A. Malizia

The Third IBIS/ISGRI Soft Gamma-Ray Survey Catalog

In this paper we report on the third soft gamma-ray source catalog obtained with the IBIS/ISGRI gamma-ray imager on board the INTEGRAL satellite. The scientific data set is based on more than 40 Ms of high-quality observations performed during the first 3.5 yr of Core Program and public IBIS/ISGRI observations. Compared to previous IBIS/ISGRI surveys, this catalog includes a substantially increased coverage of extragalactic fields, and comprises more than 400 high-energy sources detected in the energy range 17-100 keV, including both transients and faint persistent objects that can only be revealed with longer exposure times.

THE FOURTH IBIS/ISGRI SOFT GAMMA-RAY SURVEY CATALOG

In this paper, we report on the fourth soft gamma-ray source catalog obtained with the IBIS gamma-ray imager on board the INTEGRAL satellite. The scientific data set is based on more than 70 Ms of high-quality observations performed during the first five and a half years of the Core Program and public observations. Compared to previous IBIS surveys, this catalog includes a substantially increased coverage of extragalactic fields, and comprises more than 700 high-energy sources detected in the energy range 17-100 keV, including both transients and faint persistent objects that can only be revealed with longer exposure times. A comparison is provided with the latest Swift/BAT survey results.

Unveiling supergiant fast X-ray transient sources with Integral

Supergiant high-mass X-ray binaries (SGXBs) are believed to be rare objects, as stars in the supergiant phase have a very short lifetime and to date only about a dozen of them have been discovered. They are known to be persistent and bright X-ray sources. INTEGRAL is changing this classical picture, as its observations are revealing the presence of a new subclass of SGXBs that have been labeled supergiant fast X-ray transients (SFXTs), since they are strongly characterized by fast X-ray outbursts lasting less than a day, typically a few hours. We report on IBIS detections of newly discovered fast X-ray outbursts from 10 sources, four of which have been recently optically identified as supergiant high-mass X-ray binaries. For one of them in particular, IGR J11215-5952, we observe fast X-ray transient behavior for the first time. The remaining six sources (IGR J16479-4514, IGR J16418-4532, IGR J16195-4945=AX J161929-4945, XTE J1743-363, AX J1749.1-2733, and IGR J17407-2808) are still unclassified; however, they can be considered candidate SFXTs because of their similarity to the known SFXTs.

INTEGRAL observations of recurrent fast X-ray transient sources

Fast X-ray Transients (FXTs) are believed to be non-recurrent bright X-ray sources lasting less than a day and occuring at serendipitous positions, they can best be detected and discovered by instruments having a sufficiently wide field of view and high sensitivity. The IBIS/ISGRI instrument onboard INTEGRAL is particularly suited to detect new or already known fast X-ray transient sources. We report on IBIS/ISGRI detection of newly discovered outbursts of three fast transient sources located at low Galactic latitude: SAX J1818.6−1703; IGR J16479−4514; IGR J17391−302/XTE J1739−302. The reported results confirm and strengthen the very fast transient nature of these sources, given that all their newly detected outbursts have a duration less than ∼3 h. Additionally, they provide the first evidence for a possible recurrent fast transient behaviour as all three sources were detected in outburst by ISGRI more than once during the last 2 years.

Unveiling the nature of INTEGRAL objects through optical spectroscopy. V. Identification and properties of 21 southern hard X-ray sources

Optical spectroscopic identification of the nature of 21 unidentified southern hard X-ray objects is reported here in the framework of our campaign aimed at determining the nature of newly-discovered and/or unidentified sources detected by INTEGRAL . Our results show that 5 of these objects are magnetic Cataclysmic Variables (CVs), 4 are High-Mass X-ray Binaries (HMXBs; one of which is in the Large Magellanic Cloud) and 12 are Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs). When feasible, the main physical parameters for these hard X-ray sources are also computed using the multiwavelength information available in the literature. These identifications further underscore the importance of INTEGRAL in the study of the hard X-ray spectrum of AGNs, HMXBs and CVs, and the usefulness of a strategy of catalogues cross-correlation plus optical spectroscopy to securely pinpoint the actual nature of the X-ray sources detected with INTEGRAL .

An intermediate black hole spin in the NLS1 galaxy SWIFT J2127.4+5654: chaotic accretion or spin energy extraction?

