Exploring accretion disc physics and black hole growth with regular monitoring of ultrafast AGN winds

Abstract

15 years of XMM-Newton observations have established that ultra-fast, highly ionized winds are common in radio-quiet AGN. A simple theory of Eddington-limited accretion correctly predicts the typical velocity (~0.1c) and high ionization of such winds, with observed flow energy capable of ejecting star-forming gas. With a recent extended XMM-Newton observation of the archetypal UFO, PG1211+143, revealing a more complex flow pattern, we suggest that targetted observations over the next decade offer unique potential for probing the inner accretion disc structure and SMBH growth.

Proceedings of conference 'XMM-the next decade', at ESAC 10-13 May 2016. To be published in Astron Nachr, 2017. This replacement corrects a misplaced sentence in the original version