Related papers: Old models for Cygnus X-1 and AGN
X-ray binaries are known to exhibit different spectral states which are often associated with different black hole accretion modes. The exact geometry and properties of these accretion modes is still uncertain. Recent IXPE measurements of…
The observations and interpretation of broad iron lines in the X-ray spectra of Seyfert 1 galaxies are reviewed. The line profiles observed from MCG--6-30-15 and NGC 3516 show extended red wings to the line explained by large gravitational…
The centers of elliptical galaxies host supermassive black holes that significantly affect the surrounding interstellar medium through feedback resulting from the accretion process. The evolution of this gas and of the nuclear emission…
The fluctuating accretion model of Lyubarskii (1997) and its extension by Kotov et al. (2001), seeks to explain the spectral-timing properties of the X-ray variability of accreting black holes in terms of inward-propagating mass accretion…
Accretion in black hole X-ray binaries is commonly believed to be supplied by the Roche lobe overflow or the stellar wind. The former is thought to form a geometrically thin disc while the diffuse wind could form a geometrically thick hot…
This is an introduction to accretion disk theory, with emphasis on aspects relevant for X-ray Binaries and Cataclysmic Variables. The text corrects some mistakes in an earlier version, which appeared in 'Lives of Neutron Stars', A. Alpar,…
We report results from simultaneous ASCA and RXTE observations of Cyg X-1 when the source made a rare transition from the hard (= low) state to the soft (= high) state in 1996. These observations together cover a broad energy range ~0.7--50…
Blurred reflection features are commonly observed in the X-ray spectra of accreting black holes. In the presence of high-quality data and with the correct astrophysical model, X-ray reflection spectroscopy is a powerful tool to probe the…
The phenomenology of accretion disc, coronnae and jets in X-ray binaries is rather well established. However the structure of the accretion flow in the various spectral states is still debated and the connection between the hot flow and…
We have observed with XMM-Newton four radiatively efficient active type 1 galaxies with black hole masses < 10^6 Msun, selected optically from the SDSS. We show here that their soft X-ray spectrum exhibits a soft excess with the same…
Accretion onto black holes is one of the most efficient energy source in the Universe. Black hole accretion powers some of the most luminous objects in the universe, including quasars, active galactic nuclei, tidal disruption events,…
The standard alpha-disc model predicts an anti-correlation between the density of the inner accretion disc and the black hole mass times square of the accretion rate, as seen in higher mass ($M_{\rm BH}>10^{6} M_{\odot}$) active galactic…
We review the spectral properties of the black hole candidate Cygnus X-1. Specifically, we discuss two recent sets of multi-satellite observations. One comprises a 0.5-500 keV spectrum, obtained with every flying X-ray satellite at that…
Recent advances in the X-ray and soft gamma-ray observations of accreting black holes and microquasars, in particular, are reviewed. The radiative processes responsible for the emission are discussed briefly. The hybrid thermal/nonthermal…
We study the accretion flow of a hot gas captured by the black hole gravity in the presence of a thin cold accretion disk. Such geometrical arrangement is expected in Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) and in galactic X-ray binary systems because…
Three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations, covering the spatial domain from hundreds of Schwarzschild radii to $2\ \mathrm{pc}$ around the central supermassive black hole of mass $10^8 M_\odot$, with detailed radiative cooling processes,…
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…
Our current understanding of the evolution of obscured accretion onto supermassive black holes is reviewed. We consider the literature results on the relation between the fraction of moderately obscured, Compton-thin AGN and redshift, and…
This is the third paper in a series describing the spectroscopic properties of a sample of 39 AGN at $z \sim 1.5$, selected to cover a large range in black hole mass ($M_{BH}$) and Eddington ratio ($L/L_{Edd}$). In this paper, we continue…
We study an accretion disc with a hot continuous corona. We assume that the corona itself accretes and therefore it is powered directly by the release of the gravitational energy and cooled by radiative interaction with the disc. We…