Observation of NGC 6300 : a new bright Compton reflection Dominated Seyfert 2 Galaxy

Scanning and pointed RXTE observations of the nearby Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 6300 reveal that it is a source of hard X-ray continuum and large equivalent width Fe Kα emission. These properties are characteristic of Compton-reflection dominated Seyfert 2 galaxies. The continuum can be modeled as Compton-reflection; subsolar iron abundance is required and a high inclination preferred. However, the poor energy resolution of RXTE means that this description is not unique, and the continuum can also be modeled using a “dual absorber”, i.e. a sum of absorbed power laws. Observations with higher energy resolution detectors will cleanly discriminate between these two models. Optical observations support the Compton-reflection dominated interpretation as LX/L[OIII] is low. NGC 6300 is notable because with F2−10 ≈ 6.4× 10 −12 ergs cm−2 s−1, it is the second brightest such object known. Subject headings: galaxies: active — galaxies: Seyfert — galaxies: individual (NGC 6300, NGC 6393) — X-rays: galaxies