Interpreting Swift and NuSTAR Observations of the Low-Luminosity Active Galactic Nucleus NGC 4278 with Radiatively Inefficient Accretion Flows and Implications for Neutrino Emission

TL;DR

This study presents NuSTAR X-ray observations of NGC 4278, modeling its emission with RIAF, and explores implications for gamma-ray and neutrino production, suggesting jets and winds as sources of high-energy particles.

Contribution

First NuSTAR hard X-ray observations of NGC 4278 are analyzed using RIAF models, linking X-ray variability to accretion processes and high-energy neutrino emission.

Findings

X-ray spectrum consistent with a power law of photon index 2.2-2.5

TeV gamma rays likely originate from jets and winds, not the RIAF

Neutrino emission may be associated with the AGN's coronae or RIAF

Abstract

We report the first NuSTAR hard X-ray observations of the low-luminosity active galactic nucleus NGC 4278. The source is clearly detected beyond 10 keV with a hard X-ray spectrum consistent with a power law of photon index between 2.2 and 2.5 without evidence for a high-energy cutoff. The X-ray flux is low compared to the active state in 2021, but exhibits variability by a factor of ~2 on a timescale of a month. We discuss the origin of the hard X-ray emission and explore its connection to gamma rays and high-energy neutrinos. We explain the X-ray data, including both quiescent and active states, using a radiatively inefficient accretion flow (RIAF) model with a variable accretion rate. We also show that TeV gamma rays cannot escape from the RIAF disk, and very high-energy gamma rays observed in LHAASO are likely to originate from outer regions such as jets and winds, which is consistent with our results favoring a magnetically arrested disk. We also discuss hidden neutrino emission from RIAFs together with possible connections to coronae of active galactic nuclei with standard, radiatively efficient disks.