with the planetary field creating an obstacle in the flow. The reconnection efficiency of the solar-wind-magnetized planet interaction depends on the conditions in the magnetized plasma flow passing the planet. When the reconnection efficiency is very low, the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) does not penetrate the magnetosphere, a condition that has been widely discussed in the recent literature for the case of Saturn. In the present paper, we study this issue for Saturn using Cassini magnetometer data, images of Saturn's ultraviolet aurora obtained by the HST, and the paraboloid model of Saturn's magnetospheric magnetic field. Two models are considered: first, an open model in which the IMF penetrates the magnetosphere, and second, a partially closed model in which field lines from the ionosphere go to the distant tail and interact with the solar wind at its end. We conclude that the open model is preferable, which is more obvious for southward IMF. For northward IMF, the model calculations do not allow us to reach definite conclusions. However, analysis of the observations available in the literature provides evidence in favor of the open model in this case too. The difference in magnetospheric structure for these two IMF orientations is due to the fact that the reconnection topology and location depend on the relative orientation of the IMF vector and the planetary dipole magnetic moment. When these vectors are parallel, two-dimensional reconnection occurs at the low-latitude neutral line. When they are antiparallel, three-dimensional reconnection takes place in the cusp regions. Different magnetospheric topologies determine different mapping of the open-closed boundary in the ionosphere, which can be considered as a proxy for the poleward edge of the auroral oval.

Magnetic field amplification via protostellar disc dynamos

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dyda, S.; Lovelace, R. V. E.; Ustyugova, G. V.; Koldoba, A. V.; Wasserman, I.

2018-06-01

We numerically investigate the generation of a magnetic field in a protostellar disc via an αΩ-dynamo and the resulting magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) driven outflows. We find that for small values of the dimensionless dynamo parameter αd, the poloidal field grows exponentially at a rate σ ∝ Ω _K √{α _d}, before saturating to a value ∝ √{α _d}. The dynamo excites dipole and octupole modes, but quadrupole modes are suppressed, because of the symmetries of the seed field. Initial seed fields too weak to launch MHD outflows are found to grow sufficiently to launch winds with observationally relevant mass fluxes of the order of 10^{-9} M_{⊙} yr^{-1} for T Tauri stars. This suggests that αΩ-dynamos may be responsible for generating magnetic fields strong enough to launch observed outflows.

Line asymmetry in the Seyfert Galaxy NGC 3783

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramirez, J. M.; Bautista, Manuel; Kallman, Timothy

2005-01-01

We have reanalyzed the 900 ks Chandra X-ray spectrum of NGC 3783, finding evidence on the asymmetry of the spectral absorption lines. The lines are fitted with a parametric expression that results from an analytical treatment of radiatively driven winds. The line asymmetry distribution derived from the spectrum is consistent with a non-spherical outflow with a finite optical depth. Within this scenario, our model explains the observed correlations between the line velocity shifts and the ionization parameter and between the line velocity shift and the line asymmetry. The present results may provide a framework for detailed testing of models for the dynamic and physical properties of warm absorber in Seyfert galaxies.

Cosmic Ray Acceleration by a Versatile Family of Galactic Wind Termination Shocks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bustard, Chad; Zweibel, Ellen G.; Cotter, Cory, E-mail: bustard@wisc.edu

2017-01-20

There are two distinct breaks in the cosmic ray (CR) spectrum: the so-called “knee” around 3 × 10{sup 15} eV and the so-called “ankle” around 10{sup 18} eV. Diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) at supernova remnant (SNR) shock fronts is thought to accelerate galactic CRs to energies below the knee, while an extragalactic origin is presumed for CRs with energies beyond the ankle. CRs with energies between 3 × 10{sup 15} and 10{sup 18} eV, which we dub the “shin,” have an unknown origin. It has been proposed that DSA at galactic wind termination shocks, rather than at SNR shocks, maymore » accelerate CRs to these energies. This paper uses the galactic wind model of Bustard et al. to analyze whether galactic wind termination shocks may accelerate CRs to shin energies within a reasonable acceleration time and whether such CRs can subsequently diffuse back to the Galaxy. We argue for acceleration times on the order of 100 Myr rather than a few billion years, as assumed in some previous works, and we discuss prospects for magnetic field amplification at the shock front. Ultimately, we generously assume that the magnetic field is amplified to equipartition. This formalism allows us to obtain analytic formulae, applicable to any wind model, for CR acceleration. Even with generous assumptions, we find that very high wind velocities are required to set up the necessary conditions for acceleration beyond 10{sup 17} eV. We also estimate the luminosities of CRs accelerated by outflow termination shocks, including estimates for the Milky Way wind.« less

Preconditioning of Interplanetary Space Due to Transient CME Disturbances

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Temmer, M.; Reiss, M. A.; Hofmeister, S. J.

Interplanetary space is characteristically structured mainly by high-speed solar wind streams emanating from coronal holes and transient disturbances such as coronal mass ejections (CMEs). While high-speed solar wind streams pose a continuous outflow, CMEs abruptly disrupt the rather steady structure, causing large deviations from the quiet solar wind conditions. For the first time, we give a quantification of the duration of disturbed conditions (preconditioning) for interplanetary space caused by CMEs. To this aim, we investigate the plasma speed component of the solar wind and the impact of in situ detected interplanetary CMEs (ICMEs), compared to different background solar wind modelsmore » (ESWF, WSA, persistence model) for the time range 2011–2015. We quantify in terms of standard error measures the deviations between modeled background solar wind speed and observed solar wind speed. Using the mean absolute error, we obtain an average deviation for quiet solar activity within a range of 75.1–83.1 km s{sup −1}. Compared to this baseline level, periods within the ICME interval showed an increase of 18%–32% above the expected background, and the period of two days after the ICME displayed an increase of 9%–24%. We obtain a total duration of enhanced deviations over about three and up to six days after the ICME start, which is much longer than the average duration of an ICME disturbance itself (∼1.3 days), concluding that interplanetary space needs ∼2–5 days to recover from the impact of ICMEs. The obtained results have strong implications for studying CME propagation behavior and also for space weather forecasting.« less

Wind-driven angular momentum loss in binary systems. I - Ballistic case

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brookshaw, Leigh; Tavani, Marco

1993-01-01

We study numerically the average loss of specific angular momentum from binary systems due to mass outflow from one of the two stars for a variety of initial injection geometries and wind velocities. We present results of ballistic calculations in three dimensions for initial mass ratios q of the mass-losing star to primary star in the range q between 10 exp -5 and 10. We consider injection surfaces close to the Roche lobe equipotential surface of the mass-losing star, and also cases with the mass-losing star underfilling its Roche lobe. We obtain that the orbital period is expected to have a negative time derivative for wind-driven secular evolution of binaries with q greater than about 3 and with the mass-losing star near filling its Roche lobe. We also study the effect of the presence of an absorbing surface approximating an accretion disk on the average final value of the specific angular momentum loss. We find that the effect of an accretion disk is to increase the wind-driven angular momentum loss. Our results are relevant for evolutionary models of high-mass binaries and low-mass X-ray binaries.

Enhancement of Feedback Efficiency by Active Galactic Nucleus Outflows via the Magnetic Tension Force in the Inhomogeneous Interstellar Medium

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Asahina, Yuta; Ohsuga, Ken; Nomura, Mariko, E-mail: asahina@cfca.jp

By performing three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamics simulations of subrelativistic jets and disk winds propagating into the magnetized inhomogeneous interstellar medium (ISM), we investigate the magnetic effects on the active galactic nucleus feedback. Our simulations reveal that the magnetic tension force promotes the acceleration of the dense gas clouds, since the magnetic field lines, which are initially straight, bend around the gas clouds. In the jet models, the velocity dispersion of the clouds increases with an increase in the initial magnetic fields. The increment of the kinetic energy of the clouds is proportional to the initial magnetic fields, implying that the magnetic tensionmore » force increases the energy conversion efficiency from the jet to the gas clouds. Through simulations of the mildly collimated disk wind and the funnel-shaped disk wind, we confirm that such an enhancement of the energy conversion efficiency via the magnetic fields appears even if the energy is injected via the disk winds. The enhancement of the acceleration of the dense part of the magnetized ISM via the magnetic tension force will occur wherever the magnetized inhomogeneous matter is blown away.« less

Green Bank Telescope Detection of HI Clouds in the Fermi Bubble Wind

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lockman, Felix; Di Teodoro, Enrico M.; McClure-Griffiths, Naomi M.

2018-01-01

We used the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope to map HI 21cm emission in two large regions around the Galactic Center in a search for HI clouds that might be entrained in the nuclear wind that created the Fermi bubbles. In a ~160 square degree region at |b|>4 deg. and |long|<10 deg we detect 106 HI clouds that have large non-circular velocities consistent with their acceleration by the nuclear wind. Rapidly moving clouds are found as far as 1.5 kpc from the center; there are no detectable asymmetries in the cloud populations above and below the Galactic Center. The cloud kinematics is modeled as a population with an outflow velocity of 330 km/s that fills a cone with an opening angle ~140 degrees. The total mass in the clouds is ~10^6 solar masses and we estimate cloud lifetimes to be between 2 and 8 Myr, implying a cold gas mass-loss rate of about 0.1 solar masses per year into the nuclear wind.The Green Bank Telescope is a facility of the National Science Foundation, operated under a cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.

Discovery of the Red-Skewed K-alpha Iron Line in Cyg X-2 with Suzaku

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shaposhnikov, Nikolai; Titarchuk, Lev; Laurent, Philippe

2008-01-01

We report on the Suzaku observation of neutron star low-mass X-ray binary Cygnus X-2 which reveals strong iron K-alpha emission line. The line profile shows a prominent red wing extending down to 4 keV. This discovery increases the number of neutron star sources where red-skewed iron lines were observed and strongly suggests that this phenomenon is common not only in black holes but also in other types of compact objects. We examine the line profile by fitting it with the model which attributes its production to the relativistic effects due to disk reflection of X-ray radiation. We also apply an alternative model where the red wing is a result of down-scattering effect of the first order with respect to electron velocity in the wind outflow. Both models describe adequately the observed line profile. However, the X-ray variability in a state similar to that in the Suzaku observation which we establish by analysing RXTE observation favors the wind origin of the line formation.

Spectroscopic Observations of the Outflowing Wind in the Lensed Quasar SDSS J1001+5027

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Misawa, Toru; Inada, Naohisa; Oguri, Masamune; Charlton, Jane C.; Eracleous, Michael; Koyamada, Suzuka; Itoh, Daisuke

2018-02-01

We performed spectroscopic observations of the small-separation lensed quasar SDSS J1001+5027, whose images have an angular separation θ =2\\buildrel{\\prime\\prime}\\over{.} 86, and placed constraints on the physical properties of gas clouds in the vicinity of the quasar (i.e., in the outflowing wind launched from the accretion disk). The two cylinders of sight to the two lensed images go through the same region of the outflowing wind and they become fully separated with no overlap at a very large distance from the source (∼330 pc). We discovered a clear difference in the profile of the C IV broad absorption line (BAL) detected in the two lensed images in two observing epochs. Because the kinematic components in the BAL profile do not vary in concert, the observed variations cannot be reproduced by a simple change of ionization state. If the variability is due to gas motion around the background source (i.e., the continuum source), the corresponding rotational velocity is {v}rot} ≥ 18,000 km s‑1, and their distance from the source is r≤slant 0.06 pc assuming Keplerian motion. Among three Mg II and three C IV NAL systems that we detected in the spectra, only the Mg II system at {z}abs} = 0.8716 shows a hint of variability in its Mg I profile on a rest-frame timescale of {{Δ }}{t}rest} ≤slant 191 days and an obvious velocity shear between the sightlines whose physical separation is ∼7 kpc. We interpret this as the result of motion of a cosmologically intervening absorber, perhaps located in a foreground galaxy. Based on data collected at the Subaru Telescope, which is operated by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan.

Extreme gaseous outflows in radio-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Komossa, S.; Xu, D. W.; Wagner, A. Y.

2018-07-01

We present four radio-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) galaxies with extreme emission-line shifts, indicating radial outflow velocities of the ionized gas of up to 2450 km s-1, above the escape velocity of the host galaxies. The forbidden lines show strong broadening, up to 2270 km s-1. An ionization stratification (higher line shift at higher ionization potential) implies that we see a large-scale outflow rather than single, localized jet-cloud interactions. Similarly, the paucity of zero-velocity [O III] λ5007 emitting gas implies the absence of a second narrow-line region (NLR) component at rest, and therefore a large part of the high-ionization NLR is affected by the outflow. Given the radio loudness of these NLS1 galaxies, the observations are consistent with a pole on view onto their central engines, so that the effects of polar outflows are maximized. In addition, a very efficient driving mechanism is required to reach the high observed velocities. We explore implications from recent hydrodynamic simulations of the interaction between fast winds or jets with the large-scale NLR. Overall, the best agreement with observations (and especially the high outflow speeds of the [Ne V] emitting gas) can be reached if the NLS1 galaxies are relatively young sources with lifetimes not much exceeding 1 Myr. These systems represent sites of strong feedback at NLR scales at work, well below redshift one.

Extreme Gaseous Outflows in Radio-Loud Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Komossa, S.; Xu, D. W.; Wagner, A. Y.

2018-04-01

We present four radio-loud NLS1 galaxies with extreme emission-line shifts, indicating radial outflow velocities of the ionized gas of up to 2450 km/s, above the escape velocity of the host galaxies. The forbidden lines show strong broadening, up to 2270 km/s. An ionization stratification (higher line shift at higher ionization potential) implies that we see a large-scale outflow rather than single, localized jet-cloud interactions. Similarly, the paucity of zero-velocity [OIII]λ5007 emitting gas implies the absence of a second narrow-line region (NLR) component at rest, and therefore a large part of the high-ionization NLR is affected by the outflow. Given the radio loudness of these NLS1 galaxies, the observations are consistent with a pole on view onto their central engines, so that the effects of polar outflows are maximized. In addition, a very efficient driving mechanism is required, to reach the high observed velocities. We explore implications from recent hydrodynamic simulations of the interaction between fast winds or jets with the large-scale NLR. Overall, the best agreement with observations (and especially the high outflow speeds of the [NeV] emitting gas) can be reached if the NLS1 galaxies are relatively young sources with lifetimes not much exceeding 1 Myr. These systems represent sites of strong feedback at NLR scales at work, well below redshift one.

Understanding the Unusual X-Ray Emission Properties of the Massive, Close Binary WR 20a: A High Energy Window into the Stellar Wind Initiation Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montes, Gabriela; Ramirez-Ruiz, Enrico; De Colle, Fabio; Strickler, Rachel

2013-11-01

The problem of explaining the X-ray emission properties of the massive, close binary WR 20a is discussed. Located near the cluster core of Westerlund 2, WR 20a is composed of two nearly identical Wolf-Rayet stars of 82 and 83 solar masses orbiting with a period of only 3.7 days. Although Chandra observations were taken during the secondary optical eclipse, the X-ray light curve shows no signs of a flux decrement. In fact, WR 20a appears slightly more X-ray luminous and softer during the optical eclipse, opposite to what has been observed in other binary systems. To aid in our interpretation of the data, we compare with the results of hydrodynamical simulations using the adaptive mesh refinement code Mezcal which includes radiative cooling and a radiative acceleration force term. It is shown that the X-ray emission can be successfully explained in models where the wind-wind collision interface in this system occurs while the outflowing material is still being accelerated. Consequently, WR 20a serves as a critical test-case for how radiatively driven stellar winds are initiated and how they interact. Our models not only procure a robust description of current Chandra data, which cover the orbital phases between 0.3 and 0.6, but also provide detailed predictions over the entire orbit.

Implosive accretion and outbursts of active galactic nuclei

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lovelace, R. V. E.; Romanova, M. M.; Newman, W. I.

1994-01-01

A model and simulation code have been developed for time-dependent axisymmetric disk accretion onto a compact object including for the first time the influence of an ordered magnetic field. The accretion rate and radiative luminosity of the disk are naturally coupled to the rate of outflow of energy and angular momentum in magnetically driven (+/- z) winds. The magnetic field of the wind is treated in a phenomenological way suggested by self-consistent wind solutions. The radial accretion speed u(r, t) of the disk matter is shown to be the sum of the usual viscous contribution and a magnetic contribution proportional to r(exp 3/2)(B(sub p exp 2))/sigma, where B(sub p)(r,t) is the poloidal field threading the disk and sigma(r,t) is the disk's surface mass density. An enhancement or variation in B(sub p) at a large radial distance leads to the formation of a soliton-like structure in the disk density, temperature, and B-field which propagates implosively inward. The implosion gives a burst in the power output in winds or jets and a simultaneous burst in the disk radiation. The model is pertinent to the formation of discrete fast-moving components in jets observed by very long baseline interferometry. These components appear to originate at times of optical outbursts of the active galactic nucleus.

Observed and Simulated Temporal and Spatial Variations of Gap Outflow Region

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-09-01

5 Figure 3. (a) Cross section plot of potential temperature (every 2oK) and horizontal wind along line AB. The orientation of cross section AB is...c)18Z, and (d) 21Z. The length of the wind vector is proportional to its magnitude. The yellow lines indicate the leading edge identified from...a) 12Z February 26 2004 and (b) 00Z February 27 2004. The black transverse lines indicate the position of the low level flight passes by the

Super-Eddington Accretion in the Ultraluminous X-Ray Source NGC 1313 X-2: An Ephemeral Feast

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weng, Shan-Shan; Zhang, Shuang-Nan; Zhao, Hai-Hui

2014-01-01

We investigate the X-ray spectrum, variability, and the surrounding ionized bubble of NGC 1313 X-2 to explore the physics of super-Eddington accretion. Beyond the Eddington luminosity, the accretion disk of NGC 1313 X-2 is truncated at a large radius (~50 times the innermost stable circular orbit), and displays the similar evolution track with both luminous Galactic black-hole and neutron star X-ray binaries (XRBs). In super-critical accretion, the speed of radiatively driven outflows from the inner disk is mildly relativistic. Such ultra-fast outflows would be overionized and might produce weak Fe K absorption lines, which may be detected by the coming X-ray mission Astro-H. If NGC 1313 X-2 is a massive stellar XRB, the high luminosity indicates that an ephemeral feast is held in the source. That is, the source must be accreting at a hyper-Eddington mass rate to give the super-Eddington emission over ~104-105 yr. The expansion of the surrounding bubble nebula with a velocity of ~100 km s-1 might indicate that it has existed over ~106 yr and is inflated by the radiatively driven outflows from the transient with a duty cycle of activity of ~ a few percent. Alternatively, if the surrounding bubble nebula is produced by line-driven winds, less energy is required than the radiatively driven outflow scenario, and the radius of the Strömgren radius agrees with the nebula size. Our results are in favor of the line-driven winds scenario, which can avoid the conflict between the short accretion age and the apparently much longer bubble age inferred from the expansion velocity in the nebula.

Rotation and Mass Loss

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Owocki, S.

2008-06-01

Stellar rotation can play an important role in structuring and enhancing the mass loss from massive stars. Initial 1D models focussed on the expected centrifugal enhancement of the line-driven mass flux from the equator of a rotating star, but the review here emphasizes that the loss of centrifugal support away from the stellar surface actually limits the steady mass flux to just the point-star CAK value, with models near critical rotation characterized by a slow, subcritical acceleration. Recent suggestions that such slow outflows might have high enough density to explain disks in Be or B[e] stars are examined in the context of 2D simulations of the ``Wind Compressed Disk'' (WCD) paradigm, together with a review of the tendency for poleward components of the line-driving force to inhibit WCD formation. When one accounts for equatorial gravity darkening, the net tendency is in fact for the relatively bright regions at higher latitude to drive a faster, denser ``bipolar'' outflow. I discuss the potential relevance for the bipolar form of nebulae from LBV stars like η Carinae, but emphasize that, since the large mass loss associated with the eruption of eta Carinae's Homunculus would heavily saturate line-driving, explaining its bipolar form requires development of analogous models for continuum-driven mass loss. I conclude with a discussion of how radiation seems inherently ill-suited to supporting or driving a geometrically thin, but optically thick disk or disk outflow. The disks inferred in Be and B[e] stars may instead be centrifugally ejected, with radiation inducing an ablation flow from the disk surface, and thus perhaps playing a greater role in destroying (rather than creating) an orbiting, circumstellar disk.

