paper

A possible two-fold scenario for the disc-corona of the luminous AGN 1H 0419--577: a high-density disc or a warm corona

arXiv:2506.23920 · doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202555060

Abstract

[abridged] 1H 0419-577 is a highly-accreting, luminous BLS1 AGN. This study aims to characterise its disc-corona system using, for the first time, simultaneous XMM-Newton and NuSTAR observations, performed in May and November 2018. We conducted high-resolution grating spectroscopy to identify potential soft X-ray absorption and emission features. To measure the hot corona temperatures from the spectral analysis above 3 keV, we also included data from a previous NuSTAR observation from June 2015. We characterised the disc-corona system properties by analysing the broadband spectra and the SED from UV to hard X-rays. 1H 0419-577 was observed in a bare-like high-flux state at both epochs, with negligible neutral and ionised absorption along its line of sight at both Galactic and AGN rest-frames. However, several soft X-ray emission lines were detected, notably a broad and intense OVII line indicating an accretion disc origin at only a few tens of gravitational radii. The broadband X-ray spectra revealed a prominent, absorption-free smooth soft X-ray excess, a weak Fe Kalpha complex, and a lack of a Compton hump. Fitting data above 3 keV yielded apparent moderate hot corona temperatures of ~20-30 keV for the 2018 and 2015 observations, depending on the model applied. The 2018 X-ray broadband spectra were well reproduced by either a relativistic reflection model with a high-density accretion disc (~10^18 cm^-2), or a hybrid model combining warm and hot coronae with relativistic reflection. We performed the SED analysis for the latter scenario, which indicated that both the hot and warm coronae would have a small spatial extent. Both scenarios can successfully reproduce the two 2018 observations of 1H 0419-577, but they imply very different physical conditions, for example, in terms of disc density, temperature and accretion power released in the hot corona and the origin of the UV emission.

arXiv commentAccepted for publication in A&A, 12 pages (+appendix)

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