Luminous quasar PDS 456 explored with MUSE

Utilizing the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) on the Very Giant Telescope (VLT) in Chile, a global crew of astronomers has inspected a luminous quasar often known as PDS 456. Outcomes of the observational campaign, printed March 26 on the pre-print server arXiv, shed extra mild on the ionized emission from this quasar.

Quasars, or quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) are active galactic nuclei (AGN) of very excessive luminosity, emitting electromagnetic radiation observable in radio, infrared, seen, ultraviolet and X-ray wavelengths. They’re among the many brightest and most distant objects within the recognized universe, and function basic instruments for quite a few research in astrophysics in addition to cosmology. As an illustration, quasars have been used to research the large-scale construction of the universe and the period of reionization. In addition they improved our understanding of the dynamics of supermassive black holes and the intergalactic medium.

At a redshift of 0.185, PDS 456 is a close-by luminous radio-quiet quasar. With a bolometric luminosity at a degree of 1 quattuordecillion erg/s, it’s the most luminous radio-quiet quasar at a redshift under 0.3. Earlier observations of PDS 456 have discovered that it displays relativistic and highly effective extremely quick X-ray winds, and a large and clumpy carbon monoxide molecular outflow extending as much as 16,000 light years eastward from the nucleus.

A bunch of astronomers led by Andrea Travascio of the College of Milano-Bicocca in Italy, determined to benefit from MUSE’s giant area of view to research PDS 456. MUSE allowed Travascio’s crew to map with unprecedented element the ionized emission from this quasar with a multi-scale, multi-phase outflow.

To start with, the observations present that PDS 456 resides in a fancy setting characterised by the diffuse emission of ionized gasoline extending as much as a most projected distance of 150,000 mild years. This setting features a reservoir of gasoline with a mass of about 10–100 million solar masses, eight companion galaxies, and a multi-phase outflow.

MUSE observations recognized an outflow of doubly ionized oxygen with a velocity of 600 km/s. The outflow has a projected dimension of about 65,000 mild years and a velocity gradient alongside the east-west route. The outflow mass charge was calculated to be at a degree of two.3 solar lots per 12 months, which is considerably decrease than in quasars with comparable bolometric luminosity.

The research discovered that the hydrogen-alpha outflow reveals an analogous scale, morphology, and kinematics to the carbon monoxide molecular outflow. This discovering means that these two elements belong to the identical multi-phase outflow and could possibly be pushed from the identical previous AGN suggestions episode.

All in all, the authors of the paper underlined that the brand new outcomes ship necessary insights into the complicated interaction between the completely different phases of AGN-driven outflows and the richness of the circumgalactic setting of PDS 456.

“This may occasionally assist in planning and performing future multi-band investigations of the properties of the luminous quasars shining at cosmic midday,” the researchers concluded.

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