Multiwavelength campaign on Mrk 509

Ebrero, J.; Kriss, G. A.; Kaastra, J. S.; Detmers, R. G.; Steenbrugge, K. C.; Costantini, E.; Arav, Nahum; Bianchi, S.; Cappi, M.; Branduardi‐Raymont, G.; Mehdipour, M.; Petrucci, P.-O.; Pinto, C.; Ponti, G.

doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201117067

Cited by 39 publications

(63 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…Using the Chandra LETGS data of our campaign, Ebrero et al (2011) also derived upper limits of 300 and 50 pc for the components C and the blend of D and E, respectively. These limits are consistent with our present findings, but Ebrero et al (2011) had to make the additional assumptions that the solid angle of the outflow is ∼π sr, and that the momentum of the outflow is close to the momentum of the scattered and absorbed radiation, cf. Blustin et al (2005).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiwavelength campaign on Mrk 509

Kaastra

Detmers

Mehdipour

et al. 2012

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Aims. More than half of all active galactic nuclei show strong photoionised outflows. A major uncertainty in models for these outflows is the distance of the gas to the central black hole. We use the results of a massive multiwavelength monitoring campaign on the bright Seyfert 1 galaxy Mrk 509 to constrain the location of the outflow components dominating the soft X-ray band. Methods. Mrk 509 was monitored by XMM-Newton and other satellites in 2009. We have studied the response of the photoionised gas to the changes in the ionising flux produced by the central regions. We used the five discrete ionisation components A-E that we detected in the time-averaged spectrum taken with the RGS instrument. By using the ratio of fluxed EPIC-pn and RGS spectra, we were able to put tight constraints on the variability of the absorbers. Monitoring with the Swift satellite started six weeks before the XMM-Newton observations. This allowed us to use the history of the ionising flux and to develop a model for the time-dependent photoionisation in this source. Results. Components A and B are too weak for variability studies, but the distance for component A is already known from optical imaging of the [O iii] line to be about 3 kpc. During the five weeks of the XMM-Newton observations we found no evidence of changes in the three X-ray dominant ionisation components C, D, and E, despite a huge soft X-ray intensity increase of 60% in the middle of our campaign. This excludes high-density gas close to the black hole. Instead, using our time-dependent modelling, we find that the density is very low, and we derive firm lower limits to the distance of these components. For component D we find evidence for variability on longer time scales by comparing our spectra to archival data taken in 2000 and 2001, yielding an upper limit to the distance. For component E we derive an upper limit to the distance based on the argument that the thickness of the absorbing layer must be less than its distance to the black hole. Combining these results, at the 90% confidence level, component C has a distance of >70 pc, component D is between 5-33 pc, and component E has a distance >5 pc but smaller than 21-400 pc, depending upon modelling details. These results are consistent with the upper limits that we derived from the HST/COS observations of our campaign and point to an origin of the dominant, slow (v < 1000 km s −1 ) outflow components in the NLR or torus-region of Mrk 509.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiwavelength campaign on Mrk 509

Kaastra

Detmers

Mehdipour

et al. 2012

A&A

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“…The 180 ks LETGS (Chandra) spectrum was obtained 20 days later over two consecutive orbits between Dec. 10 and 13, 2009. Full details of the RGS data reduction, calibration, and stacking of the data are given in Kaastra et al (2011a) and for the LETGS data by Ebrero et al (2011). We note that the spectra were aligned using the very accurate aspect solution of the satellite before the stacking occurred, so that no line from the source is smeared out, and that special care was taken not to introduce weak emission or absorption features caused by a bad pixel in one of the spectra.…”

Section: Observationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Here we summarise the absorption models given in Detmers et al (2011) and Ebrero et al (2011) which we used to determine the relative abundances. The continuum was fit by a logarithmically spaced spline function, the advantage being that this model does not make any a priori assumptions about the physical components of the continuum.…”

Section: Spectral Modelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fitting the six different xabs models for the RGS, Detmers et al (2011) indeed find that there is a slow (fit by components B1 and C1) and a faster (fit by components A2, C2, D2 and E2) component, with different outflow velocities. In their model 1, Ebrero et al (2011) used two velocity components in the slab modelling similar to model 1 for the RGS. Owing to a difference in absolute wavelength calibration between the RGS and the LETGS the two velocities are: −338 km s −1 and +3 kms −1 , which are within the uncertainty consistent with the velocities fitted for the RGS and the two UV detected troughs.…”

