First X-Ray Polarimetric View of a Low-luminosity Active Galactic Nucleus: The Case of NGC 2110

Abstract Low-luminosity active galactic nuclei (LLAGN) provide a unique view of Comptonization and nonthermal emission from accreting black holes in the low accretion rate regime. However, to decipher the exact nature of the Comptonizing corona in LLAGN, its geometry and emission mechanism must be understood beyond the limits of spectro-timing techniques. Spectropolarimetry offers the potential to break the degeneracies between different coronal emission models. Compton-thin LLAGN provide an opportunity for such spectropolarimetric exploration in the 2–8 keV energy range using the Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE). In this work, we carry out a spectropolarimetric analysis of the first IXPE observation, in synergy with a contemporaneous Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array observation, of an LLAGN: NGC 2110. Using 554.4 ks of IXPE data from 2024 October, we constrain the 99% upper limit on the polarization degree (PD) to be less than 8.3% assuming the corresponding polarization angle (PA) to be aligned with the radio jet, and less than 3.6% if in the perpendicular direction. In the absence of a significant PD detection, the PA remains formally unconstrained, yet the polarization significance contours appear to be aligned with the radio jet, tentatively supporting models in which the corona is radially extended in the plane of the disk. We also carry out detailed Monte Carlo simulations using monk and STOKES codes to test different coronal models against our results and compare the polarization properties between NGC 2110 and brighter Seyferts.

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Publication Details

Journal
The Astrophysical Journal
Published
2025-08-29
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ade87d
Citations
2
Primary Topic
Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
2.31

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article

First X-Ray Polarimetric View of a Low-luminosity Active Galactic Nucleus: The Case of NGC 2110

Jiří Svoboda, Dawoon E. Kim, Chien‐Ting Chen, Ioannis Liodakis et al.
2 citations
The Astrophysical Journal
Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations
2.31
article

First X-Ray Polarimetric View of a Low-luminosity Active Galactic Nucleus: The Case of NGC 2110

Jiří Svoboda, Dawoon E. Kim, Chien‐Ting Chen, Ioannis Liodakis, F. Ursini, Pierre-Olivier Petrucci, W. Peter Maksym, Alessandro Di Marco, P. Soffitta, Francesco Tombesi, Rodrigo Nemmen, Frédéric Marin, Daniele Tagliacozzo, Steven R. Ehlert, Sudip Chakraborty, Keigo Fukumura, Jakub Podgorný, Romana Mikušincová, R. Middei, Srimanta Banerjee, P. Kaaret, Ajay Ratheesh, Fabio La Monaca, Wenda Zhang
article en
2 citations

Abstract

Abstract Low-luminosity active galactic nuclei (LLAGN) provide a unique view of Comptonization and nonthermal emission from accreting black holes in the low accretion rate regime. However, to decipher the exact nature of the Comptonizing corona in LLAGN, its geometry and emission mechanism must be understood beyond the limits of spectro-timing techniques. Spectropolarimetry offers the potential to break the degeneracies between different coronal emission models. Compton-thin LLAGN provide an opportunity for such spectropolarimetric exploration in the 2–8 keV energy range using the Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE). In this work, we carry out a spectropolarimetric analysis of the first IXPE observation, in synergy with a contemporaneous Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array observation, of an LLAGN: NGC 2110. Using 554.4 ks of IXPE data from 2024 October, we constrain the 99% upper limit on the polarization degree (PD) to be less than 8.3% assuming the corresponding polarization angle (PA) to be aligned with the radio jet, and less than 3.6% if in the perpendicular direction. In the absence of a significant PD detection, the PA remains formally unconstrained, yet the polarization significance contours appear to be aligned with the radio jet, tentatively supporting models in which the corona is radially extended in the plane of the disk. We also carry out detailed Monte Carlo simulations using monk and STOKES codes to test different coronal models against our results and compare the polarization properties between NGC 2110 and brighter Seyferts.

The Astrophysical JournalVol. 990(1)
Observatoire astronomique de Strasbourg (FR), Institut de Planétologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble (FR)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, California Institute of Technology, Universities Space Research Association, European Commission, Grantová Agentura České Republiky, Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, Agenzia Spaziale Italiana, Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Marshall Space Flight Center, Goddard Space Flight Center
Openalex Percentile: Top 10%
Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations
2.31
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