Related papers: Iron K Line Diagnostics in Active Galactic Nuclei
The broad iron K$\alpha$ emission line, commonly seen in the X-ray spectrum of Seyfert nuclei, is thought to originate when the inner accretion disk is illuminated by an active disk-corona. We show that relative motion between the disk and…
This paper discusses the properties of scattering--dominated active galactic nuclei (AGN). We define these to be AGN for which the direct line-of-sight to the continuum source is obscured by Compton-thick material. The aim is to construct,…
The analysis of the Chandra X-ray observations of the gravitationally lensed quasar RX J1131-1231 revealed the detection of multiple and energy-variable spectral peaks. The spectral variability is thought to result from the microlensing of…
One of the most important parameters in the XRB (X-ray background) synthesis models is the average efficiency of accretion onto SMBH (super-massive black holes). This can be inferred from the shape of broad relativistic Fe lines seen in…
We consider the spectra of Thomson-thick, geometrically-thin accretion discs around Galactic black hole candidates in the reflection model and compute their iron K edges and iron K$\alpha$ lines. We compare the smeared iron K edge profiles…
In most accreting black-hole systems the copious X-rays commonly observed from the inner-most regions are accompanied by a reflection spectrum. The latter is the signature of energetic photons reprocessed by the optically thick material of…
Observations of fluorescent iron lines from accreting black holes provide one of the best tests of strong field gravity available to date, and the only current observational tool to probe black hole spacetime. However, the two most widely…
We find that variability of the iron K-alpha line is common in Seyfert 1 galaxies. Using data from the ASCA archive for objects that have been observed more than once during the mission, we study the time-averaged spectra from individual…
A typical galaxy is thought to contain tens of millions of stellar-mass black holes, the collapsed remnants of once massive stars, and a single nuclear supermassive black hole. Both classes of black holes accrete gas from their…
We present a detailed analysis of the iron K$\alpha$ line variabilities in NGC 4151 by using long ASCA observation data obtained in May 1995. Despite the relatively small amplitude variations in the continuum flux, the iron K$\alpha$ line…
We have used XMM-Newton to observe six Lyman Break Analogs (LBAs): members of the rare population of local galaxies that have properties that are very similar to distant Lyman Break Galaxies. Our six targets were specifically selected…
The detection of gravitationally redshifted optical emission lines has been reported just for a few active galaxies. In this paper we give a short overview of studies that analyzed or exploited the detection of the gravitational redshift in…
We present the results of an ASCA observation of the LINER NGC 4579. A point-like X-ray source is detected at the nucleus with a 2-10 keV luminosity of 1.5x10^41 ergs/s assuming a distance of 16.8 Mpc. The X-ray spectrum is represented by a…
We report on the results of detailed X-ray spectroscopy of the Fe K region in the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 3783 from five ~170 ks observations with the Chandra high energy gratings. Monitoring was conducted over an interval of ~125 days in…
Quasars accreting matter at very high rates (known as extreme Population A [xA] quasars, possibly associated with super-Eddington accreting massive black holes) may provide a new class of distance indicators covering cosmic epochs from…
Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) are axisymmetric systems to first order; their observed properties are likely strong functions of inclination with respect to our line of sight, yet the specific inclinations of all but a few AGN are generally…
In the past decade, we have seen an unprecedented progress in our ability of testing general relativity in the strong field regime with black hole observations. Most studies have focused on the so-called tests of the Kerr hypothesis: they…
In spite of increasing evidences of the presence of a massive Black Hole at the Galactic Center, its radio counterpart, Sgr A*, shows little activity at high energies, and recent models involving energy advection (ADAF) have been proposed…
Accretion disks around stellar-mass black holes offer unique opportunities to study the fundamental physics of standard thin disks, super-Eddington disks, and structure that may be connected to flux variability. These local analogues of…
The broad-line radio galaxy 3C120 is a powerful source of both X-ray and radio emission including superluminal jet outflows. We report on our reanalysis of 160 ks of Suzaku data taken in 2006, previously examined by Kataoka et al. (2007).…