The distribution of absorbing column densities among Seyfert 2 galaxies
Abstract
We use hard X-ray data for an "optimal" sample of Seyfert 2 galaxies to derive the distribution of the gaseous absorbing column densities among obscured active nuclei in the local Universe. Of all Seyfert 2 galaxies in the sample, 75% are heavily obscured (NH > 1023 cm-2) and about half are Compton thick (NH > 1024 cm-2). Intermediate type 1.8-1.9 Seyferts are characterized by an average NH much lower than "strict" Seyfert 2s. No correlation is found between NH and the intrinsic luminosity of the nuclear source. This NH distribution has important consequences for the synthesis of the cosmic X-ray background. Also, the large fraction of Compton thick objects implies that most of the obscuring gas is located within a radius of a few 10 pc from the nucleus.
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