Eclipsing the X-ray emitting region in the active galaxy NGC 6814

Abstract

We report the detection of a rapid occultation event in the nearby Seyfert galaxy NGC 6814, simultaneously captured in a transient light curve and spectral variability. The intensity and hardness ratio curves capture distinct ingress and egress periods that are symmetric in duration. Independent of the selected continuum model, the changes can be simply described by varying the fraction of the central engine that is covered by transiting obscuring gas. Together, the spectral and timing analyses self-consistently reveal the properties of the obscuring gas, its location to be in the broad line region (BLR), and the size of the X-ray source to be ~25 rg . Our results demonstrate that obscuration close to massive black holes can shape their appearance, and can be harnessed to measure the active region that surrounds the event horizon.

9 pages, 4 figures. To appear in ApJ Letters

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• Scientific Objectives of the Hot Universe Baryon Surveyor (HUBS) Mission
• Multi-wavelength observations of the obscuring wind in the radio-quiet quasar MR 2251-178
• Comparing Reflection and Absorption Models for the Soft X-ray Variability in the NLS1 AGN UGC 11763
• A Systematic Search for X-ray Eclipse Events in Active Galactic Nuclei Observed by Swift