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X-ray polarization measurement of the gold standard of radio-quiet active galactic nuclei : NGC 1068

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arxiv 2403.02061 v2 pith:GKE56A4A submitted 2024-03-04 astro-ph.HE astro-ph.GA

X-ray polarization measurement of the gold standard of radio-quiet active galactic nuclei : NGC 1068

classification astro-ph.HE astro-ph.GA
keywords polarizationx-rayangleixpechandrafoundhalf-openinglines
verification ladder T0 review T1 audit T2 compute T3 formal T4 reserved
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We used the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) satellite to measure, for the first time, the 2-8 keV polarization of NGC 1068. We pointed IXPE for a net exposure time of 1.15 Ms on the target, in addition to two ~ 10 ks each Chandra snapshots in order to account for the potential impact of several ultraluminous X-ray source (ULXs) within IXPE's field-of-view. We measured a 2 - 8 keV polarization degree of 12.4% +/- 3.6% and an electric vector polarization angle of 101{\deg} +/- 8{\deg} at 68% confidence level. If we exclude the spectral region containing the bright Fe K lines and other soft X-ray lines where depolarization occurs, the polarization fraction rises up to 21.3% +/- 6.7% in the 3.5 - 6.0 keV band, with a similar polarization angle. The observed polarization angle is found to be perpendicular to the parsec scale radio jet. Using a combined Chandra and IXPE analysis plus multi-wavelength constraints, we estimated that the circumnuclear "torus" may sustain a half-opening angle of 50{\deg} - 55{\deg} (from the vertical axis of the system). Thanks to IXPE, we have measured the X-ray polarization of NGC 1068 and found comparable results, both in terms of polarization angle orientation with respect to the radio-jet and torus half-opening angle, to the X-ray polarimetric measurement achieved for the other archetypal Compton-thick AGN : the Circinus galaxy. Probing the geometric arrangement of parsec-scale matter in extragalactic object is now feasible thanks to X-ray polarimetry.

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  1. Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer

    astro-ph.IM 2026-07 unverdicted

    IXPE, launched in December 2021, is the first dedicated imaging X-ray polarimetry observatory and has measured X-ray polarization for about 110 cosmic sources.