Multi-tracer constraints on quasar outflows. Acceleration from BLR to galactic scales
Abstract
Black hole-driven outflows are a fundamental component of the Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) paradigm, and may play a major role in regulating the evolution of both supermassive black holes and their host galaxies. Yet, their physical properties remain challenging to constrain, due to their multi-phase and multi-scale nature which demands a combined approach of different complementary observational tracers. In this work, we investigate AGN-driven ionized outflows from nuclear to galaxy scale within individual quasars, with the aim of establishing whether and how these phenomena are physically connected. We assemble a luminosity-matched sample of 148 quasars with bolometric luminosities higher than 10^47 erg/s, spanning the redshift range z~2-6.5. We perform a homogeneous analysis of CIV emission and broad absorption line (BAL) profiles to derive outflow properties on different spatial scales. We find statistically significant correlations between emission- and absorption-based outflow diagnostics, including the minimum and maximum BAL velocities, vmin,BAL and vmax,BAL, and the v98 of CIV emission lines. These correlations are tighter in high redshift quasars. We also find evidence for an evolution of outflow properties across cosmic time, with high-redshift quasars exhibiting systematically larger CIV line shifts and broader profiles, and faster BAL outflows. According to our outflow toy model, these correlations suggest a scenario in which a clumpy BAL wind is composed of expelled and accelerated broad-line region gas clouds.
Related
- The Quasar Feedback Survey: Ionised outflows in type 2 QSOs with MUSE data
- Detection of episodic Ultra-fast Outflows in the Low-luminosity quasar Mrk 205 using XMM-Newton data
- Outflows in a super-Eddington quasar drive clumpy circumgalactic medium and extended Hα nebulae at z ≳ 6
- Outflows in a super-Eddington quasar drive clumpy circumgalactic medium and extended H α nebulae at z ≳ 6
- The Quasar Feedback Survey: Ionised Outflows in type 2 QSOs with MUSE data
BibTeX
@misc{brazzini2026multitracer,
title = {{Multi-tracer constraints on quasar outflows. Acceleration from BLR to galactic scales}},
author = {M. Brazzini and M. Bischetti and S. Hagen and V. D'Odorico and N. Arav and G. Becker and G. Cupani and F. Fiore and M. Ghosh and E. Piconcelli and F. Salvestrini and M. Sharma and A. Travascio and A. Tortosa and G. Vietri and L. Zappacosta and C. Feruglio},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2609.22424},
eprint = {2609.22424},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.22424},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Multi-tracer constraints on quasar outflows. Acceleration from BLR to galactic scales
AU - M. Brazzini
AU - M. Bischetti
AU - S. Hagen
AU - V. D'Odorico
AU - N. Arav
AU - G. Becker
AU - G. Cupani
AU - F. Fiore
AU - M. Ghosh
AU - E. Piconcelli
AU - F. Salvestrini
AU - M. Sharma
AU - A. Travascio
AU - A. Tortosa
AU - G. Vietri
AU - L. Zappacosta
AU - C. Feruglio
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/18
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2609.22424
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.22424
AB - Black hole-driven outflows are a fundamental component of the Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) paradigm, and may play a major role in regulating the evolution of both supermassive black holes and their host galaxies. Yet, their physical properties remain challenging to constrain, due to their multi-phase and multi-scale nature which demands a combined approach of different complementary observational tracers. In this work, we investigate AGN-driven ionized outflows from nuclear to galaxy scale within individual quasars, with the aim of establishing whether and how these phenomena are physically connected. We assemble a luminosity-matched sample of 148 quasars with bolometric luminosities higher than 10^47 erg/s, spanning the redshift range z~2-6.5. We perform a homogeneous analysis of CIV emission and broad absorption line (BAL) profiles to derive outflow properties on different spatial scales. We find statistically significant correlations between emission- and absorption-based outflow diagnostics, including the minimum and maximum BAL velocities, vmin,BAL and vmax,BAL, and the v98 of CIV emission lines. These correlations are tighter in high redshift quasars. We also find evidence for an evolution of outflow properties across cosmic time, with high-redshift quasars exhibiting systematically larger CIV line shifts and broader profiles, and faster BAL outflows. According to our outflow toy model, these correlations suggest a scenario in which a clumpy BAL wind is composed of expelled and accelerated broad-line region gas clouds.
ER -