The Intrinsically X-Ray Weak Quasar PHL 1811. I. X-Ray Observations and Spectral Energy Distribution

This is the first of two papers reporting observations and analysis of the unusually bright (m sub(b) = 14.4), luminous (M sub(B) = -25.5), nearby (z = 0.192) narrow-line quasar PHL 1811, focusing on the X-ray properties and the spectral energy distribution. Two Chandra observations reveal a weak X-ray source with a steep spectrum. Variability by a factor of 4 between the two observations separated by 12 days suggests that the X-rays are not scattered emission. The XMM-Newton spectra are modeled in the 0.3-5 keV band by a steep power law with Gamma = 2.3 plus or minus 0.1, and the upper limit on intrinsic absorption is 8.7 x 10 super(20) cm super(-2). The spectral slopes are consistent with power-law indices commonly observed in NLS1s, and it appears that we observe the central engine X-rays directly. Including two recent Swift ToO snapshots, a factor of similar to 5 variability was observed among the five X-ray observations reported here. In contrast, the UV photometry obtained by the XMM-Newton OM and Swift UVOT, and the HST spectrum reveal no significant UV variability. The alpha sub(ox) inferred from the Chandra and contemporaneous HST spectrum is -2.3 plus or minus 0.1, significantly steeper than observed from other quasars of the same optical luminosity. The steep, canonical X-ray spectra, lack of absorption, and significant X-ray variability lead us to conclude that PHL 1811 is intrinsically X-ray weak. We also discuss an accretion disk model and the host galaxy of PHL 1811.