BeppoSAX confirms extreme relativistic effects in the X-ray spectrum of MCG-6-30-15

Original · EN

We report the first simultaneous measure of the X-ray broadband (0.1--200 keV) continuum and of the iron K-alpha fluorescent line profile in the Seyfert 1 galaxy MCG-6-30-15. Our data confirms the ASCA detection of a skewed and redshifted line profile (Tanaka et al. 1995). The most straightforward explanation is that the line photons are emitted in the innermost regions of a X-ray illuminated relativistic disk. The line Equivalent Width (200 eV) is perfectly consistent with the expected value for solar abundances, given the observed amount of Compton reflection. We report also the discovery of a cut-off in the nuclear primary emission at the energy of 160 keV.