Related papers: Strong Gravitational Lensing and the Structure of …
We show that invaluable information on the structure of quasar outflows can be obtained by considering microlensing (ML) induced variability of absorption line troughs in lensed quasars. Depending on the structure and geometry of the…
Spectral differences between lensed quasar image components are common. Since lensing is intrinsically achromatic, these differences are typically explained as the effect of either microlensing, or as light path time delays sampling…
We investigated a scenario where the presence of a broad absorption line (BAL) feature in quasars (QSOs) is contingent upon the line of sight being situated within an outflow cone emanating from the source. We examined the mechanism of…
This paper reviews the dynamical models that have been proposed for the outflows that are responsible for the broad blue-shifted absorption features observed in broad absorption line quasars and in some Seyfert galaxies.
There is growing evidence of a higher intrinsic fraction of broad absorption line quasars (BALQSOs) than that obtained in optical surveys, on which most previous X-ray studies of BALQSOs have focused. Here we present Chandra observations of…
We have investigated a sample of 5088 quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Second Data Release in order to determine how the frequency and properties of broad absorptions lines (BALs) depend on black hole mass, bolometric luminosity,…
A key to understanding quasar unification paradigms is the emission properties of broad absorption line quasars (BALQs). The fact that only a small fraction of quasar spectra exhibit deep absorption troughs blueward of the broad permitted…
We analyze VLT/X-shooter data for 7 quasars, where we study the relationships between their broad absorption line (BAL) and emission line outflows. We find: 1) the luminosity of the [OIII] $\lambda$5007 emission profile decreases with…
We performed spectroscopic observations of the small-separation lensed quasar SDSS J1001+5027, whose images have an angular separation $\theta \sim 2.^{\!\!\prime\prime}86$, and placed constraints on the physical properties of gas clouds in…
Roughly 10% of all quasars exhibit Broad Absorption Line (BAL) features which appear to arise in material outflowing at high velocity from the active galactic nucleus (AGN). The details of this outflow are, however, very poorly constrained…
Quasar outflows have long been recognized as potential contributors to the co-evolution between supermassive black holes (SMBHs) and their host galaxies. The role of outflows in AGN feedback processes can be better understood by placing…
Broad absorption line quasars (commonly termed BALQSOs) contain the most dramatic examples of AGN-driven winds. The high absorbing columns in these winds, ~10^24 cm^-2, ensure that BALQSOs are generally X-ray faint. This high X-ray…
Broad absorption line quasars are among the objects presenting the fastest outflows. The launching mechanism itself is not completely understood. Models in which they could be launched from the accretion disk, and then curved and…
We test a scenario claiming that the broad absorption line (BAL) phenomenon in quasars (QSOs) is not a temporary stage of their life. In this scenario, we see the BAL effect only if the line of sight is within a spatially limited and…
Quasar outflows carry mass, momentum and energy into the surrounding environment, and have long been considered a potential key factor in regulating the growth of supermassive black holes and the evolution of their host galaxies. A crucial…
In this article, the hydrogen column densities derived from X-ray observations of type II (hidden) quasars and broad absorption line quasars (BALQSOs) are compared. These column densities represent the amount of absorbing material between…
The physical nature of the material responsible for the high--velocity, broad-absorption line features seen in a small fraction of quasar spectra has been the subject of debate since their discovery. This has been especially compounded by…
We describe two studies designed to characterize the total column densities, kinetic energies, and acceleration physics of broad absorption line (BAL) outflows in quasars. The first study uses new Chandra X-ray and ground-based rest-frame…
A new generation of sensitive X-ray measurements are indicating that the existence of X-ray attenuation column densities, $N_{H}>10^{24}\mathrm{cm}^{-2}$ is quite common amongst broad absorption line quasars (BALQSOs). This is significant…
Spectropolarimetry of Broad Absorption Line Quasars (BALQSO's) has demonstrated that the geometry of the absorbing material is far from spherically symmetric. Calculations of accretion disk spectra suggest that the intrinsic radiation…