The Ubiquitous Imprint of Radiative Acceleration in the Mean Absorption Spectrum of Quasar Outflows

Observational evidence revealing the main mechanisms that accelerate quasar outflows has proven difficult to obtain due to the complexity of the absorption features that this gas produces in the spectra of the emission sources. We build 36 composite outflow spectra, covering a large range of outflow and quasar parameters, by stacking broad (> 450 km s⁻¹) absorption line systems in the spectra of SDSS-III/BOSS DR12 quasars. The two lines of the atomic doublet of C IV, with a separation of ≈497 km s⁻¹, as well as those of other species, appear well resolved in most of our composites. This agrees with broad outflow troughs consisting of the superposition of narrow absorbers. We also report on the ubiquitous detection of the radiative-acceleration signature known as line-locking in all our composite outflow spectra, including one spectrum that was strictly built from broad absorption line (BAL) systems. This is the first line-locking detection in BAL composite spectra. Line-locking is driven by the C IV atomic doublet and is visible on the blue side of most strong absorption transitions. Similar effects from the doublets of O VI, Si IV, or N V, however, seem to not be present. Our results confirm that radiation pressure is a prevalent mechanism for accelerating outflows in quasars.