AGN can be obscured by gas streams close to the black hole that shield remoteregions from ionising radiation. We witnessed such an event in NGC 5548 where90% of the soft X-rays are blocked by a dense gas stream close to the BLR. Ourjoint observations with XMM-Newton, NuSTAR and HST/COS showed UV BAL linesassociated with the X-ray absorption and allowed us to characterise this uniqueobscuration event completely. We propose to investigate a similar event inanother Seyfert 1 using the same instruments. Swift monitoring will be used tofind the event, which will be characterised by joint ToO observations withXMM-Newton (150 ks), HST/COS (4 orbits) and NuSTAR (50 ks).
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2016-12-11T09:15:48Z/2016-12-22T00:26:16Z
Version
17.56_20190403_1200
Mission Description
The European Space Agencys (ESA) X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission (XMM-Newton) was launched by an Ariane 504 on December 10th 1999. XMM-Newton is ESAs second cornerstone of the Horizon 2000 Science Programme. It carries 3 high throughput X-ray telescopes with an unprecedented effective area, and an optical monitor, the first flown on a X-ray observatory. The large collecting area and ability to make long uninterrupted exposures provide highly sensitive observations. Since Earths atmosphere blocks out all X-rays, only a telescope in space can detect and study celestial X-ray sources. The XMM-Newton mission is helping scientists to solve a number of cosmic mysteries, ranging from the enigmatic black holes to the origins of the Universe itself. Observing time on XMM-Newton is being made available to the scientific community, applying for observational periods on a competitive basis.
European Space Agency, Prof Jelle Kaastra, 2018, 'Shining light on obscured AGN outflows', 17.56_20190403_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-tn09dfj
