A deep X-ray view of the bare AGN Ark 120

Author: Porquet D.   Reeves J. N.   Matt G.   Marinucci A.   Nardini E.   Braito V.   Lobban A.   Ballantyne D. R.   Boggs S. E.   Christensen F. E.   Dauser T.   Farrah D.   Garcia J.   Hailey C. J.   Harrison F.   Stern D.   Tortosa A.   Ursini F.   Zhang W. W.  

Publisher: Edp Sciences

E-ISSN: 1432-0746|609|issue|A42-A42

ISSN: 0004-6361

Source: Astronomy & Astrophysics, Vol.609, Iss.issue, 2018-01, pp. : A42-A42

Disclaimer: Any content in publications that violate the sovereignty, the constitution or regulations of the PRC is not accepted or approved by CNPIEC.

Previous Menu Next

Abstract

Context. The physical characteristics of the material closest to supermassive black holes (SMBHs) are primarily studied through X-ray observations. However, the origins of the main X-ray components such as the soft X-ray excess, the Fe Kα line complex, and the hard X-ray excess are still hotly debated. This is particularly problematic for active galactic nuclei (AGN) showing a significant intrinsic absorption, either warm or neutral, which can severely distort the observed continuum. Therefore, AGN with no (or very weak) intrinsic absorption along the line of sight, so-called “bare AGN”, are the best targets to directly probe matter very close to the SMBH.