Confirming the high velocity outflow in PG1211+143

An XMM-Newton observation of the bright QSO PG1211+143 was previously reported to show evidence for a massive, energetic outflow, with an outflow velocity of v~0.1c based on the identification of blue-shifted absorption lines detected in both EPIC and RGS spectra. Subsequently, an order-of-magnitude lower velocity has been claimed from an ion-by-ion model fit to the RGS data. We show here, in a re-analysis of the higher signal-to-noise EPIC data, that the high velocity is confirmed, with the resolution of additional absorption lines yielding a revised outflow velocity in the range ~0.13-0.15c. Confirmation of a massive and energetic outflow in a non-BAL AGN has important implications for metal enrichment of the IGM and for the feedback mechanism implied by the correlation of black hole and galactic bulge masses.We note the near-Eddington luminosity of PG1211+143 may be the critical factor in driving such an energetic outflow, a situation likely to be common in AGN at higher redshift.