A case study for hydromagnetic outflow in active galactic nuclei: NGC 5548

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bottorff, Mark Clinton

1999-01-01

A hydromagnetic (MHD) wind from a clumpy molecular accretion disk surrounding a supermassive black hole is invoked to explain observed emission and absorption features of gas at UV and X-ray energies in Seyfert 1 galaxies. It is the first attempt to explain a wide range of phenomena observed on the periphery of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) with a single dynamical model and within the framework of the AGN unification scheme. In the first part of this thesis, the results of long- term observations of the broadline region (BLR) in the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 5548 are analyzed and a critical comparison with the predictions of a hydromagnetically- driven outflow model is provided. The model reproduces the basic features of C IV line variability in this AGN, i.e., time evolution of the profile shape and strength of the C IV emission line without varying the model parameters . The best fit model provides the effective size, the dominant geometry, the emissivity distribution and the 3D velocity field of the C IV BLR and constrains the mass of the central black hole to ~3×107 Msolar . The inner part of the wind in NGC 5548 appears to be responsible for the anisotropically emitted C IV line, while its outer part remains dusty and molecular, thus having similar spectral characteristics to a molecular torus. In addition, the model predicts a differential response across the C IV line profile, producing a red-side-first response in the relative velocity interval of 3,000 km s-1 to 6,000 km s -1 followed by the blue mid-wing and finally by the line core. In the second part of this dissertation, we have analyzed the UV and X-ray absorption in NGC 5548 within the framework of warm absorbing gas. We focus on two important issues: (1)compatibility of kinematics and dynamics of the MHD wind with the observed properties of warm absorbers; and (2)the relationship between the UV and X-ray absorbing gases. An in-depth comparison between the MHD wind model and the well-studied Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 5548 is made, which at high spectral resolution exhibits a number of discrete UV absorption components. Our results show that for NGC 5548: (1)the total column densities of O VII, O VIII and H, inferred from X-ray observations are reproduced by constraining the UV ion column densities of C IV and N V in each component to lie within a factor of 2 of their observed values; (2)the warm absorbing gas exists in the outer part of the wind and is not a continuation of the flow in the broad emission-line region; and (3)the warm absorber extends both in radial and polar directions and is ionization stratified. Analysis shows that the discrete absorption components along the line-of-sight are intrinsically clumpy. The applicability of the MHD wind to warm absorbers is further tested by constructing a quasi-continuous flow model and extending it to arbitrary aspect angles. We find that the ratio of O VII to O VIII optical depths can serve as a new diagnostic of AGN aspect angle. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

The Role of Cosmic-Ray Pressure in Accelerating Galactic Outflows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simpson, Christine M.; Pakmor, Rüdiger; Marinacci, Federico; Pfrommer, Christoph; Springel, Volker; Glover, Simon C. O.; Clark, Paul C.; Smith, Rowan J.

2016-08-01

We study the formation of galactic outflows from supernova (SN) explosions with the moving-mesh code AREPO in a stratified column of gas with a surface density similar to the Milky Way disk at the solar circle. We compare different simulation models for SN placement and energy feedback, including cosmic rays (CRs), and find that models that place SNe in dense gas and account for CR diffusion are able to drive outflows with similar mass loading as obtained from a random placement of SNe with no CRs. Despite this similarity, CR-driven outflows differ in several other key properties including their overall clumpiness and velocity. Moreover, the forces driving these outflows originate in different sources of pressure, with the CR diffusion model relying on non-thermal pressure gradients to create an outflow driven by internal pressure and the random-placement model depending on kinetic pressure gradients to propel a ballistic outflow. CRs therefore appear to be non-negligible physics in the formation of outflows from the interstellar medium.

THE ROLE OF COSMIC-RAY PRESSURE IN ACCELERATING GALACTIC OUTFLOWS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Simpson, Christine M.; Pakmor, Rüdiger; Pfrommer, Christoph

We study the formation of galactic outflows from supernova (SN) explosions with the moving-mesh code AREPO in a stratified column of gas with a surface density similar to the Milky Way disk at the solar circle. We compare different simulation models for SN placement and energy feedback, including cosmic rays (CRs), and find that models that place SNe in dense gas and account for CR diffusion are able to drive outflows with similar mass loading as obtained from a random placement of SNe with no CRs. Despite this similarity, CR-driven outflows differ in several other key properties including their overallmore » clumpiness and velocity. Moreover, the forces driving these outflows originate in different sources of pressure, with the CR diffusion model relying on non-thermal pressure gradients to create an outflow driven by internal pressure and the random-placement model depending on kinetic pressure gradients to propel a ballistic outflow. CRs therefore appear to be non-negligible physics in the formation of outflows from the interstellar medium.« less

A flattened cloud core in NGC 2024

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ho, Paul T. P.; Peng, Yun-Lou; Torrelles, Jose M.; Gomez, Jose F.; Rodriguez, Luis F.; Canto, Jorge

1993-01-01

The (J, K) (1, 1) and (2, 2) NH3 lines were mapped toward a molecular cloud core in NGC 2024 using the VLA in its C/D-configuration. This region is associated with one of the most highly collimated molecular outflows. We find that the molecular condensations associated with the far-infrared sources FIR 5, FIR 6, and FIR 7 have kinetic temperatures of about 40 K. We also find line broadening toward FIR 6 and FIR 7. This suggests that these condensations may not be protostars heated by gravitational energy released during collapse but that they have an internal heating source. A flattened structure of ammonia emission is found extending parallel to the unipolar CO outflow structure, but displaced systematically to the east. If the NH3 emission traces the denser gas environment, there is no evidence that a dense gas structure is confining the molecular outflow. Instead, the location of the high-velocity outflow along the surface of the NH3 structure suggests that a wind is sweeping material from the surface of this elongated cloud core.

Ionized gas outflow in the isolated S0 galaxy NGC 4460

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moiseev, Alexei; Karachentsev, Igor; Kaisin, Serafim

2010-04-01

We used integral-field and long-slit spectroscopy to study a bright extended nebulosity recently discovered in the isolated lenticular galaxy NGC 4460 during an Hα survey of nearby galaxies. An analysis of archival Sloan Digital Sky Survey, GALEX and Hubble Space Telescope images indicates that current star formation is entirely concentrated in the central kiloparsec of the galaxy disc. The observed ionized gas parameters (morphology, kinematics and ionization state) can be explained by a gas outflow above the plane of the galaxy, caused by star formation in the circumnuclear region. Galactic wind parameters in NGC 4460 (outflow velocity, total kinetic energy) are several times smaller, compared with the known galactic wind in NGC 253, which is explained by the substantially lower total star formation rate. We discuss the cause of the star formation processes in NGC 4460 and in two other known isolated lenticular (S0) and elliptical (E) galaxies of the Local Volume: NGC 404 and 855. We provide evidence suggesting that the feeding of isolated galaxies by intergalactic gas on a cosmological time-scale is a steady process without significant variations. Based on observations collected with the 6-m telescope of the Special Astrophysical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences, which is operated under the financial support of the Science Department of Russia (registration number 01-43). E-mail: moisav@gmail.com

Mining the HST "Advanced Spectral Library (ASTRAL)": The Evolution of Winds from non-coronal to hybrid giant stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nielsen, Krister E.; Carpenter, Ken G.; Kober, Gladys V.; Rau, Gioia

2018-01-01

The HST/STIS treasury program ASTRAL enables investigations of the character and dynamics of the wind and chromosphere of cool stars, using high quality spectral data. This paper shows how the wind features change with spectral class by comparing the non-coronal objects (Alpha Ori, Gamma Cru) with the hybrid stars (Gamma Dra, Beta Gem). In particular we study the intrinsic strength variation of the numerous FeII profiles observed in the near-ultraviolet HST spectrum that are sensitive to the wind opacity, turbulence and flow velocity. The FeII relative emission strength and wavelengths shifts between the absorption and emission components reflects the acceleration of the wind from the base of the chromosphere. We present the analysis of the outflowing wind characteristics when transitioning from the cool non-coronal objects toward the warmer objects with chromospheric emission from significantly hotter environments.

Plasma Sheet Circulation Pathways

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, Thomas E.; Delcourt, D. C.; Slinker, S. P.; Fedder, J. A.; Damiano, P.; Lotko, W.

2008-01-01

Global simulations of Earth's magnetosphere in the solar wind compute the pathways of plasma circulation through the plasma sheet. We address the pathways that supply and drain the plasma sheet, by coupling single fluid simulations with Global Ion Kinetic simulations of the outer magnetosphere and the Comprehensive Ring Current Model of the inner magnetosphere, including plasmaspheric plasmas. We find that the plasma sheet is supplied with solar wind plasmas via the magnetospheric flanks, and that this supply is most effective for northward IMF. For southward IMF, the innermost plasma sheet and ring current region are directly supplied from the flanks, with an asymmetry of single particle entry favoring the dawn flank. The central plasma sheet (near midnight) is supplied, as expected, from the lobes and polar cusps, but the near-Earth supply consists mainly of slowly moving ionospheric outflows for typical conditions. Work with the recently developed multi-fluid LFM simulation shows transport via plasma "fingers" extending Earthward from the flanks, suggestive of an interchange instability. We investigate this with solar wind ion trajectories, seeking to understand the fingering mechanisms and effects on transport rates.

The jet/wind outflow in Centaurus A: a local laboratory for AGN feedback

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McKinley, B.; Tingay, S. J.; Carretti, E.; Ellis, S.; Bland-Hawthorn, J.; Morganti, R.; Line, J.; McDonald, M.; Veilleux, S.; Wahl Olsen, R.; Sidonio, M.; Ekers, R.; Offringa, A. R.; Procopio, P.; Pindor, B.; Wayth, R. B.; Hurley-Walker, N.; Bernardi, G.; Gaensler, B. M.; Haverkorn, M.; Kesteven, M.; Poppi, S.; Staveley-Smith, L.

2018-03-01

We present new radio and optical images of the nearest radio galaxy Centaurus A and its host galaxy NGC 5128. We focus our investigation on the northern transition region, where energy is transported from the ˜5 kpc (˜5 arcmin) scales of the northern inner lobe (NIL) to the ˜30 kpc (˜30 arcmin) scales of the northern middle lobe (NML). Our Murchison Widefield Array observations at 154 MHz and our Parkes radio telescope observations at 2.3 GHz show diffuse radio emission connecting the NIL to the NML, in agreement with previous Australia Telescope Compact Array observations at 1.4 GHz. Comparison of these radio data with our wide-field optical emission-line images show the relationship between the NML radio emission and the ionized filaments that extend north from the NIL, and reveal a new ionized filament to the east, possibly associated with a galactic wind. Our deep optical images show clear evidence for a bipolar outflow from the central galaxy extending to intermediate scales, despite the non-detection of a southern radio counterpart to the NML. Thus, our observational overview of Centaurus A reveals a number of features proposed to be associated with active galactic nucleus feedback mechanisms, often cited as likely to have significant effects in galaxy evolution models. As one of the closest galaxies to us, Centaurus A therefore provides a unique laboratory to examine feedback mechanisms in detail.

Metal flows of the circumgalactic medium, and the metal budget in galactic haloes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muratov, Alexander L.; Kereš, Dušan; Faucher-Giguère, Claude-André; Hopkins, Philip F.; Ma, Xiangcheng; Anglés-Alcázar, Daniel; Chan, T. K.; Torrey, Paul; Hafen, Zachary H.; Quataert, Eliot; Murray, Norman

2017-07-01

We present an analysis of the flow of metals through the circumgalactic medium (CGM) in the Feedback in Realistic Environments (FIRE) simulations of galaxy formation, ranging from isolated dwarfs to L* galaxies. We find that nearly all metals produced in high-redshift galaxies are carried out in winds that reach 0.25Rvir. When measured at 0.25Rvir the metallicity of outflows is slightly higher than the interstellar medium (ISM) metallicity. Many metals thus reside in the CGM. Cooling and recycling from this reservoir determine the metal budget in the ISM. The outflowing metal flux decreases by a factor of ˜2-5 between 0.25Rvir and Rvir. Furthermore, outflow metallicity is typically lower at Rvir owing to dilution of the remaining outflow by metal-poor material swept up from the CGM. The inflow metallicity at Rvir is generally low, but outflow and inflow metallicities are similar in the inner halo. At low redshift, massive galaxies no longer generate outflows that reach the CGM, causing a divergence in CGM and ISM metallicity. Dwarf galaxies continue to generate outflows, although they preferentially retain metal ejecta. In all but the least massive galaxy considered, a majority of the metals are within the halo at z = 0. We measure the fraction of metals in CGM, ISM and stars, and quantify the thermal state of CGM metals in each halo. The total amount of metals in the low-redshift CGM of two simulated L* galaxies is consistent with estimates from the Cosmic Origin Spectrograph haloes survey, while for the other two it appears to be lower.

Study of Microburst Detection Performance during 1985 in Memphis, Tennessee.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-08-05

downburst into two categories depending on the outbursts’ hori- zontal scale: 1) macroburst - a large downburst with its’ outburst winds extending in... Macroburst . University of Chicago, 122 pp. Merritt, M.W., 1987: Microburst Divergent Outflow Algorithm, Version 2. MIT Lincoln Laboratory Weather Radar

Investigating the Magnetospheres of Rapidly Rotating B-type Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fletcher, C. L.; Petit, V.; Nazé, Y.; Wade, G. A.; Townsend, R. H.; Owocki, S. P.; Cohen, D. H.; David-Uraz, A.; Shultz, M.

2017-11-01

Recent spectropolarimetric surveys of bright, hot stars have found that ~10% of OB-type stars contain strong (mostly dipolar) surface magnetic fields (~kG). The prominent paradigm describing the interaction between the stellar winds and the surface magnetic field is the magnetically confined wind shock (MCWS) model. In this model, the stellar wind plasma is forced to move along the closed field loops of the magnetic field, colliding at the magnetic equator, and creating a shock. As the shocked material cools radiatively it will emit X-rays. Therefore, X-ray spectroscopy is a key tool in detecting and characterizing the hot wind material confined by the magnetic fields of these stars. Some B-type stars are found to have very short rotational periods. The effects of the rapid rotation on the X-ray production within the magnetosphere have yet to be explored in detail. The added centrifugal force due to rapid rotation is predicted to cause faster wind outflows along the field lines, leading to higher shock temperatures and harder X-rays. However, this is not observed in all rapidly rotating magnetic B-type stars. In order to address this from a theoretical point of view, we use the X-ray Analytical Dynamical Magnetosphere (XADM) model, originally developed for slow rotators, with an implementation of new rapid rotational physics. Using X-ray spectroscopy from ESA's XMM-Newton space telescope, we observed 5 rapidly rotating B-types stars to add to the previous list of observations. Comparing the observed X-ray luminosity and hardness ratio to that predicted by the XADM allows us to determine the role the added centrifugal force plays in the magnetospheric X-ray emission of these stars.

X-ray evidence for ultra-fast outflows in Seyfert galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tombesi, Francesco; Braito, Valentina; Reeves, James; Cappi, Massimo; Dadina, Mauro

2012-07-01

X-ray evidence for massive, highly ionized, ultra-fast outflows (UFOs) has been recently reported in a number of AGNs through the detection of blue-shifted Fe XXV/XXVI absorption lines. We present the results of a comprehensive spectral analysis of a large sample of 42 local Seyferts observed with XMM-Newton. Similar results are also obtained from a Suzaku analysis of 5 radio galaxies. We find that UFOs are common phenomena, being present in >40% of the sources. Their outflow velocity distribution is in the range ˜0.03--0.3c, with mean value of ˜0.14c. The ionization parameter is very high, in the range logξ˜3--6 erg~s^{-1}~cm, and the associated column densities are also large, in the range ˜10^{22}--10^{24} cm^{-2}. Their location is constrained at ˜0.0003--0.03pc (˜10^2--10^4 r_s) from the central black hole, consistent with what is expected for accretion disk winds/outflows. The mass outflow rates are in the interval ˜0.01--1M_{⊙}~yr^{-1}. The associated mechanical power is also high, in the range ˜10^{43}--10^{45} erg/s, which indicates that UFOs are capable to provide a significant contribution to the AGN cosmological feedback.

ALMA Observations of SMM11 Reveal an Extremely Young Protostar in Serpens Main Cluster

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aso, Yusuke; Ohashi, Nagayoshi; Aikawa, Yuri; Machida, Masahiro N.; Saigo, Kazuya; Saito, Masao; Takakuwa, Shigehisa; Tomida, Kengo; Tomisaka, Kohji; Yen, Hsi-Wei; Williams, Jonathan P.

2017-11-01

We report the discovery of an extremely young protostar, SMM11, located in the associated submillimeter condensation in the Serpens Main cluster using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) during its Cycle 3 at 1.3 mm and an angular resolution of ˜ 0\\buildrel{\\prime\\prime}\\over{.} 5˜ 210 {AU}. SMM11 is a Class 0 protostar without any counterpart at 70 μm or shorter wavelengths. The ALMA observations show 1.3 mm continuum emission associated with a collimated 12CO bipolar outflow. Spitzer and Herschel data show that SMM11 is extremely cold ({T}{bol} = 26 K) and faint ({L}{bol} ≲ 0.9 {L}⊙ ). We estimate the inclination angle of the outflow to be ˜ 80^\\circ , almost parallel to the plane of the sky, from simple fitting using a wind-driven-shell model. The continuum visibilities consist of Gaussian and power-law components, suggesting a spherical envelope with a radius of ˜600 au around the protostar. The estimated low C18O abundance, X(C18O) = 1.5-3 × {10}-10, is also consistent with its youth. The high outflow velocity, a few 10 {km} {{{s}}}-1 at a few 1000 au, is much higher than theoretical simulations of first hydrostatic cores, and we suggest that SMM11 is a transitional object right after the second collapse of the first core.

CORONAL JETS SIMULATED WITH THE GLOBAL ALFVÉN WAVE SOLAR MODEL

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Szente, J.; Toth, G.; Manchester IV, W. B.

This paper describes a numerical modeling study of coronal jets to understand their effects on the global corona and their contribution to the solar wind. We implement jets into a well-established three-dimensional, two-temperature magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) solar corona model employing Alfvén-wave dissipation to produce a realistic solar-wind background. The jets are produced by positioning a compact magnetic dipole under the solar surface and rotating the boundary plasma around the dipole's magnetic axis. The moving plasma drags the magnetic field lines along with it, ultimately leading to a reconnection-driven jet similar to that described by Pariat et al. We compare line-of-sight syntheticmore » images to multiple jet observations at EUV and X-ray bands, and find very close matches in terms of physical structure, dynamics, and emission. Key contributors to this agreement are the greatly enhanced plasma density and temperature in our jets compared to previous models. These enhancements arise from the comprehensive thermodynamic model that we use and, also, our inclusion of a dense chromosphere at the base of our jet-generating regions. We further find that the large-scale corona is affected significantly by the outwardly propagating torsional Alfvén waves generated by our polar jet, across 40° in latitude and out to 24 R {sub ⊙}. We estimate that polar jets contribute only a few percent to the steady-state solar-wind energy outflow.« less

Mapping UV properties throughout the Cosmic Horseshoe: lessons from VLT-MUSE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

James, Bethan L.; Auger, Matt; Pettini, Max; Stark, Daniel P.; Belokurov, V.; Carniani, Stefano

2018-05-01

We present the first spatially resolved rest-frame ultraviolet (UV) study of the gravitationally lensed galaxy, the `Cosmic Horseshoe' (J1148+1930) at z = 2.38. Our gravitational lens model shows that the system is made up of four star-forming regions, each ˜4-8 kpc2 in size, from which we extract four spatially exclusive regional spectra. We study the interstellar and wind absorption lines, along with C III] doublet emission lines, in each region to investigate any variation in emission/absorption line properties. The mapped C III] emission shows distinct kinematical structure, with velocity offsets of ˜±50 km s-1 between regions suggestive of a merging system, and a variation in equivalent width that indicates a change in ionization parameter and/or metallicity between the regions. Absorption line velocities reveal a range of outflow strengths, with gas outflowing in the range -200 ≲ v (km s-1) ≲ -50 relative to the systemic velocity of that region. Interestingly, the strongest gas outflow appears to emanate from the most diffuse star-forming region. The star formation rates remain relatively constant (˜8-16 M⊙ yr-1), mostly due to large uncertainties in reddening estimates. As such, the outflows appear to be `global' rather than `locally' sourced. We measure electron densities with a range of log (Ne) = 3.92-4.36 cm-3, and point out that such high densities may be common when measured using the C III] doublet due to its large critical density. Overall, our observations demonstrate that while it is possible to trace variations in large-scale gas kinematics, detecting inhomogeneities in physical gas properties and their effects on the outflowing gas may be more difficult. This study provides important lessons for the spatially resolved rest-frame UV studies expected with future observatories, such as James Webb Space Telescope.

