Related papers: Old models for Cygnus X-1 and AGN

We analyze the simultaneous ASCA/RXTE observation of Cyg X-1 in the soft state on 1996 May 30. We apply a multi-color disk model with a torque-free boundary condition in the pseudo-Newtonian potential, and point out the main discrepancies…

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 execute a detailed spectral-timing study of Cygnus X-1 in the low/hard, intermediate and high/soft states with the Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope observations. The broad band energy spectra fit well with the "truncated disk model" with…

The observations and theory of the exciting new class of galactic black hole X-ray transients is reviewed. Seven of these systems have measured mass functions or mass estimates in excess of stable neutron stars, making them excellent black…

We fit X-ray reverberation models to Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer data from the X-ray binary Cygnus X-1 in its hard state to yield estimates for the black hole mass and the distance to the system. The rapid variability observed in the X-ray…

Ultraluminous X-ray sources fed by Wolf-Rayet star winds and X-ray bursters in ultracompact binaries with He or C white dwarfs have accretion disks, whose properties may significantly differ from those of pure H alpha-accretion disks. We…

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…

Recent observations of two black hole candidates (GX 339-4 and J1753.5-0127) in the low-hard state (L_X/L_Edd ~ 0.003-0.05) suggest the presence of a cool accretion disk very close to the innermost stable orbit of the black hole. This runs…

We examined the fall-back disk models, and in general accretion, proposed to explain the properties of anomalous X-ray pulsars (AXPs), soft gamma repeaters (SGRs), and radio pulsars (PSRs). We checked the possibility of some gas remaining…

One of the most important problems in the study of active galaxies is understanding the detailed geometry, physics, and evolution of the central engines and their environments. The leading models involve an accretion disk and torus…

X-ray reflection spectra are an important component in the X-ray spectra of many active galactic nuclei and Galactic black hole candidates. It is likely that reflection takes place from highly ionized surfaces of the accretion disc in some…

We exhibit, by compiling all data sets we can acquire, that the Fourier frequency dependent hard X-ray lags, first observed in the analysis of aperiodic variability of the light curves of the black hole candidate Cygnus X-1, appear to be a…

Any cold, optically-thick matter in the vicinity of an accreting black hole, such as the accretion disk, can intercept and reprocess some fraction of the hard X-ray continuum emission, thereby imprinting atomic features into the observed…

Cygnus X-1 is one of the brightest X-ray sources observed and shows the X-ray intensity variations on time scales from milliseconds to months in both the soft and hard X-rays. The accretion onto the black hole is believed to be wind fed due…

We present a high density disc reflection spectral analysis of a sample of 17 Seyfert 1 galaxies to study the inner disc densities at different black hole mass scales and accretion rates. All the available XMM-Newton observations in the…

To investigate whether disk-mediated accretion is the primary mechanism in high-mass star formation, we have established a survey of a large sample of massive dense cores within a giant molecular cloud. We used high angular resolution…

The compact primary in the X-ray binary Cygnus X-1 was the first black hole to be established via dynamical observations. We have recently determined accurate values for its mass and distance, and for the orbital inclination angle of the…

The imminent launch of XRISM will usher in an era of high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy. For active galactic nuclei (AGN) this is an exciting epoch that is full of massive potential for uncovering the ins and outs of supermassive black hole…

Several physical and astrophysical problems related to accretion onto black holes and neutron stars are shortly reviewed. I discuss the observed differences between these two types of compact objects in quiescent Soft X-ray Transients. Then…

We study the link between the X-ray emission in radio-quiet AGNs and the accretion rate on the central Supermassive Black-Hole (SMBH) using a well-defined and statistically complete sample of 70 type1 AGNs extracted from the XMM-Newton…