Hard X-ray view of two $γ$-ray detected low-luminosity active galactic nuclei: NGC 315 and NGC 4261

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Auteurs principaux: Yu, Yuwei, Zhang, Jin
Format: Preprint
Publié: 2025
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author Yu, Yuwei
Zhang, Jin
author_facet Yu, Yuwei
Zhang, Jin
contents Aims. The accretion disk of low-luminosity active galactic nuclei (LLAGNs) is a radiatively inefficient accretion flow (RIAF). Our goal is to find evidence of RIAF radiation from LLAGNs with jets and analyze their radiation properties, which also adds samples to future research on LLAGNs. Methods. Weconducted an analysis of the X-ray data obtained from NuSTAR and XMM-Newton observations of NGC 315 and NGC 4261, encompassing both timing and spectral investigations. The joint X-ray spectra of the two LLAGNs were fitted using various functional forms and radiative models in XSPEC. Results. No significant variability on timescales of days is observed for both NGC 315 and NGC 4261. The X-ray continuum emission of NGC 315 is suitable for cutoff power-law (PL) fitting, yielding a cutoff energy of Ecut = 18.45 keV, which is the lowest value found in LLAGNssofar. In contrast, the X-ray continuum of NGC 4261 is composed of two PL components, with no signs of a cutoff energy. A prominent neutral Fe Kα line is observed in NGC 315, while an ionized Fe XXV line is seen in NGC 4261. The derived reflection fractions are R = 0.61 for NGC 315 and R = 0.18 for NGC 4579. Neither NGC 315 nor NGC 4261 shows evidence of a Compton reflection bump. Conclusions. The X-ray spectral characteristics support the RIAF emission as the dominant origin of the X-rays in both sources, although an additional soft PL component originating from the inner jet is observed in NGC 4261. The higher reflection fraction compared to other LLAGNs, along with the detection of a neutral Fe Kα line, suggests the existence of a truncated accretion disk with a relatively small radius in NGC 315. Bremsstrahlung radiation appears to be the dominant cooling mechanism for the plasma in NGC315, while Comptonization within the RIAF is more likely responsible for the X-ray emission in NGC 4261.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2510_06810
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Hard X-ray view of two $γ$-ray detected low-luminosity active galactic nuclei: NGC 315 and NGC 4261
Yu, Yuwei
Zhang, Jin
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
Aims. The accretion disk of low-luminosity active galactic nuclei (LLAGNs) is a radiatively inefficient accretion flow (RIAF). Our goal is to find evidence of RIAF radiation from LLAGNs with jets and analyze their radiation properties, which also adds samples to future research on LLAGNs. Methods. Weconducted an analysis of the X-ray data obtained from NuSTAR and XMM-Newton observations of NGC 315 and NGC 4261, encompassing both timing and spectral investigations. The joint X-ray spectra of the two LLAGNs were fitted using various functional forms and radiative models in XSPEC. Results. No significant variability on timescales of days is observed for both NGC 315 and NGC 4261. The X-ray continuum emission of NGC 315 is suitable for cutoff power-law (PL) fitting, yielding a cutoff energy of Ecut = 18.45 keV, which is the lowest value found in LLAGNssofar. In contrast, the X-ray continuum of NGC 4261 is composed of two PL components, with no signs of a cutoff energy. A prominent neutral Fe Kα line is observed in NGC 315, while an ionized Fe XXV line is seen in NGC 4261. The derived reflection fractions are R = 0.61 for NGC 315 and R = 0.18 for NGC 4579. Neither NGC 315 nor NGC 4261 shows evidence of a Compton reflection bump. Conclusions. The X-ray spectral characteristics support the RIAF emission as the dominant origin of the X-rays in both sources, although an additional soft PL component originating from the inner jet is observed in NGC 4261. The higher reflection fraction compared to other LLAGNs, along with the detection of a neutral Fe Kα line, suggests the existence of a truncated accretion disk with a relatively small radius in NGC 315. Bremsstrahlung radiation appears to be the dominant cooling mechanism for the plasma in NGC315, while Comptonization within the RIAF is more likely responsible for the X-ray emission in NGC 4261.
title Hard X-ray view of two $γ$-ray detected low-luminosity active galactic nuclei: NGC 315 and NGC 4261
topic High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.06810