Detectability of compact binary merger macronovae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosswog, S.; Feindt, U.; Korobkin, O.; Wu, M.-R.; Sollerman, J.; Goobar, A.; Martinez-Pinedo, G.

2017-05-01

We study the optical and near-infrared luminosities and detectability of radioactively powered electromagnetic transients (‘macronovae’) occuring in the aftermath of binary neutron star and neutron star black hole mergers. We explore the transients that result from the dynamic ejecta and those from different types of wind outflows. Based on full nuclear network simulations we calculate the resulting light curves in different wavelength bands. We scrutinize the robustness of the results by comparing (a) two different nuclear reaction networks and (b) two macronova models. We explore in particular how sensitive the results are to the production of α-decaying trans-lead nuclei. We compare two frequently used mass models: the finite-range Droplet model (FRDM) and the nuclear mass model of Duflo and Zuker (DZ31). We find that the abundance of α-decaying trans-lead nuclei has a significant impact on the observability of the resulting macronovae. For example, the DZ31 model yields considerably larger abundances resulting in larger heating rates and thermalization efficiencies and therefore predicts substantially brighter macronova transients. We find that the dynamic ejecta from NSNS models can reach peak K-band magnitudes in excess of  -15 while those from NSBH cases can reach beyond  -16. Similar values can be reached by some of our wind models. Several of our models (both wind and dynamic ejecta) yield properties that are similar to the transient that was observed in the aftermath of the short GRB 130603B. We further explore the expected macronova detection frequencies for current and future instruments such as VISTA, ZTF and LSST.

IUE observations of magnetically controlled stellar winds in the helium peculiar stars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shore, Steven N.; Brown, Douglas N.

1986-01-01

Dramatic periodic variations in the C IV resonance lines of magnetic helium-weak sn stars HD 5737 = alpha Scl, HD 21699 = HR 1063, and HD 79158 = 36 Lyn are discussed. In all three cases, the 1548,50 doublet is the only non-negligibly variable UV spectral feature. The line profiles are consistent with outflow in a jet-like structure. In HD 21699 this outflow arises from one of the magnetic polar regions. Observations of two additional He-wk sn stars do not reveal strong C IV absorption, implying that the UV characteristics of these stars are less uniform than the optical phenomenology.

The Variable Fast Soft X-Ray Wind in PG 1211+143

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reeves, J. N.; Lobban, A.; Pounds, K. A.

2018-02-01

The analysis of a series of seven observations of the nearby (z = 0.0809) QSO PG 1211+143, taken with the Reflection Grating Spectrometer (RGS) onboard XMM-Newton in 2014, are presented. The high-resolution soft X-ray spectrum, with a total exposure exceeding 600 ks, shows a series of blueshifted absorption lines from the He and H-like transitions of N, O, and Ne, as well as from L-shell Fe. The strongest absorption lines are all systematically blueshifted by ‑0.06c, originating in two absorption zones from low- and high-ionization gas. Both zones are variable on timescales of days, with the variations in absorber opacity effectively explained by either column density changes or the absorber ionization responding directly to the continuum flux. We find that the soft X-ray absorbers probably exist in a two-phase wind at a radial distance of ∼1017–1018 cm from the black hole with the lower-ionization gas as denser clumps embedded within a higher-ionization outflow. The overall mass outflow rate of the soft X-ray wind may be as high as 2{M}ȯ yr‑1, close to the Eddington rate for PG 1211+143 and similar to that previously deduced from the Fe K absorption.

Bright vigorous winds as signposts of supermassive black hole birth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fiacconi, Davide; Rossi, Elena M.

2016-01-01

The formation of supermassive black holes is still an outstanding question. In the quasi-star scenario, black hole seeds experience an initial super-Eddington growth, that in less than a million years may leave a 104-105 M⊙ black hole at the centre of a protogalaxy at z ˜ 20-10. Super-Eddington accretion, however, may be accompanied by vigorous mass-loss that can limit the amount of mass that reaches the black hole. In this paper, we critically assess the impact of radiative driven winds, launched from the surface of the massive envelopes from which the black hole accretes. Solving the full wind equations coupled with the hydrostatic structure of the envelope, we find mass outflows with rates between a few tens and 104 M⊙ yr-1, mainly powered by advection luminosity within the outflow. We therefore confirm the claim by Dotan et al. that mass losses can severely affect the black hole seed early growth within a quasi-star. In particular, seeds with mass >104 M⊙ can only form within mass reservoirs ≳107 M⊙, unless they are refilled at huge rates (≳100 M⊙ yr-1). This may imply that only very massive haloes (>109 M⊙) at those redshifts can harbour massive seeds. Contrary to previous claims, these winds are expected to be relatively bright (1044-1047 erg s-1), blue (Teff ˜ 8000 K) objects, that while eluding the Hubble Space Telescope, could be observed by the James Webb Space Telescope.

Sub-arcsecond imaging of Arp 299-A at 150 MHz with LOFAR: Evidence for a starburst-driven outflow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramírez-Olivencia, N.; Varenius, E.; Pérez-Torres, M.; Alberdi, A.; Pérez, E.; Alonso-Herrero, A.; Deller, A.; Herrero-Illana, R.; Moldón, J.; Barcos-Muñoz, L.; Martí-Vidal, I.

2018-03-01

We report on the first sub-arcsecond (0.44 × 0.41 arcsec2) angular resolution image at 150 MHz of the A-nucleus in the luminous infrared galaxy Arp 299, from International Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) Telescope observations. The most remarkable finding is that of an intriguing two-sided, filamentary structure emanating from the A-nucleus, which we interpret as an outflow that extends up to at least 14 arcsec from the A-nucleus in the N-S direction ( ≈5 kpc deprojected size) and accounts for almost 40% of the extended emission of the entire galaxy system. We also discuss HST/NICMOS [FeII] 1.64 μm and H2 2.12 μm images of Arp 299-A, which show similar features to those unveiled by our 150 MHz LOFAR observations, providing strong morphological support for the outflow scenario. Finally, we discuss unpublished Na I D spectra that confirm the outflow nature of this structure. From energetic arguments, we rule out the low-luminosity active galactic nucleus in Arp 299-A as a driver for the outflow. On the contrary, the powerful, compact starburst in the central regions of Arp 299-A provides plenty of mechanical energy to sustain an outflow, and we conclude that the intense supernova (SN) activity in the nuclear region of Arp 299-A is driving the observed outflow. We estimate that the starburst wind can support a mass-outflow rate in the range (11-63 M⊙ yr-1) at speeds of up to 370-890 km s-1, and is relatively young, with an estimated kinematic age of 3-7 Myr. Those results open an avenue to the use of low-frequency (150 MHz), sub-arcsecond imaging with LOFAR to detect outflows in the central regions of local luminous infrared galaxies.

Unification of X-ray Winds in Seyfert Galaxies: From Ultra-fast Outflows to Warm Absorbers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tombesi, F.; Cappi, M.; Reeves, J. N.; Nemmen, R. S.; Braito, V.; Gaspari, M.; Reynolds, C. S.

2013-01-01

The existence of ionized X-ray absorbing layers of gas along the line of sight to the nuclei of Seyfert galaxies is a well established observational fact. This material is systematically outflowing and shows a large range in parameters. However, its actual nature and dynamics are still not clear. In order to gain insights into these important issues we performed a literature search for papers reporting the parameters of the soft X-ray warm absorbers (WAs) in 35 type 1 Seyferts and compared their properties to those of the ultra-fast outflows (UFOs) detected in the same sample. The fraction of sources with WAs is >60 per cent, consistent with previous studies. The fraction of sources with UFOs is >34 per cent, >67 per cent of which also show WAs. The large dynamic range obtained when considering all the absorbers together, spanning several orders of magnitude in ionization, column, velocity and distance allows us, for the first time, to investigate general relations among them. In particular, we find significant correlations indicating that the closer the absorber is to the central black hole, the higher the ionization, column, outflow velocity and consequently the mechanical power. In all the cases, the absorbers continuously populate the whole parameter space, with the WAs and the UFOs lying always at the two ends of the distribution. These evidence strongly suggest that these absorbers, often considered of different types, could actually represent parts of a single large-scale stratified outflow observed at different locations from the black hole. The UFOs are likely launched from the inner accretion disc and the WAs at larger distances, such as the outer disc and/or torus. We argue that the observed parameters and correlations are, to date, consistent with both radiation pressure through Compton scattering and magnetohydrodynamic processes contributing to the outflow acceleration, the latter playing a major role. Most of the absorbers, especially the UFOs, show a sufficiently high mechanical power (at least approx 0.5 per cent of the bolometric luminosity) to provide a significant contribution to active galactic nuclei (AGN) feedback and thus to the evolution of the host galaxy. In this regard, we find possible evidence for the interaction of the AGN wind with the surrounding environment on large scales.

Unification of X-ray winds in Seyfert galaxies: from ultra-fast outflows to warm absorbers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tombesi, F.; Cappi, M.; Reeves, J. N.; Nemmen, R. S.; Braito, V.; Gaspari, M.; Reynolds, C. S.

2013-04-01

The existence of ionized X-ray absorbing layers of gas along the line of sight to the nuclei of Seyfert galaxies is a well established observational fact. This material is systematically outflowing and shows a large range in parameters. However, its actual nature and dynamics are still not clear. In order to gain insights into these important issues we performed a literature search for papers reporting the parameters of the soft X-ray warm absorbers (WAs) in 35 type 1 Seyferts and compared their properties to those of the ultra-fast outflows (UFOs) detected in the same sample. The fraction of sources with WAs is >60 per cent, consistent with previous studies. The fraction of sources with UFOs is >34 per cent, >67 per cent of which also show WAs. The large dynamic range obtained when considering all the absorbers together, spanning several orders of magnitude in ionization, column, velocity and distance allows us, for the first time, to investigate general relations among them. In particular, we find significant correlations indicating that the closer the absorber is to the central black hole, the higher the ionization, column, outflow velocity and consequently the mechanical power. In all the cases, the absorbers continuously populate the whole parameter space, with the WAs and the UFOs lying always at the two ends of the distribution. These evidence strongly suggest that these absorbers, often considered of different types, could actually represent parts of a single large-scale stratified outflow observed at different locations from the black hole. The UFOs are likely launched from the inner accretion disc and the WAs at larger distances, such as the outer disc and/or torus. We argue that the observed parameters and correlations are, to date, consistent with both radiation pressure through Compton scattering and magnetohydrodynamic processes contributing to the outflow acceleration, the latter playing a major role. Most of the absorbers, especially the UFOs, show a sufficiently high mechanical power (at least ˜0.5 per cent of the bolometric luminosity) to provide a significant contribution to active galactic nuclei (AGN) feedback and thus to the evolution of the host galaxy. In this regard, we find possible evidence for the interaction of the AGN wind with the surrounding environment on large scales.

Modeling optical and UV polarization of AGNs. IV. Polarization timing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rojas Lobos, P. A.; Goosmann, R. W.; Marin, F.; Savić, D.

2018-03-01

Context. Optical observations cannot resolve the structure of active galactic nuclei (AGN), and a unified model for AGN was inferred mostly from indirect methods, such as spectroscopy and variability studies. Optical reverberation mapping allowed us to constrain the spatial dimension of the broad emission line region and thereby to measure the mass of supermassive black holes. Recently, reverberation was also applied to the polarized signal emerging from different AGN components. In principle, this should allow us to measure the spatial dimensions of the sub-parsec reprocessing media. Aim. We conduct numerical modeling of polarization reverberation and provide theoretical predictions for the polarization time lag induced by different AGN components. The model parameters are adjusted to the observational appearance of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 4151. Methods: We modeled scattering-induced polarization and tested different geometries for the circumnuclear dust component. Our tests included the effects of clumpiness and different dust prescriptions. To further extend the model, we also explored the effects of additional ionized winds stretched along the polar direction, and of an equatorial scattering ring that is responsible for the polarization angle observed in pole-on AGN. The simulations were run using a time-dependent version of the STOKES code. Results: Our modeling confirms the previously found polarization characteristics as a function of the observer`s viewing angle. When the dust adopts a flared-disk geometry, the lags reveal a clear difference between type 1 and type 2 AGN. This distinction is less clear for a torus geometry where the time lag is more sensitive to the geometry and optical depth of the inner surface layers of the funnel. The presence of a scattering equatorial ring and ionized outflows increased the recorded polarization time lags, and the polar outflows smooths out dependence on viewing angle, especially for the higher optical depth of the wind (τ = 0.3). Conclusions: Together with other AGN observables, the polarization time lag places new, independent "seismological" constraints on the inner geometry of AGN. If we conduct time-dependent spectropolarimetric observing campaigns of AGN, this method has a high potential for a census of supermassive black holes.

Dynamical Models for High-Energy Emission from Massive Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Owocki, Stanley %FAA(University of Delaware)

Massive stars are prominent sources of X-rays and gamma-rays detected by both targeted and survey observations from orbiting telescopes like Chandra, XMM/Newton, RXTE, and Fermi. Such high-energy emissions represent key probes of the dynamics of massive-star mass loss, and their penetration through many magnitudes of visible interstellar extinction makes them effective beacons of massive stars in distant reaches of the Galaxy, and in young, active star-forming regions. The project proposed here will develop a comprehensive theoretical framework for interpreting both surveys and targeted observations of high-energy emission from massive stars. It will build on our team's extensive experience in both theoretical models and observational analyses for three key types of emission mechanisms in the stellar wind outflows of these stars, namely: 1) Embedded Wind Shocks (EWS) arising from internal instabilities in the wind driving; 2) shocks in Colliding Wind Binary (CWB) systems; and 3) High-Mass X-ray Binaries (HMXB) systems with interaction between massive-star wind with a compact companion (neutron star or black hole). Taking advantage of commonalities in the treatment of radiative driving, hydrodynamics, shock heating and cooling, and radiation transport, we will develop radiation hydrodynamical models for the key observational signatures like energy distribution, emission line spectrum, and variability, with an emphasis on how these can be used in affiliated analyses of both surveys like the recent Chandra mapping of the Carina association, and targeted observations of galactic X-ray and gamma-ray sources associated with each of the above specific model types. The promises of new clumping-insensitive diagnostics of mass loss rates, and the connection to mass transfer and binarity, all have broad relevance for understanding the origin, evolution, and fate of massive stars, in concert with elements of NASA's Strategic Subgoal 3D. Building on our team's expertise, the project emphasizes training of a new generation of students and post-doctoral researchers to model and analyze observations by current and future NASA X-ray and gamma-ray observatories.

A Comprehensive Study of the Cold Dust and Gas in Galactic Winds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Veilleux, Sylvain

Galaxies do not evolve statically or in isolation, but instead are being structurally rearranged by stellar and gas motions and are interacting dynamically with their halos and environments. Galactic winds (GWs), or large-scale outflows of material from disks and spheroids, are a primary means by which this structural evolution and ongoing interplay occur. Major outstanding questions remain, however, about the precise impact that GWs make. Both from the ground and from space, our recent effort has focused on the all-important cold gas and dust components of GWs. They are the key to understanding GWs for at least three reasons: i. Outflows have to affect the cold gas and dust out of which stars form if they are to inhibit star formation in the host galaxy. ii. We have found in recent years that the cold gas phase is the energetically dominant phase of many GWs. iii. The kinematics and dynamics of the cold gas phase show trends with AGN luminosity that suggest that we are finally seeing the long-sought ``smoking gun'' of quasar feedback. However, these conclusions rest on very limited samples and are thus tentative. Remarkably, the Herschel and Spitzer Science Archives are treasure troves of high-quality images and spectra on GWs that could drastically improve this sad state of affairs, once these data are analyzed. Here we propose to carry out for the first time a single, self-consistent analysis of all of these data, and combine the results with our extensive ancillary ground-based data (Gemini, VLT, JVLA, ALMA, IRAM, and Keck) to capture all of the gas phases involved in GWs. This multiwavelength approach is unique and goes much beyond individual targeted programs in this area. We are interested in studying all GWs, regardless of redshifts: For the nearest (<20 Mpc) systems, we will examine deep Herschel and Spitzer images to derive the dust content of GWs and the circumgalactic environment in general. Our sample size (~50 GWs and control galaxies) will allow us to determine whether the circumgalactic dust properties (e.g., scale height, temperature, mass fraction relative to total) vary with host properties (e.g., SFRs, SFR surface densities, stellar masses, galaxy types). In addition, we will carry out a systematic analysis of the Herschel-PACS two dimensional spectroscopic data on a select group of the nearest and best known starburst and AGN-driven GWs to provide further insight into the physical entrainment and mass-loading mechanisms of these outflows. The entire Herschel-PACS spectroscopic data archive will also be searched for more distant GWs, using the P-Cygni profiles or blueshifted absorption wings of OH 79 and/or 119 um as unambiguous signatures of outflows, albeit spatially unresolved. High-quality spectra of these features exist for more than 300 galaxies, spanning three orders of magnitude in SFR and stellar masses, ideally suited to provide an unprecedented census of the basic properties of molecular outflows (e.g., frequency of occurrence, kinematics). We expect that a subset of ~80 objects will also present Spitzer-IRS OH 35 um, which will be combined with OH 79 and/or 119 um to constrain the energetics (mass outflow rate, momentum flux, kinetic power) of these outflows. This represents an order-of magnitude increase in sample size over the current sample of molecular outflows with known energetics. This unique data set will allow us to make statistical statements about the origin (starburst vs AGN) and acceleration mechanism(s) (momentum- vs energydriven) of molecular outflows, and thus the impact they may have on their galaxy hosts and circumgalactic environments. These results will also be extremely useful for the interpretation of ALMA OH observations in the distant universe, where negative feedback from winds is expected to be even more important.

The extreme dipolarization during the Galaxy 15 spacecraft anomaly

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Loto'aniu, P. T. M.; Redmon, R. J.; Welling, D. T.; Rodriguez, J. V.; Haiducek, J. D.

2016-12-01

The substorm just prior to the Galaxy 15 spacecraft anomaly on 5 April 2010 was intriguing for a number of reasons, including that multiple spacecraft were well located near-midnight to observe the event. Another reason is that the associated dipolarization was one of the most severe ever observed by GOES satellites, even though the solar wind conditions were moderate. In this study, we compare the Galaxy 15 event to other substorms in order to understand why the dipolarization was so extreme. Presented will be simulations from the Space Weather Modeling Framework (SWMF) of different storms and comparisons made to model results for the Galaxy 15 anomaly event. The SWMF does well in predicting some storms, particularly when heavier O+ ions outflowing from the ionosphere are included. However, the SWMF significantly under-predicts the magnitude of the Galaxy 15 event, regardless of the inclusion of a heavy ion outflow model. The model dipolarization occurs around 30 minutes later than the observed event, while the strength of the dipolarization in terms of the magnetic field was not predicted by the model, although, the model does well overall predicting Dst and Kp. We will also present statistical results representing a survey of dipolarizations observed by the GOES spacecraft over a solar cycle when the satellites were located in the near-midnight local time region. The statistical results are used to determine the occurrence rate and characteristics of similar events to the Galaxy 15 dipolarization event.

Process Contributions to Cool Java SST Anomalies at the Onset of Positive Indian Ocean Dipole Events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delman, A. S.; McClean, J.; Sprintall, J.; Talley, L. D.

2016-12-01

The seasonal upwelling region along the south coast of Java is the first area to exhibit the negative SST anomalies associated with positive Indian Ocean Dipole (pIOD) events. The seasonal cooling in austral winter is driven by local wind forcing; however, recent observational studies have suggested that the anomalous Java cooling that starts during May-July of pIOD years is driven largely by intraseasonal wind variability along the equator, which forces upwelling Kelvin waves that propagate to the coast of Java. Using observations and an eddy-active ocean GCM simulation, the impacts of local wind stress and remotely-forced Kelvin waves are assessed and compared to the effects of mesoscale eddies and outflows from nearby Lombok Strait. A Kelvin wave coefficient computed from altimetry data shows anomalous levels of upwelling Kelvin wave activity during May-July of all pIOD years, indicating that Kelvin waves are an important and perhaps necessary precondition for pIOD events. Correlation analyses also suggest that flows through Lombok Strait and winds along the Indonesian Throughflow may be influential, though their impacts are more difficult to isolate. Composite temperature budgets from the ocean GCM indicate that advection and diabatic vertical mixing are the primary mechanisms for anomalous mixed layer cooling south of Java. The advection term is further decomposed by linearly regressing model velocity and temperature anomalies onto indices representing each process. According to this process decomposition, the local wind stress and Kelvin waves together account for most of the anomalous advective cooling, though the anomalous cooling effect of local wind stress may be overestimated in the model due to wind and stratification biases. The process decomposition also shows a very modest warming effect from mesoscale eddies. These results demonstrate both the IOD's resemblance to ENSO in the importance of Kelvin waves for its evolution, and notable differences from ENSO that arise from the complex interplay of local winds, planetary waves, stratification, eddies, and topography in the Indonesian region.

