text:
Q: Tensor Flow Error: required broadcastable shapes when training Variable Auto Encoder for Text Posts Good morning,
I'm attempting apply and adapt a variational auto encoder that I found here to a dataset consisting of news headlines. The data will feed into the neural network, but the neural network will not train. I believe the error has to do with the way the loss function is written, but I cannot figure it out. My full repository is available here
#Much thanks to NicGian for his VAE code!
#NicGian's Repo can be found here https://github.com/NicGian/text_VAE/blob/master/text_VAE_v18.ipynb
import tensorflow as tf
import tensorflow_addons as tfa
from tensorflow import keras
from keras.layers import Bidirectional, Dense, Embedding, Input, Lambda, LSTM, RepeatVector, TimeDistributed, Layer, Activation, Dropout
#from keras.preprocessing.sequence import pad_sequences
from keras.layers import ELU
from keras.preprocessing.text import Tokenizer
from keras.callbacks import ModelCheckpoint
from keras.optimizers import Adam
from keras import backend as K
from keras.models import Model
from scipy import spatial
import tensorflow as tf
import pandas as pd
import numpy as np
import codecs
import csv
import os

from tensorflow.python.framework.ops import disable_eager_execution
disable_eager_execution()

max_len = 20
batch_size = 100
emb_dim = EMBEDDING_DIM
latent_dim = 32
intermediate_dim = 16
epsilon_std = 1.0
kl_weight = 0.01
num_sampled=500
act = ELU()

x = Input(shape=(max_len,))
#x = tf.random.normal(shape=(max_len,))
x_embed = Embedding(NB_WORDS, emb_dim, weights=[glove_embedding_matrix],
                            input_length=max_len, trainable=False)(x)
h = Bidirectional(LSTM(intermediate_dim, return_sequences=False, recurrent_dropout=0.2), merge_mode='concat')(x_embed)
#h = Bidirectional(LSTM(intermediate_dim, return_sequences=False), merge_mode='concat')(h)
#h = Dropout(0.2)(h)
#h = Dense(intermediate_dim, activation='linear')(h)
#h = act(h)
#h = Dropout(0.2)(h)
z_mean = Dense(latent_dim)(h)
z_log_var = Dense(latent_dim)(h)

def sampling(args):
    z_mean, z_log_var = args
    epsilon = K.random_normal(shape=(batch_size, latent_dim), mean=0.,
                              stddev=epsilon_std)
    return z_mean + K.exp(z_log_var / 2) * epsilon

# note that "output_shape" isn't necessary with the TensorFlow backend
z = Lambda(sampling, output_shape=(latent_dim,))([z_mean, z_log_var])
# we instantiate these layers separately so as to reuse them later
repeated_context = RepeatVector(max_len)
decoder_h = LSTM(intermediate_dim, return_sequences=True, recurrent_dropout=0.2)
decoder_mean = Dense(NB_WORDS, activation='linear')#softmax is applied in the seq2seqloss by tf #TimeDistributed()
h_decoded = decoder_h(repeated_context(z))
x_decoded_mean = decoder_mean(h_decoded)

# placeholder loss
def zero_loss(y_true, y_pred):
    return K.zeros_like(y_pred)

# Custom loss layer
class CustomVariationalLayer(Layer):
    def __init__(self, **kwargs):
        self.is_placeholder = True
        super(CustomVariationalLayer, self).__init__(**kwargs)
        self.target_weights = tf.constant(np.ones((batch_size, max_len)), tf.float32)

    def vae_loss(self, x, x_decoded_mean):
        #xent_loss = K.sum(metrics.categorical_crossentropy(x, x_decoded_mean), axis=-1)
        labels = tf.cast(x, tf.int32)
        xent_loss = K.sum(tfa.seq2seq.sequence_loss(x_decoded_mean, labels,
                                                     weights=self.target_weights,
                                                     average_across_timesteps=False,
                                                     average_across_batch=False), axis=-1)#,
                                                     #softmax_loss_function=softmax_loss_f), axis=-1)#,
        kl_loss = - 0.5 * K.sum(1 + z_log_var - K.square(z_mean) - K.exp(z_log_var), axis=-1)
        xent_loss = K.mean(xent_loss)
        kl_loss = K.mean(kl_loss)
        return K.mean(xent_loss + kl_weight * kl_loss)

    def call(self, inputs):
        x = inputs[0]
        x_decoded_mean = inputs[1]
        print(x.shape, x_decoded_mean.shape)
        loss = self.vae_loss(x, x_decoded_mean)
        self.add_loss(loss, inputs=inputs)
        # we don't use this output, but it has to have the correct shape:
        return K.ones_like(x)

def kl_loss(x, x_decoded_mean):
    kl_loss = - 0.5 * K.sum(1 + z_log_var - K.square(z_mean) - K.exp(z_log_var), axis=-1)
    kl_loss = kl_weight * kl_loss
    return kl_loss

loss_layer = CustomVariationalLayer()([x, x_decoded_mean])
vae = Model(x, [loss_layer])
opt = Adam(learning_rate=0.01)
vae.compile(optimizer='adam', loss=[zero_loss], metrics=[kl_loss])
vae.summary()

This code then gives the following output:
WARNING:tensorflow:Layer lstm_2 will not use cuDNN kernels since it doesn't meet the criteria. It will use a generic GPU kernel as fallback when running on GPU.
WARNING:tensorflow:Layer lstm_2 will not use cuDNN kernels since it doesn't meet the criteria. It will use a generic GPU kernel as fallback when running on GPU.
WARNING:tensorflow:Layer lstm_2 will not use cuDNN kernels since it doesn't meet the criteria. It will use a generic GPU kernel as fallback when running on GPU.
WARNING:tensorflow:Layer lstm_3 will not use cuDNN kernels since it doesn't meet the criteria. It will use a generic GPU kernel as fallback when running on GPU.
(None, 20) (100, 20, 10000)
Model: "model_1"
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
 Layer (type)                   Output Shape         Param #     Connected to
==================================================================================================
 input_2 (InputLayer)           [(None, 20)]         0           []

 embedding_1 (Embedding)        (None, 20, 100)      1000000     ['input_2[0][0]']

 bidirectional_1 (Bidirectional  (None, 32)          14976       ['embedding_1[0][0]']
 )

 dense_3 (Dense)                (None, 32)           1056        ['bidirectional_1[0][0]']

 dense_4 (Dense)                (None, 32)           1056        ['bidirectional_1[0][0]']

 lambda_1 (Lambda)              (100, 32)            0           ['dense_3[0][0]',
                                                                  'dense_4[0][0]']

 repeat_vector_1 (RepeatVector)  (100, 20, 32)       0           ['lambda_1[0][0]']

 lstm_3 (LSTM)                  (100, 20, 16)        3136        ['repeat_vector_1[0][0]']

 dense_5 (Dense)                (100, 20, 10000)     170000      ['lstm_3[0][0]']

 custom_variational_layer_1 (Cu  (None, 20)          0           ['input_2[0][0]',
 stomVariationalLayer)                                            'dense_5[0][0]']

==================================================================================================
Total params: 1,190,224
Trainable params: 190,224
Non-trainable params: 1,000,000
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

When I attempt to train the model, I use the following code:
def create_model_checkpoint(dir, model_name):
    filepath = dir + '/' + model_name + ".h5"
    directory = os.path.dirname(filepath)
    try:
        os.stat(directory)
    except:
        os.mkdir(directory)
    checkpointer = ModelCheckpoint(filepath=filepath, verbose=1, save_best_only=True)
    return checkpointer

checkpointer = create_model_checkpoint('models', 'vae_seq2seq_test_very_high_std')

vae.fit(x_partial_train, x_partial_train,
     shuffle=True,
     epochs=100,
     batch_size=batch_size,
     validation_data=(x_val, x_val), callbacks=[checkpointer])

#print(K.eval(vae.optimizer.lr))
#K.set_value(vae.optimizer.lr, 0.01)

vae.save('models/vae_lstm.h5')
#vae.load_weights('models/vae_seq2seq_test.h5')

And get the following error:
Train on 11985 samples, validate on 1500 samples
Epoch 1/100
11800/11985 [============================>.] - ETA: 0s - loss: nan - kl_loss: nan

2022-07-28 11:01:06.923587: W tensorflow/core/framework/op_kernel.cc:1733] INVALID_ARGUMENT: required broadcastable shapes

