X-ray spectra reveal the reawakening of the repeat changing-look AGN NGC 1566
Abstract
We present simultaneous XMM-Newton and NuSTAR observations of the repeat changing-look AGN NGC 1566, which dramatically increased in brightness in the IR to X-ray bands in 2018. The broad-band X-ray spectrum was taken at the peak of the outburst and is typical of Seyfert 1 AGN. The spectrum shows a soft excess, Compton hump, warm absorption and reflection, ruling out tidal disruption as the cause of the outburst and demonstrating that a `standard' accretion disk can develop very rapidly. The high-resolution grating spectrum reveals that the outburst has launched a ∼500 km s-1 outflow, and shows photoionized emission lines from rest-frame gas. We discuss possible mechanisms for the outburst, and conclude that it is most likely caused by a disk instability.
- Publication:
-
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
- Pub Date:
- February 2019
- DOI:
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1811.10289
- Bibcode:
- 2019MNRAS.483L..88P
- Keywords:
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- accretion;
- accretion discs;
- galaxies: active;
- galaxies: individual: NGC 1566;
- galaxies: Seyfert;
- Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
- E-Print:
- 5 pages, 2 figures, accepted to MNRAS letters