arXiv subjects

L. Gallo

Publications and source records attributed to L. Gallo.

25 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2011

1H0707-495 in 2011: An X-ray source within a gravitational radius of the event horizon

The Narrow Line Seyfert 1 Galaxy 1H0707-495 went in to a low state from 2010 December to 2011 February, discovered by a monitoring campaign using the X-Ray Telescope on the Swift satellite. We triggered a 100 ks XMM-Newton observation of the source in 2011 January, revealing the source to have dropped by a factor of ten in the soft band, below 1 keV, and a factor of 2 at 5 keV, compared with a long observation in 2008. The sharp spectral drop in the source usually seen around 7 keV now extends to lower energies, below 6 keV in our frame. The 2011 spectrum is well fit by a relativistically-blurred reflection spectrum similar to that which fits the 2008 data, except that the emission is now concentrated solely to the central part of the accretion disc. The irradiating source must lie within 1 gravitational radius of the event horizon of the black hole, which spins rapidly. Alternative models are briefly considered but none has any simple physical interpretation.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2009

Broad iron L-line and X-ray reverberation in 1H0707-495

A detailed analysis of a long XMM-Newton observation of the Narrow Line Seyfert 1 galaxy 1H0707-495 is presented, including spectral fitting, spectral variability and timing studies. The two main features in the spectrum are the drop at ~ 7 keV and a complex excess below 1 keV. These are well described by two broad, K and L, iron lines. Alternative models based on absorption, although they may fit the high energy drop, cannot account for the 1 keV complexity and the spectrum as a whole. Spectral variability shows that the spectrum is composed of at least two components, which are interpreted as a power-law dominating between 1-4 keV, and a reflection component outside this range. The high count rate at the iron L energies has enabled us to measure a significant soft lag of ~ 30 s between 0.3-1 and 1-4 keV, meaning that the direct hard emission leads the reflected emissions. We interpret the lag as a reverberation signal originating within a few gravitational radii of the black hole.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2005

XMM-Newton spectral properties of the Ultraluminous IRAS Galaxy Mrk 273

We present a 23 ks XMM-Newton observation of the ULIRG Mrk 273. The hard X-ray spectrum can be modeled by a highly absorbed power law plus an Fe Kalpha emission line. The iron line is broad, suggesting possible superposition of a neutral iron line at 6.4 keV, and a blend of ionized iron lines from Fe XXV and Fe XXVI. Given the relatively short exposure, the three line components can not be singularly resolved with high statistical significance: the neutral component is detected at ~2.5sigma and the Fe XXV line at ~2sigma c.l., while for the Fe XXVI line we can only estimate an upper limit. The broad band spectrum requires, in addition to a highly absorbed power law, at least three collisionally ionized plasma components, which may be associated with star-forming regions. The temperatures of the three plasmas are about 0.3, 0.8 and 6 keV, where the highest of the three is sufficient to produce ionized iron emission lines. An alternative interpretation for the origin of the soft emission might also be given in terms of reflection off some photoionized gas, as has been observed in a number of nearby Compton-thick Seyfert 2 galaxies. A hot gas, photoionized by the primary, continuum can also produce ionized iron lines. Unfortunately, given the limited statistics and the lack of high resolution spectroscopy, it is not possible to distinguish between the two models investigated. We further compare the XMM-Newton findings with the Chandra data obtaining consistent spectral results. The absorption corrected hard X-ray (2-10 keV) luminosity of Mrk 273 corresponds to ~0.2% of the far-IR luminosity, similar to typical values found in pure starbursts. The thermal contribution to the soft X-ray luminosity is ~0.2-0.7x10^42 erg s^-1, comparable to those found in NGC 6240 and other starburst dominated ULIRGs.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2004

X-ray reflection in the NLS1 1H 0707-495

We apply a reflection-dominated model to the second XMM-Newton observation of the Narrow Line Seyfert 1 galaxy 1H 0707-495. As in the first XMM-Newton observation a sharp spectral drop is detected with energy that has shifted from 7 keV to 7.5 keV in two years. The drop is interpreted in terms of relativistically blurred ionised reflection from the accretion disc, while the energy shift can be accounted for by changes in the ionisation state and, more importantly, emissivity profile on the disc. A flatter emissivity profile during the second higher flux observation reduces gravitational redshift effects, therefore shifting the edge to higher energy. Remarkably, ionised disc reflection and the associated power law continuum provide a reasonable description of the broadband spectrum, including the soft excess. Considering both observations, the spectral variability in 1H 0707-495 appears to be due to the interplay between these two spectral components. The reflection component in the second observation is significantly less variable than the power law. Changes of the emissivity profile, spectral shape and variability properties (such as the rms spectrum) within the two observations are all consistent with a recently proposed model in which relativistic effects in the very inner regions of the nucleus play a major role.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2003

