Related papers: Reflection spectra of thick accretion disks
We generalise the relativistic accretion thick disc model to the background of a spinning charged accelerating black hole described by the C-metric to study the effects of this background on the disc model. We show the properties of this…
We report results obtained from six XMM-Newton observations of the Seyfert galaxy 1H 0419-577. Here we show that the X-ray spectrum and variability are well described by a two-component model comprising a power law with constant spectral…
This Thesis describes the basic framework and applications of a relativistic ray-tracing code for analyzing accretion processes around Kerr black holes. We begin in Chapter 1 with a brief historical summary of the major advances in black…
Using three-dimensional general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations with electron and proton thermodynamics and an electron cooling function, we probe the inner radial and vertical structure of weakly magnetized geometrically thin…
Stellar-mass black holes in the low-hard state may hold clues to jet formation and basic accretion disk physics, but the nature of the accretion flow remains uncertain. A standard thin disk can extend close to the innermost stable circular…
To understand the origin of hard X-ray emissions from black hole X-ray binaries during their low/hard states, we calculate the X-ray spectra of black-hole accretion flow for the following three configurations of hot and cool media: (a) an…
We present an extension of the King et al. (2004) model for the flickering of black hole accretion discs by taking proper account for the thermal properties of the disc. First we develop a one-dimensional, vertically averaged, one-zone…
In this review, I summarize the main X-ray/hard X-ray properties of the accretion flows around black holes and neutron stars based on recent broad-band spectral and timing observations performed by the BeppoSAX and Rossi X-ray Timing…
The inner part of a thin accretion disk around a Kerr black hole can serve as an important tool to study the physics of the strong gravity regime. A tilt in such a disk with respect to the black hole spin axis is particularly useful for…
Single-frequency emission from an accretion disk around a black hole is broadened into a line profile due to gravitational redshift and the motion of the disk's particles relative to the observer. The ensemble of relativistically broadened…
We examine radiation and its effects on accretion disks orbiting astrophysical black holes. These disks are thermally radiating and can be geometrically and optically thin or thick. In this first paper of the series, we discuss the physics…
Using a Monte Carlo method, we derive spectra arising from Comptonization taking place close to a Kerr black hole. We consider a model consisting of a hot thermal corona Comptonizing seed photons emitted by a cold accretion disc. We find…
Accreting black holes show a complex and diverse behaviour in their soft spectral states. Although these spectra are dominated by a soft, thermal component which almost certainly arises from an accretion disc, there is also a hard X-ray…
The Stefan-Boltzmann law yields a fundamental constraint on the geometry of inner accretion disks in black-hole X-ray binaries. It follows from considering the irradiating flux and the effective temperature of the inner parts of the disk,…
Recent X-ray observations of microquasars and Seyfert galaxies reveal broad emission lines in their spectra, which can arise in the innermost parts of accretion disks. Simulations indicate that at low inclination angle the line is measured…
The relativistically broad X-ray iron line seen in many AGN spectra is thought to originate from the central regions of the putative black hole accretion disk. Both the line profile and strength will vary in response to rapid variability of…
Electromagnetic observations have been used over the past decades to understand the nature of black holes and the material around them. Our ability to learn about the fundamental physics relies on our understanding of two key ingredients in…
We compute the X-ray spectra produced by non-static coronae atop accretion discs around black holes and neutron stars. The hot corona is radiatively coupled to the underlying disc (the reflector) and generates an X-ray spectrum which is…
Broad X-ray emission lines from neutral and partially ionized iron observed in active galaxies have been interpreted as fluorescence produced by the reflection of hard X-rays off the inner edge of an accretion disk. In this model, line…
Transient spectral features have been discovered in the X-ray spectra of Active Galactic Nuclei, mostly in the 5--7 keV energy range. Several interpretations were proposed for the origin of these features. We examined a model of Doppler…