Related papers: Reflection spectra of thick accretion disks
X-ray observations suggest high compactness of coronae in active galactic nuclei as well as in X-ray binaries. The compactness of the source implies a strong radial dependence in the illumination of the accretion disc. This will, for any…
We study the spectral properties of a very general class of accretion disks which can be decomposed into three distinct components apart from a shock at $r=r_s$: (1) An optically thick Keplerian disk on the equatorial plane ($r>r_s$), (2) A…
Understanding the dynamics behind black hole state transitions and the changes they reflect in outbursts has become long-standing problem. The X-ray reflection spectrum describes the interaction between the hard X-ray source (the power-law…
We consider photon emission from a supercritical accretion disk in which photons in the inner regions are trapped and advected in towards the center. Such disks are believed to be present in failed supernovae and gamma-ray bursts, and…
(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…
Multiple reflection of X-rays may be important when an accretion disc and its hot corona have a complicated geometry, or if returning radiation due to gravitational light bending is important, or in emission from a funnel such as proposed…
Spectral lines from a source orbiting around a compact object are studied. Time variations of observed frequency and count rate due to motion of the source and gravitational lensing are considered. Gravitational field of the central object…
Numerical general relativistic radiative magnetohydrodynamic simulations of accretion disks around a stellar mass black hole with a luminosity above 0.5 of the Eddington value reveal their stratified, elevated vertical structure. We refer…
We discuss the observational consequences of black hole spin in X-ray binaries within the framework of the standard thin accretion disk model. When compared to theoretical flux distribution from the surface of a thin disk surrounding a Kerr…
The structure of the inner edge of the accretion disk around a black hole can be altered, if the matter inside the marginally stable orbit is magnetically connected to the disk. In this case, a non-zero torque is exerted on its inner edge,…
In the absence of direct kinematic measurements, the mass of an accreting black hole is sometimes inferred from the X-ray spectral parameters of its accretion disk; specifically, from the temperature and normalization of a disk-blackbody…
In this thesis a computational tool for modelling spectral features of X-ray sources in a strong gravitational field is developed. Six transfer functions, the gravitational and Doppler shift, lensing, emission angle, relative time delay,…
We have simultaneously fit Chandra and RXTE spectra of the Galactic black hole XTE J1118+480 with three models for X-ray reflection. We explored a range of accretion disc ionizations (log(xi)=1-4; xi=L_X/nR^{2}) and iron abundances…
We have studied the properties of thin accretion disks around swirling-Kerr black holes, which own an extra swirling parameter describing the rotation of the immersed universe. Our results show that the swirling parameter leaves distinct…
A standard disk around an accreting black hole may become effectively optically-thin and scattering dominated in the inner region, for high accretion rates (as already predicted by the Shakura-Sunyaev model). Radiative emission from that…
Models of black hole accretion disks are reviewed, with an emphasis on the theory of hard X-ray production. The following models are considered: i) standard, ii) super-critical, iii) two-temperature, and iv) disk+corona. New developments…
It is generally thought that the light coming from the inner plunging region of black hole accretion discs contributes negligibly to the disc's overall spectrum, i.e. the plunging fluid is swallowed by the black hole before it has time to…
We calculate the response of a line emitted from a relativistic accretion disk to a continuum variation of the central illuminating source. This model might be relevant to the very broad and sometimes redshifted emission lines which have…
The only relativistic reflection model that implements a parameter relating the intensity incident on an accretion disk to the observed intensity is relxill. The parameter used in earlier versions of this model, referred to as the…
We discuss the effects of strong gravity on the polarization properties of a black hole accretion disc. The intrinsic polarization is computed taking into account light scattered on the disc surface and using different approximations. The…