FRAMEx II: Simultaneous X-ray and Radio Variability in Active Galactic Nuclei $-$ The Case of NGC 2992. (arXiv:2201.05152v1 [astro-ph.GA])
<a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Fernandez_L/0/1/0/all/0/1">Luis C. Fernandez</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Secrest_N/0/1/0/all/0/1">Nathan J. Secrest</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Johnson_M/0/1/0/all/0/1">Megan C. Johnson</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Schmitt_H/0/1/0/all/0/1">Henrique R. Schmitt</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Fischer_T/0/1/0/all/0/1">Travis C. Fischer</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Cigan_P/0/1/0/all/0/1">Phillip J. Cigan</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Dorland_B/0/1/0/all/0/1">Bryan N. Dorland</a>
Using simultaneous Very Long Baseline Array and Neil Gehrels Swift
Observatory X-ray Telescope observations of the active galactic nucleus (AGN)
in NGC 2992 over a six-month observing campaign, we observed a large drop in
core 5 cm radio luminosity, by a factor of $>3$, in tandem with factor of $>5$
increase in $2-10$ keV X-ray luminosity. While NGC 2992 has long been an
important object for studies of X-ray variability, our study is the first
simultaneous X-ray and radio variability campaign on this object. We observe
that the X-ray spectral index does not change over the course of the flare,
consistent with a change in the bulk amount of Comptonizing plasma, potentially
due to a magnetic reconnection event in the accretion disk. The drop in
apparent radio luminosity can be explained by a change in free-free absorption,
which we calculate to correspond to an ionized region with physical extent and
electron density consistent with the broad line region (BLR). Our results are
consistent with magnetic reconnection events in the dynamic accretion disk
creating outbursts of ionizing material, increasing Compton up-scattering of UV
accretion disk photons and feeding material into the BLR. These findings
present an important physical picture for the dynamical relationship between
X-ray and radio emission in AGNs.
Using simultaneous Very Long Baseline Array and Neil Gehrels Swift
Observatory X-ray Telescope observations of the active galactic nucleus (AGN)
in NGC 2992 over a six-month observing campaign, we observed a large drop in
core 5 cm radio luminosity, by a factor of $>3$, in tandem with factor of $>5$
increase in $2-10$ keV X-ray luminosity. While NGC 2992 has long been an
important object for studies of X-ray variability, our study is the first
simultaneous X-ray and radio variability campaign on this object. We observe
that the X-ray spectral index does not change over the course of the flare,
consistent with a change in the bulk amount of Comptonizing plasma, potentially
due to a magnetic reconnection event in the accretion disk. The drop in
apparent radio luminosity can be explained by a change in free-free absorption,
which we calculate to correspond to an ionized region with physical extent and
electron density consistent with the broad line region (BLR). Our results are
consistent with magnetic reconnection events in the dynamic accretion disk
creating outbursts of ionizing material, increasing Compton up-scattering of UV
accretion disk photons and feeding material into the BLR. These findings
present an important physical picture for the dynamical relationship between
X-ray and radio emission in AGNs.
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