Probing the Complex and Variable X-Ray Absorption of Markarian 6 with XMM-Newton
Abstract
We report on an X-ray observation of the Seyfert 1.5 galaxy Mrk 6 obtained with the EPIC instruments on board XMM-Newton. Archival BeppoSAX Phoswich Detection System data from 18-120 keV were also used to constrain the underlying hard power-law continuum. The results from our spectral analyses generally favor a double partial-covering model, although other spectral models, such as absorption by a mixture of partially ionized and neutral gas, cannot be firmly ruled out. Our best-fitting model consists of a power law with a photon index of Γ=1.81+0.22-0.20 and partial covering with large column densities up to NH~1023 cm-2. We also detect a narrow emission line consistent with Fe Kα fluorescence at 6.45+0.03-0.04 keV with an equivalent width of 93+26-20 eV. Joint analyses of XMM-Newton, ASCA, and BeppoSAX data further provide evidence for both spectral variability (a factor of ~2 change in absorbing column) and absorption-corrected flux variations (by ~60%) during the ~4 yr period probed by the observations.
- Publication:
-
The Astronomical Journal
- Pub Date:
- July 2003
- DOI:
- 10.1086/375652
- arXiv:
- arXiv:astro-ph/0304032
- Bibcode:
- 2003AJ....126..153I
- Keywords:
-
- Galaxies: Individual: Name: Markarian 6;
- Galaxies: Seyfert;
- X-Rays;
- Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- 7 pages, 2 figures. accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journal