XMM-Newton observation of the ULIRG NGC 6240: The physical nature of the complex Fe K line emission

We report on an XMM-Newton observation of the ultraluminous infrared galaxy NGC 6240. The 0.3-10 keV spectrum can be successfully modelled with: (i) three collisionally ionized plasma components with temperatures of about 0.7, 1.4, and 5.5 keV; (ii) a highly absorbed direct power-law component; and (iii) a neutral Fe K_alpha and K_beta line. We detect a significant neutral column density gradient which is correlated with the temperature of the three plasma components. Combining the XMM-Newton spectral model with the high spatial resolution Chandra image we find that the temperatures and the column densities increase towards the center. With high significance, the Fe K line complex is resolved into three distinct narrow lines: (i) the neutral Fe K_alpha line at 6.4 keV; (ii) an ionized line at about 6.7 keV; and (iii) a higher ionized line at 7.0 keV (a blend of the Fe XXVI and the Fe K_beta line). While the neutral Fe K line is most probably due to reflection from optically thick material, the Fe XXV and Fe XXVI emission arises from the highest temperature ionized plasma component. We have compared the plasma parameters of the ultraluminous infrared galaxy NGC 6240 with those found in the local starburst galaxy NGC 253. We find a striking similarity in the plasma temperatures and column density gradients, suggesting a similar underlying physical process at work in both galaxies.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2003

XMM-Newton spectral properties of the Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 galaxy IRAS 13224--3809

We report on the first XMM-Newton observation of the highly X-ray variable, radio-quiet, Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 galaxy IRAS 13224-3809 obtained during the guaranteed time programme with a 64 ks exposure. The most remarkable spectral feature is a sharp drop, by a factor ~5, in the spectrum at 8 keV. This is a similar, but stronger, feature to that which we found in 1H0707-495. Significant flattening of the hard X-ray spectrum occurs when the source flux decreases. The flattening of the spectrum can be modelled as an increase in the column density of the absorbing material and/or its covering fraction. Below ~ 1.5 keV the spectrum is dominated by a giant soft X-ray excess, and at around ~ 1.2 keV there is a significant absorption feature detected, most probably due to ionized Fe L absorption. The new X-ray spectral properties detected with XMM-Newton in IRAS 13224-3809 support a partial covering interpretation, i.e. the presence of dense material inside the accretion-disc region partially obscuring the emission from the accretion disc. However, the sharpness of the feature, if due to photoelectric absorption, is surprising and may require an alternative explanation. One possibility which does fit the whole spectrum is that it is dominated by ionized reflection rather than absorption. The unusual spectral properties detected with XMM-Newton from Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 galaxies increase the known spectral complexity of active galactic nuclei and should further stimulate a combined theoretical and observational effort to achieve a better understanding of the physics of the innermost regions of AGN.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2002

1ES 1927+654: Persistent and rapid X-ray variability in an AGN with low intrinsic neutral X-ray absorption and narrow optical emission lines

We present X-ray and optical observations of the X-ray bright AGN 1ES 1927+654. The X-ray observations obtained with ROSAT and Chandra reveal persistent, rapid and large scale variations, as well as steep 0.1-2.4 keV (Gamma = 2.6 +/- 0.3) and 0.3-7.0 keV (Gamma = 2.7 +/- 0.2) spectra. The measured intrinsic neutral X-ray column density is approximately 7e20cm^-2. The X-ray timing properties indicate that the strong variations originate from a region, a few hundred light seconds from the central black hole, typical for type 1 AGN. High quality optical spectroscopy reveals a typical Seyfert 2 spectrum with some host galaxy contamination and no evidence of Fe II multiplets or broad hydrogen Balmer wings. The intrinsic optical extinction derived from the BLR and NLR are A_V >= 3.7 and A_V=1.7, respectively. The X-ray observations give an A_V value of less than 0.58, in contrast to the optical extinction values. We discuss several ideas to explain this apparent difference in classification including partial covering, an underluminous BLR or a high dust to gas ratio.

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