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
InvalidArgumentError                      Traceback (most recent call last)
Input In [27], in <cell line: 15>()
      9     return checkpointer
     11 checkpointer = create_model_checkpoint('models', 'vae_seq2seq_test_very_high_std')
---> 15 vae.fit(x_partial_train, x_partial_train,
     16      shuffle=True,
     17      epochs=100,
     18      batch_size=batch_size,
     19      validation_data=(x_val, x_val), callbacks=[checkpointer])
     21 #print(K.eval(vae.optimizer.lr))
     22 #K.set_value(vae.optimizer.lr, 0.01)
     24 vae.save('models/vae_lstm.h5')

File ~/.local/lib/python3.10/site-packages/keras/engine/training_v1.py:776, in Model.fit(self, x, y, batch_size, epochs, verbose, callbacks, validation_split, validation_data, shuffle, class_weight, sample_weight, initial_epoch, steps_per_epoch, validation_steps, validation_freq, max_queue_size, workers, use_multiprocessing, **kwargs)
    773 self._check_call_args('fit')
    775 func = self._select_training_loop(x)
--> 776 return func.fit(
    777     self,
    778     x=x,
    779     y=y,
    780     batch_size=batch_size,
    781     epochs=epochs,
    782     verbose=verbose,
    783     callbacks=callbacks,
    784     validation_split=validation_split,
    785     validation_data=validation_data,
    786     shuffle=shuffle,
    787     class_weight=class_weight,
    788     sample_weight=sample_weight,
    789     initial_epoch=initial_epoch,
    790     steps_per_epoch=steps_per_epoch,
    791     validation_steps=validation_steps,
    792     validation_freq=validation_freq,
    793     max_queue_size=max_queue_size,
    794     workers=workers,
    795     use_multiprocessing=use_multiprocessing)

File ~/.local/lib/python3.10/site-packages/keras/engine/training_arrays_v1.py:641, in ArrayLikeTrainingLoop.fit(self, model, x, y, batch_size, epochs, verbose, callbacks, validation_split, validation_data, shuffle, class_weight, sample_weight, initial_epoch, steps_per_epoch, validation_steps, validation_freq, **kwargs)
    637     raise ValueError('`validation_steps` should not be specified if '
    638                      '`validation_data` is None.')
    639   val_x, val_y, val_sample_weights = None, None, None
--> 641 return fit_loop(
    642     model,
    643     inputs=x,
    644     targets=y,
    645     sample_weights=sample_weights,
    646     batch_size=batch_size,
    647     epochs=epochs,
    648     verbose=verbose,
    649     callbacks=callbacks,
    650     val_inputs=val_x,
    651     val_targets=val_y,
    652     val_sample_weights=val_sample_weights,
    653     shuffle=shuffle,
    654     initial_epoch=initial_epoch,
    655     steps_per_epoch=steps_per_epoch,
    656     validation_steps=validation_steps,
    657     validation_freq=validation_freq,
    658     steps_name='steps_per_epoch')

File ~/.local/lib/python3.10/site-packages/keras/engine/training_arrays_v1.py:377, in model_iteration(model, inputs, targets, sample_weights, batch_size, epochs, verbose, callbacks, val_inputs, val_targets, val_sample_weights, shuffle, initial_epoch, steps_per_epoch, validation_steps, validation_freq, mode, validation_in_fit, prepared_feed_values_from_dataset, steps_name, **kwargs)
    374 callbacks._call_batch_hook(mode, 'begin', batch_index, batch_logs)
    376 # Get outputs.
--> 377 batch_outs = f(ins_batch)
    378 if not isinstance(batch_outs, list):
    379   batch_outs = [batch_outs]

File ~/.local/lib/python3.10/site-packages/keras/backend.py:4284, in GraphExecutionFunction.__call__(self, inputs)
   4278 if (self._callable_fn is None or feed_arrays != self._feed_arrays or
   4279     symbol_vals != self._symbol_vals or
   4280     feed_symbols != self._feed_symbols or self.fetches != self._fetches or
   4281     session != self._session):
   4282   self._make_callable(feed_arrays, feed_symbols, symbol_vals, session)
-> 4284 fetched = self._callable_fn(*array_vals,
   4285                             run_metadata=self.run_metadata)
   4286 self._call_fetch_callbacks(fetched[-len(self._fetches):])
   4287 output_structure = tf.nest.pack_sequence_as(
   4288     self._outputs_structure,
   4289     fetched[:len(self.outputs)],
   4290     expand_composites=True)

File ~/.local/lib/python3.10/site-packages/tensorflow/python/client/session.py:1480, in BaseSession._Callable.__call__(self, *args, **kwargs)
   1478 try:
   1479   run_metadata_ptr = tf_session.TF_NewBuffer() if run_metadata else None
-> 1480   ret = tf_session.TF_SessionRunCallable(self._session._session,
   1481                                          self._handle, args,
   1482                                          run_metadata_ptr)
   1483   if run_metadata:
   1484     proto_data = tf_session.TF_GetBuffer(run_metadata_ptr)

InvalidArgumentError: 2 root error(s) found.
  (0) INVALID_ARGUMENT: required broadcastable shapes
     [[{{node lambda_1/mul}}]]
     [[metrics_2/kl_loss/Identity/_267]]
  (1) INVALID_ARGUMENT: required broadcastable shapes
     [[{{node lambda_1/mul}}]]
0 successful operations.
0 derived errors ignored.

I'm honestly at a loss here and have been trying to fix this for the past week, so any help would be much appreciated. Thanks!


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Submissions: This user has upvoted 5293 and downvoted 6 submissions.
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We're all equal until men and women compete against each other then all of a sudden it's unfair and unequal.
The amount of hate TB is getting on Twitter from the so-called empathetic Progressives since he passed is astonishing.
I guess the 'when in Rome' argument applies here right? The west can force a man to shake a woman's hand but the East can't force a woman to wear the Hijab? Can we just not force people to do or wear stuff if it doesn't harm them or others?
"The Navy's 30-kilowatt laser weapon is currently onboard the USS Ponce." Made me chuckle.
I guess that will make up for the 60% less sentence women get.


text:
Celebrities Comics ComicWiki Marvel News
Spiderman 3 Theory: How will Doctor Octopus and Electro Return?
By Subons Staff December 9, 2020No Comments
Spiderman 3 is reportedly bringing back Alfred Molina and Jamie Foxx from earlier Spiderman franchises. For their roles of Doctor Octopus and Electro, respectively. Is it possible that they survived their deaths?
How will Doctor Octopus and Electro Return?
The third Spiderman sequel is highly anticipated and has recently begun filming in Atlanta. There are rumors that it will be a Spider-Verse style Movie, inspired by the comic book released in 2004 and the blockbuster animated film Spiderman: Into the Spider-verse. There have also been reports that Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire are reprising their roles as other iterations of Spiderman, meaning Tom Holland may wind up teaming up with his predecessors.
The return of Alfred Molina and Jamie Foxx in Spiderman 3
Doctor Octopus was obsessed with creating the world's first Fusion Reactor. Which threatened to destroy the entire planet. In the end, however, his humanity won, and he ended up sacrificing himself to shut to save Earth. Like most Spiderman Villains, he also had personal ties with Peter Parker, and it took Spiderman's unmasking to redeem him. Now it seems that Alfred Molina is returning to his role as the Doctor Octopus, with reports confirming that he will be fully outfitted as Doctor Octopus, complete with his metal tentacles.
Jamie Foxx's Electro wasn't really the highlight of the Amazing Spiderman 2, but to be fair, that film wasn't the highlight of the Spiderman Franchise either. In early October, news broke that Electro would be returning in Spiderman 3. It's not clear, though, if he will have blue skin anymore. Foxx is toying with reporters refusing to admit that he will be playing the Super-villain role again, but it feels like a deal.
However, the question remains, Could they have survived their deaths? Here is how they could have survived:
How Doctor Octopus may have Survived?
According to a theory, Doctor Octopus did not necessarily die. He was consumed by the Singularity just before his death. In the real world, scientists theorize if Black Holes are actually Wormholes that connect our Universe to an Alternate Universe. Esteemed scientist Stephen Hawking himself champions this theory, so there is a chance that Dr. Octopus entered the MCU timeline.
How Electro may have survived?
The actual death of Electro is The Amazing Spiderman 2 opens up the possibility that he did not really die. In the film, Spiderman and Gwen Stacy overloaded him with a surge of electricity to stop him. It seemed that due to the excess of energy, his body broke atomically, and he burst into a flare of energy. This "death" actually may have been a metamorphosis. In the comics, Electro has the ability to transform into a being of pure energy; therefore, rather than dying, he may have transformed. This could have allowed him to jump between alternate realities. A power that Electro demonstrated in the Web Warrior series. Electro identified Electromagnetic signature and associated it with traveling between dimensions. Therefore the comics themselves create a precedent for Electro to make his way into the MCU alternate reality.
Source: WeGotThis
Tags •comic wikiMarvelnewsSpidermanSpiderman 3Super-Villians

