Abstract for Proposal 096412

X-ray spectropolarimetry of X-ray bright AGNs with XMM, NuSTAR and IXPE

X-ray spectropolarimetry has enabled a significant advancement in our understanding of the hot corona in radio-quiet AGN. Polarimetric measurements with IXPE allow us, for the first time, to directly constrain the geometrical shape of the hot corona, hence its physical origin. However, detailed spectral information with XMM is crucial to measure absorption and to disentangle the contribution of the hot corona and other spectral components (such as reflection). We present a list of X-ray bright, radio-quiet AGNs that have been proposed in the second IXPE General Observing Cycle, starting in February 2025. Should they be observed by IXPE, we request simultaneous observations with XMM and NusTAR.



Details on Observing Strategy and Trigger Criteria
We propose a list of nine radio-quiet AGN that the IXPE Consortium has proposed as IXPE targets in the second General Observing Cycle. We propose to observe with XMM any source that will be observed by IXPE. We expect that IXPE will observe one to two of such sources during Cycle 2. The sources are X-ray bright Seyfert galaxies and have already been observed by XMM. However, given their variability, we require a simultaneous observation with IXPE. The success of this strategy is well demonstrated by similar spectro-polarimetric observations of radio-quiet AGN.