NuSTAR view of Swift/BAT AGN: The $R$-$\Gamma$ correlation

TL;DR

This study analyzes the reflection hump in a large sample of nearby AGN using NuSTAR data, revealing a strong correlation between reflection strength and spectral slope in unabsorbed sources, and differences in absorbed sources.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed spectral analysis of the reflection hump across a large AGN sample, exploring its relation to absorption and spectral index, and proposing a relativistic corona movement explanation.

Findings

Reflection strength correlates with spectral slope in unabsorbed AGN.

No $R$-$B3$ correlation found in absorbed AGN.

Absorbed AGN have harder spectra, indicating intrinsic differences.

Abstract

The reflection hump is a prominent feature in the hard X-ray spectrum of active galactic nuclei (AGN). Its exact shape and its correlation to other quantities provide valuable information about the inner and outer regions of an AGN. Our main goal is to study the reflection hump in a large sample of nearby AGN. We aim to investigate the evolution of reflection with absorption and its correlation with the spectral index. We analysed archived NuSTAR observations of the 70-month BAT catalogue AGN. By performing a detailed spectral analysis, we were able to constrain the spectral parameters and to investigate the reflection emission in a large sample of individual sources. The reflection strength was found to be strongly correlated with the power-law slope in unabsorbed sources, pointing towards disc reflection for these sources. Different possible explanations were tested and the most likely one is that the corona is moving either towards or away from the disc with a moderately relativistic velocity. An $R-\Gamma$ correlation was not detected for absorbed sources. In addition, these AGN feature harder spectra, suggesting intrinsic differences between the two classes or a slab geometry for the X-ray source.