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Today we may debate whether or not a robot will ever be superior to a human. Superiority has many angels. Autonomous machines may catch some areas but most likely in the next centuries not all of them. However – think about it – one robot may not be as good as a human – but a whole range of networked Artificial Intelligence-based robots may very well outperform us in almost any segment of work on all levels and all industries !!!
Imagine we do what future AI networks do and network our brains, very simply on a daily base by sharing, communication, analyzing our own mistakes and come to new conclusions every day? The collective intellect when really in action has unknown and incomprehensible reserves. The least we can do is to explore them. And it is almost for free. We only have to through some of the old cultural remains overboard. At the World Innovations Forum this is exactly what is going on right now. We're building a digital layer across the globe that exists to connect people and their ideas, challenges, questions and answers together. http://wiforum.org We are not here to win a competition with AI-based robots but simply bring human entrepreneurs to a level that has never seen before.
As I progress with the book, diving deeper and deeper into the journey through the next 50 to 100 years, new situations come up and new ideas get created. New question arise, and the circle of impact will get bigger by the day.
If a large portion of our society will no longer need and even want to work, will the next generation children wonder why they should even learn anything?
If the developed countries accelerate their progress and with it their prosperity and live style, how much bigger will the gap to other countries get?
If the next generation is by large no longer working, learning or actively engaging, are we getting to real 'Ideocracy'?
Yet, if the new, autonomous machines allow us to do things we could never imagine, it could do things anybody is dreaming about – no matter what education or previous level.
If autonomous machines get to teach our children, maybe we get to the most individual learning process ever. And if time is no longer the limiting factor and life long learning is the model – everybody – no matter which level in our society could sooner or later learn whatever they are really interested in.
The same can apply to countries that are still today way, relative to the most advanced societies.
As long as everybody can get access to the staggering knowledge explosion we will closing most gaps between equally talented people. That will allow us to see other gaps between differently talented people and we can work on those differences in a way more educated way than today.
Learning however will be one of the top 25 key aspects in our journey through time and differentiating factor between nations.


text:
Q: JButton not showing up I don't understand why the JButton is not showing up.
Did this by tutorial, everything seems to be fine.
Tried adding setVisible to various places - no positive result anyway.
   import javax.swing.*;

import java.awt.*;
import java.util.Random;
import java.awt.event.*;

@SuppressWarnings("serial")
public class testFly extends JFrame
{

     JButton startDrawing;
     int windowWidth = 900;
     int windowHeight = 500;

     Color[] shapeColor = {Color.orange, Color.red, Color.yellow, Color.blue, Color.pink, Color.cyan, Color.black, Color.green, Color.GRAY};

     public static void main(String[] args)
     {
        new testFly();

     }
     public testFly()
     {
        this.setSize(windowWidth, windowHeight);
        this.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
        this.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
        this.setTitle("Flyweight Test");

        JPanel contentPane = new JPanel();
        contentPane.setLayout(new BorderLayout());

        final JPanel drawingPanel = new JPanel();

        startDrawing = new JButton("Draw Stuff");
        startDrawing.setVisible(true);

        contentPane.add(drawingPanel, BorderLayout.CENTER);
        contentPane.add(drawingPanel, BorderLayout.SOUTH);

        startDrawing.addActionListener(new ActionListener()
        {
           public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent event)
           {
              Graphics g = drawingPanel.getGraphics();
              long startTime = System.currentTimeMillis();

              for(int i=0; i < 100000; i++)
              {
                 Rect rect = RectFactory.getRect(getRandColor());
                 rect.draw(g, getRandX(), getRandY(), getRandX(), getRandY());
                 /*
               Rect rect = new Rect(getRandColor(), getRandX(), getRandY(), getRandX(), getRandY()) ;
               rect.draw(g);
               */
              }
              long endTime = System.currentTimeMillis();
              System.out.println("That took "+(endTime - startTime));
           }
        });
        this.add(contentPane);
        this.setVisible(true);
     }
     private Color getRandColor(){
        Random randomGenerator = new Random();
        int randInt = randomGenerator.nextInt(9);
        return shapeColor[randInt];
     }
     private int getRandX()
     {
        return (int)(Math.random()*windowWidth);
     }
     private int getRandY()
     {
        return (int)(Math.random()*windowHeight);
     }

}

A: you haven't add button yet .add it .and you are adding drawingPanel twice .probably you are trying to add button to south
contentPane.add(drawingPanel, BorderLayout.CENTER);
contentPane.add(startDrawing, BorderLayout.SOUTH);

A: Change
contentPane.add(drawingPanel, BorderLayout.CENTER);
contentPane.add(drawingPanel, BorderLayout.SOUTH);

to
contentPane.add(drawingPanel, BorderLayout.CENTER);
contentPane.add(startDrawing, BorderLayout.SOUTH);

As mentioned in my earlier comment, you are adding drawingPanel twice (likely unintentionally). So, change one of those lines to add the Jbutton and it should work.

A: You need to add the button to the contentPane:
contentPane.add(startDrawing, BorderLayout.NORTH); //Or wherever you want it
this.add(contentPane);
this.setVisible(true);

A: *

*You did not add the JButton to contentPane

*Your JButton has no size, so it will not appear if you just add it to the JPanel.

Use something like this:
startDrawing.setBounds(50, 50, 200, 200);
contentPane.add(startDrawing);

A: you have not added button to any panel
i have added below line in your code and it works.
Line 36:
startDrawing = new JButton("Draw Stuff");
startDrawing.setVisible(true);
drawingPanel.add(startDrawing);
drawingPanel.setVisible(true);
contentPane.add(drawingPanel, BorderLayout.CENTER);
contentPane.add(drawingPanel, BorderLayout.SOUTH);

