X-raying the Ultraluminous Infrared Starburst Galaxy and Broad Absorption Line QSO, Markarian 231, with Chandra

Details X-raying the Ultraluminous Infrared Starburst Galaxy and Broad Absorption Line QSO, Markarian 231, with Chandra X-raying the Ultraluminous Infrared Starburst Galaxy and Broad Absorption Line QSO, Markarian 231, with Chandra

2001-12-11

arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0112257v2

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

29 pages, 16 figures (13 PS and 3 JPG), uses AASTeX. Contact first author for full resolution images. Accepted for publication

Scientific paper

10.1086/339171

With 40 ks of Chandra ACIS-S3 exposure, new information on both the starburst and QSO components of the X-ray emission of Markarian 231, an ultraluminous infrared galaxy and Broad Absorption Line QSO, has been obtained. The bulk of the X-ray luminosity is emitted from an unresolved nuclear point source, and the spectrum is remarkably hard with the majority of the flux emitted above 2 keV. Most notably, significant nuclear variability (a decrease of ~45% in approximately 6 hours) at energies above 2 keV indicates that Chandra has probed within light hours of the central black hole. Though we concur with Maloney & Reynolds that the direct continuum is not observed, this variability coupled with the 188 eV upper limit on the equivalent width of the FeKalpha emission line argues against the reflection-dominated model put forth by these authors based on their ASCA data. Instead, we favor a model in which a small, Compton-thick absorber blocks the direct X-rays, and only indirect, scattered X-rays from multiple lines of sight can reach the observer. Extended soft, thermal emission encompasses the optical extent of the galaxy and exhibits resolved structure. An off-nuclear X-ray source with a 0.35-8.0 keV luminosity of L_X=7x10^{39} erg s^{-1}, consistent with the ultraluminous X-ray sources in other nearby starbursts, is detected. We also present an unpublished FOS spectrum from the HST archive showing the broad C IV absorption.

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