Reverberation Mapping of the Broad Line Region: Application to a Hydrodynamical Line-driven Disk Wind Solution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Waters, Tim; Kashi, Amit; Proga, Daniel; Eracleous, Michael; Barth, Aaron J.; Greene, Jenny

2016-08-01

The latest analysis efforts in reverberation mapping are beginning to allow reconstruction of echo images (or velocity-delay maps) that encode information about the structure and kinematics of the broad line region (BLR) in active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Such maps can constrain sophisticated physical models for the BLR. The physical picture of the BLR is often theorized to be a photoionized wind launched from the AGN accretion disk. Previously we showed that the line-driven disk wind solution found in an earlier simulation by Proga and Kallman is virialized over a large distance from the disk. This finding implies that, according to this model, black hole masses can be reliably estimated through reverberation mapping techniques. However, predictions of echo images expected from line-driven disk winds are not available. Here, after presenting the necessary radiative transfer methodology, we carry out the first calculations of such predictions. We find that the echo images are quite similar to other virialized BLR models such as randomly orbiting clouds and thin Keplerian disks. We conduct a parameter survey exploring how echo images, line profiles, and transfer functions depend on both the inclination angle and the line opacity. We find that the line profiles are almost always single peaked, while transfer functions tend to have tails extending to large time delays. The outflow, despite being primarily equatorially directed, causes an appreciable blueshifted excess on both the echo image and line profile when seen from lower inclinations (I≲ 45^\\circ ). This effect may be observable in low ionization lines such as {{H}}β .

Dust formation in LBV envelopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gail, H.-P.; Duschl, W. J.; Ferrarotti, A. S.; Weis, K.

2005-09-01

The condensation process for the peculiar element mixture of CNO cycle processed material in the pre-SN ejecta of massive stars is investigated. From thermodynamic equilibrium calculations it is shown that the most likely solids to be formed in CNO process equilibrated materials are solid FeSi, metallic Fe, and small quantities of forsterite (Mg2SiO4). Nucleation may be triggered by TiC. Some SiC may be formed by non-equilibrium condensation. As a case study for these substances the non-equilibrium dust condensation in the outflow is calculated for a simple stationary wind model which shows, that these dust species indeed can be formed in the ejecta.

An Ultra-fast X-Ray Disk Wind in the Neutron Star Binary GX 340+0

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, J. M.; Raymond, J.; Cackett, E.; Grinberg, V.; Nowak, M.

2016-05-01

We present a spectral analysis of a brief Chandra/HETG observation of the neutron star low-mass X-ray binary GX 340+0. The high-resolution spectrum reveals evidence of ionized absorption in the Fe K band. The strongest feature, an absorption line at approximately 6.9 keV, is required at the 5σ level of confidence via an F-test. Photoionization modeling with XSTAR grids suggests that the line is the most prominent part of a disk wind with an apparent outflow speed of v = 0.04c. This interpretation is preferred at the 4σ level over a scenario in which the line is H-like Fe xxvi at a modest redshift. The wind may achieve this speed owing to its relatively low ionization, enabling driving by radiation pressure on lines; in this sense, the wind in GX 340+0 may be the stellar-mass equivalent of the flows in broad absorption line quasars. If the gas has a unity volume filling factor, the mass ouflow rate in the wind is over 10-5 M ⊙ yr-1, and the kinetic power is nearly 1039 erg s-1 (or, 5-6 times the radiative Eddington limit for a neutron star). However, geometrical considerations—including a small volume filling factor and low covering factor—likely greatly reduce these values.

Acceleration region of the slow solar wind in corona

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abbo, L.; Antonucci, E.; Mikić, Z.; Riley, P.; Dodero, M. A.; Giordano, S.

We present the results of a study concerning the physical parameters of the plasma of the extended corona in the low-latitude and equatorial regions, in order to investigate the sources of the slow solar wind during the minimum of solar activity. The equatorial streamer belt has been observed with the Ultraviolet Coronagraph Spectrometer (UVCS) onboard SOHO from August 19 to September 1, 1996. The spectroscopic diagnostic technique applied in this study, based on the OVI 1032, 1037 Ålines, allows us to determine both the solar wind velocity and the electron density of the extended corona. The main result of the analysis is the identification of the acceleration region of the slow wind, whose outflow velocity is measured in the range from 1.7 up to 3.5 solar radii.

Flight through thunderstorm outflows. [aircraft landing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frost, W.; Crosby, B.; Camp, D. W.

1978-01-01

Computer simulation of aircraft landing through thunderstorm gust fronts is carried out. The two-dimensional, nonlinear equations or aircraft motion containing all wind shear terms are solved numerically. The gust front spatial wind field inputs are provided in the form of tabulated experimental data which are coupled with a computer table lookup routine to provide the required wind components and shear at any given position within an approximate 500 m by 1 km vertical plane. The aircraft is considered to enter the wind field at a specified position under trimmed conditions. Both fixed control and automatic control landings are simulated. Flight paths, as well as control inputs necessary to maintain specified trajectories, are presented and discussed for aircraft having characteristics of a DC-8, B-747, augmentor-wing STOL, and a DHC-6.

Flight through thunderstorm outflows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frost, W.; Crosby, B.; Camp, D. W.

1979-01-01

Computer simulation of aircraft landing through thunderstorm gust fronts is carried out. The 3 degree-of-freedom, nonlinear equations of aircraft motion for the longitudinal variables containing all two-dimensional wind shear terms are solved numerically. The gust front spatial wind field inputs are provided in the form of tabulated experimental data which are coupled with a computer table lookup routine to provide the required wind components and shear at any given position within an approximate 500 m x 1 km vertical plane. The aircraft is considered to enter the wind field at a specified position under trimmed conditions. Both fixed control and automatic control landings are simulated. Flight paths, as well as control inputs necessary to maintain specified trajectories, are presented and discussed for aircraft having characteristics of a DC-8, B-747, and a DHC-6.

Winds as the origin of radio emission in z = 2.5 radio-quiet extremely red quasars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hwang, Hsiang-Chih; Zakamska, Nadia L.; Alexandroff, Rachael M.; Hamann, Fred; Greene, Jenny E.; Perrotta, Serena; Richards, Gordon T.

2018-06-01

Most active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are radio quiet, and the origin of their radio emission is not well understood. One hypothesis is that this radio emission is a byproduct of quasar-driven winds. In this paper, we present the radio properties of 108 extremely red quasars (ERQs) at z = 2-4. ERQs are among the most luminous quasars (Lbol ˜ 1047-48 erg s-1) in the Universe, with signatures of extreme (≫1000 km s-1) outflows in their [O III]λ5007 Å emission, making them the best subjects to seek the connection between radio and outflow activities. All ERQs but one are unresolved in the radio on ˜10 kpc scales, and the median radio luminosity of ERQs is νLν[6 GHz] = 1041.0 erg s-1, in the radio-quiet regime, but 1-2 orders of magnitude higher than that of other quasar samples. The radio spectra are steep, with a mean spectral index <α> = -1.0. In addition, ERQs neatly follow the extrapolation of the low-redshift correlation between radio luminosity and the velocity dispersion of [O III]-emitting ionized gas. Uncollimated winds, with a power of one per cent of the bolometric luminosity, can account for all these observations. Such winds would interact with and shock the gas around the quasar and in the host galaxy, resulting in acceleration of relativistic particles and the consequent synchrotron emission observed in the radio. Our observations support the picture in which ERQs are signposts of extremely powerful episodes of quasar feedback, and quasar-driven winds as a contributor of the radio emission in the intermediate regime of radio luminosity νLν = 1039-1042 erg s-1.

Lake Number, a quantitative indicator of mixing used to estimate changes in dissolved oxygen

USGS Publications Warehouse

Robertson, Dale M.; Imberger, Jorg

1994-01-01

Lake Number, LN, values are shown to be quantitative indicators of deep mixing in lakes and reservoirs that can be used to estimate changes in deep water dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations. LN is a dimensionless parameter defined as the ratio of the moments about the center of volume of the water body, of the stabilizing force of gravity associated with density stratification to the destabilizing forces supplied by wind, cooling, inflow, outflow, and other artificial mixing devices. To demonstrate the universality of this parameter, LN values are used to describe the extent of deep mixing and are compared with changes in DO concentrations in three reservoirs in Australia and four lakes in the U.S.A., which vary in productivity and mixing regimes. A simple model is developed which relates changes in LN values, i.e., the extent of mixing, to changes in near bottom DO concentrations. After calibrating the model for a specific system, it is possible to use real-time LN values, calculated using water temperature profiles and surface wind velocities, to estimate changes in DO concentrations (assuming unchanged trophic conditions).

Numerical simulations of stellar jets and comparison between synthetic and observed maps: clues to the launch mechanism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rubini, F.; Maurri, L.; Inghirami, G.; Bacciotti, F.; Del Zanna, L.

2014-07-01

High angular resolution spectra obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (HST/STIS) provide rich morphological and kinematical information about the stellar jet phenomenon, which allows us to test theoretical models efficiently. In this work, numerical simulations of stellar jets in the propagation region are executed with the PLUTO code, by adopting inflow conditions that arise from former numerical simulations of magnetized outflows, accelerated by the disk-wind mechanism in the launching region. By matching the two regions, information about the magneto-centrifugal accelerating mechanism underlying a given astrophysical object can be extrapolated by comparing synthetic and observed position-velocity diagrams. We show that quite different jets, like those from the young T Tauri stars DG-Tau and RW-Aur, may originate from the same disk-wind model for different configurations of the magnetic field at the disk surface. This result supports the idea that all the observed jets may be generated by the same mechanism. Appendix A is available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org

Hydrology of Fritchie Marsh, coastal Louisiana

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kuniansky, E.L.

1985-01-01

Fritchie Marsh, near Slidell, Louisiana, is being considered as a disposal site for sewage effluent. A two-dimensional, finite element, surface water modeling systems was used to solve the shallow water equations for flow. Factors affecting flow patterns are channel locations, inlets, outlets, islands, marsh vegetation, marsh geometry, stage of the West Pearl River, flooding over the lower Pearl River basin, gravity tides, wind-induced currents, and sewage discharge to the marsh. Four steady-state simulations were performed for two hydrologic events at two rates of sewage discharge. The events, near tide with no wind or rain and neap tide with a tide differential across the marsh, were selected as worst-case events for sewage effluent dispersion and were assumed as steady state events. Because inflows and outflows to the marsh are tidally affected, steady state simulations cannot fully define the hydraulic characteristics of the marsh for all hydrologic events. Model results and field data indicate that, during near tide with little or no rain, large parts of the marsh are stagnant; and sewage effluent, at existing and projected flows, has minimal effect on marsh flows. (USGS)

Synoptic analysis and hindcast of an intense bow echo in Western Europe: The 09 June 2014 storm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mathias, Luca; Ermert, Volker; Kelemen, Fanni D.; Ludwig, Patrick; Pinto, Joaquim G.

2017-04-01

On Pentecost Monday of 09 June 2014, a severe mesoscale convective system (MCS) hit Belgium and Western Germany. This storm was one of the most severe thunderstorms in Germany for decades. The synoptic-scale and mesoscale characteristics of this storm are analyzed based on remote sensing data and in-situ measurements. Moreover, the forecast potential of the storm is evaluated using sensitivity experiments with a regional climate model. The key ingredients for the development of the Pentecost storm were the concurrent presence of low-level moisture, atmospheric conditional instability and wind shear. The synoptic and mesoscale analysis shows that the outflow of a decaying MCS above northern France triggered the storm, which exhibited the typical features of a bow echo like a mesovortex and rear inflow jet. This resulted in hurricane-force wind gusts (reaching 40 m/s) along a narrow swath in the Rhine-Ruhr region leading to substantial damage. Operational numerical weather predictions models mostly failed to forecast the storm, but high-resolution regional model hindcasts enable a realistic simulation of the storm. The model experiments reveal that the development of the bow echo is particularly sensitive to the initial wind field and the lower tropospheric moisture content. Correct initial and boundary conditions are therefore necessary for realistic numerical forecasts of such a bow echo event. We conclude that the Pentecost storm exhibited a comparable structure and a similar intensity to the observed bow echo systems in the United States.

Plasmapause Dynamics Observed During the 17 March and 28 June 2013 Storms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bishop, R. L.; Coster, A. J.; Turner, D. L.; Nikoukar, R.; Lemon, C.; Roeder, J. L.; Shumko, M.; Bhatt, R.; Payne, C.; Bust, G. S.

2017-12-01

Earth's plasmasphere is a region of cold (T ≤ 1 eV), dense (n 101 to 104 cm-3) plasma located in the inner magnetosphere and coincident with a portion of the ionosphere that co-rotates with the planet in the geomagnetic field. Plasmaspheric plasma originates in the ionosphere and fills the magnetic flux tubes on which the corotation electric field dominates over the convection electric field. The corotation electric field results from Earth's spinning magnetic field while the convection electric field results from the solar wind driving of global plasma convection within the magnetosphere. The outer boundary of the plasmasphere is the plasmapause, and it corresponds to the transition region between corotation-driven vs. convection-driven plasmas. When the convection electric field is enhanced during active solar wind periods, such as magnetic storms, the plasmasphere can rapidly erode to L 2.5 or less. During subsequent quiet periods of low solar wind speed and weak interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), ionospheric outflow from lower altitudes refills the plasmasphere over the course of several days or more, with the plasmapause expanding to higher L-shells. The combination of convection, corotation, and ionospheric plasma outflow during and after a storm leads to characteristic features such as plasmaspheric shoulders, notches, and plumes. In this presentation, we focus on the dynamics of the plasmapause during two storms in 2013: March 17 and June 28. The minimum Dst for the two storms were -139 and -98 nT, respectively. We examine plasmapause dynamics utilizing data from an extensive global network of ground-based scientific GPS receivers ( 4000) and line-of-sight observations from the GPS receivers on the COSMIC and C/NOFS satellites, along with data from THEMIS and van Allen Probes, and Millstone Hill Incoherent Scatter Radar. Using the various datasets, we will compare the pre-storm and storm-time plasmasphere. We will also examine the location, evolution, and erosion time scales of the plasmapause during the active portion of the storm using a combination of the observational data, the assimilative PDA model, and the RCM-E model.

Inertial-Range Reconnection in Magnetohydrodynamic Turbulence and in the Solar Wind.

PubMed

Lalescu, Cristian C; Shi, Yi-Kang; Eyink, Gregory L; Drivas, Theodore D; Vishniac, Ethan T; Lazarian, Alexander

2015-07-10

In situ spacecraft data on the solar wind show events identified as magnetic reconnection with wide outflows and extended "X lines," 10(3)-10(4) times ion scales. To understand the role of turbulence at these scales, we make a case study of an inertial-range reconnection event in a magnetohydrodynamic simulation. We observe stochastic wandering of field lines in space, breakdown of standard magnetic flux freezing due to Richardson dispersion, and a broadened reconnection zone containing many current sheets. The coarse-grain magnetic geometry is like large-scale reconnection in the solar wind, however, with a hyperbolic flux tube or apparent X line extending over integral length scales.

Exploring the making of a galactic wind in the starbursting dwarf irregular galaxy IC 10 with LOFAR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heesen, V.; Rafferty, D. A.; Horneffer, A.; Beck, R.; Basu, A.; Westcott, J.; Hindson, L.; Brinks, E.; ChyŻy, K. T.; Scaife, A. M. M.; Brüggen, M.; Heald, G.; Fletcher, A.; Horellou, C.; Tabatabaei, F. S.; Paladino, R.; Nikiel-Wroczyński, B.; Hoeft, M.; Dettmar, R.-J.

2018-05-01

Low-mass galaxies are subject to strong galactic outflows, in which cosmic rays may play an important role; they can be best traced with low-frequency radio continuum observations, which are less affected by spectral ageing. We present a study of the nearby starburst dwarf irregular galaxy IC 10 using observations at 140 MHz with the Low-Frequency Array (LOFAR), at 1580 MHz with the Very Large Array (VLA), and at 6200 MHz with the VLA and the 100-m Effelsberg telescope. We find that IC 10 has a low-frequency radio halo, which manifests itself as a second component (thick disc) in the minor axis profiles of the non-thermal radio continuum emission at 140 and 1580 MHz. These profiles are then fitted with 1D cosmic ray transport models for pure diffusion and advection. We find that a diffusion model fits best, with a diffusion coefficient of D = (0.4-0.8) × 1026(E/GeV)0.5 cm2 s-1, which is at least an order of magnitude smaller than estimates both from anisotropic diffusion and the diffusion length. In contrast, advection models, which cannot be ruled out due to the mild inclination, while providing poorer fits, result in advection speeds close to the escape velocity of ≈ 50 km s- 1, as expected for a cosmic ray-driven wind. Our favoured model with an accelerating wind provides a self-consistent solution, where the magnetic field is in energy equipartition with both the warm neutral and warm ionized medium with an important contribution from cosmic rays. Consequently, cosmic rays can play a vital role for the launching of galactic winds in the disc-halo interface.

Long-range transport and mixing of aerosol sources during the 2013 North American biomass burning episode: analysis of multiple lidar observations in the western Mediterranean basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ancellet, Gerard; Pelon, Jacques; Totems, Julien; Chazette, Patrick; Bazureau, Ariane; Sicard, Michaël; Di Iorio, Tatiana; Dulac, Francois; Mallet, Marc

2016-04-01

Long-range transport of biomass burning (BB) aerosols between North America and the Mediterranean region took place in June 2013. A large number of ground-based and airborne lidar measurements were deployed in the western Mediterranean during the Chemistry-AeRosol Mediterranean EXperiment (ChArMEx) intensive observation period. A detailed analysis of the potential North American aerosol sources is conducted including the assessment of their transport to Europe using forward simulations of the FLEXPART Lagrangian particle dispersion model initialized using satellite observations by MODIS and CALIOP. The three-dimensional structure of the aerosol distribution in the ChArMEx domain observed by the ground-based lidars (Minorca, Barcelona and Lampedusa), a Falcon-20 aircraft flight and three CALIOP tracks, agrees very well with the model simulation of the three major sources considered in this work: Canadian and Colorado fires, a dust storm from western US and the contribution of Saharan dust streamers advected from the North Atlantic trade wind region into the westerlies region. Four aerosol types were identified using the optical properties of the observed aerosol layers (aerosol depolarization ratio, lidar ratio) and the transport model analysis of the contribution of each aerosol source: (i) pure BB layer, (ii) weakly dusty BB, (iii) significant mixture of BB and dust transported from the trade wind region, and (iv) the outflow of Saharan dust by the subtropical jet and not mixed with BB aerosol. The contribution of the Canadian fires is the major aerosol source during this episode while mixing of dust and BB is only significant at an altitude above 5 km. The mixing corresponds to a 20-30 % dust contribution in the total aerosol backscatter. The comparison with the MODIS aerosol optical depth horizontal distribution during this episode over the western Mediterranean Sea shows that the Canadian fire contributions were as large as the direct northward dust outflow from Sahara.

Long range transport and mixing of aerosol sources during the 2013 North American biomass burning episode: analysis of multiple lidar observations in the Western Mediterranean basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ancellet, G.; Pelon, J.; Totems, J.; Chazette, P.; Bazureau, A.; Sicard, M.; Di Iorio, T.; Dulac, F.; Mallet, M.

2015-11-01

Long range transport of biomass burning (BB) aerosols between North America and the Mediterranean region took place in June 2013. A large number of ground based and airborne lidar measurements were deployed in the Western Mediterranean during the Chemistry-AeRosol Mediterranean EXperiment (ChArMEx) intensive observation period. A detailed analysis of the potential North American aerosol sources is conducted including the assessment of their transport to Europe using forward simulations of the FLEXPART Lagrangian particle dispersion model initialized using satellite observations by MODIS and CALIOP. The three dimensional structure of the aerosol distribution in the ChArMEx domain observed by the ground-based lidars (Menorca, Barcelona and Lampedusa), a Falcon-20 aircraft flight and three CALIOP tracks, agree very well with the model simulation of the three major sources considered in this work: Canadian and Colorado fires, a dust storm from Western US and the contribution of Saharan dust streamers advected from the North Atlantic trade wind region into the Westerlies region. Four aerosol types were identified using the optical properties of the observed aerosol layers (aerosol depolarization ratio, lidar ratio) and the transport model analysis of the contribution of each aerosol source: (I) pure BB layer, (II) weakly dusty BB, (III) significant mixture of BB and dust transported from the trade wind region (IV) the outflow of Saharan dust by the subtropical jet and not mixed with BB aerosol. The contribution of the Canadian fires is the major aerosol source during this episode while mixing of dust and BB is only significant at altitude above 5 km. The mixing corresponds to a 20-30 % dust contribution in the total aerosol backscatter. The comparison with the MODIS AOD horizontal distribution during this episode over the Western Mediterranean sea shows that the Canadian fires contribution were as large as the direct northward dust outflow from Sahara.