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


AGN outflows couple supermassive black holes to their environments (e.g., Di Matteo et al. 2005). Despite many years of spectroscopic observations in the X-rays and in the UV, the emerging picture of these outflows is still ambiguous. Spectra are typically characterized by several kinematic and ionization components that are readily measured with contemporary instruments (see Crenshaw et al. 2003, for a review). However, the relation between the various components remains debatable. Reaching a more complete physical picture of active galactic nucleus (AGN) outflows has proven to be challenging (e.g., Blustin et al. 2005). Thus, their impact, perhaps most interestingly their mass outflow rate that affects their momentum and energy feedback potential to the host galaxy remains largely unknown.
Seyfert outflows, for the most part, eject winds of a few hundred km s-1, and with v/c < 0.01 where c is the speed of light (Kaastra et al. 2000; Kaspi et al. 2001). Their absorption spectra are extremely rich and can feature essentially all charge states from neutral to H-like ions. These winds thus appear to be different from the ultra high velocity outflows (v/c ~ 0.1) observed mostly through their Fe25+ absorption (Reeves et al. 2003; Tombesi et al. 2010). Since the mechanical power in AGN outflows scales with the mass outflow rate and with v2, and since the luminosity L of an AGN scales with the mass accretion rate and c2, mass outflow rates in Seyferts need to be 10 000 times higher than the accretion rate for their mechanical power to reach the AGN luminosity. On the other hand, the high-resolution high-signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) spectra observed in Seyferts serve as fertile grounds for studying the physics of outflows from black-hole accretion sources in the greatest detail possible.
The theoretical models of AGN outflows vary greatly. The launching mechanism remains controversial, as thermal evaporation of the torus (e.g., Krolik & Kriss 2001), radiation pressure (e.g., Proga et al. 2000), and magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) driving (e.g., Contopoulos & Lovelace 1994) have all been proposed. Nevertheless, matching observed spectra with a real physical model has proven to be difficult (e.g., Sim et al. 2008). Very different physical models have been successful in producing the broad ionization distribution, both with MHD winds (Fukumura et al. 2010), and with radiation compression (Różańska et al. 2006; Stern et al. 2014). The kinematic structure obtained when fitting for discrete velocity and ionization components in each AGN remains harder to explain from first principles, as those do not seem to follow any obvious trend (Blustin et al. 2005; McKernan et al. 2007). Laha et al. (2014) find interesting trends between targets of outflow velocity and column density that increase with ionization parameter, which could represent an important clue to identifying the physical mechanism of these winds.
The mass outflow rate depends on the location (and density) of the ionized absorber. Since X-ray imaging does not resolve line-of-sight absorbers, several methods have been proposed and used to estimate the distance from the center (r) or the H density (nH) and thus to lift the hampering degeneracy between the two, which is imposed by the measured ionization parameter ξ = L/ (nHr2). The most accurate of these methods is identification of absorption from density-sensitive metastable levels (Arav et al. 2001, 2015). However, in the X-rays, most such levels require high densities that are not observed, and low-density diagnostics have proven to be extremely complicated to implement (Kaastra et al. 2004). Associating the absorber with the narrow emission lines is yet another method. Fluxes of lines driven by recombination scale with , while the column density scales with nH, which allows one to obtain the density (e.g., Behar et al. 2003). However, this method works only when there are bright emission lines. Another common approach is to estimate recombination or ionization times as the absorber responds to changes in the ionizing flux. In many cases, the ionization of the absorber does not change on short time scales, despite variability of the continuum (Behar et al. 2003; Netzer et al. 2003; Ebrero et al. 2010; Kaastra et al. 2012), which constrains it to be many pc away from the nucleus, and the density to be low. Other works do suggest a response of the absorber ionization to the continuum level that places the absorber closer than 6 pc in NGC 3783 (Krongold et al. 2005), and as close as a few light days in NGC 4051 (Krongold et al. 2007). For the most part, non-continuous monitoring impedes transient ionization/recombination modeling, and one needs to revert to statistical correlations between flux level and ionization state (Krongold et al. 2007), or column density of certain ions (Kaastra et al. 2012).
The present campaign aims to harness XMM-Newton, HST, Chandra, NuSTAR, and Swift, as well as ground based telescopes, to monitor the changes of the continuum and the response of the ionized absorber of NGC 7469. Similar successful campaigns in the past include other Seyfert galaxies, such as NGC 3783 (Netzer et al. 2003), Mrk 279 (Gabel et al. 2005; Ebrero et al. 2010), Mrk 509 (Detmers et al. 2011; Kaastra et al. 2012), and NGC 5548 (Kaastra et al. 2014).
The unique properties of NGC 7469 make it the ideal candidate to respond on shorter, better-monitored time scales. NGC 7469 is as luminous as Mrk 509 (Lbol ≈ 1045 erg s-1), but hosts a black hole that is ten times smaller (MBH = 107M⊙), resulting in a high Eddington ratio of L/LEdd ≈ 0.3. Given this compactness, one expects ten times faster variability. Indeed, the normalised excess variance of NGC 7469 is ten times higher than that of Mrk 509 on short time scales of <100 ks (Ponti et al. 2012). In the 0.3–10 keV band, NGC 7469 is one of the ten brightest Seyfert 1 galaxies with a flux of 4−5 × 10-11 erg s-1 cm-2.
Previous analyses of X-ray Chandra and XMM-Newton grating spectra of NGC 7469 were published by Scott et al. (2005) and by Blustin et al. (2007), respectively. Blustin et al. (2007) found a wide range of ionization, with −0.5 < log ξ < 3.5 (erg s-1 cm), and two main velocity regimes, at ~–650 and –2300 km s-1, the former also having been identified by Scott et al. (2005). The total absorbing column density in the X-rays was of order 3 × 1021 cm-2. The previous works also identified the lowest ionization phase of the X-ray absorber with one of the phases of the UV absorber. They estimated the outflow to be at the base of the torus. In this paper, we revisit the ionized absorber of NGC 7469 and focus on the co-added 640 ks spectrum, acquired with seven separate observations of the Reflection Grating Spectrometer (RGS) on board XMM-Newton. The time dependence, as well as the simultaneous UV and hard X-ray spectra, will be discussed in future companion papers.
We take the rest frame of NGC 7469 to be at a redshift of z = 0.016268, based on the 21 cm line (Springob et al. 2005), and the luminosity distance to be 65.1 Mpc. For the total Galactic column density towards NGC 7469, we add the H I column of 4.34 × 1020 cm-2 (Wakker et al. 2011) and twice the measured H2 column density of 5.75 × 1019 cm-2 (Wakker 2006), for a total H column of 5.5 × 1020 cm-2. For the solar abundances, we refer to Asplund et al. (2009). The remainder of the paper includes the data reduction (Sect. 2), the fitting method (Sect. 3), the results (Sect. 4), and discussion (Sect. 5).
XMM-Newton observed NGC 7469 seven times for approximately 90 ks on average each time, and with varying spacings between observations, in order to probe variability on different time scales. Luckily, no major background flares occurred during these observations, which allowed us to essentially make use of the entire exposure time. The observation log is given in Table 1, including the mean RGS1 source count rates of each observation. It can be seen that in terms of the RGS count rate, the source varied by up to 30% between observations. No obvious change in the absorption features was identified. If they did vary, these were subtle changes that will be investigated in a separate paper. This allowed us to co-add all RGS (both 1 and 2) spectra and to study the mean RGS features at a high S/N. We did verify that the global model fitted to the mean RGS spectrum, as discussed below, fits each individual spectrum well. In statistical terms, after merely normalizing the model continuum, the χ2/d.o.f. remains between 1.30 and 1.57 for all individual spectra, while the best fit model to the combined spectrum yields χ2/d.o.f. = 1.40.
We reduced each RGS (1 and 2) spectrum with the rgsproc task of the standard XMM/SAS pipeline tool version 14 (xmmsas_20141104_1833). The default spectral binning presented in this work is of 20 mÅ, which over-samples the instrumental line spread function by a factor of a few. All seven RGS spectra were subsequently combined using the rgscombine task. The present paper focuses on this combined, mean spectrum. Each RGS observation had a slightly different pointing. This was done on purpose to dither the chip gaps on the RGS detectors. Indeed, the combined fluxed spectrum has no striking gaps, with some residuals just barely noticed as narrow jumps in the spectrum at 9.9, 13.1, 20.75, and 22.7 Å. The mean energy and photon flux measured with the combined (mean) RGS spectrum between 0.3 and 2.5 keV is 3.15 × 10-11 erg s-1 cm-2, and 0.027 ph s-1 cm-2, respectively.
We conducted a global fit to the total RGS spectrum between 7 and 38 Å using the Xspec111 software package. Both the C and χ2 statistic for fitting were tested. Given the high S/N, they yield essentially the same results. From here on, we refer only to the C statistic. We started with a Galactically absorbed power-law continuum. We also tested whether or not a soft-excess (e.g., black body) component improves the fit. Within the limited RGS band, it does not, but a broader perspective that includes hard X-rays and UV does require such a component (Mehdipour et al., in prep.) and will be modeled properly in a subsequent paper (Petrucci et al., in prep.).
We subsequently used the analytical version (2.1ln8) of the XSTAR photo-ionized plasma models (Kallman & Bautista 2001). These models employ pre-calculated photo-ionization balance results, using a template power-law spectrum with a photon index of Γ = 2, so they do not fully reflect the actual broad-band spectrum of each source. Nonetheless, the present best-fit model, limited to the RGS band, has Γ = 2.17 and no soft excess, so we expect this to be a good approximation. We find that six (warmabs) photo-ionized absorption components, and two (photemis) emission components provide a satisfactory description of the spectrum. Since we identify ionized absorption at the observed frame, likely due to local hot gas, we also add a hotabs component at z = 0. For more information about the models, we refer the reader to the XSTAR website2. Finally, residuals of Fe L-shell emission lines motivated the addition of a collisionally-ionized component.
Simultaneous UV spectra of NGC 7469 reveal three main outflow velocity components at –540, –857, and –1865 km s-1 that are approximately 60, 35, and 55 km s-1 (σ) wide, and a fourth weak one at –1400 km s-1. We used the three main UV velocity shifts and their broadening as a starting point for the corresponding parameters of the X-ray absorber model fit, and added ionization components at each velocity as required by the data. However, it is important to keep in mind that the spectral resolution of the RGS is approximately Δλ = 70 mÅ across the band. Consequently, its kinematic resolving power around λ = 20 Å is approximately v = (Δλ/λ)c ≈ 1000 km s-1.
We aim to measure both the column density NH of each absorption component and the abundances of those elements that feature strong absorption and emission lines. Since no discrete H features appear in the X-ray spectrum, our result for NH scales with the overall metallicity. Thus, in the model, NH can be degenerate with the metal abundances. We therefore froze the abundance of O, that has many features in the spectrum, to its solar value, and fitted for NH and for the other abundances. The abundances in all absorption and photo-ionized emission components were tied together, assuming they are all the same. The abundances of the local absorption components (neutral and ionized) were kept at their solar values.
