Close and distant reprocessing media in Mkn509 studied with BeppoSAX

Abstract

We present the broad band analysis of two BeppoSAX observations of the Sy 1 Mkn509. In 2000 the source was in a typical flux state, F{2-10keV}=2.7x10^{-11}erg cm^{-2} s^{-1}, while in 1998 it was found in a high flux state, F{2-10keV}=5.7x10^{-11} erg cm^{-2} s^{-1}. A comparison between the two states shows a energy-dependent flux variation. A soft excess, a narrow iron line and a Compton reflection hump above 10 keV, are clearly apparent in the residuals after fitting the spectra with a simple power law. We tested two alternative models. In the first the iron line and the high energy bump are well reproduced by reprocessing in a cold and Compton thick material. The intensity of the iron line (also consistent with a Chandra measurement) as well as the normalization of the reflection hump are consistent with a constant in the two epochs: this, combined with the fact that the line is narrow as observed by Chandra, suggests a common origin from distant and optically thick matter. This model further requires a component to model the soft excess: the empirical choice of two black bodies accounts well for the excess in both observations, their combined strength was a factor about three higher in the high than in the low flux state defined above. However the relative contribution of the soft excess is higher in the low flux state. In the second model we attempted to reproduce all spectral features, except for the narrow cold line, with reflection from an ionized disc. This model is successful only in the high flux state,but it fails in the low flux state, when the soft excess is only partially accounted for. In either models, the slope of the power law is larger in the high than in the low flux state, in agreement with a behaviour known to be shared by several objects of the same type.

9 pages, 6 figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics

References in corpus (25)

• ASCA observations of Seyfert 1 galaxies: II. Relativistic Iron K-alpha emission
• An X-ray spectral study of 24 type-1 AGN
• Broad iron lines in Active Galactic Nuclei
• A long hard look at MCG-6-30-15 with XMM-Newton
• ASCA Observations of Seyfert 1 galaxies: III. The Evidence for Absorption & Emission due to Photoionized Gas
• The Contribution of the Obscuring Torus to the X--Ray Spectrum of Seyfert Galaxies: A Test for the Unification Model
• XMM-EPIC observation of MCG-6-30-15: Direct evidence for the extraction of energy from aspinning black hole?
• Changing look: from Compton-thick to Compton-thin, or the re-birth of fossil AGN
• Compton reflection and iron fluorescence in BeppoSAX observations of Seyfert type 1 galaxies
• High-Resolution X-ray Spectroscopy and Modeling of the Absorbing and Emitting Outflow in NGC 3783
• Physical Diagnostics from a Narrow Fe-Kalpha Emission Line Detected by Chandra in the Seyfert 1 Galaxy NGC 5548
• The Origin of the X-ray and Ultraviolet Emission in NGC 7469
• The swan song: the disappearance of the nucleus of NGC 4051 and the echo of its past glory
• Evidence for Rapid Iron K_alpha Line Flux Variability in MCG--6-30-15
• The relativistic iron line profile in the Seyfert 1 Galaxy IC4329a
• Testing Comptonizing coronae on a long BeppoSAX observation of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 5548
• An XMM-Newton observation of the luminous Seyfert 1 galaxy Markarian 509
• A Long Observation of NGC 5548 by BeppoSAX: the High Energy Cut-off, Intrinsic Spectral Variability and a Truly Warm Absorber
• The complex iron line of NGC 5506
• A simultaneous XMM-Newton and BeppoSAX observation of the archetypal Broad Line Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 5548
• The origin of the iron lines in NGC 7213
• The BeppoSAX broad-band spectrum and variability of the Seyfert 1 NGC 3783
• The highly variable X-ray spectrum of the luminous Seyfert 1 galaxy 1H 0419-577
• The Effect of Changes in the ASCA Calibration on the Fe-Kalpha Lines in Active Galaxies
• The complex iron line in NGC 7469 observed by BeppoSAX

Cited by in corpus (10)

• The Cores of the Fe K Lines in Seyfert I Galaxies Observed by the Chandra High Energy Grating
• Multiwavelength campaign on Mrk 509 XII. Broad band spectral analysis
• Broad Line Radio Galaxies Observed with Fermi-LAT: The Origin of the GeV Gamma-Ray Emission
• X-ray absorption lines suggest matter infalling onto the central black-hole of Mrk 509
• XMM-Newton and Suzaku analysis of the Fe K complex in the Seyfert 1 galaxy Mrk 509
• Spectral Survey of X-Ray Bright Active Galactic Nuclei from the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer
• The XMM-Newton View of the Broad-Line Radio Galaxy 3C 120
• The broad band spectrum and variability of NGC 4151 observed by BeppoSAX
• Multiwavelength campaign on Mrk 509. XIII. Testing ionized-reflection models on Mrk 509
• Suzaku broad-band observations of the Seyfert 1 galaxies Mrk 509 and Mrk 841