Zooming in on the Central Regions of a Radio-loud AGN -- 3C120

We present a detailed study of the central engine structure in the broad-line radio galaxy 3C120 using a multi-epoch analysis of a deep XMM-Newton observation (taken in 2003) and two deep Suzaku pointings (in 2012), providing the closest look at 3C120 to date. In order to place our X-ray spectral data into the context of the known disk-disruption/jet-ejection cycles displayed by this object, we consider monitoring of the source in the UV/X-ray bands by RXTE and Swift using the UV flux as a proxy for the accretion disk emission and the X-ray flux for the coronal emission. We find two acceptable descriptions of the X-ray data. Using a spectral model in which the soft X-ray excess in 3C120 is described by reflection from an ionized accretion disk, we conclude that the accretion disk must truncate at times of low/rising X-ray flux, in agreement with the jet-cycle picture. Alternatively, no accretion disk reflection changes are required if, instead, the soft excess is described by a second power-law component that may be identified as originating from the jet. We also study short-timescale variability, finding two characteristics, a positive X-ray flux/hardness correlation and the lack of a UV/soft-excess correlation, that are markedly different from those found in Seyfert galaxies. This may be taken as further evidence that the jet is contributing to the soft X-ray band. We also show how the two scenarios could be distinguished using Nustar or Astro-H.