We have observed the hard X-ray selected Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 galaxy SWIFT J2127.4+5654 with Suzaku. We report the detection of a broad relativistic iron emission line from the inner accretion disc. Partial covering by either neutral or partially ionized gas cannot reproduce the spectral shape and, even if its presence is assumed, it does not significantly change the inferred broad-line parameters. By assuming that the inner edge of the accretion disc corresponds to the innermost stable circular orbit of the black hole space–time, the line profile enables us to measure a black hole spin a = 0.6 ± 0.2. However, a non-rotating Schwarzschild space–time is excluded at just above the 3σ level, while a maximally spinning Kerr black hole is excluded at the ∼5σ level. The intermediate spin we measure may indicate a recent merger, or that accretion-driven black hole growth in this source proceeds through short-lived episodes with chaotic angular momentum alignment between the disc and the hole rather than via prolonged accretion. The measured steep emissivity index (q � 5) constrains the irradiating X-ray source to be very centrally concentrated. Light bending may help focus the primary emission towards the innermost accretion disc, thus steepening the irradiation profile. On the other hand, steep profiles can also be reached if magnetic extraction of the hole rotational energy is at work. If this is the case, the interplay between accretion (spinning up the black hole) and rotational energy extraction (spinning it down) forces the hole to reach an equilibrium spin value which, under standard assumptions, is remarkably consistent with our measurement. Rotational energy extraction would then be able to simultaneously account for the intermediate spin and steep emissivity profile we infer from our spectral analysis without the need to invoke chaotic accretion episodes. We also report tentative evidence for short timescale line profile variability. The relatively low statistical significance of the variability (about 98 per cent confidence level) prevents us from drawing any firm conclusions which must be deferred to future observations.

INTEGRAL IBIS Extragalactic Survey: Active Galactic Nuclei Selected at 20-100 keV*

Analysis of INTEGRAL Core Program and public Open Time observations performed up to April 2005 provides a sample of 62 active galactic nuclei in the 20-100 keV band above a flux limit of ∼ 1.5×10 erg cm s. Most(42) of the sources in the sample are Seyfert galaxies, almost equally divided between type 1 and 2 objects, 6 are blazars and 14 are still unclassified. Excluding the blazars, the average redshift of our sample is 0.021 while the mean luminosity is Log(L) = 43.45. We find that absorption is present in 65% of the objects with 14% of the total sample due to Compton thick active galaxies. In agreement with both Swift/BAT team results and 2-10 keV studies, the fraction of absorbed objects decreases with the 20-100 keV luminosity. All Seyfert 2s in our sample are absorbed as are 33% of Seyfert 1s. The present data highlight the capability of INTEGRAL to probe the extragalactic gamma-ray sky and to find new and/or absorbed active galaxies. Subject headings: surveys — galaxies: active — gamma rays: observations Based on observations obtained with the ESA science mission INTEGRAL IASF-Bologna/INAF, via P. Gobetti 101, 40129 Bologna, Italy; bassani@iasfbo.inaf.it, malizia@iasfbo.inaf.it, stephen@iasfbo.inaf.it School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK; molinam@astro.soton.ac.uk, ajb@astro.soton.ac.uk, ajd@astro.soton.ac.uk IASF-Roma/INAF, via del Fosso del Cavaliere 100, I-00133 Roma, Italy; bazzano@rm.iasf.cnr.it, derosa@rm.iasf.cnr.it, ubertini@rm.iasf.cnr.it CEA Saclay/DSM/DAPNIA/Sap, 91191 Gif Sur Yvette, France; flebrun@cea.fr, fil@discovery.saclay.cea.fr, belanger@hep.saclay.cea.fr INTEGRAL Science Data Center, Chemin D’Écogia 16, 1290 Versoix, Switzerland; roland.walter@obs.unige.chAnalysis of International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL) Core Programme and public open-time observations performed up to 2005 April provides a sample of 62 active galactic nuclei in the 20-100 keV band above a flux limit of ~1.5 × 10-11 ergs cm-2 s-1. Most (42) of the sources in the sample are Seyfert galaxies, almost equally divided between type 1 and type 2 objects; six are blazars, and 14 are still unclassified. Excluding the blazars, the average redshift of our sample is 0.021, while the mean luminosity is log L = 43.45. We find that absorption is present in 65% of the objects, with 14% of the total sample due to Compton-thick active galaxies. In agreement with both Swift BAT team results and 2-10 keV studies, the fraction of absorbed objects decreases with the 20-100 keV luminosity. All Seyfert 2s in our sample are absorbed, as are 33% of Seyfert 1s. The present data highlight the capability of INTEGRAL to probe the extragalactic gamma-ray sky and to find new and/or absorbed active galaxies.

