2023MNRAS.519...50U

Query : 2023MNRAS.519...50U

2023MNRAS.519...50U - Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc., 519, 50-58 (2023/February-2)

Mapping the circumnuclear regions of the Circinus galaxy with the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer.

URSINI F., MARINUCCI A., MATT G., BIANCHI S., MARIN F., MARSHALL H.L., MIDDEI R., POUTANEN J., ROGANTINI D., DE ROSA A., DI GESU L., GARCIA J.A., INGRAM A., KIM D.E., KRAWCZYNSKI H., PUCCETTI S., SOFFITTA P., SVOBODA J., TOMBESI F., WEISSKOPF M.C., BARNOUIN T., PERRI M., PODGORNY J., RATHEESH A., ZAINO A., AGUDO I., ANTONELLI L.A., BACHETTI M., BALDINI L., BAUMGARTNER W.H., BELLAZZINI R., BONGIORNO S.D., BONINO R., BREZ A., BUCCIANTINI N., CAPITANIO F., CASTELLANO S., CAVAZZUTI E., CIPRINI S., COSTA E., DEL MONTE E., DI LALLA N., DI MARCO A., DONNARUMMA I., DOROSHENKO V., DOVCIAK M., EHLERT S.R., ENOTO T., EVANGELISTA Y., FABIANI S., FERRAZZOLI R., GUNJI S., HEYL J., IWAKIRI W., JORSTAD S.G., KARAS V., KITAGUCHI T., KOLODZIEJCZAK J.J., LA MONACA F., LATRONICO L., LIODAKIS I., MALDERA S., MANFREDA A., MARSCHER A.P., MITSUISHI I., MIZUNO T., MULERI F., NG C.Y., O'DELL S.L., OMODEI N., OPPEDISANO C., PAPITTO A., PAVLOV G.G., PEIRSON A.L., PESCE-ROLLINS M., PETRUCCI P.-O., PILIA M., POSSENTI A., RAMSEY B.D., RANKIN J., ROMANI R.W., SGRO C., SLANE P., SPANDRE G., TAMAGAWA T., TAVECCHIO F., TAVERNA R., TAWARA Y., TENNANT A.F., THOMAS N.E., TROIS A., TSYGANKOV S.S., TUROLLA R., VINK J., WU K., XIE F. and ZANE S.

Abstract (from CDS):

We report on the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) observation of the closest and X-ray brightest Compton-thick active galactic nucleus (AGN), the Circinus galaxy. We find the source to be significantly polarized in the 2-6 keV band. From previous studies, the X-ray spectrum is known to be dominated by reflection components, both neutral (torus) and ionized (ionization cones). Our analysis indicates that the polarization degree is 28 ± 7 per cent (at 68 per cent confidence level) for the neutral reflector, with a polarization angle of 18° ± 5°, roughly perpendicular to the radio jet. The polarization of the ionized reflection is unconstrained. A comparison with Monte Carlo simulations of the polarization expected from the torus shows that the neutral reflector is consistent with being an equatorial torus with a half-opening angle of 45°-55°. This is the first X-ray polarization detection in a Seyfert galaxy, demonstrating the power of X-ray polarimetry in probing the geometry of the circumnuclear regions of AGNs, and confirming the basic predictions of standard Unification Models.

Abstract Copyright: © 2022 The Author(s) Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Royal Astronomical Society

Journal keyword(s): polarization - scattering - galaxies: active - galaxies: individual: Circinus - galaxies: Seyfert - X-rays: galaxies

Simbad objects: 10

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Number of rows : 10
N Identifier Otype ICRS (J2000)
RA 		ICRS (J2000)
DEC 		Mag U Mag B Mag V Mag R Mag I Sp type #ref
1850 - 2026 		#notes
1 M 77 Sy2 02 42 40.7091669408 -00 00 47.859690204 9.70 9.61 8.87 10.1 9.9 ~ 4897 2
2 MCG-05-23-016 Sy2 09 47 40.1332188528 -30 56 55.960779696   14.10 13.69 12.44   ~ 611 0
3 CXOU J141309.2-652017 X 14 13 09.2 -65 20 17           ~ 2 0
4 NAME Circinus Galaxy Sy2 14 13 09.906 -65 20 20.47   10.89 9.84 10.6 10.0 ~ 1331 1
5 SN 1996cr SN* 14 13 10.01139 -65 20 44.5654     19.5     SNIIn: 90 1
6 CXOU J141310.1-652029 X 14 13 10.1 -65 20 29           ~ 2 0
7 CXOU J141310.3-652017 X 14 13 10.3 -65 20 17           ~ 6 0
8 CXOU J141312.3-652013 CV* 14 13 11.9622141349 -65 20 13.883379597           ~ 29 0
9 CXOU J141312.2-652007 X 14 13 12.2 -65 20 07           ~ 2 0
10 CXOU J141312.6-652052 X 14 13 12.6 -65 20 52           ~ 2 0

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