Tracking Outflow Using Line Locking (TOLL). II. Large Line-locking Web Identified in Quasar J151352+085555
Quasar outflows often consist of two clouds with velocity separations matching the doublet spacings of common UV resonance transitions, a phenomenon known as line locking, which is commonly observed in quasar spectra. Multiple clouds can be locked together through multi-ion doublets, forming a “line...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
IOP Publishing
2025-01-01
|
| Series: | The Astrophysical Journal |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ada933 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1832548261484822528 |
|---|---|
| author | Chen Chen Zhicheng He Weimin Yi Tuo Ji Marie Wingyee Lau Bo Ma |
| author_facet | Chen Chen Zhicheng He Weimin Yi Tuo Ji Marie Wingyee Lau Bo Ma |
| author_sort | Chen Chen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Quasar outflows often consist of two clouds with velocity separations matching the doublet spacings of common UV resonance transitions, a phenomenon known as line locking, which is commonly observed in quasar spectra. Multiple clouds can be locked together through multi-ion doublets, forming a “line-locking web.” In the second paper of the TOLL project, we present the discovery of one of the largest “line-locking webs” known to date from the Very Large Telescope UVES spectra of QSO J151352+085555. We identify 12 associated narrow absorption line systems through the C iv , N v , Si iv , O vi , and multiple Lyman lines (Ly α to Ly ϵ ) and find 10 out of the 12 absorbers are line-locked together by comparing velocity separations between different absorption systems. By conducting photoionization modeling with CLOUDY, we measure the total hydrogen column densities, metallicities, and ionization parameters of these absorbers, which suggests that the absorbers likely have subsolar metallicities. A preliminary statistical analysis demonstrates that the shadowed clouds tend to have similar ionization states compared to the shadowing ones. Identification of one of the largest line-locking webs implies that radiative acceleration plays an important role in sorting out cloud velocities in quasar outflows and highlights the need for more sophisticated theoretical models to explain its formation and evolution. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-59e8886587294c70811fbb93ea434b27 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1538-4357 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Astrophysical Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-59e8886587294c70811fbb93ea434b272025-02-03T06:21:06ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal1538-43572025-01-0198012810.3847/1538-4357/ada933Tracking Outflow Using Line Locking (TOLL). II. Large Line-locking Web Identified in Quasar J151352+085555Chen Chen0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6258-721XZhicheng He1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3667-1060Weimin Yi2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9314-0552Tuo Ji3Marie Wingyee Lau4https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9755-9406Bo Ma5https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0378-2023Zhuhai College of Science and Technology , Zhuhai 519000, People's Republic of ChinaCAS Key Laboratory for Research in Galaxies and Cosmology, Department of Astronomy, University of Science and Technology of China , Hefei 230026, People's Republic of ChinaYunnan Observatories , Kunming 650216, People's Republic of ChinaCenter for Space Physics and Astronomy, Key Laboratory for Polar Science of the State Oceanic Administration, Polar Research Institute of China , Shanghai 200136, People's Republic of ChinaDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, University of California Riverside , Riverside, CA 92507, USASchool of Physics & Astronomy, Sun Yat-Sen University , Zhuhai 519000, People's Republic of China ; mabo8@mail.sysu.edu.cn; CSST Science Center in the Great Bay Area, Sun Yat-sen University , Zhuhai 519000, People's Republic of ChinaQuasar outflows often consist of two clouds with velocity separations matching the doublet spacings of common UV resonance transitions, a phenomenon known as line locking, which is commonly observed in quasar spectra. Multiple clouds can be locked together through multi-ion doublets, forming a “line-locking web.” In the second paper of the TOLL project, we present the discovery of one of the largest “line-locking webs” known to date from the Very Large Telescope UVES spectra of QSO J151352+085555. We identify 12 associated narrow absorption line systems through the C iv , N v , Si iv , O vi , and multiple Lyman lines (Ly α to Ly ϵ ) and find 10 out of the 12 absorbers are line-locked together by comparing velocity separations between different absorption systems. By conducting photoionization modeling with CLOUDY, we measure the total hydrogen column densities, metallicities, and ionization parameters of these absorbers, which suggests that the absorbers likely have subsolar metallicities. A preliminary statistical analysis demonstrates that the shadowed clouds tend to have similar ionization states compared to the shadowing ones. Identification of one of the largest line-locking webs implies that radiative acceleration plays an important role in sorting out cloud velocities in quasar outflows and highlights the need for more sophisticated theoretical models to explain its formation and evolution.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ada933Quasar absorption line spectroscopy |
| spellingShingle | Chen Chen Zhicheng He Weimin Yi Tuo Ji Marie Wingyee Lau Bo Ma Tracking Outflow Using Line Locking (TOLL). II. Large Line-locking Web Identified in Quasar J151352+085555 The Astrophysical Journal Quasar absorption line spectroscopy |
| title | Tracking Outflow Using Line Locking (TOLL). II. Large Line-locking Web Identified in Quasar J151352+085555 |
| title_full | Tracking Outflow Using Line Locking (TOLL). II. Large Line-locking Web Identified in Quasar J151352+085555 |
| title_fullStr | Tracking Outflow Using Line Locking (TOLL). II. Large Line-locking Web Identified in Quasar J151352+085555 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Tracking Outflow Using Line Locking (TOLL). II. Large Line-locking Web Identified in Quasar J151352+085555 |
| title_short | Tracking Outflow Using Line Locking (TOLL). II. Large Line-locking Web Identified in Quasar J151352+085555 |
| title_sort | tracking outflow using line locking toll ii large line locking web identified in quasar j151352 085555 |
| topic | Quasar absorption line spectroscopy |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ada933 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT chenchen trackingoutflowusinglinelockingtolliilargelinelockingwebidentifiedinquasarj151352085555 AT zhichenghe trackingoutflowusinglinelockingtolliilargelinelockingwebidentifiedinquasarj151352085555 AT weiminyi trackingoutflowusinglinelockingtolliilargelinelockingwebidentifiedinquasarj151352085555 AT tuoji trackingoutflowusinglinelockingtolliilargelinelockingwebidentifiedinquasarj151352085555 AT mariewingyeelau trackingoutflowusinglinelockingtolliilargelinelockingwebidentifiedinquasarj151352085555 AT boma trackingoutflowusinglinelockingtolliilargelinelockingwebidentifiedinquasarj151352085555 |