Warm absorber and truncated accretion disc in IRAS 05078+1626

TL;DR

This study analyzes X-ray spectra of IRAS 05078+1626, revealing complex absorption and reflection features, and constrains the accretion disc's inner radius, providing insights into the central environment of this Seyfert galaxy.

Contribution

First X-ray spectral analysis of IRAS 05078+1626, identifying multiple absorbers and reflection components, and constraining the accretion disc's inner radius.

Findings

Detection of a narrow iron K alpha line without a broad component

Identification of cold, warm, and ionized absorbers in the spectrum

Accretion disc does not extend closer than 60 gravitational radii

Abstract

X-ray observations of unabsorbed active galactic nuclei provide an opportunity to explore the innermost regions of supermassive black hole accretion discs. Our goal in this paper is to investigate the central environment of a Seyfert 1.5 galaxy IRAS 05078+1626. We studied the time-averaged spectrum obtained with the EPIC and RGS instruments. A power-law continuum (photon index ~ 1.75) dominates the 2-10 keV energy range. A narrow iron K alpha spectral line is clearly seen, presumably originating in a distant torus, but no broad relativistic component was detected. However, the power law and the iron K alpha line alone do not provide a satisfactory fit in the soft X-ray band whose spectrum can be explained by the combination of three components: a) a cold photoelectric absorber with column density ~ 10^(21) cm^(-2). This gas could be located either in outer parts of the accretion disc, at the rim of the torus or farther out in the host galaxy; b) a warm absorber with high ionization parameter (log(xi) ~ 2.2) and column density ~ 10^(24) cm^(-2); c) an ionized reflection where the reflecting gas could be either in the inner wall of a warm absorber cone or in an ionized accretion disc. The first X-ray spectroscopic measurement of IRAS05078+1626 unveils some of the standard ingredients in Seyfert galaxies, such as a power-law primary continuum, modified by reflection from the accretion disc and by the effect of complex, multi-phase obscuration. However, data constrains the accretion disc, if present, not to extend closer than to 60 gravitational radii from the black hole.