The complex iron line of NGC 5506.pdf

a r X i v : a s t r o - p h / 0 1 0 8 5 0 8 v 1 3 1 A u g 2 0 0 1 Astronomy Astrophysics manuscript no. (will be inserted by hand later) The complex iron line of NGC 5506 G. Matt1, M. Guainazzi2, G.C. Perola1, F. Fiore3, F. Nicastro4, M. Cappi5, and L. Piro6 1 Dipartimento di Fisica, Universita? degli Studi Roma Tre, Via della Vasca Navale 84, I–00146 Roma, Italy 2 XMM-Newton SOC, VILSPA–ESA, Apartado 50727, E–28080 Madrid, Spain 3 Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma, Via dell’Osservatorio, I–00044 Monteporzio Catone, Italy 4 Harvard-Smithsonian Center of Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge MA 02138 USA 5 Istituto Tecnologie e Studio Radiazioni Extraterrestri, CNR, Via Gobetti 101, I–40129 Bologna, Italy 6 Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale, C.N.R., Via Fosso del Cavaliere, I–00133 Roma, Italy Received; accepted Abstract. The bright Narrow Emission Line Galaxy, NGC 5506, has been observed simultaneously by XMM– Newton and BeppoSAX. The iron line is complex, with at least two components: one narrow and corresponding to neutral iron, the second one broad and corresponding to ionized iron. The latter line is equally well fitted by a truly broad line or by a blend of He– and H–like narrow lines. The bulk of the Compton reflection continuum originates in neutral matter, and is therefore associated with the narrow line: they are most likely emitted in distant matter. The origin of the ionized line(s) is less certain, but the solution in terms of a blend of narrow lines from photoionized matter seems to be preferable to emission from an ionized, relativistic accretion disc. Key words. Galaxies: individual: NGC 5506 – Galaxies: Seyfert – X-rays: galaxies 1. Introduction Recent Chandra (e.g. Kaspi et al. 2001; Yaqoob et al. 2001) and XMM–Newton (e.g Reeves et al. 2001; Pounds et al. 2001; Gondoin et al. 2001) results clearly indicate that a narrow iron line component is often, if not always, present in Seyfert 1 galaxies, alone or together with the rel- ativistic disc