The X-ray spectra of Compton-thick Seyfert 2 galaxies as seen by BeppoSAX |
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| Authors: | G Matt A C Fabian M Guainazzi K Iwasawa L Bassani G Malaguti |
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| Institution: | Dipartimento di Fisica 'E.Amaldi', Universitádegli Studi Roma Tre, Via della Vasca Navale 84, I-00146 Roma, Italy;Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HA;XMM SOC, VILSPA-ESA, Apartado 50727, E-28080 Madrid, Spain;Istituto Tecnologie e Studio delle Radiazioni Extraterrestri, C. N. R., Via Gobetti 101, I-40129 Bologna, Italy |
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| Abstract: | Results from BeppoSAX observations of Compton-thick Seyfert 2 galaxies are summarized and reviewed, and their general properties derived and discussed. In five out of the seven observed sources, the nucleus is directly visible at high X-ray energies, where the photons penetrate absorbers with column densities in the range 1.1–4.3×1024 cm?2 (in the other two sources, NGC 1068 and NGC 7674, the nucleus is instead totally obscured at all energies, implying even larger column densities). In most sources there is unambiguous evidence of a reflection component from optically thick, cold matter, while in two (or maybe four) cases there is also evidence of reflection from ionized matter. For the sources with a measured X-ray luminosity, a comparison with the infrared luminosity is made; while in two cases (the Circinus galaxy and NGC 4945) the IR emission appears to be dominated by starburst activity, in the other three sources (NGC 6240, Mrk 3 and TOL 0109-383) it is likely to be dominated by reprocessing of the UV and X-ray photons emitted by an active galactic nucleus. |
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| Keywords: | galaxies: active galaxies: Seyfert X-rays: galaxies |
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