A rigidly rotating magnetosphere model for circumstellar emission from magnetic OB stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Townsend, R. H. D.; Owocki, S. P.

2005-02-01

We present a semi-analytical approach for modelling circumstellar emission from rotating hot stars with a strong dipole magnetic field tilted at an arbitrary angle to the rotation axis. By assuming the rigid-field limit in which material driven (e.g. in a wind outflow) from the star is forced to remain in strict rigid-body corotation, we are able to solve for the effective centrifugal-plus-gravitational potential along each field line, and thereby identify the location of potential minima where material is prone to accumulate. Applying basic scalings for the surface mass flux of a radiatively driven stellar wind, we calculate the circumstellar density distribution that obtains once ejected plasma settles into hydrostatic stratification along field lines. The resulting accumulation surface resembles a rigidly rotating, warped disc, tilted such that its average surface normal lies between the rotation and magnetic axes. Using a simple model of the plasma emissivity, we calculate time-resolved synthetic line spectra for the disc. Initial comparisons show an encouraging level of correspondence with the observed rotational phase variations of Balmer-line emission profiles from magnetic Bp stars such as σ Ori E.

Particle acceleration model for the broad-band baseline spectrum of the Crab nebula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fraschetti, F.; Pohl, M.

2017-11-01

We develop a simple one-zone model of the steady-state Crab nebula spectrum encompassing both the radio/soft X-ray and the GeV/multi-TeV observations. By solving the transport equation for GeV-TeV electrons injected at the wind termination shock as a log-parabola momentum distribution and evolved via energy losses, we determine analytically the resulting differential energy spectrum of photons. We find an impressive agreement with the observed spectrum of synchrotron emission, and the synchrotron self-Compton component reproduces the previously unexplained broad 200-GeV peak that matches the Fermi/Large Area Telescope (LAT) data beyond 1 GeV with the Major Atmospheric Gamma Imaging Cherenkov (MAGIC) data. We determine the parameters of the single log-parabola electron injection distribution, in contrast with multiple broken power-law electron spectra proposed in the literature. The resulting photon differential spectrum provides a natural interpretation of the deviation from power law customarily fitted with empirical multiple broken power laws. Our model can be applied to the radio-to-multi-TeV spectrum of a variety of astrophysical outflows, including pulsar wind nebulae and supernova remnants, as well as to interplanetary shocks.

Probing the collimation of pristine post-AGB jets with STIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanchez Contreras, Carmen

2009-07-01

The shaping of planetary and protoplanetary nebulae {PNe and PPNe} is probably the most exciting yet least understood problem in the late evolution of 1-8 solar mass stars. An increasing number of astronomers believe that fast jet-like winds ejected in the PPN phase are responsible for carving out the diverse shapes in the dense envelopes of the Asymptotic Giant Branch {AGB} stars. To date, the properties of these post-AGB jets have not been characterized and, indeed, their launching/collimation mechanism is still subject to controversial debate. This is due to the lack of the direct observations probing the spatio-kinematic structure of post-AGB winds in the stellar vicinity { 10e16cm}, which is only possible with HST+STIS. Recently, STIS observations have allowed us for the first time the DIRECT study of the structure and kinematics of the elusive post-AGB winds in one PPN, He3-1475 {Sanchez Contreras & Sahai 2001}. Those winds have been discovered through H-alpha blue-shifted absorption features in the inner 0.3"-0.7" of the nebula. These STIS observations have revealed an ultra-fast collimated outflow relatively unaffected by the interaction with the AGB wind that is totally hidden in ground-based spectroscopic observations and HST images. The discovery of the pristine ultra-fast { 2300km/s} jet in He3-1475 is the first observational confirmation of the presence of collimated outflows as close as 10e16cm from the central star. Most importantly, the spatio-kinematic structure of the ultra-fast jet clearly rules out hydrodynamical collimation alone and favors magnetic wind collimation. Therefore, STIS observations provide a unique method of probing the structure, kinematics, and collimation mechanism of the elusive post-AGB winds. We now propose similar observations for a sample of bipolar PPNe with ongoing post-AGB ejections in order to investigate the frequency of jets like those in He3-1475 in other PPNe and elucidate their nature and collimation mechanism. The observational characterization of these winds is indispensable for understanding this violent and important phase of post-AGB evolution.

TESTING RELATIVISTIC REFLECTION AND RESOLVING OUTFLOWS IN PG 1211+143 WITH XMM-NEWTON AND NuSTAR

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lobban, A. P.; Pounds, K.; Vaughan, S.

We analyze the broad-band X-ray spectrum (0.3–50 keV) of the luminous Seyfert 1/quasar PG 1211+143—the archetypal source for high-velocity X-ray outflows—using near-simultaneous XMM-Newton and NuSTAR observations. We compare pure relativistic reflection models with a model including the strong imprint of photoionized emission and absorption from a high-velocity wind, finding a spectral fit that extrapolates well over the higher photon energies covered by NuSTAR . Inclusion of the high signal-to-noise ratio XMM-Newton spectrum provides much tighter constraints on the model parameters, with a much harder photon index/lower reflection fraction compared to that from the NuSTAR data alone. We show that puremore » relativistic reflection models are not able to account for the spectral complexity of PG 1211+143 and that wind absorption models are strongly required to match the data in both the soft X-ray and Fe K spectral regions. In confirming the significance of previously reported ionized absorption features, the new analysis provides a further demonstration of the power of combining the high throughput and resolution of long-look XMM-Newton observations with the unprecedented spectral coverage of NuSTAR .« less

Afterglow model for the radio emission from the jetted tidal disruption candidate Swift J1644+57

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Metzger, Brian D.; Giannios, Dimitrios; Mimica, Petar

2012-03-01

The recent transient event Swift J1644+57 has been interpreted as emission from a collimated relativistic jet, powered by the sudden onset of accretion on to a supermassive black hole following the tidal disruption of a star. Here we model the radio-microwave emission as synchrotron radiation produced by the shock interaction between the jet and the gaseous circumnuclear medium (CNM). At early times after the onset of the jet (t≲ 5-10 d) a reverse shock propagates through and decelerates the ejecta, while at later times the outflow approaches the Blandford-McKee self-similar evolution (possibly modified by additional late energy injection). The achromatic break in the radio light curve of Swift J1644+57 is naturally explained as the transition between these phases. We show that the temporal indices of the pre- and post-break light curve are consistent with those predicted if the CNM has a wind-type radial density profile n∝r-2. The observed synchrotron frequencies and self-absorbed flux constrain the fraction of the post-shock thermal energy in relativistic electrons ɛe≈ 0.03-0.1, the CNM density at 1018 cm n18≈ 1-10 cm-3 and the initial Lorentz factor Γj≈ 10-20 and opening angle ? of the jet. Radio modelling thus provides robust independent evidence for a narrowly collimated outflow. Extending our model to the future evolution of Swift J1644+57, we predict that the radio flux at low frequencies (ν≲ few GHz) will begin to brighten more rapidly once the characteristic frequency νm crosses below the radio band after it decreases below the self-absorption frequency on a time-scale of months (indeed, such a transition may already have begun). Our results demonstrate that relativistic outflows from tidal disruption events provide a unique probe of the conditions in distant, previously inactive galactic nuclei, complementing studies of normal active galactic nuclei.

Analysis of in situ measurements of cirrus anvil outflow dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lederman, J. I.; Whiteway, J. A.

2012-12-01

The airborne campaign, EMERALD 2 (Egrett Microphysics Experiment with Radiation, Lidar, and Dynamics,) was conducted out of Darwin, Australia in 2002. Objectives included characterization of the dynamics in the cirrus anvil outflow from tropical deep convection. Two aircraft, the Egrett and King Air, were flown in tandem in the upper troposphere (7 km - 15 km) to collect in situ measurements in the anvil outflow from a storm named "Hector" that occurs on a regular basis over the Tiwi Islands north of Darwin during November and December. Turbulence probes mounted on the wings of the Egrett aircraft were used to measure the wind fluctuations across the anvil and along its length with a spatial resolution of 2 meters. The in situ measurements from the Egrett were coincident with lidar measurements of the cloud structure from the King Air aircraft flying directly below. The presentation will show results of the analysis of the measurements with an emphasis on the turbulence, gravity waves, and coherent structures that are particular to the cirrus anvil outflow environment. Emphasis is placed on the dynamics associated with the generation of mammatus formations at the base of the anvil clouds.

Doctor Fujita's microburst analysis at Chicago

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mccarthy, J.

1980-01-01

Doppler radar measurements of an intense wind shear occurance are discussed. The data suggest the presence of an incredibly strong low level jet outflow component of the microburst event, reaching 60 knots only 50 meters above the surface. Evidence also suggests that microbursts more typically occur in very weak thunderstorms that have hardly reached thunderstorm stage.

Observations of Heavy Ions in the Magnetosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kistler, L. M.

2017-12-01

There are two sources for the hot ions in the magnetosphere: the solar wind and the ionosphere. The solar wind is predominantly protons, with about 4% He++ and less than 1% other high charge state heavy ions. The ionospheric outflow is also predominantly H+, but can contain a significant fraction of heavy ions including O+, N+, He+, O++, and molecular ions (NO+, N2+, O2+). The ionospheric outflow composition varies significantly both with geomagnetic activity and with solar EUV. The variability in the contribution of the two sources, the variability in the ionospheric source itself, and the transport paths of the different species are all important in determining the ion composition at a given location in the magnetosphere. In addition to the source variations, loss processes within the magnetosphere can be mass dependent, changing the composition. In particular, charge exchange is strongly species dependent, and can lead to heavy ion dominance at some energies in the inner magnetosphere. In this talk we will review the current state of our understanding of the composition of the magnetosphere and the processes that determine it.

The Bright Gamma-Ray Burst 991208: Tight Constraints on Afterglow Models from Observations of the Early-Time Radio Evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galama, T. J.; Bremer, M.; Bertoldi, F.; Menten, K. M.; Lisenfeld, U.; Shepherd, D. S.; Mason, B.; Walter, F.; Pooley, G. G.; Frail, D. A.; Sari, R.; Kulkarni, S. R.; Berger, E.; Bloom, J. S.; Castro-Tirado, A. J.; Granot, J.

2000-10-01

The millimeter wavelength emission from GRB 991208 is the second brightest ever detected, yielding a unique data set. We present here well-sampled spectra and light curves over more than two decades in frequency for a 2 week period. This data set has allowed us for the first time to trace the evolution of the characteristic synchrotron self-absorption frequency νa, peak frequency νm, and the peak flux density Fm; we obtain νa~t-0.15+/-0.23, νm~t-1.7+/-0.7, and Fm~t-0.47+/-0.20. From the radio data we find that models of homogeneous or wind-generated ambient media with a spherically symmetric outflow can be ruled out. A model in which the relativistic outflow is collimated (a jet) can account for the observed evolution of the synchrotron parameters, the rapid decay at optical wavelengths, and the observed radio-to-optical spectral flux distributions that we present here, provided that the jet transition has not been fully completed in the first 2 weeks after the event. These observations provide additional evidence that rapidly decaying optical/X-ray afterglows are due to jets and that such transitions either develop very slowly or perhaps never reach the predicted asymptotic decay F(t)~t-p.

Role of the ionosphere for the atmospheric evolution of planets.

PubMed

Yamauchi, Masatoshi; Wahlund, Jan-Erik

2007-10-01

We have synthesized current understanding, mainly observations, with regard to ion escape mechanisms to space from the ionosphere and exosphere of Titan and Earth-type planets, with the intent to provide an improved input for models of atmospheric evolution on early Earth and Earth-type planets and exoplanets. We focus on the role of the ionosphere and its non-linear response to solar parameters, all of which have been underestimated in current models of ancient atmospheric escape (4 billion years ago). Factors that have been overlooked include the following: (1) Much larger variation of O(+) outflow than H(+) outflow from the terrestrial ionosphere, depending on solar and geomagnetic activities (an important consideration when attempting to determine the oxidized state of the atmosphere of early Earth); (2) magnetization of the ionopause, which keeps ionospheric ions from escaping and controls many other escape processes; (3) extra ionization by, for example, the critical ionization velocity mechanism, which expands the ionosphere to greater altitudes than current models predict; and (4) the large escape of cold ions from the dense, expanded ionosphere of Titan. Here we offer, as a guideline for quantitative simulations, a qualitative diagnosis of increases or decreases of non-thermal escape related to the ionosphere for magnetized and unmagnetized planets in response to changes in solar parameters (i.e., solar EUV/FUV flux, solar wind dynamic pressure, and interplanetary magnetic field).

Evidence for Ultra-fast Outflows in Radio-quiet Active Galactic Nuclei. II. Detailed Photoionization Modeling of Fe K-shell Absorption Lines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tombesi, F.; Cappi, M.; Reeves, J. N.; Palumbo, G. G. C.; Braito, V.; Dadina, M.

2011-11-01

X-ray absorption line spectroscopy has recently shown evidence for previously unknown Ultra-fast Outflows (UFOs) in radio-quiet active galactic nuclei (AGNs). These have been detected essentially through blueshifted Fe XXV/XXVI K-shell transitions. In the previous paper of this series we defined UFOs as those highly ionized absorbers with an outflow velocity higher than 10,000 km s-1 and assessed the statistical significance of the associated blueshifted absorption lines in a large sample of 42 local radio-quiet AGNs observed with XMM-Newton. The present paper is an extension of that work. First, we report a detailed curve of growth analysis of the main Fe XXV/XXVI transitions in photoionized plasmas. Then, we estimate an average spectral energy distribution for the sample sources and directly model the Fe K absorbers in the XMM-Newton spectra with the detailed Xstar photoionization code. We confirm that the frequency of sources in the radio-quiet sample showing UFOs is >35% and that the majority of the Fe K absorbers are indeed associated with UFOs. The outflow velocity distribution spans from ~10,000 km s-1 (~0.03c) up to ~100,000 km s-1 (~0.3c), with a peak and mean value of ~42,000 km s-1 (~0.14c). The ionization parameter is very high and in the range log ξ ~ 3-6 erg s-1 cm, with a mean value of log ξ ~ 4.2 erg s-1 cm. The associated column densities are also large, in the range N H ~ 1022-1024 cm-2, with a mean value of N H ~ 1023 cm-2. We discuss and estimate how selection effects, such as those related to the limited instrumental sensitivity at energies above 7 keV, may hamper the detection of even higher velocities and higher ionization absorbers. We argue that, overall, these results point to the presence of extremely ionized and possibly almost Compton-thick outflowing material in the innermost regions of AGNs. This also suggests that UFOs may potentially play a significant role in the expected cosmological feedback from AGNs and their study can provide important clues on the connection between accretion disks, winds, and jets.

Assessing the protection function of Alpine forest ecosystems using BGC modelling theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pötzelsberger, E.; Hasenauer, H.; Petritsch, R.; Pietsch, S. A.

2009-04-01

The purpose of this study was to assess the protection function of forests in Alpine areas by modelling the flux dynamics (water, carbon, nutrients) within a watershed as they may depend on the vegetation pattern and forest management impacts. The application case for this study was the catchment Schmittenbach, located in the province of Salzburg. Data available covered the hydrology (rainfall measurements from 1981 to 1998 and runoff measurements at the river Schmittenbach from 1981 to 2005), vegetation dynamics (currently 69% forest, predominantly Norway Spruce). The method of simulating the forest growth and water outflow was validated. For simulations of the key ecosystem processes (e.g. photosynthesis, carbon and nitrogen allocation in the different plant parts, litter fall, mineralisation, tree water uptake, transpiration, rainfall interception, evaporation, snow accumulation and snow melt, outflow of spare water) the biogeochemical ecosystem model Biome-BGC was applied. Relevant model extensions were the tree species specific parameter sets and the improved thinning regime. The model is sensitive to site characteristics and needs daily weather data and information on the atmospheric composition, which makes it sensitive to higher CO2-levels and climate change. For model validation 53 plots were selected covering the full range of site quality and stand age. Tree volume and soil was measured and compared with the respective model results. The outflow for the watershed was predicted by combining the simulated forest-outflow (derived from plot-outflow) with the outflow from the non-forest area (calculated with a fixed outflow/rainfall coefficient (OC)). The analysis of production and water related model outputs indicated that mechanistic modelling can be used as a tool to assess the performance of Alpine protection forests. The Water Use Efficiency (WUE), the ratio of Net primary production (NPP) and Transpiration, was found the highest for juvenile stands (≤20yr). The WUE was also found directly proportional to the elevation. A positive correlation between annual outflow and the WUE could be shown. Yearly outflow predictions for the whole catchment for the years 1981-2005 showed no significant difference from the measurements. Key words: protection forests, outflow, flux dynamics, BGC-Modelling

The Metallicity Evolution of Low Mass Galaxies: New Contraints at Intermediate Redshift

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Henry, Alaina; Martin, Crystal L.; Finlator, Kristian; Dressler, Alan

2013-01-01

We present abundance measurements from 26 emission-line-selected galaxies at z approx. 0.6-0.7. By reaching stellar masses as low as 10(exp 8) M stellar mass, these observations provide the first measurement of the intermediate-redshift mass-metallicity (MZ) relation below 10(exp 9)M stellar mass. For the portion of our sample above M is greater than 10(exp 9)M (8/26 galaxies), we find good agreement with previous measurements of the intermediate-redshift MZ relation. Compared to the local relation, we measure an evolution that corresponds to a 0.12 dex decrease in oxygen abundances at intermediate redshifts. This result confirms the trend that metallicity evolution becomes more significant toward lower stellar masses, in keeping with a downsizing scenario where low-mass galaxies evolve onto the local MZ relation at later cosmic times. We show that these galaxies follow the local fundamental metallicity relation, where objects with higher specific (mass-normalized) star formation rates (SFRs) have lower metallicities. Furthermore, we show that the galaxies in our sample lie on an extrapolation of the SFR-M* relation (the star-forming main sequence). Leveraging the MZ relation and star-forming main sequence (and combining our data with higher-mass measurements from the literature), we test models that assume an equilibrium between mass inflow, outflow, and star formation.We find that outflows are required to describe the data. By comparing different outflow prescriptions, we show that momentum, driven winds can describe the MZ relation; however, this model underpredicts the amount of star formation in low-mass galaxies. This disagreement may indicate that preventive feedback from gas heating has been overestimated, or it may signify a more fundamental deviation from the equilibrium assumption.

New Insights into the Spectral Variability and Physical Conditions of the X-Ray Absorbers in NGC 4151

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Couto, J. D.; Kraemer, S. B.; Turner, T. J.; Crenshaw, D. M.

2016-12-01

We investigate the relationship between the long-term X-ray spectral variability in the Seyfert 1.5 galaxy NGC 4151 and its intrinsic absorption, by comparing the 2014 simultaneous ultraviolet/X-ray observations taken with Hubble STIS Echelle and Chandra HETGS with archival observations from Chandra, XMM-Newton, and Suzaku. The observations are divided into “high” and “low” states, with the low states showing strong and unabsorbed extended emission at energies below 2 keV. Our X-ray model consists of a broken powerlaw, neutral reflection, and the two dominant absorption components identified by Kraemer et al. (2005, hereafter KRA2005) X-High and D+Ea, which are present in all epochs. The model fittings suggest that the absorbers are very stable, with the principal changes in the intrinsic absorption resulting from variations in the ionization state of the gas as the ionizing continuum varies. However, the low states show evidence of larger column densities in one or both of the absorbers. Among plausible explanations for the column increase, we discuss the possibility of an expanding/contracting X-ray corona. As suggested by KRA2005, there seem to be contributions from magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) winds to the mass outflow. Along with the ultra-fast outflow absorber identified by Tombesi et al. (2010), X-High is consistent with being magnetically driven. On the other hand, it is unlikely that D+Ea is part of the MHD flow, and it is possible that it is radiatively accelerated. These results suggest that at a sufficiently large radial distance there is a break point between MHD-dominated and radiatively driven outflows.

