Related papers: Testing models of X-ray reflection from irradiated…
The nature of ultraluminous X-ray sources in nearby galaxies is one of the major open questions in modern X-ray astrophysics. One possible explanation for these objects is an inhomogeneous, radiation dominated accretion disk around a $\sim…
X-ray reflection spectroscopy is a powerful tool to probe the strong gravity region around black holes, but the available relativistic reflection models have a number of simplifications that lead to systematic uncertainties (not fully under…
We discuss a model of an X-ray illuminating source above an accretion disk of a rotating black hole. Within the so called lamp-post scheme we compute the expected (observed) polarization properties of the radiation reaching an observer. We…
We study a truncated accretion disk using a well-resolved, semi-global magnetohydrodynamic simulation that is evolved for many dynamical times (6096 inner disk orbits). The spectral properties of hard state black hole binary systems and…
Rapid progress in multi-wavelength observations of Seyfert Galaxies in recent years is providing evidence that X-ray emission in these objects may be produced by magnetic flares occurring above a cold accretion disk. Here we attempt to…
The reflection of X-ray radiation produced near a compact object from its stellar companion contributes to the orbital variability of polarization in X-ray binaries. The X-rays are reflected mainly via Thomson scattering resulting in a high…
We report on a new general relativistic computational model enhancing, in various respects, the capability of presently available tools for fitting spectra of X-ray sources. The new model is intended for spectral analysis of black-hole…
Self-consistent vertical structure models together with non-LTE radiative transfer should produce spectra from accretion disks around black holes which differ from multitemperature blackbodies at levels which may be observed. High…
Motivated by recent work indicating that the UV continuum in AGN may be produced by reradiation of energy absorbed from X-rays irradiating an accretion disk, we present a calculation of the vertical structures and ultraviolet spectra of…
Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) are the most luminous persistent objects in the universe. An excess of X-ray emission below about 2 keV, called soft-excess, is very common in Type 1 AGN spectra. The origin of this feature remains debated.…
The past 10 years have seen remarkable progress in our capability of analyzing reflection features in the X-ray spectra of accreting black holes. Today X-ray reflection spectroscopy is a mature technique and a powerful tool for studying the…
Some effects of irradiation on time-dependent accretion-disk models for black hole X-ray novae are presented. Two types of irradiation are considered: direct irradiation from the inner hot disk and indirect irradiation as might be reflected…
We present a large sample of type 1 active galactic nuclei (AGN) spectra taken with XMM-Newton, and fit them with both the conventional model (a power law and black body) and the relativistically-blurred photoionized disc reflection model…
Very steep reflection emissivity profiles in the inner part of accretion disks are commonly found in the analysis of X-ray observations of black hole binaries and AGN, but there is some debate about their exact origin. While steep…
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,…
We confirm that the spectra are best fit by a model containing two Compton reflection components, one from distant material, and the other displaying relativistic broadening, most likely from the inner accretion disk. The degree of…
A large fraction of accreting black hole and neutron stars systems present clear evidence of the reprocessing of X-rays in the atmosphere of an optically-thick accretion disk. The main hallmarks of X-ray reflection include fluorescent…
Recent X-ray polarimetric data on the prototypical black hole X-ray binary Cyg~X-1 from the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer present tight constraints on accretion geometry in the hard spectral state. Contrary to general expectations of a…
The response of advection-dominated accretion disks to local disturbances is examined by one-dimensional numerical simulations. It is generally believed that advection-dominated disks are thermally stable. We, however, find that any…
Simulations of black hole accretion have shown that magnetic stresses are present near and inside the innermost stable circular orbit (ISCO). This finding suggests that such flows may be more luminous than predicted by the standard…