Related papers: Relativistic Reflection: Review and Recent Develop…
We present 3-50 keV NuSTAR observations of the AGN Mrk 335 in a very low flux state. The spectrum is dominated by very strong features at the energies of the iron line at 5-7 keV and Compton hump from 10-30 keV. The source is variable…
We present new reflection models specifically tailored to model the X-ray radiation reprocessed in accretion disks around neutron stars, in which the primary continuum is characterized by a single temperature blackbody spectrum, emitted…
Reflectometry is a technique that uses the light reflected by a sample to determine properties of the sample. Interferometric reflectometry uses interference between two beams, one of which is incident on ---and reflected back by--- a…
We study light curves and spectra (equivalent widths of the iron line and some other spectral characteristics) which arise by reflection on the surface of an accretion disc, following its illumination by a primary off-axis source - an X-ray…
We studied the relativistic images caused by strong gravitational lensing in Kerr black hole images, which carry some essential signatures about the black hole space-time. We defined a new celestial coordinates whose origin is the center of…
The properties of the relativistic rings which show up in images of a source when a black hole lies between the source and observer are examined. The impact parameters are calculated, along with the distances of closest approach of the rays…
We develop a relativistic treatment of interference between light reflected from a falling cube retroreflector in the vertical arm of an interferometer, and light in a reference beam in the horizontal arm. Coordinates that are nearly…
Motivated by recent achievements of a full general relativistic method in estimating the mass-to-distance ratio of supermassive black holes hosted at the core of active galactic nuclei, we introduce the new concept redshift rapidity in…
For an accretion disk around a black hole, the strong relativistic effects affect every aspect of the radiation from the disk, including its spectrum, light-curve, and image. This work investigates in detail how the images of a thin disk…
The mechanisms of the volume reflection of positively and negatively charged relativistic particles in a bent crystal have been analyzed. It has been shown that the empty core effect is significant for the negatively charged particles. The…
The spin of a black hole retains the memory of how the black hole grew, and can be a potent source of energy for powering relativistic jets. To understand the diagnostic power and astrophysical significance of black hole spin, however, we…
Astrophysical black hole candidates are thought to be the Kerr black holes of general relativity. However, macroscopic deviations from the Kerr background are predicted by a number of scenarios beyond Einstein's gravity. X-ray reflection…
In this review article I attempt to summarise past and present-ongoing-work on the problem of the inspiral of a small body in the gravitational field of a much more massive Kerr black hole. Such extreme mass ratio systems, expected to occur…
We present results from a deep, coordinated $XMM$-$Newton$ + $NuSTAR$ observation of the type 1 Seyfert PG 1426+015, a source of particular interest as the most massive reverberation-mapped black hole to date ($\log [M_{\rm{BH}}/M_{\odot}]$…
Spectral features can arise by reflection of coronal X-rays on a black hole accretion disc. The resulting profile bears various imprints of strong gravitational field acting on the light emitting gas. The observed shape of the reflection…
Compact objects with a light sphere such as black holes and wormholes can reflect light rays like a mirror. This gravitational lensing phenomenon is called retrolensing and it is an interesting tool to survey dark and compact objects with a…
Black holes are capable of reflection: there is a finite probability for any particle that approaches the event horizon to bounce back. The albedo of the black hole depends on its temperature and the energy of the incoming particle. The…
In this paper we present RELXILLDGRAD_NK, a relativistic reflection model in which the electron density of the accretion disk is allowed to have a radial power-law profile. The ionization parameter has also a non-constant radial profile and…
We describe and present the first observational evidence that light propagating near a rotating black hole is twisted in phase and carries orbital angular momentum. The novel use of this physical observable as an additional tool for the…
Most of the X-ray emission from luminous accreting black holes emerges from within 20 gravitational radii. The effective emission radius is several times smaller if the black hole is rapidly spinning. General Relativistic effects can then…