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| | | | | | | Cosmic engines surprise XMM-Newton
7 April 2008
| Animation of a rare type of quasar, called a broad absorption line (BAL) quasar.
Quasars are vast cosmic engines that pump energy into their surroundings. It is thought an enormous black hole drives each quasar.
XMM-Newton has been surprised by a BAL quasar from which it has detected a higher number of X-rays than thought possible. The observation gives new insight into the powerful processes shaping galaxies during their formation and evolution.
About 10-20% of all quasars are BAL quasars, which get their name from a thick cocoon of gas surrounding the quasar. Most researchers believe that gas flows away from a BAL quasar along the equatorial direction of the accretion disc. These quasars show little X-ray emission, indicating that there is enough gas to absorb most of the X-rays given out from the region near the black hole.
But as discovered with XMM-Newton, some BAL quasars appear to be spewing material out along their polar axes, at right angles to the accretion discs.
Credits: ESA (Animation by C. Carreau) | |  |  | |
| | | | | Artist's impression of a rare type of quasar, called a broad absorption line (BAL) quasar.
Quasars are vast cosmic engines that pump energy into their surroundings. It is thought an enormous black hole drives each quasar.
XMM-Newton has been surprised by a BAL quasar from which it has detected a higher number of X-rays than thought possible. The observation gives new insight into the powerful processes shaping galaxies during their formation and evolution.
About 10-20% of all quasars are BAL quasars, which get their name from a thick cocoon of gas surrounding the quasar. Most researchers believe that gas flows away from a BAL quasar along the equatorial direction of the accretion disc. These quasars show little X-ray emission, indicating that there is enough gas to absorb most of the X-rays given out from the region near the black hole.
But as discovered with XMM-Newton, some BAL quasars appear to be spewing material out along their polar axes, at right angles to the accretion discs.
Credits: ESA (Image by C. Carreau) | | | | |
| | | | | Artist's impression of a rare type of quasar, called a broad absorption line (BAL) quasar.
Quasars are vast cosmic engines that pump energy into their surroundings. It is thought an enormous black hole drives each quasar.
XMM-Newton has been surprised by a BAL quasar from which it has detected a higher number of X-rays than thought possible. The observation gives new insight into the powerful processes shaping galaxies during their formation and evolution.
About 10-20% of all quasars are BAL quasars, which get their name from a thick cocoon of gas surrounding the quasar. Most researchers believe that gas flows away from a BAL quasar along the equatorial direction of the accretion disc. These quasars show little X-ray emission, indicating that there is enough gas to absorb most of the X-rays given out from the region near the black hole.
But as discovered with XMM-Newton, some BAL quasars appear to be spewing material out along their polar axes, at right angles to the accretion discs.
Credits: ESA (Image by C. Carreau) | | | | |
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