Fe–K LINE TIME VARIABILITY AND Ni ABUNDANCE OF DISTANT REFLECTORS IN SEYFERT GALAXIES

We have performed systematic studies of narrow Fe–K line (6.4 keV) flux variability and Ni–K line intensity for Seyfert galaxies, using Suzaku and XMM-Newton archival data. Significant Fe–K line variability of several tens of percent was detected for a pair of observations separated by 1000–2000 days (Cen A, IC 4329 A, NGC 3516, and NGC 4151) and 158 days (NGC 3516). These timescales are larger by a factor of 10–100 than the inner radius of the torus, consistent with the view that X-ray reflection by a torus is a main origin for a narrow Fe–K line. The Ni–K line was detected with a >2σ level for the Circinus galaxy, Cen A, MRK 3, NGC 4388, and NGC 4151. A mean and variance of the Ni–Kα to Fe–Kα line intensity ratios are 0.066 and 0.026, respectively. Comparing this with the Monte-Carlo simulation of reflection, the Ni to Fe abundance ratio is 1.9 ± 0.8 solar. We discuss the results and the possibility of Ni abundance enhancement.