Section: Spectral Modelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Multiwavelength campaign on Mrk 509

Steenbrugge

Kaastra

Detmers

et al. 2011

A&A

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Context. The study of abundances in the nucleus of active galaxies allows us to investigate the evolution of the abundance by comparing local and higher redshift galaxies. However, the methods used so far have substantial drawbacks or rather large uncertainties. Some of the measurements are at odds with the initial mass function derived from the older stellar population of local elliptical galaxies. Aims. We determine accurate and reliable abundances of C, N, Ne, and Fe relative to O from the narrow absorption lines observed in the X-ray spectra of Mrk 509. Methods. We use the stacked 600 ks XMM-Newton RGS and 180 ks Chandra LETGS spectra. Thanks to simultaneous observations with INTEGRAL and the optical monitor on-board XMM-Newton for the RGS observations and HST-COS and Swift for the LETGS observations, we have an individual spectral energy distribution for each dataset. Owing to the excellent quality of the RGS spectrum, the ionisation structure of the absorbing gas is well constrained, allowing for a reliable abundance determination using ions over the whole observed range of ionisation parameters. Results. We find that the relative abundances are consistent with the proto-solar abundance ratios: C/O = 1.19 ± 0.08, N/O = 0.98 ± 0.08, Ne/O = 1.11 ± 0.10, Mg/O = 0.68 ± 0.16, Si/O = 1.3 ± 0.6, Ca/O = 0.89 ± 0.25, and Fe/O = 0.85 ± 0.06, with the exception of S, which is slightly under-abundant, S/O = 0.57 ± 0.14. Our results, and their implications, are discussed and compared to the results obtained using other techniques to derive abundances in galaxies.

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“…In some cases (e.g., NGC 4151, Kraemer et al 2005, Mrk 279, Arav et al 2007Costantini et al 2007, 1H 0419-577 Di Gesu et al 2013, it has been established that X-ray and UV narrow absorption lines (NAL) may be the manifestation of the same outflow, even though it is not trivial to determine how the X-ray and UV absorbing gas are physically and geometrically related. The UV and X-ray absorbing gas could be colocated (e.g., Mrk 509, Ebrero et al 2011), and the UV absorbing components could be denser clumps embedded in a more highly ionized wind (e.g., NGC 4051, Kraemer et al 2012). The WAs complex multicomponent winds spanning a broad range in velocity and in ionization.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anatomy of the AGN in NGC 5548

Gesu

Costantini

Ebrero

et al. 2015

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During an extensive multiwavelength campaign that we performed in 2013−2014, we found the prototypical Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 5548 in an unusual condition of heavy and persistent obscuration. The newly discovered "obscurer" absorbs most of the soft X-ray continuum along our line of sight and lowers the ionizing luminosity received by the classical warm absorber. We present the analysis of the high resolution X-ray spectra collected with XMM-Newton and Chandra throughout the campaign, which are suitable to investigate the variability of both the obscurer and classical warm absorber. The time separation between these X-ray observations range from two days to eight months. On these timescales the obscurer is variable both in column density and in covering fraction. This is consistent with the picture of a patchy wind. The most significant variation occurred in September 2013 when the source brightened for two weeks. A higher and steeper intrinsic continuum and a lower obscurer covering fraction are both required to explain the spectral shape during the flare. We suggest that a geometrical change of the soft X-ray source behind the obscurer causes the observed drop in the covering fraction. Because of the higher soft X-ray continuum level, the September 2013 Chandra spectrum is the only X ray spectrum of the campaign in which individual features of the warm absorber could be detected. The spectrum shows absorption from Fe-UTA, O , and O , consistent with belonging to the lower-ionization counterpart of the historical NGC 5548 warm absorber.Hence, we confirm that the warm absorber has responded to the drop in the ionizing luminosity caused by the obscurer.

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Multiwavelength campaign on Mrk 509

Cited by 39 publications

References 60 publications

Multiwavelength campaign on Mrk 509

Multiwavelength campaign on Mrk 509

Multiwavelength campaign on Mrk 509

Anatomy of the AGN in NGC 5548

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