The data and best-fit model are plotted in Fig. 1. It can be seen that the overall fit is good, albeit with some remaining residuals around ~23 Å, and long-ward of 30 Å. The best-fit model yields a C statistic of 2151 (or χ2 = 2179) with 1550 spectral bins and 1528 degrees of freedom. The best-fit parameters are presented and discussed in the following sections. In Fig. 2, we plot the ratio of the data to the Galactically absorbed continuum, in order to demonstrate the ionized absorption and emission. The relatively shallow absorption (~20%) and bright emission lines can easily be discerned.
Total RGS spectrum plotted with 20 mÅ bins, and the best-fit model overlaid, with the data/model ratio in the lower panel.
Ratio of RGS spectrum to the Galactically absorbed continuum model plotted with 40 mÅ bins, demonstrating the effect of ionized absorption and emission.
In Figs. 3 and 4, we zoom into the different regions of the spectrum to highlight the identified features. Here too, the fit can be seen to capture most features accurately. A notable exception is around the neutral O edge at ~23 Å, where the continuum seems to be too low. The residuals above 30 Å can be attributed predominantly to two unidentified emission lines at 32.6 Å and at 33.4 Å, which we discuss below in Sect. 4.7 in more detail. These shortcomings of the model should have a negligible effect, if any, on the properties of the absorber (and narrow line emitter) that are the main focus of the paper.
Segments of the RGS spectrum of NGC 7469 with the best-fit folded model overlaid. Spectra are presented in the observed (redshifted) frame. Prominent features are marked on the spectrum at their positions in the rest frame of NGC 7469. We note the varying vertical scale from one panel to the next, none of which reach zero. Longer wavelengths are presented in Fig. 4.
Same as Fig. 3, but for wavelengths longer than 20 Å.
Using three components (as in the UV), we obtain best-fit velocities of −650 ± 50 km s-1, km s-1, and km s-1. These velocities are slightly higher (100–200 km s-1) than the UV values, but consistent within the measurement and wavelength calibration (<10 mÅ) uncertainties. Forcing the velocities to the UV values worsens the fit by ΔC ≈ 20 for more than 1500 degrees of freedom. They are also in line with previous X-ray measurements (Scott et al. 2005; Blustin et al. 2007), suggesting that they have not varied for over more than a decade. Perhaps the best absorption (and emission) lines in the present spectrum for kinematic studies are the Ly α lines (close doublets, in fact) of H-like O7+ and C5+ at the laboratory wavelengths of 18.97 Å and 33.74 Å, respectively. In Fig. 5, we show the spectrum around these lines, and the best-fit model. The broad troughs of these lines from ~0 to −2200 km s-1 nicely demonstrate the velocity distribution of the outflow of NGC 7469, as well as the intricate overlap between intrinsic absorption and emission lines. The –2050 km s-1 component is marginally resolved for C5+ thanks to the superior resolving power of the gratings at longer wavelengths (~600 km s-1 vs. ~1000 km s-1 for O7+).
The model also includes the photo-ionized emission component that is discussed in more detail below (Sect. 4.4). Interestingly, the emission lines observed in NGC 7469 do not seem to be at rest with respect to the host galaxy, but are blue-shifted by –450 km s-1. Unlike the narrow absorption profiles, the emission lines are moderately broad and parametrized in the model with a turbulent velocity of vturb = 600 km s-1, which corresponds to full width at half maximum (FWHM) of ≈1400 km s-1.
Due to instrumental broadening, there is blending of the −650 km s-1 and –950 km s-1 absorption troughs, as well as with the emission at –450 km s-1. This makes the fitted parameters of these components in the model somewhat degenerate. Blustin et al. (2007) did not identify a –950 km s-1 component, and in the present spectrum as well, it could be part of the −650 km s-1 component (or some in-between velocity); but see attempts to tie the two below. We tend to believe these velocity components since they are consistent with the UV ones, and since they are obtained from a rather constraining global fit to the entire X-ray spectrum, and not just from these individual lines.
The parameters of the six absorption components, which are associated here with three different outflow velocities, are listed in Table 2. The statistical significance of each component is given in the last column, in terms of the increase of the C-statistic (ΔC) when that component is omitted from the model. The slowest –650 km s-1 velocity component has a broad ionization distribution of −0.6 ≲ log ξ ≲ 2.0 represented here by three ionization components, with the column density slowly increasing with ionization, and with a possible gap in thermally unstable ξ values. A similar trend was observed in the 2004 observation (Blustin et al. 2007), as well as in other Seyfert outflows (Holczer at al. 2007; Behar 2009; Fukumura et al. 2010; Laha et al. 2014). An elaborate analysis of the absorption measure distribution (AMD) is deferred to a following paper that will use a more sensitive ion-by-ion fit.
Spectral region of the H-like O7+ and C5+ Lyα lines demonstrating the contribution of the three absorption components (marked in figure) and a broad (FWHM = 1400 km s-1) emission component (not marked) centered at –450 km s-1. The instrumental spectral resolution is ~1000 km s-1 at the O7+ line and ~600 km s-1 at the C5+ line, as can be seen from the folded model (solid line). Note that the vertical flux scale does not go down to zero.
The highest ionization (log ξ = 2.7) and highest column density (2.2 × 1021 cm-2) is found in the –950 km s-1 component. Its most notable feature is the Fe19+ blend at 12.85 Å, observed at 13.05 Å (Fig. 3), which is one of the strongest absorption features in the spectrum. This component also accounts for the higher charge states of Fe in the model, and contributes to the central part of the Ly α O7+ trough, although the RGS can not truly resolve it from the –650 km s-1 component ( see Fig. 5). The counterpart –857 km s-1 component in the UV is observed only in Ly α, which also indicates high ionization, lending support to the connection between these two X-ray and UV components. The high-ionization at –950 km s-1 may also be, in fact, the extension of the broad ionization distribution of the –650 km s-1 component, as its column density continues to increase with ξ. When forcing all four ionization components to share the same outflow velocity, the model for the entire spectrum converges to a velocity of –830 km s-1, since much of the column is in the –950 km s-1 component, but the fit worsens by ΔC ≈ 30.
The fastest component (–2050 km s-1) has one main ionization component with log ξ = 2.0 ± 0.3, and a low column density of ~1020 cm-2. A second, marginally significant low-ionization component can be added at this velocity. It can be seen, for example, to capture the blue side of the trough of the O6+ resonance line. It improves the fit by ΔC ≈ 50. The fitted model in Blustin et al. (2007) indicated relatively low ionization ( ) for this fast component. However, we identify it clearly in the H-like Ly α lines as seen in Fig. 5. A more careful analysis of changes in the absorption troughs between 2004 and 2015, to be reported in a separate paper, is required before determining whether or not the ionization has changed between the two epochs. The total column density in all of the present components adds up to ~3 × 1021 cm-2, which is similar to the result of the AMD analysis of the 2004 spectrum in Blustin et al. (2007).
Outflow absorption components in NGC 7469.
We fixed the abundance of O to its solar value and fitted for the abundances of C, N, Ne, Mg, S, and Fe, all of which have significant features in the RGS spectrum. Other elements were left at their solar values. For the sake of simplifying the model, we also tied the abundances of the emission components to those of the absorber. The abundances we obtained are 1.6 ± 0.4, 1.6 ± 0.6, 1.8 ± 0.5, 0.3 ± 0.2, 0.8 ± 0.3, and 1.4 ± 0.4, for C, N, Ne, Mg, S, and Fe, respectively. All abundances are given with respect to the solar values of Asplund et al. (2009), and in effect represent AZ/AO abundance ratios (and not absolute abundances AZ/AH). If the abundance ratio AO/AH is solar, the results seem to have a slight tendency for super-solar abundances, except for Mg and S. Note that the Mg lines around 9 Å and the S lines of S13+,12+,11+ above 30 Å, are in regions where the RGS is less sensitive.
There are several conspicuous emission lines in the spectrum, most notably the H-like Ly α lines of O7+ and C5+ (observed, respectively, at ~ 19.3 and 34.3 Å) and the so-called He-like triplet of O6+ and Ne8+, the strongest of which are the forbidden lines, indicative of recombination line driving, and photo-ionization conditions. All three O6+ lines are apparent in the spectrum around 22 Å, while only the forbidden line of Ne8+ around 13.9 Å can be discerned due to blending with Fe absorption lines in that region. Bright narrow radiative recombination continua (RRCs) at 32.1 Å (C4+), 25.7 Å (C5+), 22.8 Å (N5+), 17.0 Å (O6+), and 14.4 Å (O7+) can also be identified in the spectrum. All wavelengths are quoted in the observed, redshifted frame of Figs. 3 and 4.
We are able to model all of these emission features with two ionization (photemis) components, whose details are listed in Table 3 (and which also includes the hot plasma component of the following section). The lines require non-thermal broadening, which is parametrized in the model with a turbulent velocity of vturb = 600 km s-1 that probably represents a distribution of projections from the ionization cone, rather than actual turbulence. The ionization parameters of the two emission components are log ξ = −1 and 1 erg s-1 cm, each contributing to the spectrum as can be seen by their statistical significance ΔC (when omitted) in the last column of Table 3. This likely represents a range of ξ values. It is reminiscent of the range of the absorption components, but excluding the highest Fe-L charge states, whose line emission is less efficient in recombination (see Sect. 4.5). The abundances of these emission components, therefore, were fixed to those of the absorber, assuming they originate from the same body of gas.
After fitting two emission components from photo-ionized gas, we are still left with weak yet significant residuals in the Fe16+ line at 15.25 Å and the 17.38 Å doublet (both observed frame), which are shown in Fig. 6. The L-shell lines in photo-ionized plasmas, where they form by means of recombination, are weak relative to K-shell lines (Kallman et al. 1996; Kinkhabwala et al. 2002). The lower cosmic abundance of Fe compared to C, N, and O also increases this effect, although in collisionally-ionized plasmas, the Fe-L resonance lines have high collision strengths that compensate for the lower abundance, and are therefore prominent in astrophysical spectra (e.g., Behar et al. 2001). We therefore interpret these lines as arising from the star-formation ring in the center of NGC 7469 (Díaz-Santos et al. 2007).
Adding a collisionally-ionized component (APEC, Smith et al. 2001) provides a good fit to these lines. Fig. 6 can be compared with that spectral region in Fig. 3, where the model includes the collisional component. The turbulent velocity broadening can not be constrained and is fixed at vturb = 100 km s-1. As in the photo-ionized components, this broadening may represent a kinematic spread of velocities projected along the line of sight, rather than actual turbulence. The best-fit temperature corresponds to 0.35 ± 0.03 keV. The Fe-L lines are slightly blueshifted by −250 ± 120 km s-1. Although only marginally indicative of an outflow, this component can be associated with a starburst wind. This component also produces some flux in O7+ that blends with the emission by the photo-ionized gas. Since only the Fe16+ lines are unambiguously ascribed to the collisional gas, we are not able to fit for its abundances, and not even for its overall metallicity. We therefore tie its metallicity to the Fe abundance of the photo-ionized components, which is fitted to be 1.4 ± 0.4 with respect to O, and in solar units (see Sect. 4.3).
