Supermassive black holes in the nuclei of active galaxies expel large amounts of matter through powerful winds of ionized gas. The archetypal active galaxy NGC 5548 has been studied for decades, and high-resolution x-ray and ultraviolet (UV) observations have previously shown a persistent ionized outflow. An observing campaign in 2013 with six space observatories shows the nucleus to be obscured by a long-lasting, clumpy stream of ionized gas not seen before. It blocks 90% of the soft x-ray emission and causes simultaneous deep, broad UV absorption troughs. The outflow velocities of this gas are up to five times faster than those in the persistent outflow, and, at a distance of only a few light days from the nucleus, it may likely originate from the accretion disk.

An extensive multi-satellite campaign on NGC 5548 has revealed this archetypal Seyfert-1 galaxy to be in an exceptional state of persistent heavy absorption. Our observations taken in 2013-2014 with XMM-Newton, Swift, NuSTAR, INTEGRAL, Chandra, HST and two ground-based observatories have together enabled us to establish that this unexpected phenomenon is caused by an outflowing stream of weakly ionised gas (called the obscurer), extending from the vicinity of the accretion disk to the broad-line region. In this work we present the details of our campaign and the data obtained by all the observatories. We determine the spectral energy distribution of NGC 5548 from near-infrared to hard X-rays by establishing the contribution of various emission and absorption processes taking place along our line of sight towards the central engine. We thus uncover the intrinsic emission and produce a broadband continuum model for both obscured (average summer 2013 data) and unobscured (<2011) epochs of NGC 5548. Our results suggest that the intrinsic NIR/optical/UV continuum is a single Comptonised component with its higher energy tail creating the "soft X-ray excess". This component is compatible with emission from a warm, optically-thick corona as part of the inner accretion disk. We then investigate the effects of the continuum on the ionisation balance and thermal stability of photoionised gas for unobscured and obscured epochs.

Context. AGN outflows are thought to influence the evolution of their host galaxies and of super massive black holes. Our deep multiwavelength campaign on NGC 5548 has revealed a new, unusually strong X-ray obscuration, accompanied by broad UV absorption troughs observed for the first time in this object. The X-ray obscuration caused a dramatic decrease in the incident ionizing flux on the outflow that produces the long-studied narrow UV absorption lines in this AGN. The resulting data allowed us to construct a comprehensive physical, spatial, and temporal picture for this enduring AGN wind. Aims. We aim to determine the distance of the narrow UV outflow components from the central source, their total column-density, and the mechanism responsible for their observed absorption variability. Methods. We study the UV spectra acquired during the campaign, as well as from four previous epochs (1998−2011). Our main analysis tools are ionic column-density extraction techniques, photoionization models based on the code CLOUDY, and collisional excitation simulations. Results. A simple model based on a fixed total column-density absorber, reacting to changes in ionizing illumination, matches the very different ionization states seen in five spectroscopic epochs spanning 16 years. The main component of the enduring outflow is situated at 3.5 ± 1.1 pc from the central source, and its distance and number density are similar to those of the narrow-emitting-line region in this object. Three other components are situated between 5−70 pc and two are farther than 100 pc. The wealth of observational constraints and the anti-correlation between the observed X-ray and UV flux in the 2002 and 2013 epochs make our physical model a leading contender for interpreting trough variability data of quasar outflows. Conclusions. This campaign, in combination with prior UV and X-ray data, yields the first simple model that can explain the physical characteristics and the substantial variability observed in an AGN outflow. Key words. galaxies: Seyfert Appendix A is available in electronic form at

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In 2013, we conducted a large multi-wavelength campaign on the archetypical Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 5548. Unexpectedly, this usually unobscured source appeared strongly absorbed in the soft X-rays during the entire campaign, and signatures of new and strong outflows were present in the almost simultaneous UV HST/COS data. Here we carry out a comprehensive spectral analysis of all available XMM-Newton observations of NGC 5548 (precisely 14 observations from our campaign plus three from the archive, for a total of ∼763 ks) in combination with three simultaneous NuSTAR observations. We obtain a best-fit underlying continuum model composed by i) a weakly varying flat (Γ ∼ 1.5-1.7) power-law component; ii) a constant, cold reflection (FeK + continuum) component; iii) a soft excess, possibly owing to thermal Comptonization; and iv) a constant, ionized scattered emission-line dominated component. Our main findings are that, during the 2013 campaign, the first three of these components appear to be partially covered by a heavy and variable obscurer that is located along the line of sight (LOS), which is consistent with a multilayer of cold and mildly ionized gas. We characterize in detail the short timescale (mostly ∼ks-to-days) spectral variability of this new obscurer, and find it is mostly due to a combination of column density and covering factor variations, on top of intrinsic power-law (flux and slope) variations. In addition, our best-fit spectrum is left with several (but marginal) absorption features at rest-frame energies ∼6.7−6.9 keV and ∼8 keV, as well as a weak broad emission line feature redwards of the 6.4 keV emission line. These could indicate a more complex underlying model, e.g. a P-Cygni-type emission profile if we allow for a large velocity and wide-angle outflow. These findings are consistent with a picture where the obscurer represents the manifestation along the LOS of a multilayer of gas, which is also in multiphase, and which is likely outflowing at high speed, and simultaneously producing heavy obscuration and scattering in the X-rays, as well as broad absorption features in the UV.

