Hard X-ray View of HCG 16 (Arp 318)

TL;DR

This study uses NuSTAR, Chandra, and XMM-Newton data to analyze the X-ray properties of galaxies in HCG 16, revealing the presence of low-luminosity AGNs in some galaxies and confirming starburst activity in others, with insights into their obscuration and variability.

Contribution

First comprehensive broadband X-ray analysis of HCG 16 galaxies, revealing AGN characteristics and starburst activity, and exploring the connection between X-ray and infrared luminosities.

Findings

NGC 833 and NGC 835 host low-luminosity AGNs with moderate obscuration.

NGC 835 shows significant long-term variability in luminosity and absorption.

NGC 838 and NGC 839 are starburst-dominant, with no evidence of heavily obscured AGNs.

Abstract

We report the hard X-ray (3-50 keV) view of the compact group HCG 16 (Arp 318) observed with Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR). NGC 838 and NGC 839 are undetected at energies above 8 keV, showing no evidence of heavily obscured active galactic nuclei (AGNs). This confirms that these are starburst-dominant galaxies as previously suggested. We perform a comprehensive broadband (0.3-50 keV) X-ray spectral analysis of the interacting galaxies NGC 833 and NGC 835, using data of NuSTAR, Chandra, and XMM-Newton observed on multiple epochs from 2000 to 2015. NuSTAR detects the transmitted continua of low-luminosity active galactic nuclei (LLAGNs) in NGC 833 and NGC 835 with line-of-sight column densities of $\approx 3 \times10^{23}$ cm$^{-2}$ and intrinsic 2-10 keV luminosities of $\approx 3\times10^{41}$ erg s$^{-1}$. The iron-K$\alpha$ to hard X-ray luminosity ratios of NGC 833 and NGC 835 suggest that their tori are moderately developed, which may have been triggered by the galaxy interactions. We find that NGC 835 underwent long-term variability in both intrinsic luminosity (by a factor of 5) and absorption (by $\Delta N_{\rm H} \approx 2\times10^{23}$ cm$^{-2}$). We discuss the relation between the X-ray and total infrared luminosities in local LLAGNs hosted by spiral galaxies. The large diversity in their ratios is consistent with the the general idea that the mass accretion process in the nucleus and the star forming activity in the disk are not strongly coupled, regardless of the galaxy environment.