TPOD Dec 14, 2010 Black Winds

[Nereid]

TPOD Dec 14, 2010 Black Winds, by Stephen Smith.

The "recent press release from the Chandra X-ray Observatory" which the TPOD opens with is based on work by "D.Evans et al."

This arXiv preprint (link is to the abstract) - "Searching for AGN Outflows: Spatially Resolved Chandra HETG Spectroscopy of the NLR Ionization Cone in NGC 1068" ("To appear in Proceedings of "Accretion and Ejection in AGN: A Global View", Lake Como, Italy, June 22-26, 2009, ASP conference series") - is the closest I've been able to find to a freely available report of the relevant Chandra observations.

Here's the abstract:

We present initial results from a new 440-ks Chandra HETG GTO observation of the canonical Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 1068. The proximity of NGC 1068, together with Chandra's superb spatial and spectral resolution, allow an unprecedented view of its nucleus and circumnuclear NLR. We perform the first spatially resolved high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy of the `ionization cone' in any AGN, and use the sensitive line diagnostics offered by the HETG to measure the ionization state, density, and temperature at discrete points along the ionized NLR. We argue that the NLR takes the form of outflowing photoionized gas, rather than gas that has been collisionally ionized by the small-scale radio jet in NGC 1068. We investigate evidence for any velocity gradients in the outflow, and describe our next steps in modeling the spatially resolved spectra as a function of distance from the nucleus.

[Sparky]

Evans et al. wrote:We present initial results from a new 440-ks Chandra HETG GTO observation of the canonical Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 1068. The proximity of NGC 1068, together with Chandra's superb spatial and spectral resolution, allow an unprecedented view of its nucleus and circumnuclear NLR. We perform the first spatially resolved high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy of the `ionization cone' in any AGN, and use the sensitive line diagnostics offered by the HETG to measure the ionization state, density, and temperature at discrete points along the ionized NLR. We argue that the NLR takes the form of outflowing photoionized gas, rather than gas that has been collisionally ionized by the small-scale radio jet in NGC 1068. We investigate evidence for any velocity gradients in the outflow, and describe our next steps in modeling the spatially resolved spectra as a function of distance from the nucleus.

i would comment, but i can't spell mumbo jumbo...