The X-ray flux implied by the collisionally-ionized plasma model in the RGS band is 1.4 × 10-13 erg s-1 cm-2, which corresponds to a luminosity of LX = 7 × 1040 erg s-1. Star-formation X-ray luminosity tends to correlate with the Far IR luminosity LFIR ~ 103.7LX (David et al. 1992; Ranalli et al. 2003). In NGC 7469, LFIR = 7 × 1044 erg s-1 (David et al. 1992, corrected for distance), so that LFIR/LX = 104, which is just between the two archetypical, nearby starburst galaxies M 82 and NGC 253, for which LFIR/LX = 0.4 × 104 and 1.8 × 104, respectively (David et al. 1992). Thus, the X-rays emitted by the star formation in NGC 7469 are dominated by the AGN (LX = 2 × 1043 erg s-1), but are exactly as expected from the FIR star-formation emission.
Using an angular distance of 63.2 Mpc, the collisional component yields an emission measure (EM = nenHV, density square times volume) of 4 × 1063 cm-3. This is more than ten times lower than that of the photo-ionized gas (see Sect. 4.8 below), but much higher than 7.5 × 1061 cm-3, that was measured for NGC 253 (Pietsch et al. 2001). This result is consistent with the similarly higher FIR and X-ray luminosities in NGC 7469, and manifests its higher star-formation rate than M 82 and NGC 253. For a typical interstellar density of 1 cm-3, the above EM corresponds to a volume of approximately 1 kpc3, which nicely matches the 1 kpc diameter of the circum-nuclear star forming ring in NGC 7469 (Díaz-Santos et al. 2007).
Spectrum of NGC 7469 with a model that does not include the collisionally-ionized plasma component. Residuals of the Ne-like Fe16+ 2p–3d line at 15.01 and 2p–3s line at 17.1 Å (cosmologically redshifted in the figure) demonstrate the presence of collisionally-ionized plasma, likely originating in the circum-nuclear star-forming ring of NGC 7469.
For the neutral absorption through our galaxy, we use a column density of 5.5 × 1020 cm-2 that includes both HI and H2 (see end of Sect. 1). We use the tbabs model (Wilms et al. 2000) in Xspec with solar abundances, as its position of the neutral O K-shell edge at approximately 23.1 Å better describes the spectrum of NGC 7469 than the 23.5 Å edge in other models (see Fig. 4). The newer model tbnew brings the edge to slightly shorter wavelengths due to absorption lines, but does not improve the fit. Since tbabs does not include absorption lines, we added the Kα absorption lines of neutral O and N to the model at 23.5 Å and 31.3 Å, respectively. These are prominent in the spectrum (Fig. 4), and do not suffer from blending with the AGN absorber (as opposed to Mrk 509, Kaastra et al. 2011; Pinto et al. 2012). The exact same method was used successfully by Reeves et al. (2016) for the X-ray spectrum of Ark 120.
It is puzzling that the fit prefers (ΔC = 350) a much lower column of 3.4 × 1020 cm-2 than the nominal 5.5 × 1020 cm-2. The improvement is especially seen at longer wavelengths (>20 Å), and is likely driven by the N and C edges. This could indicate non-solar ISM abundances, calibration issues, or an inappropriate continuum model. Attempts to add a soft excess and then to absorb it did not improve the global fit. We fitted the archival 2004 RGS spectrum of NGC 7469 to find that, unlike here, the higher neutral column is obtained as expected. We defer a more detailed study of the local, neutral absorption to a combined X-ray and UV analysis, as was done for Mrk 509 (Pinto et al. 2012).
We identify a strong He-like O6+ absorption line in the spectrum at 21.6 Å, which is ascribed to hot gas in the Galactic halo, or in the local group. The H-like O7+ Ly α line at 18.97 Å is marginally present, immediately next to the (redshifted) O6+ He β line of the NGC 7469 outflow. We thus add a collisionally-ionized XSTAR absorption component (hotabs) to represent this local (z = 0) absorber. The improvement to the global fit is ΔC = 65 for over 1500 degrees of freedom. The fitted parameters of this component are a temperature of 1.5 × 106 K and a H column density of 2 × 1019 cm-2, under the assumption of solar abundances, which adequately accounts for the weak observed features.
The RGS spectrum has a bonafide absorption line at 28.56 ± 0.02 Å (see Fig. 4), which corresponds to ~28.10 Å in the rest frame of NGC 7469. There is no obvious identification at these wavelengths. The nearby C5+ Ly β line at 28.466 Å would need to be approaching at –3800 km s-1 in NGC 7469, or receding by 1000 km s-1 in our frame, to produce the observed feature; neither velocity is observed in other lines, including in C5+ Ly α. A closer line is the 2p–4d line of Ar10+ at 28.529 Å, but this ion would also have a stronger 2p -3d line at 34.328 Å (Lepson et al. 2003), which is not observed. There is no prominent line that we know of close to 28.10 Å.
The RGS spectrum also features two bright emission lines observed around 32.6 Å and 33.4 Å, which can be seen rising high above the best fit model in Fig. 4. To measure their positions and fluxes, we fitted the lines with two Gaussians. The line widths indicate that they are unresolved. The best fitted positions are 32.60 ± 0.02 Å and 33.37 ± 0.02 Å, or 32.08 ± 0.02 Å and 32.84 ± 0.02 Å in the rest frame of NGC 7469. The fluxes (corrected for Galactic absorption) are (4.3 ± 1.0) × 10-5 and (2.4 ± 0.7) × 10-5 erg s-1 cm-2, respectively.
We struggle to provide convincing interpretations for these emission lines. The only bright lines in this region of the spectrum are the K-shell lines of C, and in particular the He γ and He δ lines of C4+ at 32.754 Å and 33.426 Å. If ascribed to C4+, the observed lines are blue-shifted by ~160 and 50 mÅ, but narrow emission lines in the gratings can only arise from a point source along the line of sight towards NGC 7469, so this is ruled out. We could not identify possible emission lines that would occur at 32.08 Å and 32.84 Å in the rest frame of NGC 7469.
One of the main goals of the present campaign is to track down the position of the outflow in order to determine its mass outflow rate and kinetic power, and thereby its possible influence on the host galaxy. A major attempt will be made in a separate paper discussing the variability of the absorber, which is subtle. Here, we limit ourselves to simple considerations. Most generally, the column density NH as deduced from a single ion that forms at an ionization parameter ξ, can be written as (1)If rmax ≫ rmin then (2)Given an ionizing X-ray luminosity of 2 × 1043 erg s-1 and a total column density of 3 × 1021 cm-2, Eq. (2) would put the present highest ionization component of ξ = 103 (rmin ≈) a few pc away from the central source, while the lower ionization components, where most of the mass is, are as far as 10 kpc away. This is in line with the present 2015 absorption spectrum being essentially unchanged from that of 2004 (Blustin et al. 2007).
Since we observe a wide range of ξ values, clearly Eq. (2) can not tell the whole story of the outflow. Whewell et al. (2015) recently used this estimate for NGC 5548 and found rmin = 13.9 ± 0.6 pc. On the other hand, an estimate based on changes in UV absorption troughs in NGC 5548, assuming they are only due to varying ionizing flux over 16 years, yields a distance of 3.5 ± 1.0 pc for one component, 5–70 pc for three other components and two more beyond 100 pc (Arav et al. 2015). This suggests that rmax ≫ rmin may not apply, and thus, the above estimate for NGC 7469 may also be too high.
Another way to obtain an idea of the location and density of the absorber is to associate the narrow line emitting gas with the outflow. This notion is corroborated here by the actual blueshift of the emission lines, and by the overlap of ξ values. An emission-line photon flux Fji can be related to the volume integrated emission measure: (3)where d is the distance to the source. The fraction of ions in the charge state of the line q is denoted by fq (a function of ξ typically peaks at ~0.5). AZ is the elemental abundance with respect to H, and Pji is the line power (in units of cm3 s-1). The EM of the brightest line in the spectrum of NGC 7469, namely that of the forbidden line of O6+, is ~1065 cm-3. In the approximation of rmax ≫ rmin, the EM can be used to estimate the opening angle of the ionization cone (see Eq. (4) in Behar et al. 2003), but here this estimate yields an unphysical value that is above 4π, giving yet another indication that this approximation is not valid here.
On the other hand, if the absorber size Δr is much smaller than its distance from the source r, that is, a cloudlet, and assuming nH ≈ ne = n, one can approximate EM ≈ n2Δr3 and NH ≈ nΔr, which can be directly solved to yield (4)Using the above values for O6+, Eq. (4) yields n = 0.3 cm-3. Since O6+ forms at approximately ξ = 30, this implies a distance from the center of r = 300 pc; a result to be taken with caution, as a uniform cloudlet is clearly over simplistic. For one, a strong density gradient would need to be present inside to explain the large range of ξ observed (see, e.g., Różańska et al. 2006; Stern et al. 2014).
The outflow velocities of –650, –950, and –2050 km s-1 areconsistent with the three components detected simul-taneously in the UV, although the presence of the –950 km s-1 componentis not unambiguous in the X-ray spectrum, and could alsobe associated with an extension to high ionization of the –650 km s-1 component.
The absorber of NGC 7469 shows a broad ionization distribution, at least in the slowest velocity component. This is evidently a ubiquitous feature of Seyfert outflows.
Preliminary estimates of the position of the absorber indicate it is a few pc away from the center or more, but a careful variability study in the X-rays and the UV will provide better constraints.
The narrow emission lines from photo-ionized gas are blue-shifted, indicating that they may originate from the absorbing outflow. This X-ray narrow line region is likely the same extended region observed in the UV and resolved in nearby Seyfert galaxies (e.g., Ruiz et al. 2005).
Subtle but significant emission lines are detected from the hot circumnuclear starburst ring of NGC 7469. The high flux and emission measure of this plasma indicates star formation that exceeds nearby starbursts.
Future work will seek and analyze small changes in absorption over the course of the months-long 2015 campaign, and make comparisons with the 2004 observation. X-ray absorption variability will be compared with a similar analysis of the UV HST/COS spectrum of NGC 7469, where the S/N is much better. The goal is to identify a change in the X-ray and UV absorbers that can be ascribed to changes in the ionizing continuum, and thus to obtain an idea of the density, distance from the center, and, in turn, the mass outflow rate.
This work is supported by NASA grant NNX16AC07G through the XMM-Newton Guest Observing Program, and through grants for HST program number 14054 from the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Incorporated, under NASA contract NAS5-26555. The research at the Technion is supported by the I-CORE program of the Planning and Budgeting Committee (grant number 1937/12). N.A. is grateful for a visiting-professor fellowship at the Technion, granted by the Lady Davis Trust. E.B. received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 655324. S.B. and M.C. acknowledge financial support from the Italian Space Agency under grant ASI-INAF I/037/12/0. P.O.P. and F.U. acknowledge support from CNES and from PNHE of CNRS/INSU. G.P. acknowledges support by the Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Technologie/Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (BMWI/DLR, FKZ 50 OR 1408 and FKZ 50 OR 1604) and the Max Planck Society. We thank the referee for useful comments that have been implemented in the manuscript.


