NuSTAR J033202-2746.8: Direct constraints on the compton reflection in a heavily obscured quasar at z ≈ 2

  • A. Del Moro
  • , J. R. Mullaney
  • , D. M. Alexander
  • , A. Comastri
  • , F. E. Bauer
  • , E. Treister
  • , D. Stern
  • , F. Civano
  • , P. Ranalli
  • , C. Vignali
  • , J. A. Aird
  • , D. R. Ballantyne
  • , M. Baloković
  • , S. E. Boggs
  • , W. N. Brandt
  • , F. E. Christensen
  • , W. W. Craig
  • , P. Gandhi
  • , R. Gilli
  • , C. J. Hailey
  • F. A. Harrison, R. C. Hickox, S. M. Lamassa, G. B. Lansbury, B. Luo, S. Puccetti, M. Urry, W. W. Zhang

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

We report Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) observations of NuSTAR J033202-2746.8, a heavily obscured, radio-loud quasar detected in the Extended Chandra Deep Field-South, the deepest layer of the NuSTAR extragalactic survey (∼400 ks, at its deepest). NuSTAR J033202-2746.8 is reliably detected by NuSTAR only at E > 8 keV and has a very flat spectral slope in the NuSTAR energy band (; 3-30 keV). Combining the NuSTAR data with extremely deep observations by Chandra and XMM-Newton (4 Ms and 3 Ms, respectively), we constrain the broad-band X-ray spectrum of NuSTAR J033202-2746.8, indicating that this source is a heavily obscured quasar ( cm-2) with luminosity L 10-40 keV ≈ 6.4 × 1044 erg s-1. Although existing optical and near-infrared (near-IR) data, as well as follow-up spectroscopy with the Keck and VLT telescopes, failed to provide a secure redshift identification for NuSTAR J033202-2746.8, we reliably constrain the redshift z = 2.00 ± 0.04 from the X-ray spectral features (primarily from the iron K edge). The NuSTAR spectrum shows a significant reflection component (), which was not constrained by previous analyses of Chandra and XMM-Newton data alone. The measured reflection fraction is higher than the R ∼ 0 typically observed in bright radio-loud quasars such as NuSTAR J033202-2746.8, which has L 1.4 GHz ≈ 1027 W Hz-1. Constraining the spectral shape of active galactic nuclei (AGNs), including bright quasars, is very important for understanding the AGN population, and can have a strong impact on the modeling of the X-ray background. Our results show the importance of NuSTAR in investigating the broad-band spectral properties of quasars out to high redshift.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number16
JournalAstrophysical Journal
Volume786
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - May 1 2014

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Astronomy and Astrophysics
  • Space and Planetary Science

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