Volume 342, Issue 2 pp. 422-426

Changing look: from Compton-thick to Compton-thin, or the rebirth of fossil active galactic nuclei

Giorgio Matt

Corresponding Author

Giorgio Matt

Dipartimento di Fisica, Universitá degli Studi ‘Roma Tre’, Via della Vasca Navale 84, I-00146 Roma, Italy

E-mail: [email protected]Search for more papers by this author
Matteo Guainazzi

Matteo Guainazzi

XMM Science Operation Centre, RSSD-ESA, VILSPA, Apartado 50727, E-28080 Madrid, Spain

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Roberto Maiolino

Roberto Maiolino

Dipartimento di Fisica, Universitá degli Studi ‘Roma Tre’, Via della Vasca Navale 84, I-00146 Roma, Italy

INAF-Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, Largo Fermi 5, I-50125 Firenze, Italy

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First published: 12 June 2003
Citations: 17

ABSTRACT

We discuss the properties of a small sample of type 2 Seyfert galaxies whose X-ray spectra changed appearance on time-scales of years, becoming reflection-dominated from Compton-thin, or vice versa. A reflection-dominated spectrum is usually taken as evidence of Compton-thick absorption, but we instead argue that such a spectrum is due to a temporary switching-off of the nuclear radiation. The observations discussed here may help to explain mismatches between optical and X-ray classifications, and provide new strong and direct evidence for the presence of more than one cold circumnuclear region in type 2 Seyfert galaxies.

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