Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/2289/3489
Title: Variable x-ray absorption toward the gravitationally-lensed blazar PKS 1830-211
Authors: Dai, Xinyu
Mathur, Smita
Chartas, George
Nair, Sunita
Garmire, Gordon P.
Keywords: gravitational lensing
quasars: individual (PKS 1830-211)
X-rays: galaxies
Issue Date: Jan-2008
Publisher: IOP Publishing for the American Astronomical Society
Citation: Astronomical Journal, 2008, Vol.135, p333
Abstract: We present X-ray spectral analysis of five Chandra and XMM-Newton observations of the gravitationally-lensed blazar PKS 1830-211 from 2000 to 2004. We show that the X-ray absorption toward PKS 1830-211 is a variable, and the variable absorption is most likely to be intrinsic with amplitudes of ~2 × 1022–30 × 1022 cm-2 depending on whether or not the absorber is partially covering the X-ray source. Our results confirm the variable absorption observed previously, although interpreted differently, in a sequence of ASCA observations. This large variation in the absorption column density can be interpreted as outflows from the central engine in the polar direction, consistent with recent numerical models of inflow/outflows in active galaxy nuclei. In addition, it could possibly be caused by the interaction between the blazar jet and its environment, or the variation from the geometric configuration of the jet. While the spectra can also be fitted with a variable absorption at the lens redshift, we show that this model is unlikely. We also rule out the simple microlensing interpretation of variability which was previously suggested.
Description: Restricted Access. Content older than 2 years remains open to all at the journal site(alternative location)
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/2289/3489
ISSN: E-ISSN: 1538-3881
P-ISSN: 0004-6256
Alternative Location: http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/arXiv:0707.2053
http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/0004-6256/135/1/333
http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2008AJ....135..333D
Copyright: 2008 American Astronomical Society
Appears in Collections:Research Papers (A&A)

Files in This Item:
File Description SizeFormat 
2008 AJ_V135_p333.pdf
  Restricted Access
Restricted Access244.31 kBAdobe PDFView/Open Request a copy


Items in RRI Digital Repository are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.