An X-ray flaring event and a variable soft X-ray excess in the Seyfert LCRS B040659.9–385922 as detected with eROSITA

Abstract

Context. Extreme continuum variability in extragalactic nuclear sources can indicate extreme changes in accretion flows onto supermassive black holes. Aims. We explore the multiwavelength nature of a continuum flare in the Seyfert LCRS B040659.9−385922. The all-sky X-ray surveys conducted by the Spectrum Roentgen Gamma (SRG)/extended ROentgen Survey with an Imaging Telescope Array (eROSITA) showed that its X-ray flux increased by a factor of roughly five over six months, and concurrent optical photometric monitoring with the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) showed a simultaneous increase. Methods. We complemented the eROSITA and ATLAS data by triggering a multiwavelength follow-up monitoring program (X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission: XMM-Newton, Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer: NICER; optical spectroscopy) to study the evolution of the accretion disk, broad-line region, and X-ray corona. During the campaign, X-ray and optical continuum flux subsided over roughly six months. Our campaign includes two XMM-Newton observations, one taken near the peak of this flare and the other taken when the flare had subsided. Results. The soft X-ray excess in both XMM-Newton observations was power law-like (distinctly nonthermal). Using a simple power law, we observed that the photon index of the soft excess varies from a steep value of Γ ∼ 2.7 at the flare peak to a relatively flatter value of Γ ∼ 2.2 as the flare subsided. We successfully modeled the broadband optical/UV/X-ray spectral energy distribution at both the flare peak and post-flare times with the AGNSED model, incorporating thermal disk emission into the optical/UV and warm thermal Comptonization in the soft X-rays. The accretion rate falls by roughly 2.5, and the radius of the hot Comptonizing region increases from the flaring state to the post-flare state. Additionally, from the optical spectral observations, we find that the broad He IIλ4686 emission line fades significantly as the optical/UV/X-ray continuum fades, which could indicate a substantial flare of disk emission above 54 eV. We also observed a redshifted broad component in the Hβ emission line that is present during the high flux state of the source and disappears in subsequent observations. Conclusions. A sudden strong increase in the local accretion rate in this source manifested itself via an increase in accretion disk emission and in thermal Comptonized emission in the soft X-rays, which subsequently faded. The redshifted broad Balmer component could be associated with a transient kinematic component distinct from that comprising the rest of the broad-line region.