A remarkably stable accretion disc in the Seyfert galaxy MCG-5-23-16

MCG-5-23-16 is a Seyfert 1.9 galaxy at redshift z = 0.00849. We analyse here the X-ray spectra obtained with X-ray Multi-Mirror (XMM)-Newton and Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) data, which are the first contemporaneous observations with these two X-ray telescopes. Two reflection features, producing a narrow core and a broad component of the Fe K alpha, are clearly detected in the data. The analysis of the broad iron line shows evidence of a truncated disc with inner radius R-g and an inclination of degrees. The high quality of the NuSTAR observations allows us to measure a high-energy cut-off at keV. We also analyse the reflection grating spectrometer spectrum, finding that the soft X-ray emission is produced by two photoionized plasma emission regions, with different ionization parameters and similar column densities. Remarkably, the source only shows moderate continuum flux variability, keeping the spectral shape roughly constant in a time-scale of similar to 20 yr.

Automated summary

In this study, we analyze the X-ray spectra of the Seyfert 1.9 galaxy MCG-5-23-16 using data obtained from the XMM-Newton and NuSTAR telescopes. Our analysis reveals important information about the iron Kα line and soft X-ray emission. We find evidence of a truncated disc and two photoionized plasma emission regions. Remarkably, the spectral shape of the source remains largely constant compared to observations made 20 years ago.