IRAS 13197-1627 has them all: Compton-thin absorption, photo-ionized gas, thermal plasmas, and a broad Fe line

We report results from the XMM-Newton observation of IRAS 13197-1627, a luminous IR galaxy with a Seyfert 1.8 nucleus. The hard X-ray spectrum is steep and is absorbed by Compton-thin neutral gas. We detect an Fe emission line at 6.4 keV, consistent with transmission through the absorber. The most striking result of our spectral analysis is the detection of a dominant X-ray reflection component and broad Fe line from the inner accretion disc. The reflection-dominated hard X-ray spectrum is confirmed by the strong Compton hump seen in a previous BeppoSAX observation and could be the sign that most of the primary X-rays are radiated from a compact corona (or e.g. base of the jet) within a few gravitational radii from the black hole. We also detect a relatively strong absorption line at 6.81 keV which, if interpreted as Fe xxv resonant absorption intrinsic to the source, implies an outflow with velocity of about 5000 km/s. In the soft energy band, the high-resolution RGS and the CCD-resolution data show the presence of both photo-ionized gas and thermal plasma emission, the latter being most likely associated with a recent starburst of 15-20 solar masses per year.Comment: accepted for publication in MNRA

XMM-Newton unveils the type 2 nature of the BLRG 3C 445

We present an observation of XMM-Newton that unambiguously reveals the ``Seyfert 2'' nature of the Broad Line Radio Galaxy 3C 445. For the first time the soft excess of this source has been resolved. It consists of unobscured scattered continuum flux and emission lines, likely produced in a warm photoionized gas near the pole of an obscuring torus. The presence of circumnuclear (likely stratified) matter is supported by the complex obscuration of the nuclear region. Seventy percent of the nuclear radiation (first component) is indeed obscured by a column density ~4*10^{23} cm^{-2}, and 30 % (second component) is filtered by ~7* 10^{22} cm^{-2}. The first component is nuclear radiation directly observed by transmission through the thicker regions. The second one is of more uncertain nature. If the observer has a deep view into the nucleus but near the edge of the torus, it could be light scattered by the inner wall of the torus and/or by photoionized gas within the Broad Line Region observed through the thinner rim of the circumnuclear matter.Comment: MNRAS Letters, in pres

ASCA view on High-Redshift Radio-Quiet Quasars

We briefly discuss the latest ASCA results on the X-ray spectral properties of high-redshift radio-quiet quasars.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, to appear in the Proceedings of the Conference "X-ray Astronomy '999: Stellar Endpoints, AGNs, and the Diffuse X-ray Background (September 6-10 - 1999