PEERING THROUGH THE DUST: NuSTAR OBSERVATIONS OF TWO FIRST-2MASS RED QUASARS

• Published in: The Astrophysical journal 2016-03, Vol.820 (1), p.70-70
• Main Authors: LaMassa, Stephanie M., Ricarte, Angelo, Glikman, Eilat, Urry, C. Megan, Stern, Daniel, Yaqoob, Tahir, Lansbury, George B., Civano, Francesca, Boggs, Steve E., Brandt, W. N., Chen, Chien-Ting J., Christensen, Finn E., Craig, William W., Hailey, Chuck J., Harrison, Fiona, Hickox, Ryan C., Koss, Michael, Ricci, Claudio, Treister, Ezequiel, Zhang, Will
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Active galactic nuclei; ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY; BLACK HOLES; COSMIC DUST; Dust; EMISSION; GALACTIC EVOLUTION; GALAXIES; galaxies: active; HARD X RADIATION; infrared: galaxies; LUMINOSITY; Mathematical models; QUASARS; quasars: individual (F2M 0380+3759, F2M 1227+3214); REPROCESSING; SOFT X RADIATION; SPACE; SUBLIMATION; X rays; X-rays: individual (F2M 0830+3759, F2M 1227+3214); XMM (spacecraft)
• ISSN: 0004-637X; 1538-4357
• DOI: 10.3847/0004-637X/820/1/70

ABSTRACT Some reddened quasars appear to be transitional objects in the paradigm of merger-induced black hole growth/galaxy evolution, where a heavily obscured nucleus starts to be unveiled by powerful quasar winds evacuating the surrounding cocoon of dust and gas. Hard X-ray observations are able to peer through this gas and dust, revealing the properties of circumnuclear obscuration. Here, we present NuSTAR and XMM-Newton/Chandra observations of FIRST-2MASS-selected red quasars F2M 0830+3759 and F2M 1227+3214. We find that though F2M 0830+3759 is moderately obscured (NH,Z = (2.1 0.2) × 1022 cm−2) and F2M 1227+3214 is mildly absorbed ( cm−2) along the line of sight, heavier global obscuration may be present in both sources, with cm−2 and