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Qwind code release. A non-hydrodynamical approach to modelling line-driven winds in active galactic nuclei

Elvis, Martin; Risaliti, Guido; McDowell, Jonathan C; Lacey, Cedric; Done, Chris; Quera-Bofarull, Arnau

Qwind code release. A non-hydrodynamical approach to modelling line-driven winds in active galactic nuclei Thumbnail


Authors

Martin Elvis

Guido Risaliti

Jonathan C McDowell

Arnau Quera-Bofarull



Abstract

UV line driven winds may be an important part of the AGN feedback process, but understanding their impact is hindered by the complex nature of the radiation hydrodynamics. Instead, we have taken the approach pioneered by Risaliti & Elvis, calculating only ballistic trajectories from radiation forces and gravity, but neglecting gas pressure. We have completely re-written their QWIND code using more robust algorithms, and can now quickly model the acceleration phase of these winds for any AGN spectral energy distribution spanning UV and X-ray wavebands. We demonstrate the code using an AGN with black hole mass 108 M⊙ emitting at half the Eddington rate and show that this can effectively eject a wind with velocities ≃ (0.1 − 0.2) c. The mass loss rates can be up to ≃ 0.3M⊙ per year, consistent with more computationally expensive hydrodynamical simulations, though we highlight the importance of future improvements in radiation transfer along the multiple different lines of sight illuminating the wind. The code is fully public, and can be used to quickly explore the conditions under which AGN feedback can be dominated by accretion disc winds.

Citation

Elvis, M., Risaliti, G., McDowell, J. C., Lacey, C., Done, C., & Quera-Bofarull, A. (2020). Qwind code release. A non-hydrodynamical approach to modelling line-driven winds in active galactic nuclei. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 495(1), 402-412. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/staa1117

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Apr 20, 2020
Online Publication Date Apr 30, 2020
Publication Date Jun 30, 2020
Deposit Date May 3, 2020
Publicly Available Date May 5, 2020
Journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Print ISSN 0035-8711
Electronic ISSN 1365-2966
Publisher Royal Astronomical Society
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 495
Issue 1
Pages 402-412
DOI https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/staa1117

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Copyright Statement
Advance online version This article has been accepted for publication in Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. ©: 2020 The Author(s) . Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.






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