The INTEGRAL Complete Sample of Type 1 AGN

In this paper we discuss the broad-band X-ray characteristics of a complete sample of 36 type 1 active galactic nuclei (AGN), detected by INTEGRAL in the 20–40 keV band above the 5.5? level. We present, for all the objects in the sample, the broad-band (1–110 keV) spectral analysis obtained by using INTEGRAL/Swift/Burst Alert Telescope observations together with XMM–Newton, Chandra, ASCA and Swift/X-Ray Telescope data. We also present the general average properties of the sample, i.e. the distribution of photon indices, high-energy cut-offs, reflection fractions and absorption properties, together with an in-depth analysis of their parameter space. We find that the average Seyfert 1 power law has an index of 1.7 with a dispersion of 0.2. The mean cut-off energy is at around 100 keV, with most objects displaying Ec in the range 50–150 keV; the average amount of Compton reflection is 1.5 with a typical dispersion of 0.7. We do not find any convincing correlation between the various parameters, an indication that our analysis is not strongly dependent by the interplay between them. Finally, we investigate how the results presented in this work fit into current frameworks for AGN spectral modelling and cosmic diffuse X-ray background synthesis models

Unveiling the nature of INTEGRAL objects through optical spectroscopy. VIII. Identification of 44 newly detected hard X-ray sources

(abridged) Hard X-ray surveys performed by the INTEGRAL satellite have discovered a conspicuous fraction (up to 30%) of unidentified objects among the detected sources. Here we continue our identification program by selecting probable optical candidates using positional cross-correlation with soft X-ray, radio, and/or optical archives, and performing optical spectroscopy on them. As a result, we identified or more accurately characterized 44 counterparts of INTEGRAL sources: 32 active galactic nuclei, with redshift 0.019 < z < 0.6058, 6 cataclysmic variables (CVs), 5 high-mass X-ray binaries (2 of which in the Small Magellanic Cloud), and 1 low-mass X-ray binary. This was achieved by using 7 telescopes of various sizes and archival data from two online spectroscopic surveys. The main physical parameters of these hard X-ray sources were also determined using the available multiwavelength information. AGNs are the most abundant population among hard X-ray objects, and our results confirm this tendency when optical spectroscopy is used as an identification tool. The deeper sensitivity of recent INTEGRAL surveys enables one to begin detecting hard X-ray emission above 20 keV from sources such as LINER-type AGNs and non-magnetic CVs.

First high-energy observations of narrow-line Seyfert 1s with INTEGRAL/IBIS

Narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) galaxies are very interesting objects which display peculiar properties when compared to their broad-line analogues (BLS1). Although well studied in many wavebands, their behaviour at >10 keV is poorly studied and yet important to discriminate between models invoked to explain the complexity observed in the X-ray band. Here, we present for the first time high-energy observations (17–100 keV) of five NLS1 galaxies (three bona fide and two candidates) detected by INTEGRAL/Imager on Board INTEGRAL Satellite (IBIS) and provide for all of them a broad-band spectral analysis using data obtained by Swift/XRT below 10 keV. The combined INTEGRAL spectrum is found to be steeper (?= 2.6 ± 0.3) than those of classical Seyfert 1 objects. This is due to a high-energy cut-off, which is required in some individual fits as in the average broad-band spectrum. The location of this high-energy cut-off is at lower energies (E? 60 keV) than typically seen in classical type 1 active galactic nuclei (AGNs); a reflection component may also be present but its value (R < 0.8) is compatible with those seen in standard Seyfert 1s. We do not detect a soft excess in individual objects but only in their cumulative spectrum. Our results suggest a lower plasma temperature for the accreting plasma which combined to the high accretion rates (close to the Eddington rate) points to different nuclear conditions in broad and NLS1 galaxies, likely related to different evolutionary stages.