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The Nature of the Torus in the Heavily Obscured AGN Markarian 3: an X-Ray StudyIn this paper, we report the results of an X-ray monitoring campaign on the heavily obscured Seyfert galaxy, Markarian 3, carried out between the fall of 2014 and the spring of 2015 with NuSTAR, Suzaku and XMMNewton. The hard X-ray spectrum of Markarian 3 is variable on all the time-scales probed by our campaign, down to a few days. The observed continuum variability is due to an intrinsically variable primary continuum seen in transmission through a large, but still Compton-thin column density (N(sub H) approx. 0.8-1.1 x 10(exp 24)/sq cm). If arranged in a spherical-toroidal geometry, the Compton scattering matter has an opening angle approx. 66deg, and is seen at a grazing angle through its upper rim (inclination angle approx. 70deg). We report a possible occultation event during the 2014 campaign. If the torus is constituted by a system of clouds sharing the same column density, this event allows us to constrain their number (17 +/- 5) and individual column density, [approx. (4.9 +/- 1.5) x 10(exp 22)/ sq cm]. The comparison of IR and X-ray spectroscopic results with state-of-the art torus models suggests that at least two-thirds of the X-ray obscuring gas volume might be located within the dust sublimation radius. We report also the discovery of an ionized absorber, characterized by variable resonant absorption lines due to He- and H-like iron. This discovery lends support to the idea that moderate column density absorbers could be due to clouds evaporated at the outer surface of the torus, possibly accelerated by the radiation pressure due to the central AGN emission leaking through the patchy absorber.
Document ID
20170003074
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
External Source(s)
Authors
Guainazzi, M.
(Institute of Space and Astronautical Science Sagamihara, Japan)
Risaliti, G.
(Florence Univ. Italy)
Awaki, H.
(Ehime Univ. Matsuyama, Japan)
Arevalo, P.
(Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso Valparaiso, Chile)
Bauer, F. E.
(Space Science Inst. Boulder, CO, United States)
Bianchi, S.
(Universita degli Studi Roma Tre Rome, Italy)
Boggs, S.E
(California Univ. Berkeley, CA, United States)
Brandt, W. N.
(Pennsylvania State Univ. University Park, PA, United States)
Brightman, M.
(California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Christensen, F. E.
(Technical Univ. of Denmark Lyngby, Denmark)
Craig, W. W.
(Lawrence Livermore National Lab. Livermore, CA, United States)
Forster, K.
(California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Hailey, C. J.
(Columbia Univ. New York, NY, United States)
Harrison, F.
(California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Koss, M.
(Eidgenoessische Technische Hochschule Zurich, Switzerland)
Longinotti, A.
(Instituto Nacional de Astrofisica, Optica y Electronica Puebla, Mexico)
Markwardt, C. B.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Marinucci, A.
(Universita degli Studi Roma Tre Rome, Italy)
Matt, G.
(Universita degli Studi Roma Tre Rome, Italy)
Reynolds, C. S.
(Maryland Univ. College Park, MD, United States)
Ricci, C.
(Universidad Catolica de Chile Santiago, Chile)
Stern, D.
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Svoboda, J.
(Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Prague, Czech Republic)
Walton, D.
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Zhang, W.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Date Acquired
April 6, 2017
Publication Date
May 10, 2016
Publication Information
Publication: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Volume: 460
Issue: 2
ISSN: 0035-8711
e-ISSN: 1365-8711
Subject Category
Astrophysics
Report/Patent Number
GSFC-E-DAA-TN40994
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other
Keywords
X-rays: individual: Markarian 3
X-rays: galaxies
galaxies: Seyfert
galaxies: active

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