A Reemerging Bright Soft X-Ray State of the Changing-look Active Galactic Nucleus 1ES 1927+654: A Multiwavelength View
Abstract
1ES1927+654 is a nearby active galactic nucleus (AGN) that has shown an enigmatic outburst in optical/UV followed by X-rays, exhibiting strange variability patterns at timescales of months to years. Here we report the unusual X-ray, UV, and radio variability of the source in its postflare state (2022 January-2023 May). First, we detect an increase in the soft X-ray (0.3-2 keV) flux from 2022 May to 2023 May by almost a factor of 5, which we call the bright soft state. The hard X-ray 2-10 keV flux increased by a factor of 2, while the UV flux density did not show any significant changes (≤30%) in the same period. The integrated energy pumped into the soft and hard X-rays during this period of 11 months is ~3.57 × 1050 erg and 5.9 × 1049 erg, respectively. From the energetics, it is evident that whatever is producing the soft excess (SE) is pumping out more energy than either the UV or hard X-ray source. Since the energy source presumably is ultimately the accretion of matter onto the supermassive black hole, the SE-emitting region must be receiving the majority of this energy. In addition, the source does not follow the typical disk-corona relation found in AGNs, neither in the initial flare (from 2017 to 2019) nor in the current bright soft state (2022-2023). We found that the core (<1 pc) radio emission at 5 GHz gradually increased until 2022 March, but showed a dip in 2022 August. The Güdel-Benz relation (L radio/L X-ray ~ 10-5), however, is still within the expected range for radio-quiet AGNs, and further follow-up radio observations are currently being undertaken.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- September 2023
- DOI:
- 10.3847/1538-4357/aced92
- arXiv:
- arXiv:2308.03602
- Bibcode:
- 2023ApJ...955....3G
- Keywords:
-
- Active galactic nuclei;
- X-ray active galactic nuclei;
- Seyfert galaxies;
- 16;
- 2035;
- 1447;
- Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
- E-Print:
- Accepted for publication in ApJ