Astronomy, Vol. 3, Pages 275-288: Separating the Spectral Counterparts in NGC 1275/Perseus Cluster in X-Rays

Astronomy, Vol. 3, Pages 275-288: Separating the Spectral Counterparts in NGC 1275/Perseus Cluster in X-Rays

Astronomy doi: 10.3390/astronomy3040017

Authors: Elena Fedorova Lidiia Zadorozhna Anatolii Tugay Nadiia Pulatova Alexander Ganz Olexandr Gugnin

We present a model-independent method for separating the spectral counterparts of the active galactic nucleus (AGN) NGC 1275 from the surrounding emission of the Perseus cluster, as observed by Suzaku/XIS cameras. The Perseus cluster emission extends to higher energies than typically observed in AGN environments, reaching up to 9–10 keV. This necessitates precise separation of AGN and cluster spectra. To circumvent the degeneracy arising from numerous spectral fitting parameters, including elemental abundances, thermal and Compton emissions from the nucleus, and spectral parameters of the jet synchrotron self-Compton/inverse Compton emissions, we avoid traditional spectral fitting methods. Instead, we leverage spatial resolution and employ a double background subtraction approach. We apply this procedure to the complete set of Suzaku/XIS observational data for NGC 1275, resulting in cleaned spectra and a light curve of the AGN emission in this system. To demonstrate the applicability of our method, we also utilize the available XMM-Newton/EPIC data.