BeppoSAX Observation of the NGC 3079 Nucleus

Abstract

Using the BeppoSAX observatory, we have observed a nearby LINER/Seyfert 2 galaxy, NGC 3079, which is known as an outflow galaxy and a bright H_2O-maser source. Using the PDS detector, we have revealed that the NGC 3079 nucleus suffers from a Compton-thick absorption, with a hydrogen column density \sim 10^{25} cm^{-2}. After corrected the absorption, the 2--10 keV luminosity becomes 10^{42-43} erg s^{-1} at a distance of 16 Mpc. It is 2-3 orders of magnitude higher than that observed in the MECS band (below 10 kev). We also detected a strong Fe-K line at 6.4^{+0.3}_{-0.2} keV with an equivalent width of 2.4^{+2.9}_{-1.5} keV, which is consistent with the heavy absorption.