Blueshifted absorption lines in the X-ray spectra of AGN show that ultra-fast outflows with typical velocities v \sim 0.1 c are a common feature of these luminous objects .
Such powerful AGN winds offer an explanation of the observed M - \sigma relation linking the mass of the supermassive black hole and the velocity dispersion in the galaxy’s stellar bulge .
An extended XMM-Newton study of the luminous Seyfert galaxy PG1211+143 recently revealed a variable multi-velocity wind .
Here we report the detection of a short-lived , ultrafast inflow during the same observation .
Previous reports of inflows used single absorption lines with uncertain identifications , but this new result identifies an array of resonance absorption lines of highly ionised Fe , Ca , Ar , S and Si , sharing a common redshift when compared with a grid of realistic photoionization spectra .
The redshifted absorption arises in a column of highly ionized matter close to the black hole , with a line-of-sight velocity , v \sim 0.3 c , inconsistent with the standard picture of a plane circular accretion disc .
This may represent the first direct evidence for chaotic accretion in AGN , where accretion discs are generally misaligned to the black hole spin .
For sufficient inclinations , the Lense-Thirring effect can break the discs into discrete rings , which then precess , collide and shock , causing near free-fall of gas towards the black hole .
The observed accretion rate for the reported infall is comparable to the hard X-ray luminosity in PG1211+143 suggesting that direct infall may be a significant contributor to inner disc accretion .