AGN STORM 2. VII. A Frequency-resolved Map of the Accretion Disk in Mrk 817: Simultaneous X-Ray Reverberation and UVOIR Disk Reprocessing Time Lags

Collin Lewin, Erin Kara, Aaron J. Barth, Edward M. Cackett, Gisella De Rosa, Yasaman Homayouni, Keith Horne, Gerard A. Kriss, Hermine Landt, Jonathan Gelbord, John Montano, Nahum Arav, Misty C. Bentz, Benjamin D. Boizelle, Elena Dalla Bontà, Michael S. Brotherton, Maryam Dehghanian, Gary J. Ferland, Carina Fian, Michael R. GoadJuan V. Hernández Santisteban, Dragana Ilić, Jelle Kaastra, Shai Kaspi, Kirk T. Korista, Peter Kosec, Andjelka Kovačević, Missagh Mehdipour, Jake A. Miller, Hagai Netzer, Jack M.M. Neustadt, Christos Panagiotou, Ethan R. Partington, Luka Č. Popović, David Sanmartim, Marianne Vestergaard, Martin J. Ward, Fatima Zaidouni

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Abstract

X-ray reverberation mapping is a powerful technique for probing the innermost accretion disk, whereas continuum reverberation mapping in the UV, optical, and infrared (UVOIR) reveals reprocessing by the rest of the accretion disk and broad-line region (BLR). We present the time lags of Mrk 817 as a function of temporal frequency measured from 14 months of high-cadence monitoring from Swift and ground-based telescopes, in addition to an XMM-Newton observation, as part of the AGN STORM 2 campaign. The XMM-Newton lags reveal the first detection of a soft lag in this source, consistent with reverberation from the innermost accretion flow. These results mark the first simultaneous measurement of X-ray reverberation and UVOIR disk reprocessing lags—effectively allowing us to map the entire accretion disk surrounding the black hole. Similar to previous continuum reverberation mapping campaigns, the UVOIR time lags arising at low temporal frequencies are longer than those expected from standard disk reprocessing by a factor of 2-3. The lags agree with the anticipated disk reverberation lags when isolating short-timescale variability, namely timescales shorter than the Hβ lag. Modeling the lags requires additional reprocessing constrained at a radius consistent with the BLR size scale inferred from contemporaneous Hβ-lag measurements. When we divide the campaign light curves, the UVOIR lags show substantial variations, with longer lags measured when obscuration from an ionized outflow is greatest. We suggest that, when the obscurer is strongest, reprocessing by the BLR elongates the lags most significantly. As the wind weakens, the lags are dominated by shorter accretion disk lags.

Original languageEnglish
Article number271
JournalAstrophysical Journal
Volume974
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Oct 2024

Funding

FundersFunder number
Pennsylvania State University
Ministarstvo Prosvete, Nauke i Tehnološkog Razvoja
Chinese Academy of Sciences
National Science FoundationAST1909199, AST-2009230, 80NSSC22K1492
Independent Research Fund DenmarkDFF 8021-00130
Astronomical Observatory Belgrade451-03-47/2023-01/200002
National Aeronautics and Space Administration80NSSC22K0570, 80NSSC22K1120
University of Belgrade451-03-47/2023-01/200104
Science and Technology Facilities CouncilAST-1907290, 80NSSC22K0089

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