An XMM-Newton observation of Ton S180: constraints on the continuum emission in ultrasoft Seyfert galaxies

We present an XMM-Newton observation of the bright, narrow- line, ultrasoft type 1 Seyfert galaxy Ton S180. The 0.3-10 keV X-ray spectrum is steep and curved, showing a steep slope above 2.5 keV (Gamma similar to 2.3) and a smooth, featureless excess of emission at lower energies. The spectrum can be adequately parametrized using a simple double power-law model. The source is strongly variable over the course of the observation but shows only weak spectral variability, with the fractional variability amplitude remaining approximately constant over more than a decade in energy. The curved continuum shape and weak spectral variability are discussed in terms of various physical models for the soft X-ray excess emission, including reflection off the surface of an ionized accretion disc, inverse Compton scattering of soft disc photons by thermal electrons, and Comptonization by electrons with a hybrid thermal/non-thermal distribution. We emphasize the possibility that the strong soft excess may be produced by dissipation of accretion energy in the hot, upper atmosphere of the putative accretion disc