Mixing between AGN winds and ISM clouds produces luminous X-ray emission
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2025
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| author | Ward, Samuel Ruthven Costa, Tiago Harrison, Chris M. Mainieri, Vincenzo |
| author_facet | Ward, Samuel Ruthven Costa, Tiago Harrison, Chris M. Mainieri, Vincenzo |
| contents | Active galactic nuclei (AGN) drive powerful, multiphase outflows that are thought to play a key role in galaxy evolution. The hot, shocked phase of these outflows ($T \gtrsim 10^{6} \rm{\ K}$) is expected to dominate the energy content, but is challenging to observe due to its long cooling time and low emissivity. The cool phase ($T \lesssim 10^{4} \rm{\ K}$) is easier to detect observationally, but it traces a less energetic outflow component. In prior simulations of the interaction between an energy-driven AGN outflow and a clumpy ISM, we found that mixing between hot wind and cool ISM clouds produces a new, highly radiative, phase at $T \approx 10^{6-7} \rm{\ K}$ which fuels the formation of a long-lived ($\geq 5\ \rm{Myr}$) cool outflow. We investigate the X-ray emission generated by thermal Bremsstrahlung and high-ionisation metal line emission in this mixing phase, finding that it could contribute significantly to the X-ray output of the outflow. This mixing-induced X-ray emission is strongest in the part of the outflow propagating equatorially through the disc, and is extended on scales of $D\simeq 3-4\ \rm{kpc}$. For quasar luminosities of $L_{\rm{AGN}}\simeq 10^{45-46}\rm{\ erg\ s^{-1}}$, the resulting X-ray luminosity is equivalent to that expected from star formation rates $\rm{SFR}\simeq 10-200\ \rm{M_\odot\ yr^{-1}}$, showing that it could be an important source of soft X-rays in AGN host galaxies. Our results suggest that this extended emission could be resolvable in local quasars ($z\lesssim 0.11$) using high spatial-resolution X-ray observatories such as Chandra, or proposed missions such as AXIS and Lynx. |
| format | Preprint |
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arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2511_14834 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Mixing between AGN winds and ISM clouds produces luminous X-ray emission Ward, Samuel Ruthven Costa, Tiago Harrison, Chris M. Mainieri, Vincenzo Astrophysics of Galaxies Active galactic nuclei (AGN) drive powerful, multiphase outflows that are thought to play a key role in galaxy evolution. The hot, shocked phase of these outflows ($T \gtrsim 10^{6} \rm{\ K}$) is expected to dominate the energy content, but is challenging to observe due to its long cooling time and low emissivity. The cool phase ($T \lesssim 10^{4} \rm{\ K}$) is easier to detect observationally, but it traces a less energetic outflow component. In prior simulations of the interaction between an energy-driven AGN outflow and a clumpy ISM, we found that mixing between hot wind and cool ISM clouds produces a new, highly radiative, phase at $T \approx 10^{6-7} \rm{\ K}$ which fuels the formation of a long-lived ($\geq 5\ \rm{Myr}$) cool outflow. We investigate the X-ray emission generated by thermal Bremsstrahlung and high-ionisation metal line emission in this mixing phase, finding that it could contribute significantly to the X-ray output of the outflow. This mixing-induced X-ray emission is strongest in the part of the outflow propagating equatorially through the disc, and is extended on scales of $D\simeq 3-4\ \rm{kpc}$. For quasar luminosities of $L_{\rm{AGN}}\simeq 10^{45-46}\rm{\ erg\ s^{-1}}$, the resulting X-ray luminosity is equivalent to that expected from star formation rates $\rm{SFR}\simeq 10-200\ \rm{M_\odot\ yr^{-1}}$, showing that it could be an important source of soft X-rays in AGN host galaxies. Our results suggest that this extended emission could be resolvable in local quasars ($z\lesssim 0.11$) using high spatial-resolution X-ray observatories such as Chandra, or proposed missions such as AXIS and Lynx. |
| title | Mixing between AGN winds and ISM clouds produces luminous X-ray emission |
| topic | Astrophysics of Galaxies |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.14834 |