Ionospheric plasma outflow in response to transverse ion heating: Self-consistent macroscopic treatment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singh, N.

1994-01-01

We examined the various likely processes for creating the cavities and found that the mirror force acting on the transversely heated ions is the most likely mechanism. The pondermotive force causing the wave collapse was found to be a much weaker force than the mirror force on the transversely heated ions observed inside the cavities along with the lower hybrid waves. Using a hydrodynamic model for the polar wind we modeled the cavity formation and found that for the heating rate obtained from the observed waves, the mirror force does create cavities with depletions as observed. Some initial results from this study were published in a recent Geophysical Research Letters and were reported in the Fall AGU meeting in San Francisco. We have continued this investigation using a large-scale semikinetic model.

Propeller-driven outflows from an MRI disc

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lii, Patrick S.; Romanova, Marina M.; Ustyugova, Galina V.; Koldoba, Alexander V.; Lovelace, Richard V. E.

2014-06-01

Accreting magnetized stars may be in the propeller regime of disc accretion in which the angular velocity of the stellar magnetosphere exceeds that of the inner disc. In these systems, the stellar magnetosphere acts as a centrifugal barrier and plays a dominant role in the inner disc dynamics by inhibiting matter accretion on to the star. In this work, we investigate the dynamics of the propeller regime using axisymmetric MHD simulations of MRI-driven accretion on to a rapidly rotating magnetized star. The disc matter is inhibited from accreting on to the star and instead accumulates at the disc-magnetosphere boundary, slowly building up a reservoir of matter. Some of this matter diffuses into the outer magnetosphere where it picks up angular momentum and is ejected as an outflow which gradually collimates at larger distances from the star. If the ejection rate is smaller than the disc's accretion rate, then the matter accumulates at the disc-magnetosphere boundary faster than it can be ejected. In this situation, accretion on to the propelling star proceeds through the episodic accretion cycle in which episodes of matter accumulation are followed by a brief episode of simultaneous ejection and accretion on to the star. In addition to the matter-dominated wind component, the propeller also drives a well-collimated, magnetically dominated Poynting jet which transports energy and angular momentum away from the star. The propelling stars undergo strong spin-down due to the outflow of angular momentum in the wind and jet. We measure spin-down time-scales of ˜1.2 Myr for a cTTs in the strong propeller regime of accretion. The propeller mechanism may explain some of the jets and winds observed around some T Tauri stars as well as the nature of their ejections. It may also explain some of the quasi-periodic variability observed in cataclysmic variables, millisecond pulsars and other magnetized stars.

Winds of change - a molecular outflow in NGC 1377?. The anatomy of an extreme FIR-excess galaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aalto, S.; Muller, S.; Sakamoto, K.; Gallagher, J. S.; Martín, S.; Costagliola, F.

2012-10-01

Aims: Our goal was to investigate the molecular gas distribution and kinematics in the extreme far-infrared (FIR) excess galaxy NGC 1377 and to address the nature and evolutionary status of the buried source. Methods: We used high- (0''65 × 0''52, (65 × 52 pc)) and low- (4''88 × 2''93) resolution SubMillimeter Array (SMA) observations to image the 12CO and 13CO 2-1 line emission. Results: We find bright, complex 12CO 2-1 line emission in the inner 400 pc of NGC 1377. The 12CO 2-1 line has wings that are tracing a kinematical component that appears to be perpendicular to the component traced by the line core. Together with an intriguing X-shape of the integrated intensity and dispersion maps, this suggests that the molecular emission of NGC 1377 consists of a disk-outflow system. Lower limits to the molecular mass and outflow rate are Mout(H2) > 1 × 107 M⊙ and Ṁ > 8 M⊙ yr-1. The age of the proposed outflow is estimated to be 1.4 Myr, the extent to be 200 pc and the outflow speed to be Vout = 140 km s-1. The total molecular mass in the SMA map is estimated to Mtot(H2) = 1.5 × 108 M⊙ (on a scale of 400 pc) while in the inner r = 29 pc the molecular mass is Mcore(H2) = 1.7 × 107 M⊙ with a corresponding H2 column density of N(H2) = 3.4 × 1023 cm-2 and an average 12CO 2-1 brightness temperature of 19 K. 13CO 2-1 emission is found at a factor 10 fainter than 12CO in the low-resolution map while C18O 2-1 remains undetected. We find weak 1 mm continuum emission of 2.4 mJy with spatial extent less than 400 pc. Conclusions: Observing the molecular properties of the FIR-excess galaxy NGC 1377 allows us to probe the early stages of nuclear activity and the onset of feedback in active galaxies. The age of the outflow supports the notion that the current nuclear activity is young - a few Myr. The outflow may be powered by radiation pressure from a compact, dust enshrouded nucleus, but other driving mechanisms are possible. The buried source may be an active galactic nucleus (AGN) or an extremely young (1 Myr) compact starburst. Limitations on size and mass lead us to favor the AGN scenario, but additional studies are required to settle this question. In either case, the wind with its implied mass outflow rate will quench the nuclear power source within the very short time of 5-25 Myr. It is possible, however, that the gas is unable to escape the galaxy and may eventually fall back onto NGC 1377 again.

The Cosmic Baryon Cycle in the FIRE Simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anglés-Alcázar, Daniel

2017-07-01

The exchange of mass, energy, and metals between galaxies and their surrounding circumgalactic medium represents an integral part of the modern paradigm of galaxy formation. In this talk, I will present recent progress in understanding the cosmic baryon cycle using cosmological hydrodynamic simulations from the Feedback In Realistic Environments (FIRE) project. Local stellar feedback processes regulate star formation in galaxies and shape the multi-phase structure of the interstellar medium while driving large-scale outflows that connect galaxies with the circumgalactic medium. I will discuss the efficiency of winds evacuating gas from galaxies, the ubiquity and properties of wind recycling, and the importance of intergalactic transfer, i.e. the exchange of gas between galaxies via winds. I will show that intergalactic transfer can dominate late time gas accretion onto Milky Way-mass galaxies over fresh accretion and standard wind recycling.

Nonradial and nonpolytropic astrophysical outflows. X. Relativistic MHD rotating spine jets in Kerr metric

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chantry, L.; Cayatte, V.; Sauty, C.; Vlahakis, N.; Tsinganos, K.

2018-04-01

Context. High-resolution radio imaging of active galactic nuclei (AGN) has revealed that the jets of some sources present superluminal knots and transverse stratification. Recent observational projects, such as ALMA and γ-ray telescopes, such as HESS and HESS2 have provided new observational constraints on the central regions of rotating black holes in AGN, suggesting that there is an inner- or spine-jet surrounded by a disk wind. This relativistic spine-jet is likely to be composed of electron-positron pairs extracting energy from the black hole and will be explored by the future γ-ray telescope CTA. Aims: In this article we present an extension to and generalization of relativistic jets in Kerr metric of the Newtonian meridional self-similar mechanism. We aim at modeling the inner spine-jet of AGN as a relativistic light outflow emerging from a spherical corona surrounding a Kerr black hole and its inner accretion disk. Methods: The model is built by expanding the metric and the forces with colatitude to first order in the magnetic flux function. As a result of the expansion, all colatitudinal variations of the physical quantities are quantified by a unique parameter. Unlike previous models, effects of the light cylinder are not neglected. Results: Solutions with high Lorentz factors are obtained and provide spine-jet models up to the polar axis. As in previous publications, we calculate the magnetic collimation efficiency parameter, which measures the variation of the available energy across the field lines. This collimation efficiency is an integral part of the model, generalizing the classical magnetic rotator efficiency criterion to Kerr metric. We study the variation of the magnetic efficiency and acceleration with the spin of the black hole and show their high sensitivity to this integral. Conclusions: These new solutions model collimated or radial, relativistic or ultra-relativistic outflows in AGN or γ-ray bursts. In particular, we discuss the relevance of our solutions to modeling the M 87 spine-jet. We study the efficiency of the central black hole spin to collimate a spine-jet and show that the jet power is of the same order as that determined by numerical simulations.

AGN outflows and feedback twenty years on

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harrison, C. M.; Costa, T.; Tadhunter, C. N.; Flütsch, A.; Kakkad, D.; Perna, M.; Vietri, G.

2018-03-01

It is twenty years since the seminal works by Magorrian and co-authors and by Silk and Rees, which, along with other related work, ignited an explosion of publications connecting active galactic nucleus (AGN)-driven outflows to galaxy evolution. With a surge in observations of AGN outflows, studies are attempting to test AGN feedback models directly using the outflow properties. With a focus on outflows traced by optical and CO emission lines, we discuss significant challenges that greatly complicate this task, from both an observational and theoretical perspective. We highlight the observational uncertainties involved and the assumptions required when deriving kinetic coupling efficiencies (that is, outflow kinetic power as a fraction of AGN luminosity) from typical observations. Based on recent models we demonstrate that extreme caution should be taken when comparing observationally derived kinetic coupling efficiencies to coupling efficiencies from fiducial feedback models.

Resolved atomic lines reveal outflows in two ultraluminous X-ray sources.

PubMed

Pinto, Ciro; Middleton, Matthew J; Fabian, Andrew C

2016-05-05

Ultraluminous X-ray sources are extragalactic, off-nucleus, point sources in galaxies, and have X-ray luminosities in excess of 3 × 10(39) ergs per second. They are thought to be powered by accretion onto a compact object. Possible explanations include accretion onto neutron stars with strong magnetic fields, onto stellar-mass black holes (of up to 20 solar masses) at or in excess of the classical Eddington limit, or onto intermediate-mass black holes (10(3)-10(5) solar masses). The lack of sufficient energy resolution in previous analyses has prevented an unambiguous identification of any emission or absorption lines in the X-ray band, thereby precluding a detailed analysis of the accretion flow. Here we report the presence of X-ray emission lines arising from highly ionized iron, oxygen and neon with a cumulative significance in excess of five standard deviations, together with blueshifted (about 0.2 times light velocity) absorption lines of similar significance, in the high-resolution X-ray spectra of the ultraluminous X-ray sources NGC 1313 X-1 and NGC 5408 X-1. The blueshifted absorption lines must occur in a fast-outflowing gas, whereas the emission lines originate in slow-moving gas around the source. We conclude that the compact object in each source is surrounded by powerful winds with an outflow velocity of about 0.2 times that of light, as predicted by models of accreting supermassive black holes and hyper-accreting stellar-mass black holes.

Transparency Parameters from Relativistically Expanding Outflows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bégué, D.; Iyyani, S.

2014-09-01

In many gamma-ray bursts a distinct blackbody spectral component is present, which is attributed to the emission from the photosphere of a relativistically expanding plasma. The properties of this component (temperature and flux) can be linked to the properties of the outflow and have been presented in the case where there is no sub-photospheric dissipation and the photosphere is in coasting phase. First, we present the derivation of the properties of the outflow for finite winds, including when the photosphere is in the accelerating phase. Second, we study the effect of localized sub-photospheric dissipation on the estimation of the parameters. Finally, we apply our results to GRB 090902B. We find that during the first epoch of this burst the photosphere is most likely to be in the accelerating phase, leading to smaller values of the Lorentz factor than the ones previously estimated. For the second epoch, we find that the photosphere is likely to be in the coasting phase.

Towards a parameterization of convective wind gusts in Sahel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Largeron, Yann; Guichard, Françoise; Bouniol, Dominique; Couvreux, Fleur; Birch, Cathryn; Beucher, Florent

2014-05-01

West Africa is responsible for between 25 and 50 % of the global emissions of mineral dust (cf [Engelstaedter et al., 2006]) and these dust emissions have a huge impact on climate (cf [Carslaw et al., 2010]) and soil erosion. Numerous studies have focused on the quantification of the dust emission fluxes from knowledges of the soil surface characteristics, leading to the formulation of a threshold wind friction velocity (cf [Marticorena and Bergametti, 1995]) above which the dust can be uplifted. That flux varies with the cube of the surface wind speed above the threshold and is therefore particularly sensitive to the way the wind speed is modeled (cf [Menut, 2008]). Moreover, in the Sahelian belt, about half of the dust uplift happens during isolated events which generate violent cold pool outflows from moist deep convection, and associated high surface wind speeds. Therefore, the representation of convectively generated winds appears critical (cf [Marsham et al., 2011], [Knippertz and Todd, 2012]). The present study is motivated by these issues, and is carried out within the CAVIARS French Research National Agency (ANR) project. First, we examine the ERA interim reanalysis of the ECMWF, frequently used as an input wind field for off-line dust emission models (cf [Pierre et al., 2012]). The comparison with high-frequency local measurements shows that, not unexpectedly, the increase of the surface wind speed from deep convection is not represented in large-scale reanalysis. Therefore, following [Redelsperger et al., 2000], we propose a statistical approach to introduce a formulation of the surface wind gusts during deep convection, based on the analysis of convection-permitting high resolution simulations made with the UKMO atmospheric model (CASCADE project), the AROME operational model from Meteo-France, and the MesoNH Large Eddy Simulations model. High-frequency observations are also used to complement the analysis. However, unlike [Redelsperger et al., 2000] who focused on the wet tropical Pacific region, and linked wind gusts to convective precipitation rates alone, here, we also analyse the subgrid wind distribution during convective events, and quantify the statistical moments (variance, skewness and kurtosis) in terms of mean wind speed and convective indexes such as DCAPE. Next step of the work will be to formulate a parameterization of the cold pool convective gust from those probability density functions and analytical formulaes obtained from basic energy budget models. References : [Carslaw et al., 2010] A review of natural aerosol interactions and feedbacks within the earth system. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 10(4):1701{1737. [Engelstaedter et al., 2006] North african dust emissions and transport. Earth-Science Reviews, 79(1):73{100. [Knippertz and Todd, 2012] Mineral dust aerosols over the sahara: Meteorological controls on emission and transport and implications for modeling. Reviews of Geophysics, 50(1). [Marsham et al., 2011] The importance of the representation of deep convection for modeled dust-generating winds over west africa during summer.Geophysical Research Letters, 38(16). [Marticorena and Bergametti, 1995] Modeling the atmospheric dust cycle: 1. design of a soil-derived dust emission scheme. Journal of Geophysical Research, 100(D8):16415{16. [Menut, 2008] Sensitivity of hourly saharan dust emissions to ncep and ecmwf modeled wind speed. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres (1984{2012), 113(D16). [Pierre et al., 2012] Impact of vegetation and soil moisture seasonal dynamics on dust emissions over the sahel. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres (1984{2012), 117(D6). [Redelsperger et al., 2000] A parameterization of mesoscale enhancement of surface fluxes for large-scale models. Journal of climate, 13(2):402{421.

A Unified View of X-ray Absorbers in AGNs and XRBs with MHD Winds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fukumura, Keigo; Kazanas, Demosthenes; Shrader, Chris R.; Tombesi, Francesco; Behar, Ehud; Contopoulos, John

2016-01-01

The presence of UV and X-ray absorbers (aka. warm absorbers or WAs) has been long known for decades from extensive spectroscopic studies across diverse AGN populations such as nearby Seyfert galaxies and distant quasars. Furthermore, another class of seemingly distinct type of absorbers, ultra-fast outflows or UFOs, is becoming increasingly known today. Nonetheless, a physical identification of such absorbers, such as geometrical property and physical conditions, is very elusive to date despite the recent state-of-the-art observations. We develop a coherent scenario in which the detected absorbers are driven primarily (if not exclusively) by the action of global magnetic fields originating from a black hole accretion disk. In the context of MHD disk-wind of density profile of n~1/r, it is found that the properties of the observed WAs/UFOs are successfully described assuming a characteristic SED. As a case study, we analyze PG1211+143 and GRO J1655-40 to demonstrate that our wind model can systematically unify apparently diverse absorbers in both AGNs and XRBs in terms of explaining their global behavior as well as individual spectral lines.

Gravity shear waves atop the cirrus layer of intense convective storms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stobie, J. G.

1975-01-01

Recent visual satellite photographs of certain intense convective storms have revealed concentric wave patterns. A model for the generation and growth of these waves is proposed. The proposed initial generating mechanism is similar to the effect noticed when a pebble is dropped into a calm pond. The penetration of the tropopause by overshooting convection is analogous to the pebble's penetration of the water's surface. The model for wave growth involves instability due to the wind shear resulting from the cirrus outflow. This model is based on an equation for the waves' phase speed which is similar to the Helmholtz equation. It, however, does not assume an incompressible atmosphere, but rather assumes density is a logarithmic function of height. Finally, the model is evaluated on the two mid-latitude and three tropical cases. The data indicate that shearing instability may be a significant factor in the appearance of these waves.

Grid-Free 2D Plasma Simulations of the Complex Interaction Between the Solar Wind and Small, Near-Earth Asteroids

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zimmerman, M. I.; Farrell, W. M.; Poppe, A. R.

2014-01-01

We present results from a new grid-free 2D plasma simulation code applied to a small, unmagnetized body immersed in the streaming solar wind plasma. The body was purposely modeled as an irregular shape in order to examine photoemission and solar wind plasma flow in high detail on the dayside, night-side, terminator and surface-depressed 'pocket' regions. Our objective is to examine the overall morphology of the various plasma interaction regions that form around a small body like a small near-Earth asteroid (NEA). We find that the object obstructs the solar wind flow and creates a trailing wake region downstream, which involves the interplay between surface charging and ambipolar plasma expansion. Photoemission is modeled as a steady outflow of electrons from illuminated portions of the surface, and under direct illumination the surface forms a non-monotonic or ''double-sheath'' electric potential upstream of the body, which is important for understanding trajectories and equilibria of lofted dust grains in the presence of a complex asteroid geometry. The largest electric fields are found at the terminators, where ambipolar plasma expansion in the body-sized night-side wake merges seamlessly with the thin photoelectric sheath on the dayside. The pocket regions are found to be especially complex, with nearby sunlit regions of positive potential electrically connected to unlit negative potentials and forming adjacent natural electric dipoles. For objects near the surface, we find electrical dissipation times (through collection of local environmental solar wind currents) that vary over at least 5 orders of magnitude: from 39 Micro(s) inside the near-surface photoelectron cloud under direct sunlight to less than 1 s inside the particle-depleted night-side wake and shadowed pocket regions

Transport of magnetic fields into the circumgalactic medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lilly, Simon

2017-08-01

Supernova-driven winds are known to play a major role in galaxy evolution, and to drive metal-enriched material far out into the circum-galactic medium. We have demonstrated that magnetic fields in these winds are detectably modifying the polarization properties of background radio quasars with intervening MgII 2799 absorption in their spectra, through Faraday Rotation. We have obtained estimates of the disordered fields within these Faraday screens and wish to map how these vary around galaxies, e.g. whether they are maximal above the poles of the galaxies as we would expect for biconical outflows. We also want to compare our estimates quantitatively with magnetohydrodynamical models that we have been developing. For both investigations, we need to know where the lines of sight pass, relative to the galaxies. For this we need HST resolution images of the host galaxies to establish the orientation and inclination of the disks, and the general morphologies of the galaxies. We have in hand images for 17/30 quasars, and request here images for the remaining 13 sources.

The Role of Feedback in Galaxy Formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, C. L.

2004-12-01

Our understanding of galaxy formation is founded on the well-understood principle of gravitational amplification of structure but lacks the astrophysical knowledge needed to predict the properties of galaxies and small scale properties of the intergalactic medium. While gas cooling and galaxy merging are now modeled with reasonable accuracy, the complex process of gas reheating by massive stars and active nuclei is described by simple empirical "feedback" recipes. Chandra and XMM-Newton observations now provide direct imaging of this hot gas in nearby starburst galaxies; and outflow speeds -- of cooler gas entrained in hot galactic winds -- have been measured over a large range of galaxy masses and formation epochs. My talk will describe how these empirical studies help us understand the dynamics of galactic winds and discuss the consequences for the shape of the galaxy luminosity function and the enrichment of the intergalactic medium with metals. Funding from NASA, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation made much of this work possible.

Multiple Outflows in the Giant Eruption of a Massive Star

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Humphreys, Roberta M.; Martin, John C.; Gordon, Michael S.; Jones, Terry J.

