SUPER - III. Broad line region properties of AGNs at z ∼ 2
Journal article, 2020

Aims. The SINFONI survey for Unveiling the Physics and Effect of Radiative feedback (SUPER) was designed to conduct a blind search for AGN-driven outflows on X-ray-selected AGNs at redshift z similar to 2 with high (similar to 2 kpc) spatial resolution, and to correlate them with the properties of their host galaxy and central black hole. The main aims of this paper are: (a) to derive reliable estimates for the masses of the black holes and accretion rates for the Type-1 AGNs in this survey; and (b) to characterise the properties of the AGN-driven winds in the broad line region (BLR).Methods. We analysed rest-frame optical and UV spectra of 21 Type-1 AGNs. We used H alpha, H beta, and MgII line profiles to estimate the masses of the black holes. We used the blueshift of the CIV line profile to trace the presence of winds in the BLR.Results. We find that the H alpha and H beta line widths are strongly correlated, as is the line continuum luminosity at 5100 angstrom with H alpha line luminosity, resulting in a well-defined correlation between black hole masses estimated from H alpha and H beta. Using these lines, we estimate that the black hole masses for our objects are in the range Log (M-BH/M-circle dot) = 8.4-10.8 and are accreting at lambda (Edd) = 0.04-1.3. Furthermore, we confirm the well-known finding that the CIV line width does not correlate with the Balmer lines and the peak of the line profile is blueshifted with respect to the [OIII]-based systemic redshift. These findings support the idea that the CIV line is tracing outflowing gas in the BLR for which we estimated velocities up to similar to 4700 km s(-1). We confirm the strong dependence of the BLR wind velocity on the UV-to-X-ray continuum slope, the bolometric luminosity, and Eddington ratio. We infer BLR mass outflow rates in the range 0.005-3 M-circle dot yr(-1), revealing a correlation with the bolometric luminosity consistent with that observed for ionised winds in the narrow line region (NLR), and X-ray winds detected in local AGNs, and kinetic power similar to 10(-7)-10(-4)xL(Bol). The coupling efficiencies predicted by AGN-feedback models are much higher than the values reported for the BLR winds in the SUPER sample; although it should be noted that only a fraction of the energy injected by the AGN into the surrounding medium is expected to become kinetic power in the outflow. Finally, we find an anti-correlation between the equivalent width of the [OIII] line and the CIV velocity shift, and a positive correlation between this latter parameter and [OIII] outflow velocity. These findings, for the first time in an unbiased sample of AGNs at z similar to 2, support a scenario where BLR winds are connected to galaxy-scale detected outflows, and are therefore capable of affecting the gas in the NLR located at kiloparsec scale distances.

galaxies: high-redshift

galaxies: active

quasars: emission lines

quasars: supermassive black holes

galaxies: evolution

Author

G. Vietri

Istituto nazionale di astrofisica (INAF)

Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU)

European Southern Observatory Santiago

V Mainieri

European Southern Observatory Santiago

D. Kakkad

European Southern Observatory Santiago

H. Netzer

Tel Aviv University

M. Perna

Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)

Istituto nazionale di astrofisica (INAF)

C. Circosta

European Southern Observatory Santiago

University College London (UCL)

C. M. Harrison

Newcastle University

L. Zappacosta

Istituto nazionale di astrofisica (INAF)

B. Husemann

Max Planck Society

P. Padovani

European Southern Observatory Santiago

M. Bischetti

Istituto nazionale di astrofisica (INAF)

A. Bongiorno

Istituto nazionale di astrofisica (INAF)

M. Brusa

University of Bologna

Istituto nazionale di astrofisica (INAF)

S. Carniani

Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa

C. Cicone

University of Oslo

A. Comastri

Istituto nazionale di astrofisica (INAF)

G. Cresci

Istituto nazionale di astrofisica (INAF)

C. Feruglio

Istituto nazionale di astrofisica (INAF)

F. Fiore

Istituto nazionale di astrofisica (INAF)

G. Lanzuisi

Istituto nazionale di astrofisica (INAF)

F. Mannucci

Istituto nazionale di astrofisica (INAF)

A. Marconi

Istituto nazionale di astrofisica (INAF)

University of Florence

E. Piconcelli

Istituto nazionale di astrofisica (INAF)

A. Puglisi

Istituto nazionale di astrofisica (INAF)

University Paris-Saclay

Durham University

M. Salvato

Max Planck Society

M. Schramm

Saitama University

A. Schulze

National Astronomical Observatory of Japan

Jan Scholtz

Chalmers, Space, Earth and Environment, Astronomy and Plasmaphysics

C. Vignali

University of Bologna

Istituto nazionale di astrofisica (INAF)

G. Zamorani

Istituto nazionale di astrofisica (INAF)

Astronomy and Astrophysics

0004-6361 (ISSN) 1432-0746 (eISSN)

Vol. 644 A175

Subject Categories

Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences

Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology

Probability Theory and Statistics

DOI

10.1051/0004-6361/202039136

More information

Latest update

9/6/2021 1