NGC 2992 in an X-ray high state observed by XMM: Response of the Relativistic Fe K$\alpha$ Line to the Continuum

Abstract

We present the analysis of an XMM observation of the Seyfert galaxy NGC 2992. The source was found in its highest level of X-ray activity yet detected, a factor $\sim 23.5$ higher in 2--10 keV flux than the historical minimum. NGC 2992 is known to exhibit X-ray flaring activity on timescales of days to weeks, and the XMM data provide at least factor of $\sim 3$ better spectral resolution in the Fe K band than any previously measured flaring X-ray state. We find that there is a broad feature in the \sim 5-7 keV band which could be interpreted as a relativistic Fe K$\alpha$ emission line. Its flux appears to have increased in tandem with the 2--10 keV continuum when compared to a previous Suzaku observation when the continuum was a factor of $\sim 8$ lower than that during the XMM observation. The XMM data are consistent with the general picture that increased X-ray activity and corresponding changes in the Fe K$\alpha$ line emission occur in the innermost regions of the putative accretion disk. This behavior contrasts with the behavior of other AGN in which the Fe K$\alpha$ line does not respond to variability in the X-ray.

30 pages, 6 figures, Accepted to ApJ

References in corpus (13)

• An XMM-Newton survey of broad iron lines in Seyfert galaxies
• Constraining Black Hole Spin Via X-ray Spectroscopy
• Relativistic X-ray Lines from the Inner Accretion Disks Around Black Holes
• On the origin of soft X-rays in obscured AGN: answers from high-resolution spectroscopy with XMM-Newton
• An absorption origin for the X-ray spectral variability of MCG-6-30-15
• XMM-Newton study of the complex and variable spectrum of NGC 4051
• X-ray Absorption and Reflection in Active Galactic Nuclei
• Seyfert galaxies in the local Universe (z$\le$ 0.1): the average X-ray spectrum as seen by $BeppoSAX$
• Relativistic Broadening of Iron Emission Lines in a Sample of AGN
• Suzaku Observation of a Hard Excess in 1H 0419-577: Detection of a Compton-Thick Partial-Covering Absorber
• Statistics of relativistically broadened Fe K-alpha lines in AGN
• Monitoring the Violent Activity from the Inner Accretion Disk of the Seyfert 1.9 Galaxy NGC 2992 with RXTE
• The 1 keV to 200 keV X-ray Spectrum of NGC 2992 and NGC 3081

Cited by in corpus (20)

• The subarcsecond mid-infrared view of local active galactic nuclei: II. The mid-infrared--X-ray correlation
• Are X-ray Emitting Coronae around Super Massive Black Holes Outflowing?
• Chandra Survey of Nearby Galaxies: The Catalog
• The variable and non-variable X-ray absorbers in Compton-thin type-II Active Galactic Nuclei
• Tracking the Iron K$\alpha$ line and the Ultra Fast Outflow in NGC 2992 at different accretion states
• The nuclear and extended infrared emission of the Seyfert galaxy NGC 2992 and the interacting system Arp 245
• The Eddington ratio-dependent changing look events in NGC 2992
• A possible ultra strong and broad Fe Ka emission line in Seyfert 2 galaxy IRAS 00521-7054
• CHANG-ES VIII: Uncovering Hidden AGN Activity in Radio Polarization
• The relationship between X-ray and optical absorbers in active galactic nuclei
• Constraining the X-ray reflection in low accretion rate AGN using XMM-Newton, NuSTAR and Swift
• The lively accretion disk in NGC 2992. I. Transient iron K emission lines in the high flux state
• The X-ray variability of Seyfert 1.8/1.9 galaxies
• Suzaku observation of IRAS 00521-7054, a peculiar type-II AGN with a very broad feature at 6 keV
• FRAMEx II: Simultaneous X-ray and Radio Variability in Active Galactic Nuclei $-$ The Case of NGC 2992
• The lively accretion disk in NGC 2992. II. The 2019/2021 X-ray monitoring campaigns
• The Iron K Line Profile of IRAS 18325-5926
• Variable oxygen emission from the accretion disk of Mrk 110
• Revisit the Circumnuclear X-ray Emission of NGC 2992 in a Historically Low State
• A toy model for X-ray spectral variability of active galactic nuclei