FUSE Observations of Warm Absorbers in AGN

Abstract

In a survey of the UV-brightest AGN using the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE), we commonly find associated absorption in the O VI 1032,1038 resonance doublet. Of 34 Type I AGN observed to date with z < 0.15, 16 show detectable O VI absorption. Most absorption systems show multiple components with intrinsic widths of ~100 km/s spread over a blue-shifted velocity range of less than 1000 km/s. With the exception of three galaxies (Ton S180, Mrk 478, and Mrk 279), those galaxies in our sample with existing X-ray or longer wavelength UV observations also show C IV absorption and evidence of a soft X-ray warm absorber. In some cases, a UV absorption component has physical properties similar to the X-ray absorbing gas, but in others there is no clear physical correspondence between the UV and X-ray absorbing components.