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Beige Holes of Fitzrovia: new squares are generic nowhere places derived from transactions and contracts
8:03 pm, Thursday, 20 September 2018
Two new privately owned public spaces (POPS) in Fitzrovia are products of development and real estate speculation in a wildly distorted market. The first project, completed in 2016, is GROSS.MAX.'s design for Fitzroy Place, and the second is Gustafson Porter + Bowman's [...]
Is central London's new square a public open space or a corporate plaza with petty rules?
9:25 am, Friday, 4 December 2015
Property developer Exemplar boasts that its Fitzroy Place scheme has the first new public square in central London for over 100 years. But members of the public have been told they are not allowed to sit down and eat a sandwich there. In fact Pearson Square which has City [...]
Middlesex Hospital Chapel open for London architecture festival
10:06 am, Wednesday, 2 September 2015
The chapel that once stood at the heart of the Middlesex Hospital on Mortimer Street is to open to the public this month after undergoing a £2million restoration. Completed in 1929 for the benefit of patients, staff and visitors of the Middlesex Hospital, and closed since [...]
Three weekends of road closures in final push to complete Fitzroy Place
9:50 am, Friday, 22 May 2015
Several streets in the centre of Fitzrovia will be closed over three weekends in June to enable resurfacing and paving works in Mortimer Street. The work is being carried out as part of the final stages of the troublesome Fitzroy Place development on the former Middlesex [...]
McAlpine blames Fitzroy Place contract for financial loss
9:50 am, Sunday, 17 May 2015
Construction giant Sir Robert McAlpine has blamed problems with a contract at Fitzroy Place in Fitzrovia for a £90 million loss, according to a report in today's Sunday Times. McAlpine published its accounts this week and blamed a "number of poorly performing [...]
Three sites will deliver affordable housing in Fitzrovia
10:07 am, Monday, 2 March 2015
After all the demolition and building work, Fitzrovia will finally benefit from some much-needed affordable housing. Three sites are either completed or nearing completion at Fitzroy Place, Ogle Street, and Whitfield Place. Together they will deliver a total of 88 [...]
Seifert and Partners' Copyright House building between the towers of Fitzroy Place
10:55 am, Monday, 16 February 2015
Richard Seifert and Partners' Copyright House building with its pierced undulating roof as seen from between the towers of Fitzroy Place and the new Pearson Square in Fitzrovia. Constructed between 1956 and 1958, Copyright House in Berners Street was purpose built as [...]
Middlesex Hospital Chapel "was never named" say new trustees in response to petitions
7:53 pm, Wednesday, 8 October 2014
Our campaign to preserve the name of the Middlesex Hospital Chapel took a bizarre turn this week when the new trustees who are due to take charge of the building issued a statement saying the chapel "was never named" in the first place. The statement followed [...]
Announcement expected on re-naming of Middlesex Hospital Chapel
10:37 am, Friday, 26 September 2014
The Middlesex Hospital Chapel could be re-branded with a new name despite a campaign to preserve its historical title. The Grade II* listed chapel — the only complete remains of the Middlesex Hospital — is to be given a new name by its trustees: The Fitzrovia [...]
FOI response tells us what we already knew about Exemplar's motives over chapel
10:46 am, Saturday, 7 June 2014
A courtesy letter to us from Westminster City Council in response to our petition to preserve the name Middlesex Hospital Chapel did not tell us very much. But documents obtained from The Council under the Freedom of Information Act were more enlightening. On 15 April 2014 [...]
Fitzroy Place developer in trouble over Middlesex Hospital Chapel plans
8:55 am, Sunday, 13 April 2014
Exemplar the property developer leading the construction of Fitzroy Place is coming under increasing pressure to abandon its plans to rename the Middlesex Hospital Chapel which it is meant to be restoring as part of a legal agreement with Westminster City Council. A [...]
Help us preserve the name Middlesex Hospital Chapel
2:59 pm, Friday, 14 March 2014
By News Reporters The Middlesex Hospital Chapel at the heart of the building development known as Fitzroy Place is currently being restored as part of an agreement with Westminster City Council. It is a Grade II* listed building and it is the only part of the former [...]
Exemplar "hell bent" on removing history of Middlesex Hospital
11:58 am, Tuesday, 4 March 2014
By News Reporters Exemplar the property developer which is creating the huge new building complex in Fitzrovia has been condemned by an international community of health workers and patients for trying to erase the name Middlesex from the site of the former [...]
Unanswered questions about the Middlesex Hospital Chapel
Trying to get straight answers out of director of Exemplar Mark Younger is a near impossible task. After several email exchanges where our questions about the future of the Grade II* listed Middlesex Hospital Chapel went unanswered, he finally rejected my last email as [...]
Cubitt House plans 230 seat restaurant at Fitzroy Place
8:22 pm, Sunday, 26 January 2014
By News Reporters Independent hospitality business Cubitt House is planning to open its biggest restaurant to date, at Fitzroy Place on the site of the former Middlesex Hospital. The trouble is, the space available is not big [...]
Staff of former hospital want Middlesex to live on in street name
8:28 pm, Friday, 9 August 2013
By News Reporters A petition has been started to press Exemplar the owners of a new commercial and residential complex in Fitzrovia to commemorate The Middlesex Hospital in the name of a new public [...]
Westminster Council department doesn't know where former Middlesex Hospital site is
9:01 am, Thursday, 6 June 2013
By News Reporters Westminster Council's street environment service appear to have lost one of the largest building sites in its manor. The former Middlesex Hospital site currently being developed under the name of Fitzroy Place by a consortium of Exemplar, Aviva [...]
Exemplar pay tribute to chapel architect in proposal for street name at Fitzroy Place
1:29 pm, Thursday, 23 May 2013
By News Reporters Exemplar have suggested a new name for the street that will run through the heart of their mixed-use scheme on the development site currently known as Fitzroy Place. The name "Pearson Square" has been chosen, named after John Loughborough [...]
The name Fitzroy Place is "unacceptable" say authorities
3:34 pm, Friday, 12 April 2013
By News Reporters The owners of the former Middlesex Hospital site could be told to think again about what to name the new street through the development which is due to be completed in September 2014. The consortium of Exemplar, Aviva Investments and Kaupthing have [...]
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Pedestrian crossing on Tottenham Court Road has become a collision hot spot
12:18 pm, Wednesday, 11 September 2019
A light-controlled crossing on Tottenham Court Road has become a collision hot spot after three pedestrians were seriously injured after being struck by buses in almost [...]
The final days of Fitzrovia Neighbourhood Centre
6:02 am, Tuesday, 4 June 2019
The Fitzrovia Neighbourhood Centre will close its doors in June for the last time after five decades of delivering a housing and welfare advice service and numerous community [...]
Residents in affordable housing at Rathbone Square complain of poor quality materials and design
6:23 am, Saturday, 1 June 2019
Great Portland Estates may have been awarded "Property Developer of the Year" but people living in "affordable" homes at its Rathbone Square site in [...]
Exhibition and final say on draft neighbourhood plan for Fitzrovia West
11:23 am, Thursday, 9 May 2019
Local residents and business people are invited to view and comment on a draft neighbourhood plan for Fitzrovia West at a public exhibition on Monday. The planning document [...]
Camden and Mayor's traffic scheme risks health of hundreds of residents at Fitzrovia council block
1:49 pm, Friday, 1 March 2019
The health of hundreds of residents in a council block in Fitzrovia is being put at risk because their street has been left out of the Mayor of London's new Ultra Low [...]
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Approve minutes of the Regular Meeting of the Board of Control held Monday, December 5, 2011.
Review and approve assessments for nuisance abatement/grasscutting.
ALL AMERICAN FIRE EQUIPMENT, INC. - Repairs to Engine 411 - $5,989.79.
UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH - Annual firefighter medical physicals per CBA - $18,850.00.
CLEVELAND DIVISION OF WATER - Annual water charge based on hydrants - $21,607.04.
The Board of Control of the City of Lyndhurst met in Regular Session on Tuesday, January 3, 2012, at 8:00 P.M., Lane A. Schlessel, Chairman, presiding.
Others Present: P. T. Murphy, Director of Law; R. F. Porrello, Chief of Police; F. E. Glady III, Director of Service; M. A. Kovalchik, Director of Finance; T. P. Kunz, Building Commissioner; M. J. Carroll, Chief of Fire; H. J. Lensner, Assistant Clerk of Council.
Absent: D. A. Frey, Council Representative; J. M. Cicero, Jr., Mayor.
Mr. Schlessel noted that Mr. Frey was excused for the evening's meeting.
It was moved by Mr. Marko, seconded by Mr. Ward, that reading of the minutes of the Regular Meeting of the Board of Control held Monday, December 5, 2011, copies of which were mailed to all Members, be dispensed with and said minutes stand approved as circulated.
The question was put to a voice vote and passed unanimously, with Mr. LoPresti and Mr. Packard abstaining.
It was moved by Mr. Ward, seconded by Mr. Marko, that the assessments for nuisance abatement and grasscutting be approved.
ALL AMERICAN FIRE EQUIPMENT - Repairs to Engine 411 - $5,989.79.
It was moved by Mr. Ward, seconded by Mr. Marko, that the Mayor be and he is hereby authorized and directed to enter into contract with All American Fire Equipment for repairs to Engine 411 for a total cost of $5,989.79.
It was moved by Mr. Ward, seconded by Mr. LoPresti, that the Mayor be and he is hereby authorized and directed to enter into contract with University Hospitals Occupational Health for annual firefighter medical physicals per CBA for a total cost of $18,850.00.
It was moved by Mr. Marko, seconded by Mr. Gambatese, that the Mayor be and he is hereby authorized and directed to enter into contract with the Cleveland Division of Water for annual water charge based on fire hydrants for a total cost of $21,607.04.
BUREAU OF WORKERS' COMP. - 2011 annual premium - $156,287.68.
It was moved by Mr. Ward, seconded by Mr. Marko, that the Mayor be and he is hereby authorized and directed to enter into contract with the Bureau of Workers' Comp. for 2011 annual premium for a total cost of $156,287.68.
HALL PUBLIC SAFETY - Vehicle changeover costs for Cars 4319, 4320, 4321 and 4322 - $9,430.00.
It was moved by Mr. Marko, seconded by Mr. LoPresti, that the Mayor be and he is hereby authorized to enter into contract with Hall Public Safety for vehicle changeover costs for Cars 4319, 4320, 4321 and 4322 for a total cost of $9,430.00.
It was moved by Mr. Ward, seconded by Mr. Marko, that the meeting be adjourned.
Meeting adjourned at 8:04 P.M.


