NuSTAR J033202-2746.8: DIRECT CONSTRAINTS ON THE COMPTON REFLECTION IN A HEAVILY OBSCURED QUASAR AT z approximate to 2

Del Moro, A; Mullaney, JR; Alexander, DM; Comastri, A; Bauer, FE; Treister, E.; Stern, D.; Civano, F; Ranalli, P; Vignali C.; Aird, JA; Ballantyne, DR; Balokovic, M.; Boggs, SE; Brandt, WN; et. al.

Abstract

We report Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) observations of NuSTAR J033202-2746.8, a heavily obscured, radio-loud quasar detected in the Extended Chandra Deep Field-South, the deepest layer of the NuSTAR extragalactic survey (similar to 400 ks, at its deepest). NuSTAR J033202-2746.8 is reliably detected by NuSTAR only at E > 8 keV and has a very flat spectral slope in the NuSTAR energy band (Gamma = 0.55(-0.64)(+0.62); 3-30 keV). Combining the NuSTAR data with extremely deep observations by Chandra and XMM-Newton (4 Ms and 3 Ms, respectively), we constrain the broad-band X-ray spectrum of NuSTAR J033202-2746.8, indicating that this source is a heavily obscured quasar (N-H = 5.6(-0.8)(+0.9) x 10(23) cm(-2)) with luminosity L10-40 keV approximate to 6.4 x 10(44) erg s(-1). Although existing optical and near-infrared (near-IR) data, as well as follow-up spectroscopy with the Keck and VLT telescopes, failed to provide a secure redshift identification for NuSTAR J033202-2746.8, we reliably constrain the redshift z = 2.00 +/- 0.04 from the X-ray spectral features (primarily from the iron K edge). The NuSTAR spectrum shows a significant reflection component (R = 0.55(-0.37)(+0.44)), which was not constrained by previous analyses of Chandra and XMM-Newton data alone. The measured reflection fraction is higher than the R similar to 0 typically observed in bright radio-loud quasars such as NuSTAR J033202-2746.8, which has L-1.4 GHz approximate to 10(27) W Hz(-1). Constraining the spectral shape of active galactic nuclei (AGNs), including bright quasars, is very important for understanding the AGN population, and can have a strong impact on the modeling of the X-ray background. Our results show the importance of NuSTAR in investigating the broad-band spectral properties of quasars out to high redshift.

Más información

Título según WOS: NuSTAR J033202-2746.8: DIRECT CONSTRAINTS ON THE COMPTON REFLECTION IN A HEAVILY OBSCURED QUASAR AT z approximate to 2
Título según SCOPUS: NuSTAR J033202-2746.8: Direct constraints on the compton reflection in a heavily obscured quasar at z ? 2
Título de la Revista: ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
Volumen: 786
Número: 1
Editorial: IOP PUBLISHING LTD
Fecha de publicación: 2014
Idioma: English
DOI:

10.1088/0004-637X/786/1/16

Notas: ISI, SCOPUS