2016-08-01

The supernova impostor PSN J09132750+7627410 in NGC 2748 reached a maximum luminosity of ≈-14 mag. It was quickly realized that it was not a true supernova, but another example of a nonterminal giant eruption. PSN J09132750+7627410 is distinguished by multiple P Cygni absorption minima in the Balmer emission lines that correspond to outflow velocities of -400, -1100, and -1600 km s-1. Multiple outflows have been observed in only a few other objects. In this paper we describe the evolution of the spectrum and the P Cygni profiles for 3 months past maximum, the post-maximum formation of a cool, dense wind, and the identification of a possible progenitor. One of the possible progenitors is an infrared source. Its pre-eruption spectral energy distribution suggests a bolometric luminosity of -8.3 mag and a dust temperature of 780 K. If it is the progenitor, it is above the AGB limit, unlike the intermediate-luminosity red transients. The three P Cygni profiles could be due to ejecta from the current eruption, the wind of the progenitor, or previous mass-loss events. We suggest that they were all formed as part of the same high-mass-loss event and are due to material ejected at different velocities or energies. We also suggest that multiple outflows during giant eruptions may be more common than reported. Based on observations obtained with the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT), an international collaboration among institutions in the United States, Italy, and Germany. LBT Corporation partners are the University of Arizona on behalf of the Arizona university system; Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica, Italy; LBT Beteiligungsgesellschaft, Germany, representing the Max-Planck Society, the Astrophysical Institute Potsdam, and Heidelberg University; The Ohio State University and The Research Corporation, on behalf of the University of Notre Dame, University of Minnesota, and University of Virginia.

Mesoscale observational analysis of lifting mechanism of a warm-sector convective system producing the maximal daily precipitation in China mainland during pre-summer rainy season of 2015

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Mengwen; Luo, Yali

2016-08-01

A long-lived, quasi-stationary mesoscale convective system (MCS) producing extreme rainfall (maximum of 542 mm) over the eastern coastal area of Guangdong Province on 20 May 2015 is analyzed by using high-resolution surface observations, sounding data, and radar measurements. New convective cells are continuously initiated along a mesoscale boundary at the surface, leading to formation and maintenance of the quasi-linear-shaped MCS from about 2000 BT 19 to 1200 BT 20 May. The boundary is originally formed between a cold dome generated by previous convection and southwesterly flow from the ocean carrying higher equivalent potential temperature ( θ e) air. The boundary is subsequently maintained and reinforced by the contrast between the MCS-generated cold outflow and the oceanic higher- θ e air. The cold outflow is weak (wind speed ≤ 5 m s -1), which is attributable to the characteristic environmental conditions, i.e., high humidity in the lower troposphere and weak horizontal winds in the middle and lower troposphere. The low speed of the cold outflow is comparable to that of the near surface southerly flow from the ocean, resulting in very slow southward movement of the boundary. The boundary features temperature contrasts of 2-3°C and is roughly 500-m deep. Despite its shallowness, the boundary appears to exert a profound influence on continuous convection initiation because of the very low level of free convection and small convection inhibition of the near surface oceanic air, building several parallel rainbands (of about 50-km length) that move slowly eastward along the MCS and produce about 80% of the total rainfall. Another MCS moves into the area from the northwest and merges with the local MCS at about 1200 BT. The cold outflow subsequently strengthens and the boundary moves more rapidly toward the southeast, leading to end of the event in 3 h.

Re-examining the XMM-Newton spectrum of the black hole candidate XTE J1652-453

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiang, Chia-Ying; Reis, R. C.; Walton, D. J.; Fabian, A. C.

2012-10-01

The XMM-Newton spectrum of the black hole candidate XTE J1652-453 shows a broad and strong Fe Kα emission line, generally believed to originate from reflection of the inner accretion disc. These data have been analysed by Hiemstra et al. using a variety of phenomenological models. We re-examine the spectrum with a self-consistent relativistic reflection model. A narrow absorption line near 7.2 keV may be present, which if real is likely the Fe XXVI absorption line arising from highly ionized, rapidly outflowing disc wind. The blueshift of this feature corresponds to a velocity of about 11 100 km s-1, which is much larger than the typical values seen in stellar mass black holes. Given that we also find the source to have a low inclination (i ≲ 32°; close to face-on), we would therefore be seeing through the very base of outflow. This could be a possible explanation for the unusually high velocity. We use a reflection model combined with a relativistic convolution kernel which allows for both prograde and retrograde black hole spin, and treat the potential absorption feature with a physical model for a photoionized plasma. In this manner, assuming the disc is not truncated, we could only constrain the spin of the black hole in XTE J1652-453 to be less than ˜0.5 Jc/GM2 at the 90 per cent confidence limit.

A New Look at Speeding Outflows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohler, Susanna

2018-02-01

The compact centers of active galaxies known as active galactic nuclei, or AGN are known for the dynamic behavior they exhibit as the supermassive black holes at their centers accrete matter. New observations of outflows from a nearby AGN provide a more detailed look at what happens in these extreme environments.Outflows from GiantsThe powerful radio jets of Cygnus A, which extend far beyond the galaxy. [NRAO/AUI]AGN consist of a supermassive black hole of millions to tens of billions of solar masses surrounded by an accretion disk of in-falling matter. But not all the material falling toward the black hole accretes! Some of it is flung from the AGN via various types of outflows.The most well-known of these outflows are powerful radio jets collimated and incredibly fast-moving streams of particles that blast their way out of the host galaxy and into space. Only around 10% of AGN are observed to host such jets, however and theres another outflow thats more ubiquitous.Fast-Moving AbsorbersPerhaps 30% of AGN both those with and without observed radio jets host wider-angle, highly ionized gaseous outflows known as ultra-fast outflows (UFOs). Ultraviolet and X-ray radiation emitted from the AGN is absorbed by the UFO, revealing the outflows presence: absorption lines appear in the ultraviolet and X-ray spectra of the AGN, blue-shifted due to the high speeds of the absorbing gas in the outflow.Quasar PG 1211+143, indicated by the crosshairs at the center of the image, in the color context of its surroundings. [SDSS/S. Karge]But what is the nature of UFOs? Are they disk winds? Or are they somehow related to the radio jets? And what impact do they have on the AGNs host galaxy?X-ray and Ultraviolet CooperationNew observations are now providing fresh information about one particular UFO. A team of scientists led by Ashkbiz Danehkar (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics) recently used the Chandra and Hubble space telescopes to make the first simultaneous observations of the same outflow a UFO in quasar PG 1211+143 in both X-rays and in ultraviolet.Danehkar and collaborators found absorption lines in both sets of data revealing an outflow moving at 17,000 km/s (for reference, thats 5.6% of the speed of light, and more than 1,500 times faster than Elon Musks roadster will be traveling at its maximum speed in the orbit it was launched onto yesterday by the Falcon Heavy). Having the information both from the X-ray and the ultraviolet data provides the opportunity to better asses the UFOs physical characteristics.The X-ray spectrum for PG 1211+143 was obtained by Chandra HETGS (top); the ultraviolet spectrum was obtained by HST-COS G130M (bottom). [Adapted from Danehkar et al. 2018]A Link Between Black Holes and Galaxies?The authors use models of the data to demonstrate the plausibility of a scenario in which a shock driven by the radio jet gives rise to the fast bulk outflows detected in the X-ray and ultraviolet spectra.They also estimate the impact that the outflows might have on the AGNs host galaxy, demonstrating that the energy injected into the galaxy could be somewhere between 0.02% and 0.6% of the AGNs total luminosity. At the higher end of this range, this could have an evolutionary impact on the host galaxy, suggesting a possible link between the black holes behavior and how its host galaxy evolves.In order to draw definitive conclusions, we will need higher-resolution observations that can determine the total size and extent of these outflows. For that, we may need to wait for 2023, when a proposed X-ray spectrometer that might fit the bill, Arcus, may be launched.CitationAshkbiz Danehkar et al 2018 ApJ 853 165. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/aaa427

Space-based measurements of elemental abundances and their relation to solar abundances

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Coplan, M. A.; Ogilvie, K. W.; Bochsler, P.; Geiss, J.

1990-01-01

The Ion Composition Instrument (ICI) aboard the ISEE-3/ICE spacecraft was in the solar wind continuously from August 1978 to December 1982. The results made it possible to establish long-term average solar wind abundance values for helium, oxygen, neon, silicon, and iron. The Charge-Energy-Mass instrument aboard the CCE spacecraft of the AMPTE mission has measured the abundance of these elements in the magnetosheath and has also added carbon, nitrogen, magnesium, and sulfur to the list. There is strong evidence that these magnetosheath abundances are representative of the solar wind. Other sources of solar wind abundances are Solar Energetic Particle experiments and Apollo lunar foils. When comparing the abundances from all of these sources with photospheric abundances, it is clear that helium is depleted in the solar wind while silicon and iron are enhanced. Solar wind abundances for carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and neon correlate well with the photospheric values. The incorporation of minor ions into the solar wind appears to depend upon both the ionization times for the elements and the Coulomb drag exerted by the outflowing proton flux.

What can we learn from "internal plateaus"? The peculiar afterglow of GRB 070110

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beniamini, P.; Mochkovitch, R.

2017-09-01

Context. The origin of the prompt emission of gamma-ray bursts is highly debated. Proposed scenarios involve various dissipation processes (shocks, magnetic reconnection, and inelastic collisions) above or below the photosphere of an ultra-relativistic outflow. Aims: We search for observational features that could help to favour one scenario over the others by constraining the dissipation radius, the magnetization of the outflow, or by indicating the presence of shocks. Bursts showing peculiar behaviours can emphasize the role of a specific physical ingredient, which becomes more apparent under certain circumstances. Methods: We study GRB 070110, which exhibited several remarkable features during its early afterglow; I.e. a very flat plateau terminated by an extremely steep drop and immediately followed by a bump. We modelled the plateau as the photospheric emission from a long-lasting outflow of moderate Lorentz factor (Γ 20), which lags behind an ultra-relativistic (Γ > 100) ejecta that is responsible for the prompt emission. We computed the dissipation of energy in the forward and reverse shocks resulting from the deceleration of this ejecta by the external medium (uniform or stellar wind). Results: We find that photospheric emission from the long-lasting outflow can account for the plateau properties (luminosity and spectrum) assuming that some dissipation takes place in the flow. The geometrical timescale at the photospheric radius is so short that the observed decline at the end of the plateau likely corresponds to the actual shutdown of the activity in the central engine. The bump that follows results from the power dissipated in the reverse shock, which develops when the material making the plateau catches up with the initially fast shell in front, after the fast shell has decelerated. Conclusions: The proposed interpretation suggests that the prompt phase results from dissipation above the photosphere while the plateau has a photospheric origin. If the bump is produced by the reverse shock, it implies an upper limit (σ ≲ 0.1) on the magnetization of the low Γ material making the plateau. A plateau that is terminated by a drop as steep as in GRB 070110 was not observed in any other long burst. It could mean that persistent outflows are very uncommon or that the plateau luminosity or the energy of the emitted photons are generally much lower because the outflow remains mostly adiabatic or has a Lorentz factor below 10.

Downdraft outflows: climatological potential to influence fire behaviour

Treesearch

Brian E. Potter; Jaime R. Hernandez

2017-01-01

Sudden wind shifts caused by atmospheric gust fronts can lead to firefighter entrapments and fatalities. In this study, we describe the physical processes involved in the related phenomena of convective downdrafts, gust fronts and downbursts. We focus on the dominant process, evaporative cooling in a dry surface layer, as characterised by the measure known as downdraft...

Acceleration and collimation of magnetized winds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okamoto, Isao

2000-10-01

The acceleration-collimation problem is discussed for stationary, axisymmetric, polytropic, non-relativistic MHD outflows, with causality and the current-closure condition taken into account. To elucidate the properties of physically realizable `quasi-conical' winds, we consider four kinds of rather unphysical flows in contrast, namely `radial', `asymptotic', `conical' and `current-free' flows. `Radial' flows are supposed to possess the radial structure from the source to infinity, thereby not fulfilling the transfield equation, though keeping causal contact with the source. `Asymptotic' flows coincide in the asymptotic domain with the `quasi-conical' winds, and ones extrapolated inwards from them through the subasymptotic domain to the source. Thirdly, `conical' flows are supposed to satisfy the transfield equation in the subasymptotic domain; thus they are not literally conical, but are supposed to satisfy the `solvability condition at infinity for the conical structure'. It is, however, argued that there is one difficulty in connecting the asymptotic conical structure causally to the structure upstream. Finally, `current-free' flows with no poloidal and toroidal currents everywhere in the wind zone are treated, but it is pointed out that there is no means of satisfying the current-closure condition in the wind zone. Of physical relevance are the `quasi-conical' winds, for which it is shown that the condition that open field lines in the wind zone can reach infinity leads to the requirement that the Poynting flux, proportional to ζ≡αρϖ2η, is not carried to infinity along these field lines, i.e., ζ->0, where α is the angular velocity of field lines, ρ the gas density, and η the mass flux per unit flux tube. While ζ decreases from a value of ζB≡ζA+4πηδα near the coronal base through χχΑ = 4πηαω2Α at the Alfvénic surface to null at infinity, the specific angular momentum of the flow increases up to αω2Α, and the flow energy reaches nearly α2ω2Α at infinity, where δ is a constant of the Bernouilli integral, and ϖA is the axial distance of the Alfvénic surface. It is also argued that `quasi-conical' winds with the current-closure condition fulfilled in the wind zone possess the two-componentness of outflow as one of their generic properties.

Investigations of simulated aircraft flight through thunderstorm outflows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frost, W.; Crosby, B.

1978-01-01

The effects of wind shear on aircraft flying through thunderstorm gust fronts were investigated. A computer program was developed to solve the two dimensional, nonlinear equations of aircraft motion, including wind shear. The procedure described and documented accounts for spatial and temporal variations of the aircraft within the flow regime. Analysis of flight paths and control inputs necessary to maintain specified trajectories for aircraft having characteristics of DC-8, B-747, augmentor wing STOL, and DHC-6 aircraft was recorded. From the analysis an attempt was made to find criteria for reduction of the hazards associated with landing through thunderstorm gust fronts.

The chemical evolution of Dwarf Galaxies with galactic winds - the role of mass and gas distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hensler, Gerhard; Recchi, Simone

2015-08-01

Energetic feedback from Supernovae and stellar winds can drive galactic winds. Dwarf galaxies (DGs), due to their shallower potential wells, are assumed to be more vulnera-ble to these energetic processes. Metal loss through galactic winds is also commonly invoked to explain the low metal content of DGs.Our main aim in this presentation is to show that galactic mass cannot be the only pa-rameter determining the fraction of metals lost by a galaxy. In particular, the distribution of gas must play an equally important role. We perform 2-D chemo-dynamical simula-tions of galaxies characterized by different gas distributions, masses and gas fractions. The gas distribution can change the fraction of lost metals through galactic winds by up to one order of magnitude. In particular, disk-like galaxies tend to lose metals more easily than roundish ones. Consequently, also the final element abundances attained by models with the same mass but with different gas distributions can vary by up to one dex. Confirming previous studies, we also show that the fate of gas and freshly pro-duced metals strongly depends on the mass of the galaxy. Smaller galaxies (with shal-lower potential wells) more easily develop large-scale outflows; therefore, the fraction of lost metals tends to be higher.Another important issue is that the invoked mechanism to transform central cusps to cored dark-matter distributions by baryon loss due to strong galactic winds cannot work in general, must be critically tested, and should be clearly discernible by the chemical evolution of DGs.

Structure and Dynamics of the Accretion Process and Wind in TW Hya

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dupree, A. K.; Brickhouse, N. S.; Cranmer, S. R.; Berlind, P.; Strader, Jay; Smith, Graeme H.

2014-07-01

Time-domain spectroscopy of the classical accreting T Tauri star, TW Hya, covering a decade and spanning the far UV to the near-infrared spectral regions can identify the radiation sources, the atmospheric structure produced by accretion, and properties of the stellar wind. On timescales from days to years, substantial changes occur in emission line profiles and line strengths. Our extensive time-domain spectroscopy suggests that the broad near-IR, optical, and far-uv emission lines, centered on the star, originate in a turbulent post-shock region and can undergo scattering by the overlying stellar wind as well as some absorption from infalling material. Stable absorption features appear in Hα, apparently caused by an accreting column silhouetted in the stellar wind. Inflow of material onto the star is revealed by the near-IR He I 10830 Å line, and its free-fall velocity correlates inversely with the strength of the post-shock emission, consistent with a dipole accretion model. However, the predictions of hydrogen line profiles based on accretion stream models are not well-matched by these observations. Evidence of an accelerating warm to hot stellar wind is shown by the near-IR He I line, and emission profiles of C II, C III, C IV, N V, and O VI. The outflow of material changes substantially in both speed and opacity in the yearly sampling of the near-IR He I line over a decade. Terminal outflow velocities that range from 200 km s-1 to almost 400 km s-1 in He I appear to be directly related to the amount of post-shock emission, giving evidence for an accretion-driven stellar wind. Calculations of the emission from realistic post-shock regions are needed. Data presented herein were obtained at the W. M. Keck Observatory, which is operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Observatory was made possible by the generous financial support of the W. M. Keck Foundation. Infrared spectra were taken at the Gemini Observatory, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under a cooperative agreement with the NSF on behalf of the Gemini partnership: the National Science Foundation (United States), formerly the Science and Technology Facilities Council (United Kingdom), the National Research Council (Canada), CONICYT (Chile), the Australian Research Council (Australia), Ministério da Ciência e Tecnologia (Brazil) and Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación Productiva (Argentina). This paper also includes spectra gathered with the 6.5 m Magellan Telescope/CLAY located at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile. Additional spectra were obtained at the 1.5 m Tillinghast Telescope at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory.

Configuring calendar variation based on time series regression method for forecasting of monthly currency inflow and outflow in Central Java

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Setiawan, Suhartono, Ahmad, Imam Safawi; Rahmawati, Noorgam Ika

2015-12-01

Bank Indonesia (BI) as the central bank of Republic Indonesiahas a single overarching objective to establish and maintain rupiah stability. This objective could be achieved by monitoring traffic of inflow and outflow money currency. Inflow and outflow are related to stock and distribution of money currency around Indonesia territory. It will effect of economic activities. Economic activities of Indonesia,as one of Moslem country, absolutely related to Islamic Calendar (lunar calendar), that different with Gregorian calendar. This research aims to forecast the inflow and outflow money currency of Representative Office (RO) of BI Semarang Central Java region. The results of the analysis shows that the characteristics of inflow and outflow money currency influenced by the effects of the calendar variations, that is the day of Eid al-Fitr (moslem holyday) as well as seasonal patterns. In addition, the period of a certain week during Eid al-Fitr also affect the increase of inflow and outflow money currency. The best model based on the value of the smallestRoot Mean Square Error (RMSE) for inflow data is ARIMA model. While the best model for predicting the outflow data in RO of BI Semarang is ARIMAX model or Time Series Regression, because both of them have the same model. The results forecast in a period of 2015 shows an increase of inflow money currency happened in August, while the increase in outflow money currency happened in July.

Estimating outflow facility through pressure dependent pathways of the human eye

PubMed Central

Gardiner, Bruce S.

2017-01-01

We develop and test a new theory for pressure dependent outflow from the eye. The theory comprises three main parameters: (i) a constant hydraulic conductivity, (ii) an exponential decay constant and (iii) a no-flow intraocular pressure, from which the total pressure dependent outflow, average outflow facilities and local outflow facilities for the whole eye may be evaluated. We use a new notation to specify precisely the meaning of model parameters and so model outputs. Drawing on a range of published data, we apply the theory to animal eyes, enucleated eyes and in vivo human eyes, and demonstrate how to evaluate model parameters. It is shown that the theory can fit high quality experimental data remarkably well. The new theory predicts that outflow facilities and total pressure dependent outflow for the whole eye are more than twice as large as estimates based on the Goldman equation and fluorometric analysis of anterior aqueous outflow. It appears likely that this discrepancy can be largely explained by pseudofacility and aqueous flow through the retinal pigmented epithelium, while any residual discrepancy may be due to pathological processes in aged eyes. The model predicts that if the hydraulic conductivity is too small, or the exponential decay constant is too large, then intraocular eye pressure may become unstable when subjected to normal circadian changes in aqueous production. The model also predicts relationships between variables that may be helpful when planning future experiments, and the model generates many novel testable hypotheses. With additional research, the analysis described here may find application in the differential diagnosis, prognosis and monitoring of glaucoma. PMID:29261696

Jet Launching in Resistive GR-MHD Black Hole–Accretion Disk Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qian, Qian; Fendt, Christian; Vourellis, Christos

2018-05-01

We investigate the launching mechanism of relativistic jets from black hole sources, in particular the strong winds from the surrounding accretion disk. Numerical investigations of the disk wind launching—the simulation of the accretion–ejection transition—have so far almost only been done for nonrelativistic systems. From these simulations we know that resistivity, or magnetic diffusivity, plays an important role for the launching process. Here we extend this treatment to general relativistic magnetohydrodynamics (GR-MHD), applying the resistive GR-MHD code rHARM. Our model setup considers a thin accretion disk threaded by a large-scale open magnetic field. We run a series of simulations with different Kerr parameter, field strength, and diffusivity level. Indeed, we find strong disk winds with, however, mildly relativistic speed, the latter most probably due to our limited computational domain. Further, we find that magnetic diffusivity lowers the efficiency of accretion and ejection, as it weakens the efficiency of the magnetic lever arm of the disk wind. As a major driving force of the disk wind we disentangle the toroidal magnetic field pressure gradient; however, magnetocentrifugal driving may also contribute. Black hole rotation in our simulations suppresses the accretion rate owing to an enhanced toroidal magnetic field pressure that seems to be induced by frame dragging. Comparing the energy fluxes from the Blandford–Znajek-driven central spine and the surrounding disk wind, we find that the total electromagnetic energy flux is dominated by the total matter energy flux of the disk wind (by a factor of 20). The kinetic energy flux of the matter outflow is comparatively small and comparable to the Blandford–Znajek electromagnetic energy flux.