Aims. Outflows in active galaxies (AGNs) are common, although their launching mechanism, location, and physical impact on the host galaxy remain controversial. We conducted a multi-wavelength six-month campaign to observe the nearby Seyfert galaxy NGC 7469 with several observatories in order to better understand and quantify the outflow in this AGN. Methods. We report on the time-integrated line-resolved X-ray spectrum of NGC 7469 obtained with the Reflection Grating Spectrometer (RGS) on board XMM-Newton. We used the RGS spectrum to discern the many AGN outflow components and applied a global fit to obtain their physical parameters. Results. We find that the AGN wind can be well described by three narrow velocity components at ∼-650,-950, and-2050 km s −1. The RGS clearly resolves the-2050 km s −1 component in C 5+ Ly α, while the-650 km s −1 and-950 km s −1 velocities are blended. Similar velocities (±200 km s −1) are resolved in the UV. The H-equivalent column densities of these components are, respectively, N H ∼ 7 × 10 20 , 2.2 × 10 21 , and 10 20 cm −2 , for a total of ∼3 × 10 21 cm −2 , which was also measured in 2004, indicating the absorber did not significantly change. The-650 km s −1 component shows a broad ionization distribution (−1 log ξ 2, ξ being the ionization parameter in erg s −1 cm). We identify a photo-ionized emission component blue-shifted by ∼-450 km s −1 , somewhat broad (FWHM = 1400 km s −1), and with −1 log ξ 1 erg s −1 cm, which we ascribe to the same outflow that produces the absorption lines. We also find a collisionally ionized component at kT = 0.35 keV that we associate with the circum-nuclear star-formation activity of NGC 7469, as it follows the L FIR /L X ≈ 10 4 relation found in star forming galaxies. The elemental abundance ratios of C, N, Ne, S, and Fe to O in the outflow tend to be between one and two times solar. Preliminary estimates of the absorber distance from the AGN center suggest it is at least a few pc away from the center, but more advanced methods need to be applied in order to obtain better constraints. Conclusions. The complex X-ray spectrum of NGC 7469 demonstrates the richness of high energy phenomena taking place in AGN cores. The subtle spectroscopic differences between the various components require deep, high-resolution observations, such as the present RGS spectrum, if one is to resolve them and perform quantitative plasma diagnostics.

In 2016 we carried out a Swift monitoring program to track the X-ray hardness variability of eight type-I AGN over a year. The purpose of this monitoring was to find intense obscuration events in AGN, and thereby study them by triggering joint XMM-Newton, NuSTAR, and HST observations. We successfully accomplished this for NGC 3783 in December 2016. We found heavy X-ray absorption produced by an obscuring outflow in this AGN. As a result of this obscuration, interesting absorption features appear in the UV and X-ray spectra, which are not present in the previous epochs. Namely, the obscuration produces broad and blue-shifted UV absorption lines of Lyα, C iv, and N v, together with a new high-ionisation component producing Fe xxv and Fe xxvi absorption lines. In soft X-rays, only narrow emission lines stand out above the diminished continuum as they are not absorbed by the obscurer. Our analysis shows that the obscurer partially covers the central source with a column density of few 10 23 cm −2 , outflowing with a velocity of few thousand km s −1 . The obscuration in NGC 3783 is variable and lasts for about a month. Unlike the commonly-seen warm-absorber winds at pc-scale distances from the black hole, the eclipsing wind in NGC 3783 is located at about 10 light days. Our results suggest the obscuration is produced by an inhomogeneous and clumpy medium, consistent with clouds in the base of a radiatively-driven disk wind at the outer broad-line region of the AGN.

We investigate the physical structure of the active galactic nucleus (AGN) wind in the Seyfert-1 galaxy NGC 7469 through high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy with Chandra HETGS and photoionisation modelling. Contemporaneous data from Chandra, HST, and Swift are used to model the optical-UV-X-ray continuum and determine the spectral energy distribution (SED) at two epochs, 13 yr apart. For our investigation we use new observations taken in December 2015–January 2016, and historical ones taken in December 2002. We study the impact of a change in the SED shape, seen between the two epochs, on the photoionisation of the wind. The HETGS spectroscopy shows that the AGN wind in NGC 7469 consists of four ionisation components, with their outflow velocities ranging from − 400 to − 1800 km s-1. From our modelling we find that the change in the ionising continuum shape between the two epochs results in some variation in the ionisation state of the wind components. However, for the main ions detected in X-rays, the sum of their column densities over all components remains in practice unchanged. For two of the four components, which are found to be thermally unstable in both epochs, we obtain 2 < r < 31 pc and 12 < r < 29 pc using the cooling and recombination timescales. For the other two thermally stable components, we obtain r < 31 pc and r < 80 pc from the recombination timescale. The results of our photoionisation modelling and thermal stability analysis suggest that the absorber components in NGC 7469 are consistent with being a thermally driven wind from the AGN torus. Finally, from analysis of the zeroth-order ACIS/HETG data, we discover that the X-ray emission in the range 0.2–1 keV is spatially extended over 1.5–12′′. This diffuse soft X-ray emission is explained by coronal emission from the nuclear starburst ring in NGC 7469. The star formation rate inferred from this diffuse soft X-ray emission is consistent with those found by far-infrared studies of NGC 7469.