| dc.description.abstract | It is now widely accepted that most galaxies undergo an active phase, during which a
central super-massive black hole generates vast radiant luminosities through the
gravitational accretion of gas1,2. Winds launched from a rotating accretion disk
surrounding the black hole are thought to play a critical role, allowing the disk to
shed angular momentum that would otherwise inhibit accretion3,4. Such winds are
capable of depositing large amounts of mechanical energy in the host galaxy and its
environs, profoundly affecting its formation and evolution5–7, and perhaps regulating
the formation of large-scale cosmological structures in the early Universe8,9. Although
there are good theoretical grounds for believing that outflows from active galactic
nuclei originate as disk winds10, observational verification has proven elusive. Here we
show that structures observed in polarized light across the broad Hα emission line in
the quasar PG 1700+158 originate close to the accretion disk in an electron scattering
wind. The wind has large rotational motions (~4,000 km s−1), providing direct
observational evidence that outflows from active galactic nuclei are launched from the
disks. Moreover, the wind rises nearly vertically from the disk, favouring launch
mechanisms that impart an initial acceleration perpendicular to the disk plane. | en_US |
