First deep X-ray observations of the Fermi-detected steep-spectrum source and radio-loud NLS1 galaxy 3C 286

TL;DR

This paper presents deep X-ray observations of the unique radio-loud NLS1 galaxy 3C 286, revealing complex spectral features and off-nuclear emission, which provide new insights into AGN jet-disk coupling and gamma-ray emission mechanisms.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed X-ray spectral analysis of 3C 286, uncovering a soft excess and off-nuclear emission, advancing understanding of its multi-wavelength properties.

Findings

X-ray spectrum includes a soft excess modeled by a blackbody.

Evidence of off-nuclear X-ray emission near radio lobes.

Absorber properties consistent with UV and radio observations.

Abstract

A well-known calibrator source in radio astronomy, 3C 286 ($z=0.85$), is a compact steep-spectrum (CSS) radio source and spectroscopically classified as a narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) galaxy. It is also known for its damped Ly$\alpha$ system from an intervening galaxy at $z=0.692$ detected in both ultraviolet (UV) and radio spectra. In addition, despite being a misaligned active galactic nuclei (AGN), 3C 286 is also detected in $\gamma$-rays by Fermi. Thus, this unique object combines the characteristics of CSS sources, NLS1 galaxies, and $\gamma$-ray emitters with misaligned jets, providing an excellent laboratory for extending our knowledge of AGN disk-jet coupling. Despite its significance, 3C 286 has been rarely observed in X-rays. In this study, we present our deep XMM-Newton and Chandra observations of 3C 286. The results reveal that the X-ray spectrum can be well described by models including an intervening absorber with redshift and column density consistent with previous UV and radio observations. The most important finding is that the spectrum cannot be described by a single power law, but a soft excess is required which is parameterized by a blackbody. Furthermore, we find evidence suggesting the presence of off-nuclear X-ray emission at a radius that corresponds to the location of the radio lobes. While further theoretical work is still needed, our findings offer new clues to understand the specific mechanism for $\gamma$-ray emission from this unique object.