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Hot, Photoionized X-ray Gas in Two Luminous Type 2 Quasars: Chandra-HST Evidence for a Wind-Driven Sequence

Anna Trindade Falcão, S. Kraemer, L. Feuillet, R. Middei, T. J. Turner, J. Reeves, V. Braito, A. Ptak, H. R. Schmitt, T. C. Fischer, D. M. Crenshaw, Luis C. Ho, M. Revalski, T. Storchi-Bergmann, M. Vestergaard, C. M. Gaskell, W. P. Maksym, M. Elvis, M. J. Ward, H. Netzer

Abstract

We present new Chandra/ACIS-S imaging spectroscopy of two luminous type 2 quasars, FIRST J120041.4+314745 (z=0.116) and 2MASX J13003807+5454367 (z=0.088), and compare their X-ray emission with Hubble Space Telescope [O III]$λ$5007 morphologies and kinematics. Both systems show kiloparsec-scale soft X-ray emission. In FIRST J120041, the X-ray morphology is clumpy and closely follows the [O III] structures, with surface-brightness peaks co-spatial with the highest [O III] velocities (600-750 km s$^{-1}$) and broadest line widths (FWHM~1700 km s$^{-1}$). In 2MASX J130038, the X-rays are more centrally concentrated and only weakly correlated with the largely rotational [O III] kinematics. Spectral modeling indicates that photoionization dominates the soft X-rays in both quasars. The inferred hot-gas reservoirs are substantial, M$_{\rm x-ray}$ ~ 4.5x10$^{8}$M$_{\odot}$ (FIRST J120041) and M$_{\rm x-ray}$ ~ 1.8x10$^{8}$M$_{\odot}$ (2MASX J130038), exceeding the outflowing [O III] masses (volume-normalized) by factors of ~4 and ~16, respectively. In 2MASX J130038, we also identify a tentative blueshifted Fe XXVI Ly$α$ line at E$_{\rm rest}$ = 7.14 $\pm$ 0.06 keV (v~7600 km s$^{-1}$), consistent with a nascent hot wind confined to the inner few hundred parsecs. Combining these results with a broader sample of twelve type 2 quasars, we argue that luminous quasars evolve along a continuous feedback sequence regulated by the progressive clearing of circumnuclear gas. As AGN radiation and winds pierce through the surrounding medium, systems transition from heavily enshrouded, compact configurations to phases where the X-ray and [O III] components strongly couple and, eventually, to large-scale, energetically dominant outflows. FIRST J120041 and 2MASX J130038 represent two points along this sequence, tracing the emergence and growth of hot winds as primary drivers of quasar-scale feedback.

Hot, Photoionized X-ray Gas in Two Luminous Type 2 Quasars: Chandra-HST Evidence for a Wind-Driven Sequence

Abstract

We present new Chandra/ACIS-S imaging spectroscopy of two luminous type 2 quasars, FIRST J120041.4+314745 (z=0.116) and 2MASX J13003807+5454367 (z=0.088), and compare their X-ray emission with Hubble Space Telescope [O III]5007 morphologies and kinematics. Both systems show kiloparsec-scale soft X-ray emission. In FIRST J120041, the X-ray morphology is clumpy and closely follows the [O III] structures, with surface-brightness peaks co-spatial with the highest [O III] velocities (600-750 km s) and broadest line widths (FWHM~1700 km s). In 2MASX J130038, the X-rays are more centrally concentrated and only weakly correlated with the largely rotational [O III] kinematics. Spectral modeling indicates that photoionization dominates the soft X-rays in both quasars. The inferred hot-gas reservoirs are substantial, M ~ 4.5x10M (FIRST J120041) and M ~ 1.8x10M (2MASX J130038), exceeding the outflowing [O III] masses (volume-normalized) by factors of ~4 and ~16, respectively. In 2MASX J130038, we also identify a tentative blueshifted Fe XXVI Ly line at E = 7.14 0.06 keV (v~7600 km s), consistent with a nascent hot wind confined to the inner few hundred parsecs. Combining these results with a broader sample of twelve type 2 quasars, we argue that luminous quasars evolve along a continuous feedback sequence regulated by the progressive clearing of circumnuclear gas. As AGN radiation and winds pierce through the surrounding medium, systems transition from heavily enshrouded, compact configurations to phases where the X-ray and [O III] components strongly couple and, eventually, to large-scale, energetically dominant outflows. FIRST J120041 and 2MASX J130038 represent two points along this sequence, tracing the emergence and growth of hot winds as primary drivers of quasar-scale feedback.

Paper Structure

This paper contains 18 sections, 7 equations, 8 figures, 6 tables.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Observations and Data Reduction
  3. Spectral Properties of the X-ray Emission
  4. Phenomenological Models
  5. Physically Motivated Models
  6. Morphological Properties of the X-ray Emission
  7. PSF Modeling
  8. Broad- and Narrow-Band Imaging
  9. X-ray Gas Modeling
  10. Photoionization Modeling
  11. Modeled Line Luminosities
  12. Mass of Ionized Gas
  13. Comparison with Optical Ionized [O III] Gas
  14. The Role of X-ray Gas
  15. [O III] Gas Kinematics
  16. ...and 3 more sections

Figures (8)

  • Figure 1: Rest-frame 0.3-8 keV spectra of FIRST J120041 (left) and 2MASX J130038 (right). Top panels show the best-fit phenomenological models; bottom panels show residuals relative to the fits.
  • Figure 2: Rest-frame 0.3-8 keV spectra of FIRST J120041 (left) and 2MASX J130038 (right) fitted with photoionized components from Cloudy. Top panels show the model fits; bottom panels show residuals.
  • Figure 3: Chandra subpixel (1/8) images of FIRST J120041 in the indicated energy bands. North is up and east is left. PSF contributions have been subtracted; images are smoothed with a 3-pixel Gaussian and displayed on asinh scale. The hard-band centroid is marked with a black cross. White contours trace the morphology of the [O III] emission fischer_hubble_2018.
  • Figure 4: Same as Figure \ref{['fig:hst_FIRST']}, but for 2MASX J130038.
  • Figure 5: Surface brightness radial profiles for FIRST J120041 (left) and 2MASX J130038 (right) across the indicated energy bands. The profiles were derived from PSF-subtracted, narrow-band images using 20 concentric annuli (centered on the hard X-ray centroid) extending out to $r=2"$.
  • ...and 3 more figures