Suzaku observations of a hard excess in 1H 0419-577: Detection of a Compton-thick partial-covering absorber

We present results from a 200 ks Suzaku observation of 1H 0419 – 577 taken during 2007 July. The source shows a strong excess of counts above 10 keV compared to the extrapolation of models based on previous data in the 0.5-10 keV band. The "hard excess" in 1H 0419 – 577 can be explained by the presence of a Compton-thick partial-covering absorber that covers ~70% of the source. The Compton-thick gas likely originates from a radius inside of the optical broad-line region and may form part of a clumpy disk wind. The fluorescent Fe Kα luminosity measured by Suzaku is consistent with that expected from an equatorial disk wind.