There is something Allie can't remember, hidden memories bordering consciousness that refuse to surface until one day someone, something, ignites horrifying images of a forgotten night.
Kalorama Road is Billups' third novel.
Originally, Kalorama Road was titled 'A Blog Affair'.
The ending was crafted long before Billups wrote the beginning.
The inspiration for Kalorama Road came from an article Billups read about men and women finding true love through blogging. The idea intrigued her skeptical mind.
Billups is an avid coffee drinker and she's written about coffee in most of her novels.
An author with a rare mixture of Southern and Northern charm, E. Denise Billups was born in Monroeville, Alabama and raised in New York City where she currently resides and works in finance. A burgeoning author of fiction, she's published three suspense novels, Kalorama Road, Chasing Victory, By Chance, and two supernatural short stories, Rebound, and The Playground.
An avid reader of mystery and suspense novels, she was greatly influenced by authors of that genre. When she's not writing or reading, you can generally find her training for road races and marathons. She's a fitness fanatic who loves physical challenges of all types (running, biking, yoga, dance, and more) a discipline she uses to facilitate the creative writing process.
Resting my hand on the mantel, I examine the empty chasm and ponder whether a fire burned that night. I can't remember. For a moment, the space spins and the unpleasant anxiousness swells, grating my memory. I try to squelch the aura and familiar angst I've lived with for months, intrusive energy invading my mind, a remote space refusing to open. I breathe deep, expel unease, and concentrate on a room I'll never see again. Turning in several circles, I absorb every vibration, smell, color, and sound, trying to conjure that night.
A gentle breeze like fingers icing my skin raises hairs on my arms. Swiftly, I turn toward closed windows, searching for something a breeze can escape. Impossible! The only vent lies across the room. An overwhelming scent of roses whirls gossamer coils about me. My mind recognized but refuses an invisible presence. It can't be real. It's just my imagination, and the room making me anxious. Instantly, something seizes my consciousness. Spectral hands clamp my body, guiding a slow descent, lowering me safely to the floor.
You are so welcome!! And thanks!
Hi Whitney! I'm glad we were on the blog tour together. Good to meet you.