2009ApJ...696..160R

We present a complete analysis of the hard X-ray (2-10 keV) properties of the Seyfert galaxy NGC 1365, based on a 60 ks XMM-Newton observation performed in 2004 January. The two main results are as follows. (1) We detect an obscuring cloud with N_H∼ 3.5x10²³/cm2 crossing the line of sight in ∼25 ks. This implies a dimension of the X-ray source not larger than a few 10¹³ cm and a distance of the obscuring cloud of the order of 10¹⁶ cm. Adopting the black hole mass M_BH estimated from the M_BH-velocity dispersion relation, the source size is D_S< 20R_G and the distance and density of the obscuring clouds are R ∼ 3000-10, 000R_G and n ∼ 10¹⁰/cm3, i.e., typical values for broad-line region clouds. (2) An iron emission line with a relativistic profile is detected with high statistical significance. A time-integrated fit of the line+continuum reflection components suggests a high iron abundance (approximately three times solar) and an origin of these components in the inner part (within ∼10R_G) of the accretion disk, in agreement with the small source size inferred from the analysis of the absorption variability.