Gas dynamics in the inner few AU around the Herbig B[e] star MWC297. Indications of a disk wind from kinematic modeling and velocity-resolved interferometric imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hone, Edward; Kraus, Stefan; Kreplin, Alexander; Hofmann, Karl-Heinz; Weigelt, Gerd; Harries, Tim; Kluska, Jacques

2017-10-01

Aims: Circumstellar accretion disks and outflows play an important role in star formation. By studying the continuum and Brγ-emitting region of the Herbig B[e] star MWC297 with high-spectral and high-spatial resolution we aim to gain insight into the wind-launching mechanisms in young stars. Methods: We present near-infrared AMBER (R = 12 000) and CRIRES (R = 100 000) observations of the Herbig B[e] star MWC297 in the hydrogen Brγ-line. Using the VLTI unit telescopes, we obtained a uv-coverage suitable for aperture synthesis imaging. We interpret our velocity-resolved images as well as the derived two-dimensional photocenter displacement vectors, and fit kinematic models to our visibility and phase data in order to constrain the gas velocity field on sub-AU scales. Results: The measured continuum visibilities constrain the orientation of the near-infrared-emitting dust disk, where we determine that the disk major axis is oriented along a position angle of 99.6 ± 4.8°. The near-infrared continuum emission is 3.6 × more compact than the expected dust-sublimation radius, possibly indicating the presence of highly refractory dust grains or optically thick gas emission in the inner disk. Our velocity-resolved channel maps and moment maps reveal the motion of the Brγ-emitting gas in six velocity channels, marking the first time that kinematic effects in the sub-AU inner regions of a protoplanetary disk could be directly imaged. We find a rotation-dominated velocity field, where the blue- and red-shifted emissions are displaced along a position angle of 24° ± 3° and the approaching part of the disk is offset west of the star. The visibility drop in the line as well as the strong non-zero phase signals can be modeled reasonably well assuming a Keplerian velocity field, although this model is not able to explain the 3σ difference that we measure between the position angle of the line photocenters and the position angle of the dust disk. We find that the fit can be improved by adding an outflowing component to the velocity field, as inspired by a magneto-centrifugal disk-wind scenario. Conclusions: This study combines spectroscopy, spectroastrometry, and high-spectral dispersion interferometric, providing yet the tightest constraints on the distribution and kinematics of Brγ-emitting gas in the inner few AU around a young star. All observables can be modeled assuming a disk wind scenario. Our simulations show that adding a poloidal velocity component causes the perceived system axis to shift, offering a powerful new diagnostic for detecting non-Keplerian velocity components in other systems. Based on observations made with ESO Telescopes at the La Silla Paranal Observatory under programme IDs 081.D-0230, 083.C-0590, 089.C-0959, and 089.C-0563.

Oxygen Ion Upflow/Outflow Fluxes of Ionospheric Origin in the Stormtime Plasmasphere Boundary Layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erickson, P. J.; Zhang, S.; Foster, J. C.; Coster, A. J.

2017-12-01

During geomagnetic storm intervals, Earth's ionosphere is a source of heavy, cold O+ rich plasma to the inner magnetosphere, providing mass flux enhancement with strong dynamic geospace influence. Advancing understanding of the relative strength of ionospheric O+ sources is important for refining modeling of global ionosphere-thermosphere-plasmasphere response, and ultimately for quantitative understanding of the dynamics of energy inputs from solar wind to the magnetosphere. An important but often overlooked source of inner magnetospheric O+ can occur within the plasmasphere boundary layer, well equatorward of higher latitude processes. In particular, at the outer edge of the plasmasphere, O+ dynamics capable of accelerating heavy ions most probably occurs in two steps: (1) ion upflow with thermal velocities above the F2 electron density peak, and (2) ion outflow with suprathermal velocities at higher altitudes. Below approximately 500 km altitude in the near topside ionosphere, ion and electron precipitation in the 10s of eV to 10s of keV range can cause `backsplash' effects, providing sources of upwelling ions. Alternately, strong frictional ion heating from intense horizontal cross-field sub auroral polarization stream (SAPS) flows also provide significant ion temperature enhancements that lead to upwards velocities. Although these vertical flows are challenging to observe due to their short temporal nature and confined spatial extent, direct quantification of the upwelling O+ ion flux is available during several historical storm events using the Millstone Hill incoherent scatter radar, including the recent March 2015 storm interval. DMSP overflights and GPS based large scale TEC maps place these ionospheric radar measurements in correct geophysical context. Results show heavy ion upwelling fluxes lasting for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour (upper bound limited by observational restrictions), at rates exceeding 1E13 ions/m2/sec. We will present a summary of these observations and will quantitatively discuss estimates of the total O+ ion outflow involved, along with an exploration of the relative importance of the two leading mechanisms involved for these upwelling sources. Finally, we will discuss the implications in order to correctly model outflow effects within the inner magnetosphere.

Torque Enhancement, Spin Equilibrium, and Jet Power from Disk-Induced Opening of Pulsar Magnetic Fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parfrey, Kyle; Spitkovsky, Anatoly; Beloborodov, Andrei M.

2016-05-01

The interaction of a rotating star’s magnetic field with a surrounding plasma disk lies at the heart of many questions posed by neutron stars in X-ray binaries. We consider the opening of stellar magnetic flux due to differential rotation along field lines coupling the star and disk, using a simple model for the disk-opened flux, the torques exerted on the star by the magnetosphere, and the power extracted by the electromagnetic wind. We examine the conditions under which the system enters an equilibrium spin state, in which the accretion torque is instantaneously balanced by the pulsar wind torque alone. For magnetic moments, spin frequencies, and accretion rates relevant to accreting millisecond pulsars, the spin-down torque from this enhanced pulsar wind can be substantially larger than that predicted by existing models of the disk-magnetosphere interaction, and is in principle capable of maintaining spin equilibrium at frequencies less than 1 kHz. We speculate that this mechanism may account for the non-detection of frequency increases during outbursts of SAX J1808.4-3658 and XTE J1814-338, and may be generally responsible for preventing spin-up to sub-millisecond periods. If the pulsar wind is collimated by the surrounding environment, the resulting jet can satisfy the power requirements of the highly relativistic outflows from Cir X-1 and Sco X-1. In this framework, the jet power scales relatively weakly with accretion rate, {L}{{j}}\\propto {\\dot{M}}4/7, and would be suppressed at high accretion rates only if the stellar magnetic moment is sufficiently low.

Simulation of California's Major Reservoirs Outflow Using Data Mining Technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, T.; Gao, X.; Sorooshian, S.

2014-12-01

The reservoir's outflow is controlled by reservoir operators, which is different from the upstream inflow. The outflow is more important than the reservoir's inflow for the downstream water users. In order to simulate the complicated reservoir operation and extract the outflow decision making patterns for California's 12 major reservoirs, we build a data-driven, computer-based ("artificial intelligent") reservoir decision making tool, using decision regression and classification tree approach. This is a well-developed statistical and graphical modeling methodology in the field of data mining. A shuffled cross validation approach is also employed to extract the outflow decision making patterns and rules based on the selected decision variables (inflow amount, precipitation, timing, water type year etc.). To show the accuracy of the model, a verification study is carried out comparing the model-generated outflow decisions ("artificial intelligent" decisions) with that made by reservoir operators (human decisions). The simulation results show that the machine-generated outflow decisions are very similar to the real reservoir operators' decisions. This conclusion is based on statistical evaluations using the Nash-Sutcliffe test. The proposed model is able to detect the most influential variables and their weights when the reservoir operators make an outflow decision. While the proposed approach was firstly applied and tested on California's 12 major reservoirs, the method is universally adaptable to other reservoir systems.

CHANG-ES. VII. Magnetic Outflows from the Virgo Cluster Galaxy NGC 4388

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Damas-Segovia, A.; Beck, R.; Vollmer, B.; Wiegert, T.; Krause, M.; Irwin, J.; Weżgowiec, M.; Li, J.; Dettmar, R.-J.; English, J.; Wang, Q. D.

2016-06-01

We investigate the effects of ram pressure on the ordered magnetic field of a galaxy hosting a radio halo and strong nuclear outflows. New radio images in total and polarized intensity of the edge-on Virgo galaxy NGC 4388 were obtained within the CHANG-ES EVLA project. The unprecedented noise level reached allows us to detect striking new features of the ordered magnetic field. The nuclear outflow extends far into the halo to about 5 kpc from the center and is spatially correlated with the {{H}}α and X-ray emission. For the first time, the southern outflow is detected. Above and below both spiral arms we find extended blobs of polarized emission with an ordered field oriented perpendicular to the disk. The synchrotron lifetime of the cosmic-ray electrons (CREs) in these regions yields a mean outflow velocity of 270+/- 70 {km} {{{s}}}-1, in agreement with a galactic wind scenario. The observed symmetry of the polarized halo features in NGC 4388 excludes a compression of the halo gas by the ram pressure of the intracluster medium (ICM). The assumption of equilibrium between the halo pressure and the ICM ram pressure yields an estimate of the ICM density that is consistent with both the ICM density derived from X-ray observations and the recent Planck Sunyaev-Zel’dovich measurements. The detection of a faint radio halo around cluster galaxies could thus be used for an estimate of ICM ram pressure.

The impact of environmental inertial stability on the secondary circulation of axisymmetric tropical cyclones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Neill, M. E.; Chavas, D. R.

2017-12-01

In f-plane numerical simulations and analytical theory, tropical cyclones completely recycle their exhausted outflow air back into the boundary layer. This low-angular momentum air must experience cyclonic torque at the sea surface for cyclone to reach equilibrium. On Earth, however, it is not clear that tropical cyclones recycle all of the outflow air in a closed secondary circulation, and strong asymmetric outflow-jet interactions suggest that much of the air may be permanently evacuated from the storm over its lifetime. The fraction of outflow air that is returned to the near-storm boundary layer is in part a function of the environmental inertial stability, which controls the size and strength of the upper anticyclone. We run a suite of idealized axisymmetric tropical cyclone simulations at constant latitude while varying the outer domain's inertial stability profile. Fixing the latitude allows the gradient wind balance of the storm core to remain constant except for changes due to the far environment. By varying both the outer inertial stability and its location with respect to the Rossby radius of deformation, we show how the tropical cyclone's area-of-influence is controlled by the nature and strength of the upper anticyclone. Parcel tracking additionally demonstrates the likelihood of outflow air parcels to be quickly re-consumed by the secondary circulation as a function of inertial stability. These experiments demonstrate the sensitivity of the tropical cyclone's secondary circulation, typically assumed to be closed, to the dynamics of the far environment.

Quasar-mode Feedback in Nearby Type 1 Quasars: Ubiquitous Kiloparsec-scale Outflows and Correlations with Black Hole Properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rupke, David S. N.; Gültekin, Kayhan; Veilleux, Sylvain

2017-11-01

The prevalence and properties of kiloparsec-scale outflows in nearby Type 1 quasars have been the subject of little previous attention. This work presents Gemini integral field spectroscopy of 10 Type 1 radio-quiet quasars at z< 0.3. The excellent image quality, coupled with a new technique to remove the point-spread function using spectral information, allows the fitting of the underlying host on a spaxel-by-spaxel basis. Fits to stars, line-emitting gas, and interstellar absorption show that 100% of the sample hosts warm ionized and/or cool neutral outflows with spatially averaged velocities (< {v}98 % > \\equiv < v+2σ > ) of 200-1300 {km} {{{s}}}-1 and peak velocities (maximum {v}98 % ) of 500-2600 {km} {{{s}}}-1. These minor-axis outflows are powered primarily by the central active galactic nucleus, reach scales of 3-12 kpc, and often fill the field of view. Including molecular data and Type 2 quasar measurements, nearby quasars show a wide range in mass outflow rates ({dM}/{dt}=1 to > 1000 {M}⊙ {{yr}}-1) and momentum boosts [(c {dp}/{dt})/{L}{AGN}=0.01{--}20]. After extending the mass scale to Seyferts, dM/dt and dE/dt correlate with black hole mass ({dM}/{dt}˜ {M}{BH}0.7+/- 0.3 and {dE}/{dt}˜ {M}{BH}1.3+/- 0.5). Thus, the most massive black holes in the local universe power the most massive and energetic quasar-mode winds.

Water in star-forming regions with Herschel (WISH). V. The physical conditions in low-mass protostellar outflows revealed by multi-transition water observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mottram, J. C.; Kristensen, L. E.; van Dishoeck, E. F.; Bruderer, S.; San José-García, I.; Karska, A.; Visser, R.; Santangelo, G.; Benz, A. O.; Bergin, E. A.; Caselli, P.; Herpin, F.; Hogerheijde, M. R.; Johnstone, D.; van Kempen, T. A.; Liseau, R.; Nisini, B.; Tafalla, M.; van der Tak, F. F. S.; Wyrowski, F.

2014-12-01

Context. Outflows are an important part of the star formation process as both the result of ongoing active accretion and one of the main sources of mechanical feedback on small scales. Water is the ideal tracer of these effects because it is present in high abundance for the conditions expected in various parts of the protostar, particularly the outflow. Aims: We constrain and quantify the physical conditions probed by water in the outflow-jet system for Class 0 and I sources. Methods: We present velocity-resolved Herschel HIFI spectra of multiple water-transitions observed towards 29 nearby Class 0/I protostars as part of the WISH guaranteed time key programme. The lines are decomposed into different Gaussian components, with each component related to one of three parts of the protostellar system; quiescent envelope, cavity shock and spot shocks in the jet and at the base of the outflow. We then use non-LTE radex models to constrain the excitation conditions present in the two outflow-related components. Results: Water emission at the source position is optically thick but effectively thin, with line ratios that do not vary with velocity, in contrast to CO. The physical conditions of the cavity and spot shocks are similar, with post-shock H2 densities of order 105 - 108 cm-3 and H2O column densities of order 1016 - 1018 cm-2. H2O emission originates in compact emitting regions: for the spot shocks these correspond to point sources with radii of order 10-200 AU, while for the cavity shocks these come from a thin layer along the outflow cavity wall with thickness of order 1-30 AU. Conclusions: Water emission at the source position traces two distinct kinematic components in the outflow; J shocks at the base of the outflow or in the jet, and C shocks in a thin layer in the cavity wall. The similarity of the physical conditions is in contrast to off-source determinations which show similar densities but lower column densities and larger filling factors. We propose that this is due to the differences in shock properties and geometry between these positions. Class I sources have similar excitation conditions to Class 0 sources, but generally smaller line-widths and emitting region sizes. We suggest that it is the velocity of the wind driving the outflow, rather than the decrease in envelope density or mass, that is the cause of the decrease in H2O intensity between Class 0 and I sources. Herschel is an ESA space observatory with science instruments provided by European-led Principal Investigator consortia and with important participation from NASA.Appendices are available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.orgReduced spectra are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (ftp://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/572/A21

The freshwater export from the Arctic Ocean and the circulation of liquid freshwater around Greenland - constraints, interactions & consequences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rudels, Bert

2010-05-01

The freshwater added to the Arctic Ocean is stored as sea ice and as liquid freshwater residing primarily in the upper layers. This allows for simple zero order estimates of the liquid freshwater content and export based on rotationally controlled baroclinic flow. At present the freshwater outflow occurs on both sides of Greenland. In Fram Strait the sea ice export in the East Greenland Current is significantly larger than the liquid freshwater outflow, while the liquid freshwater export dominates in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Although the outflow in the upper layer and the freshwater export respond to short periodic wind events and longer periodic atmospheric circulation patterns, the long-term trend is controlled by the net freshwater supply - the freshwater input minus the ice export. As the ice formation and ice export are expected to diminish in a warmer climate the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, comprising several passages, should gradually carry more of the total Arctic Ocean freshwater outflow. However, the channels in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago discharge into the restricted Baffin, which also receives a part of the Fram Strait freshwater export via the West Greenland Current. In a situation with increased glacial melting and freshwater discharge from Greenland the density of the upper layer in Baffin Bay may decrease considerably. This would reduce the sea level difference between the Arctic Ocean and Baffin Bay and thus weaken the outflow through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, in extreme cases perhaps even reverse the flow. This would shift the main Arctic Ocean liquid freshwater export from The Canadian Arctic Archipelago to Fram Strait. The zero order dynamics of the exchanges through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and Baffin Bay are described and the possibility for a weakening of the outflow is examined.

Submillimeter array observations of NGC 2264-C: molecular outflows and driving sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cunningham, Nichol; Lumsden, Stuart L.; Cyganowski, Claudia J.; Maud, Luke T.; Purcell, Cormac

2016-05-01

We present 1.3 mm Submillimeter Array (SMA) observations at ˜3 arcsec resolution towards the brightest section of the intermediate/massive star-forming cluster NGC 2264-C. The millimetre continuum emission reveals ten 1.3 mm continuum peaks, of which four are new detections. The observed frequency range includes the known molecular jet/outflow tracer SiO (5-4), thus providing the first high-resolution observations of SiO towards NGC 2264-C. We also detect molecular lines of 12 additional species towards this region, including CH3CN, CH3OH, SO, H2CO, DCN, HC3N, and 12CO. The SiO (5-4) emission reveals the presence of two collimated, high-velocity (up to 30 km s-1 with respect to the systemic velocity) bipolar outflows in NGC 2264-C. In addition, the outflows are traced by emission from 12CO, SO, H2CO, and CH3OH. We find an evolutionary spread between cores residing in the same parent cloud. The two unambiguous outflows are driven by the brightest mm continuum cores, which are IR-dark, molecular line weak, and likely the youngest cores in the region. Furthermore, towards the Red MSX Source AFGL 989-IRS1, the IR-bright and most evolved source in NGC 2264-C, we observe no molecular outflow emission. A molecular line rich ridge feature, with no obvious directly associated continuum source, lies on the edge of a low-density cavity and may be formed from a wind driven by AFGL 989-IRS1. In addition, 229 GHz class I maser emission is detected towards this feature.

Unification of X-ray Winds in Seyfert Galaxies: From Ultra-fast Outflows to Warm Absorbers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tombesi, Francesco; Cappi, M.; Reeves, J.; Nemmen, R.; Braito, V.; Gaspari, M.; Reynolds, C. S.

2013-04-01

The existence of ionized X-ray absorbing layers of gas along the line of sight to the nuclei of Seyfert galaxies is a well established observational fact. This material is systematically outflowing and shows a large range in parameters. However, its actual nature and dynamics are still not clear. In order to gain insights into these important issues we performed a literature search for papers reporting the parameters of the soft X-ray warm absorbers (WAs) in 35 type 1 Seyferts and compared their properties to those of the ultra-fast outflows (UFOs) detected in the same sample. The fraction of sources with WAs is >60%, consistent with previous studies. The fraction of sources with UFOs is >34%, >67% of which also show WAs. The large dynamic range obtained when considering all the absorbers together allows us, for the first time, to investigate general relations among them. In particular, we find significant correlations indicating that the closer the absorber is to the central black hole, the higher the ionization, column, outflow velocity and consequently the mechanical power. The absorbers continuously populate the whole parameter space, with the WAs and the UFOs lying always at the two ends of the distribution. This strongly suggest that these absorbers, often considered of different types, could actually represent parts of a single large-scale stratified outflow observed at different locations from the black hole. The observed parameters and correlations are consistent with both radiation pressure through Compton scattering and MHD processes contributing to the outflow acceleration, the latter playing a major role. Most of the absorbers, especially the UFOs, have a sufficiently high mechanical power to significantly contribute to the AGN feedback.