Related papers: A search for X-ray reprocessing echoes in the powe…
We compute fully relativistic disc response functions in the case of the "lamp-post" geometry using the full observed reflection spectrum for various X-ray source heights, disc inclination, and spin values of the central black hole. Since…
X-ray reflection generates much of the spectral complexity in the X-ray spectra of AGN. It is argued that strong relativistic blurring of the reflection spectrum should commonly be expected from objects accreting at a high Eddington rate.…
Over the last few years X-ray observations of broad-line radio galaxies (BLRGs) by ASCA, RXTE and BeppoSAX have shown that these objects seem to exhibit weaker X-ray reflection features (such as the iron K\alpha line) than radio-quiet…
The X-ray spectra of active galactic nuclei (AGN) unveil properties of matter around the super massive black hole (SMBH). We investigate the X-ray spectra of AGN focusing on Compton reflection and fluorescence, important processes of…
Characteristic signatures that X-ray reverberation from an extended corona can manifest in the observed PSD of AGN are investigated. The presence of two X-ray blobs illuminating an accretion disc can cause the interference between two…
We present results of our Power Spectral Density (PSD) analysis of 30 AGN using the 58 month light curves from Swift's Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) in the 14-150 keV band. PSDs were fit using a Monte Carlo based algorithm to take into…
AGN, powered by accretion onto SMBHs, are thought to be scaled up versions of Galactic black hole X-ray binaries (BH-XRBs). In the past few years evidence of such correspondence include similarities in the broadband shape of the X-ray…
The illumination pattern (or emissivity profile) of the accretion disc due to the reflection of X-rays in AGN can be understood in terms of relativistic effects on the rays propagating from a source in a corona surrounding the central black…
The standard alpha-disc model predicts an anti-correlation between the density of the inner accretion disc and the black hole mass times square of the accretion rate, as seen in higher mass ($M_{\rm BH}>10^{6} M_{\odot}$) active galactic…
(abridged) The soft excess seen in the X-ray spectra of many high mass accretion rate AGN can be well modelled by reflection from a partially ionised accretion disc. However, the derived parameters are often extreme, both in terms of the…
We discuss the expected X-ray spectral and variability properties of black hole accretion discs at high luminosity, under the hypothesis that radiation pressure dominated discs are subject to violent clumping instabilities and, as a result,…
Current models of the spectrum of X-rays reflected from accretion disks around black holes and other compact objects are commonly calculated assuming that the density of the disk atmosphere is constant within several Thomson depths from the…
We present the first systematic physical modelling of the time-lag spectra between the soft (0.3-1 keV) and the hard (1.5-4 keV) X-ray energy bands, as a function of Fourier frequency, in a sample of 12 active galactic nuclei which have…
Understanding the nature of the accretion disk, its interplay with the X-ray corona, and assessing black hole spin demographics are some open challenges in astrophysics. In this work, we examine the predictions of the standard $\alpha$-disk…
We have calculated the relativistic reflection component of the X-ray spectra of accretion disks in active galactic nuclei (AGN). Our calculations have shown that the spectra can be significantly modified by the motion of the accretion flow…
Rebirth of X-ray polarimetric instruments will have a significant impact on our knowledge of compact accreting sources. The properties of inner-accreting regions of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) or X-ray binary systems (XRBs), such as…
We present here a detailed X-ray spectral analysis of the AGN belonging to the XMM-Newton bright survey (XBS) that comprises more than 300 AGN up to redshift ~ 2.4. We performed an X-ray analysis following two different approaches: by…
X-ray polarimetric missions planned for this decade will significantly enhance our knowledge of compact accreting sources. Observations of the X-ray polarization signal from active galactic nuclei (AGNs) or X-ray binary systems (XRBs) will…
The 2-10 keV continuum of AGN is well represented by a single power law, generally attributed to a hot comptonizing medium, such as a corona above the accretion disk. At smaller energies the continuum displays an excess with respect to the…
Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) are generally considered as the scaled-up counterparts of X-ray binaries (XRBs). It is known that the power spectral density (PSD) of the X-ray emission of XRBs shows significant evolution with spectral states.…