Discovery of Associated Absorption Lines in an X-ray Warm Absorber: HST Observations of PG1114+445

The unified picture of X-ray/UV absorbers offers an unique opportunity to probe the nuclear environment of AGNs. To test the unified absorber scenario and to understand the physical properties of the absorber we obtained the first UV spectrum of PG1114+445 using HST FOS. PG1114+445 is known to have an X-ray ionized (“warm”) absorber, so that UV absorption is predicted. The HST spectrum clearly shows strong UV absorption lines due to Lyα, CIV and NV, blueshifted by ∼600 km s with respect to the quasar redshift. Since both X-ray and UV absorbers are rare in radio-quiet quasars, these observations argue strongly that the X-ray and UV absorbers are closely physically related, probably identical. We place constraints on the parameters of the absorber and conclude that the mass outflow rate is comparable to the accretion rate in PG1114+445. Based on observations with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS5-26555. [email protected]