SRGAJ230631.0+155633: an extremely X-ray luminous, heavily obscured, radio-loud quasar at z=0.44 discovered by SRG/ART-XC

Grigory Uskov, Sergey Sazonov, Igor Lapshov, Alexander Mikhailov, Ekaterina Filippova, Alexander Lutovinov, Ilya Mereminskiy, Maria Mochalina, Andrey Semena, Alexey Tkachenko

First listed 2025-04-18 | Last updated 2025-06-03

Abstract

We report on a detailed study of a luminous, heavily obscured ($N_{\rm H} \sim 2 \times 10^{23}$ cm$^{-2}$), radio-loud quasar SRGAJ230631.0+155633, discovered in the 4--12 keV energy band by the Mikhail Pavlinsky ART-XC telescope aboard the SRG observatory during the first two years of its all-sky X-ray survey in 2020--2021. The object is located at $z=0.4389$ and is a type 2 AGN according to optical spectroscopy (SDSS, confirmed by DESI). We combine radio-to-X-ray data, including near-simultaneous ART-XC and Swift/XRT observations conducted in June 2023. During these follow-up observations, the source was found in a significantly fainter but still very luminous state ($L_{\rm X}=1.0^{+0.8}_{-0.3} \times 10^{45}$ erg s$^{-1}$, absorption corrected, 2--10 keV) compared to its discovery during the all-sky survey ($L_{\rm X}=6^{+6}_{-3}\times10^{45}$ erg s$^{-1}$), which indicates significant intrinsic variability on a rest-frame time scale of $\sim 1$ year. The radio data show a complex morphology with a core and two extended radio lobes, indicating a giant FRII radio galaxy. From multi-wavelength photometry and the black hole-bulge relation we infer a bolometric luminosity of $\sim 6\times10^{46}$ erg s$^{-1}$ and a black hole mass of $\sim1.4\times10^{9}\,M_\odot$, implying accretion at $\sim30$\% of the Eddington limit. SRGAJ230631.0+155633 proves to be one of the most luminous obscured quasars out to $z=0.5$. As such, it can serve as a valuable testbed for in-depth exploration of the physics of such objects, which were much more abundant in the younger Universe.

Short digest

SRGA J230631.0+155633 is a z=0.4389, type 2, radio‑loud quasar uncovered by SRG/ART‑XC (4–12 keV) and followed up near‑simultaneously with ART‑XC and Swift/XRT in June 2023, revealing heavy absorption with N_H ≈ 2×10^23 cm^-2. Its intrinsic 2–10 keV luminosity declined from (6^{+6}_{−3})×10^45 erg s^-1 during the 2020–2021 all‑sky scans to (1.0^{+0.8}_{−0.3})×10^45 erg s^-1 in 2023, indicating strong rest‑frame ~1 yr variability while remaining quasar‑luminous. Radio imaging shows a core plus two extended lobes consistent with a giant FR II radio galaxy. Multi‑wavelength constraints imply L_bol ~6×10^46 erg s^-1 and M_BH ~1.4×10^9 M_⊙ (λ_Edd ~0.3), making this one of the most luminous obscured quasars out to z ≈ 0.5 and a nearby laboratory for buried SMBH growth.

Key figures to inspect

• Figure 1: Check the ART‑XC survey vs pointed and Swift/XRT images to verify the association with SDSS J230630.38+155620.4, the 98% localization (23.2″ radius), the ~6.5″ offset between X‑ray and optical, and the source/background extraction regions used for spectroscopy.
• Figure 2: Inspect the joint ART‑XC+XRT spectrum and absorbed power‑law fit to see the heavy obscuration and continuum slope; use the data‑to‑model ratio to judge residual structure and the adequacy of a single absorbed power‑law across 0.3–20 keV.
• Figure 3: Study the 68/90/99% joint confidence contours for the key tbabs*ztbabs*cflux*zpowerlaw parameters to gauge degeneracies between obscuration and intrinsic continuum/flux and how tightly N_H is constrained.
• Figure 4: Examine the 1‑hour binned light curves in multiple energy bands to look for intra‑observation variability or hardness changes, complementing the year‑scale luminosity drop between the survey and June 2023 pointed data.