Short time-scale X-ray spectral variability in the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 3783

TL;DR

This study analyzes X-ray spectral variability in NGC 3783 to detect transient features in the Fe K line complex, revealing how these features change with the source’s obscured or unobscured states and providing insights into the innermost accretion flow dynamics.

Contribution

It provides a detailed time-resolved spectral analysis of NGC 3783, identifying transient Fe line features and their dependence on obscuration, which advances understanding of accretion flow and absorber behavior.

Findings

Detection of transient emission and absorption features at >=90% significance.

Features cluster at different energies depending on the source state.

Possible modulation of Fe Kα line intensity linked to absorber clumpiness.

Abstract

We report on the X-ray time resolved spectral analysis of XMM-Newton observations of NGC 3783. The main goal is to detect transient features in the Fe K line complex, in order to study the dynamics of the innermost accretion flow. We reanalize archival observations of NGC 3783, a bright local AGN, for which a transient Fe line was reported, complementing this data set with new available observations. This results in a long set of observations which can allow us to better assess the significance of transient features and possibly test their recurrence time. Moreover, since the new data catch the source in an obscured state, this analysis allows also to test whether the appearance/disappearance of transient features is linked to the presence of obscuring gas. We detect discrete features at the >=90% significance level both in emission and in absorption at different times of the observations, split into 5ks time-resolved spectra. The overall significance of individual features is higher in the obscured dataset. The energy distribution of the detections changes between the two states of the source, and the features appear to cluster at different energies. Counting the occurrences of emission/absorption lines at the same energies, we identify several groups of $\geq3\sigma$ detections: emission features in the 4-6 keV band are present in all observations and are most likely due to effects of the absorber present in the source; an emission line blend of neutral Fe K$\beta$/ionized Fe Ka is present in the unobscured dataset; absorption lines produced by gas at different ouflowing velocities and ionization states show an increase in energy between the two epochs, shifting from ~6 keV to ~6.7-6.9 keV. The representation of the features in a time-energy plane via residual maps highlighted a possible modulation of the Fe Ka line intensity, linked to the clumpiness of the absorbing medium.