The recent X–ray history of NGC 5506

¹ Dipartimento di Fisica, Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Italy
² XMM-Newton Science Operation Center/RSSD-ESA, Villafranca del Castillo, Spain

Corresponding author: S. Bianchi, bianchi@fis.uniroma3.it

Received: 20 December 2002
Accepted: 11 February 2003

Abstract

We present a detailed discussion of the spectral and spatial components of NGC 5506, based on XMM–Newton, Chandra and BeppoSAX observations. The overall picture consists of a nucleus absorbed by cold gas with column density of ≈ 10²² cm^-2 and surrounded by a Compton-thick torus, whose existence is inferred by a cold reflection component and an iron Kα line. On a much larger scale, a photoionized gas extended on ≈ 350 pc reprocesses the nuclear radiation, producing a soft excess and ionized iron lines. Noteworthy, we find no evidence for the presence of the accretion disc.