A key question in studies of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) is the nature of the accretion flow around the supermassive black hole, which is still poorly understood. NGC 4051 offers a rare opportunity to observe this process around a low-mass AGN, which is also one of the brightest of its class. Its unique combination of variability, lower black hole mass, and accessibility to monitoring makes it an ideal laboratory for testing models of the innermost structure of AGN. A critical open question is the role of X-rays in irradiating the accretion disk, and how this effects the total energy observed in the system. For this purpose, NuSTAR's broad energy coverage and sensitivity are ideal for obtaining a high-quality X-ray spectrum. The NuSTAR observation performed last week completes the measurement of the broadband spectral energy distribution for NGC 4051 and is a key component to the 3-month multi-wavelength monitoring campaign of this interesting source that is currently underway.
 
Author: Marcin Marculewicz (Postdoctoral Fellow, Wayne State University)