Multi-epoch X-ray spectral analysis of Centaurus A: revealing new constraints on iron emission line origins
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arXiv
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2024
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| author | Iwata, Toshiya Tanimoto, Atsushi Odaka, Hirokazu Bamba, Aya Inoue, Yoshiyuki Hagino, Kouichi |
| author_facet | Iwata, Toshiya Tanimoto, Atsushi Odaka, Hirokazu Bamba, Aya Inoue, Yoshiyuki Hagino, Kouichi |
| contents | We conduct X-ray reverberation mapping and spectral analysis of the radio galaxy Centaurus A to uncover its central structure. We compare the light curve of the hard X-ray continuum from Swift Burst Alert Telescope observations with that of the Fe K$α$ fluorescence line, derived from the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR), Suzaku, XMM-Newton, and Swift X-ray Telescope observations. The analysis of the light curves suggests that a top-hat transfer function, commonly employed in reverberation mapping studies, is improbable. Instead, the relation between these light curves can be described by a transfer function featuring two components: one with a lag of $0.19_{- 0.02}^{+ 0.10}~\mathrm{pc}/c$, and another originating at $r > 1.7~\mathrm{pc}$ that produces an almost constant light curve. Further, we analyze the four-epoch NuSTAR and six-epoch Suzaku spectra, considering the time lag of the reflection component relative to the primary continuum. This spectral analysis supports that the reflecting material is Compton-thin, with $N_{\mathrm{H}} = 3.14_{-0.74}^{+0.44} \times 10^{23}~ \mathrm{cm}^{-2}$. These results suggest that the Fe K$α$ emission may originate from Compton-thin circumnuclear material located at sub-parsec scale, likely a dust torus, and materials at a greater distance. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2406_14488 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Multi-epoch X-ray spectral analysis of Centaurus A: revealing new constraints on iron emission line origins Iwata, Toshiya Tanimoto, Atsushi Odaka, Hirokazu Bamba, Aya Inoue, Yoshiyuki Hagino, Kouichi High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena We conduct X-ray reverberation mapping and spectral analysis of the radio galaxy Centaurus A to uncover its central structure. We compare the light curve of the hard X-ray continuum from Swift Burst Alert Telescope observations with that of the Fe K$α$ fluorescence line, derived from the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR), Suzaku, XMM-Newton, and Swift X-ray Telescope observations. The analysis of the light curves suggests that a top-hat transfer function, commonly employed in reverberation mapping studies, is improbable. Instead, the relation between these light curves can be described by a transfer function featuring two components: one with a lag of $0.19_{- 0.02}^{+ 0.10}~\mathrm{pc}/c$, and another originating at $r > 1.7~\mathrm{pc}$ that produces an almost constant light curve. Further, we analyze the four-epoch NuSTAR and six-epoch Suzaku spectra, considering the time lag of the reflection component relative to the primary continuum. This spectral analysis supports that the reflecting material is Compton-thin, with $N_{\mathrm{H}} = 3.14_{-0.74}^{+0.44} \times 10^{23}~ \mathrm{cm}^{-2}$. These results suggest that the Fe K$α$ emission may originate from Compton-thin circumnuclear material located at sub-parsec scale, likely a dust torus, and materials at a greater distance. |
| title | Multi-epoch X-ray spectral analysis of Centaurus A: revealing new constraints on iron emission line origins |
| topic | High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2406.14488 |