XMM–Newton and Chandra observations of SHEEP sources

We present Chandra and XMM–Newton observations of 12 bright  [ f (2–10 keV) > 10⁻¹³ erg cm⁻² s⁻¹]  sources from the ASCA search for the High Energy Extragalactic Population (SHEEP) survey. Most of these have been either not observed or not detected previously with the ROSAT mission, and therefore they constitute a sample biased towards hard sources. The Chandra observations are important in locating the optical counterpart of the X-ray sources with accuracy. Optical spectroscopic observations show that our sample is associated with both narrow-line (NL) (six objects) and broad-line (BL) active galactic nuclei (AGN) (five objects), with one source remaining unidentified. Our sources cover the redshift range 0.04–1.29, spanning luminosities from 10⁴² to  10⁴⁵ erg s⁻¹  (2–10 keV). The NL sources have preferentially lower redshift (and luminosity) compared to the BL ones. This can be most easily explained in a model where the NL AGN are intrinsically less luminous than the BL ones in line with the results of Steffen et al. The X-ray spectral fittings show a roughly equal number of obscured  ( N _H > 10²² cm⁻²)  and unobscured  ( N _H < 10²² cm⁻²)  sources. There is a clear tendency for obscured sources to be associated with NL AGN and unobscured sources with BL ones. However, there is a marked exception with the highest obscuring column observed at a BL AGN at a redshift of z = 0.5.     

XMM–Newton observations of bright ROSAT selected active galactic nuclei with low intrinsic absorption

We present a sample of 21 ROSAT bright active galactic nuclei (AGNs), representing a range of spectral classes, and selected for follow-up snapshot observations with XMM–Newton . The typical exposure was between 5 and 10 ks. The objects were primarily selected on the bases of X-ray brightness and not on hardness ratio; thus the sample cannot be strictly defined as a 'soft'sample. One of the main outcomes from the XMM–Newton observations was that all of the AGN, including 11 type 1.8–2 objects, required low levels of intrinsic absorption  ( N _H≲ 10²¹ cm⁻²)  . The low absorption in type 2 systems is a challenge to account for in the standard orientation-based unification model, and we discuss possible physical and geometrical models which could elucidate the problem. Moreover, there does not appear to be any relation between the strength and shape of the soft excess, and the spectral classification of the AGN in this sample. We further identify a number of AGN which deserve deeper observations or further analysis: for example, the low-ionization nuclear emission regions (LINERs) NGC 5005 and NGC 7331, where optically thin thermal and extended emission is detected, and the narrow-line Seyfert 1 II Zw 177, which shows a broad emission feature at ∼ 5.8 keV.     

Multiwavelength XMM–Newton observations of the Laor et al. sample of PG quasars

We present XMM–Newton /EPIC spectra for the Laor et al. sample of Palomar Green (PG) quasars. We find that a power law provides a reasonable fit to the 2–5 keV region of the spectra. Excess soft X-ray emission below 2 keV is present for all objects, with the exception of those known to contain a warm absorber. However, a single power law is a poor fit to the 0.3–10.0 keV spectrum and instead we find that a simple model, consisting of a broken power law (plus an iron line), provides a reasonable fit in most cases. The equivalent width of the emission line is constrained in just 12 objects but with low (<2σ) significance in most cases. For the sources whose spectra are well fitted by the broken-power-law model, we find that various optical and X-ray line and continuum parameters are well correlated; in particular, the power-law photon index is well correlated with the FWHM of the Hβ line and the photon indices of the low- and high-energy components of the broken power law are well correlated with each other. These results suggest that the 0.3–10 keV X-ray emission shares a common (presumably non-thermal) origin, as opposed to suggestions that the soft excess is directly produced by thermal disc emission or via an additional spectral component. We present XMM–Newton Optical Monitor (OM) data, which we combine with the X-ray spectra so as to produce broad-band spectral energy distributions (SEDs), free from uncertainties due to long-term variability in non-simultaneous data. Fitting these optical–UV spectra with a Comptonized disc model indicates that the soft X-ray excess is independent of the accretion disc, confirming our interpretation of the tight correlation between the hard and soft X-ray spectra.     

