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Stratified Magnetically Driven Accretion-Disk Winds and Their Relations To JetsWe 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.
Document ID
20140017165
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Fukumura, Keigo
(Maryland Univ. Baltimore County Baltimore, MD, United States)
Tombesi, Francesco
(Maryland Univ. College Park, MD, United States)
Kazanas, Demosthenes
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Shrader, Chris
(Universities Space Research Association Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Behar, Ehud
(Technion - Israel Inst. of Engineering Haifa, Israel)
Contopoulos, Ioannis
(Academy of Athens Greece)
Date Acquired
December 9, 2014
Publication Date
December 17, 2013
Publication Information
Publication: The Astrophysical Journal
Publisher: The Astrophysical Journal
Volume: 780
Issue: 2
Subject Category
Space Radiation
Plasma Physics
Report/Patent Number
GSFC-E-DAA-TN16153
Report Number: GSFC-E-DAA-TN16153
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NNG06EO90A
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.
Keywords
accretion
black hole physics
quasars: absorption lines
accretion disks
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