Related papers: Modeling X-ray reflection spectra from returning r…
There are many simplifications in current relativistic reflection models and this introduces systematic uncertainties in the measurement of the properties of the source. In this paper, we study the impact of the radiation crossing the…
We present a comprehensive spectro-polarimetric study of persistent Black hole X-ray binary 4U $1957\!+\!115$ with {\it IXPE} and {\it NICER} observations. The source is observed in disk dominated thermal state with disk temperature,…
X-ray reflection signatures are observed around multiple classes of accreting compact objects. Modelling these features yield important constraints on the physics of accretion disks, motivating the development of X-ray reflection models…
Although thermal disk emission is suppressed or absent in the hard state of X-ray binaries, the presence of a cold, thin disk can be inferred from signatures of reprocessing in the ~2-50 keV band. The strength of this signature is dependent…
We present spectroscopic X-ray data of two candidate ultra-compact X-ray binaries: 4U~0614+091 and 4U~1543$-$624. We confirm the presence of a broad O VIII Ly$\alpha$ reflection line (at $\approx18\ \AA$) using {\it XMM-Newton} and {\it…
[Abridged] Context. The high-energy radiation from black-hole binaries may be due to the reprocessing of a lamp located on the black hole axis, emitting X-rays. The observed spectrum is made of 3 components: the direct spectrum; the thermal…
We model the reflected spectrum expected from localized magnetic flares above an ionised accretion disk. We concentrate on the case of very luminous magnetic flares above a standard accretion disk extending down to the last stable orbit,…
Light bending due to strong gravity has recently been invoked to explain variability and flux correlations between different bands in some accreting black holes. A characteristic feature of light bending is reflection-dominated spectra,…
Signatures of X-ray reprocessing (reflection) out of an accretion disk are commonly observed in the high-energy spectrum of accreting black holes, and can be used to probe the strong gravity region around these objects. In this paper, we…
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 analyse all available observations of GX 339--4 by XMM-Newton in the hard spectral state. We jointly fit the spectral data by Comptonization and the currently best reflection code, relxill. We consider in detail a contribution from a…
We present 3-79 keV NuSTAR observations of the neutron star low-mass X-ray binary 4U 1636-53 in the soft, transitional and hard state. The spectra display a broad emission line at 5-10 keV. We applied several models to fit this line: A…
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…
The degree to which the thin accretion disks of black hole X-ray binaries are truncated during hard spectral states remains a contentious open question in black hole astrophysics. During its singular observed outburst in…
Relativistic reflection features in the X-ray spectra of black hole binaries and AGNs originate from illumination of the inner part of the accretion disk by a hot corona. In the presence of high quality data and with the correct…
We present a new and complete library of synthetic spectra for modeling the component of emission that is reflected from an illuminated accretion disk. The spectra were computed using an updated version of our code XILLVER that incorporates…
X-rays are emitted from the corona above the orbiting matter of the accretion disk and travel either directly to us or illuminate the disk. This illumination of the inner disk is enhanced by gravitational light bending, which focuses the…
We use a ray-tracing technique to compute the observed spectrum of a thin accretion disk around a Kerr black hole. We include all relativistic effects such as frame-dragging, Doppler boost, gravitational redshift, and bending of light by…
We present the broadband spectral analysis of all the six hard, intermediate and soft state NuSTAR observations of the recently discovered transient black hole X-ray binary MAXI J1348-630 during its first outburst in 2019. We first model…
The hard X-rays in Cyg X-1 and similar black hole sources are possibly produced in an active corona atop an accretion disk. We suggest that the observed weakness of X-ray reflection from the disk is due to bulk motion of the emitting hot…