A Sharper View of the X-ray Spectrum of MCG–6-30-15 with XRISM, XMM-Newton and NuSTAR

L. W. Brenneman, D. R. Wilkins, A. Ogorzałek, D. Rogantini, A.C. Fabian, J. A. García, A. Juráňová, M. Mizumoto, H. Noda, E. Behar, R. Boissay-Malaquin, M. Guainazzi, T. Okajima, E. Hoffman, N. Keshet, J. Kaastra, E. Kara, M. Yamauchi, 2025, accepted for publication in ApJ

We present a time-averaged spectral analysis of the 2024 XRISM observation of the narrow-line Seyfert-1 galaxy MCG–6-30-15, taken contemporaneously with XMM-Newton and NuSTAR. Our analysis leverages a unique combination of broadband and high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy to definitively isolate and characterize both broad and narrow emission and absorption features in this source. The best-fitting model for the joint spectral analysis is very well described by reflection from the inner accretion disk illuminated by a compact corona, modified by multi-zone ionized absorption from an outflowing wind along the line of sight. The XRISM/Resolve data confirm that a strong, relativistically-broadened Fe Kα emission line is required in order to obtain an adequate model fit. The Resolve data additionally verify the presence of a vout∼2300 km/s component of this outflowing wind, find tentative evidence for a vout∼20,000 km/s wind component, and indicate that the reflection from distant, neutral material may originate in a non-uniform structure rather than the traditional torus of AGN unification schemes. Though a rapid prograde black hole spin is statistically preferred by the best-fitting model, consistent with previous results, the AGN flux variability over the course of the observation complicates the interpretation of the time-averaged spectra. This insight, clarified by the combination of high signal-to-noise and high spectral resolution in the joint dataset, emphasizes the importance of time-resolved, high-resolution spectral analysis in unambiguously measuring the physical properties of variable AGN.