1. Soft X-ray spectroscopy of Compton-thick Seyfert 2 galaxies with BeppoSAX
- Author
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Luigi Piro, Roberto Maiolino, Matteo Guainazzi, K. Iwasawa, L. A. Antonelli, Giorgio Matt, L. Bassani, Fabrizio Fiore, Andrew C. Fabian, Alessandro Marconi, Guainazzi, M, Matt, Giorgio, Antonelli, La, Bassani, L, Fabian, Ac, Maiolino, R, Marconi, A, Fiore, F, Iwasawa, K, and Piro, L.
- Subjects
Physics ,Scattering ,Astrophysics::High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena ,Astrophysics (astro-ph) ,Continuum (design consultancy) ,FOS: Physical sciences ,Astronomy and Astrophysics ,Astrophysics::Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics ,Astrophysics ,Galaxy ,Space and Planetary Science ,Ionization ,Circinus ,Emission spectrum ,Spectroscopy ,Astrophysics::Galaxy Astrophysics ,Line (formation) - Abstract
We present a X-ray spectroscopic study of the bright Compton-thick Seyfert 2s NGC1068 and the Circinus Galaxy, performed with BeppoSAX. Matt et al. (1997 and 1998) interpreted the spectrum above 4 keV as the superposition of Compton reflection and warm plasma scattering of the nuclear radiation. When this continuum is extrapolated downwards to 0.1 keV, further components arise. The NGC1068 spectrum is rich in emission lines, mainly due to K-alpha transitions of He-like elements from oxygen to iron, plus a K-alpha fluorescent line from neutral iron. If the ionized lines originate in the warm scatterer, its thermal and ionization structure must be complex. From the continuum and line properties, we estimate a column density, of the warm scatterer less than a few 10^21 atoms/cm/cm. In the Circinus Galaxy, the absence of highly ionized iron is consistent with a scattering medium with ionization parameter U, 12 Latex pages, 10 figures, Accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
- Published
- 1999