Suzaku observation of NGC 3516: Complex absorption and the broad and narrow Fe K lines

Abstract

We present preliminary results from a 150 ks Suzaku observation of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 3516. Suzaku's wide bandpass has enabled us to deconvolve the broadband emitting and absorbing components in this object, breaking model degeneracies inherent in previous, smaller-bandpass spectra. The primary power-law continuum is absorbed by an ionized absorber as well as a partial-covering absorber; the column density of the ionized absorber has increased by a factor of ∼3 since XMM-Newton observations in 2001. We detect a soft power-law component which may be scattered emission. We confirm the presence of the broad Fe line, finding a 185-70+130 eV equivalent width line that indicates emission extending down to a few Schwarzschild radii. Models which exclude either the broad line or the partial-covering absorber are rejected. Suzaku's high effective area and low background near 6 keV also allow us to resolve the narrow Fe K emission line; we find a FWHM velocity width near 4000 km s-1 commensurate with Broad Line Region velocities. © 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.