The distribution of absorption in AGN detected in the XMM–Newton observations of the CDFS

We have used very deep XMM–Newton observations of the Chandra Deep Field -South to examine the spectral properties of the faint active galactic nucleus (AGN) population. Crucially, redshift measurements are available for 84 per cent (259/309) of the XMM–Newton sample. We have calculated the absorption and intrinsic luminosities of the sample using an extensive Monte Carlo technique incorporating the specifics of the XMM–Newton observations. 23 sources are found to have substantial absorption and intrinsic X-ray luminosities greater than 10⁴⁴ erg s⁻¹, putting them in the 'type-2' QSO regime. We compare the redshift, luminosity and absorption distributions of our sample to the predictions of a range of AGN population models. In contrast to recent findings from ultradeep Chandra surveys, we find that there is little evidence that the absorption distribution is dependent on either redshift or intrinsic X-ray luminosity. The pattern of absorption in our sample is best reproduced by models in which ∼75 per cent of the AGN population is heavily absorbed at all luminosities and redshifts.     

A new superwind galaxy: XMM–Newton observations of NGC 6810

We present the first imaging X-ray observation of the highly inclined  ( i = 78°)  Sab Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 6810 using XMM–Newton , which reveals soft X-ray emission that extends out to a projected height of ∼7 kpc away from the plane of the galaxy. The soft X-ray emission beyond the optical disc of the galaxy is most plausibly extraplanar, although it could instead come from large galactic radius. This extended X-ray emission is spatially associated with diffuse Hα emission, in particular with a prominent 5-kpc-long Hα filament on the north-west of the disc. A fraction ≲35 per cent of the total soft X-ray emission of the galaxy arises from projected heights  | z | ≥ 2 kpc  . Within the optical disc of the galaxy the soft X-ray emission is associated with the star-forming regions visible in ground-based Hα and XMM–Newton optical monitor near-UV imaging. The temperature, supersolar α-element-to-iron abundance ratio, soft X-ray/Hα correlation, and X-ray to far-infrared (FIR) flux ratio of NGC 6810 are all consistent with local starbursts with winds, although the large base radius of the outflow would make NGC 6810 one of the few 'disc-wide' superwinds currently known. Hard X-ray emission from NGC 6810 is weak, and the total   E = 2–10 keV  luminosity and spectral shape are consistent with the expected level of X-ray binary emission from the old and young stellar populations. The X-ray observations provide no evidence of any active galactic nucleus activity. We find that the optical, IR and radio properties of NGC 6810 are all consistent with a starburst galaxy, and that the old classification of this galaxy as a Seyfert 2 galaxy is probably incorrect.     

XMM–Newton observations of the Seyfert 1 AGN H 0557−385

We present XMM–Newton observations of the Seyfert 1 active galactic nucleus (AGN)  H 0557 − 385  . We have conducted a study into the warm absorber present in this source, and using high-resolution Reflection Grating Spectrometer (RGS) data we find that the absorption can be characterized by two phases: a phase with log ionization parameter ξ of 0.50 (where ξ is in units of erg cm s⁻¹) and a column of  0.2 × 10²¹ cm⁻²  , and a phase with log ξ of 1.62 and a column of  1.3 × 10²² cm⁻²  . An iron Kα line is detected. Neutral absorption is also present in the source, and we discuss possible origins for this. On the assumption that the ionized absorbers originate as an outflow from the inner edge of the torus, we use a new method for finding the volume filling factor. Both phases of  H 0557 − 385  have small volume filling factors (≤1 per cent). We also derive the volume filling factors for a sample of 23 AGN using this assumption and for the absorbers with  log ξ > 0.7  , we find reasonable agreement with the filling factors obtained through the alternative method of equating the momentum flow of the absorbers to the momentum loss of the radiation field. By comparing the filling factors obtained by the two methods, we infer that some absorbers with  log ξ < 0.7  occur at significantly larger distances from the nucleus than the inner edge of the torus.