Related papers: Strong gravity and X-ray spectroscopy
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…
The hard X-ray emission observed in accreting compact sources is believed to be produced by inverse Compton scattering of soft photons arising from the accretion disc by energetic electrons thermally distributed above the disc, the…
X-ray reflection spectroscopy is potentially a powerful tool to probe the spacetime geometry around astrophysical black holes and test general relativity in the strong field regime. However, precision tests of general relativity are only…
Black holes are the most compact objects in the universe. Therefore, matter accreting onto is likely to radiate photons of energy comparable to very high gravitational potential energy. We discuss the nature of the emitted radiation in…
Currently available information on fast variability of the X-ray emission from accreting collapsed objects constitutes a complex phenomenology which is difficult to interpret. We review the current observational standpoint for black-hole…
We present the results of both analytical and numerical calculations of the amplitude of the reflection component in X-ray spectra of galactic black hole systems. We take into account the anisotropy of Compton scattering and the systematic…
The fluorescent iron K$\alpha$ emission line profile provides an excellent probe of the innermost regions of active galactic nuclei. Fe XXV and Fe XXVI in diffuse plasma above the accretion disc can affect the X-ray spectrum by iron…
We present angle-dependent, broad-band intensity spectra from accretion disks around black holes of 10 M$_\odot$. In our computations disks are assumed to be slim, which means that the radial advection is taken into account while computing…
We study light curves and spectra (equivalent widths of the iron line and some other spectral characteristics) which arise by reprocessing on the surface of an accretion disc, following its illumination by a primary off-axis source - an…
We present modeling results for the reprocessed radiation expected from magnetic flares above AGN accretion disks. Relativistic corrections for the orbital motion of the flare and for the curved space-time in the vicinity of the black hole…
X-ray spectroscopy offers an opportunity to study the complex mixture of emitting and absorbing components in the circumnuclear regions of active galactic nuclei, and to learn about the accretion process that fuels AGN and the feedback of…
The innermost regions of accretion disks around black holes are strongly irradiated by X-rays that are emitted from a highly variable, compact corona, in the immediate vicinity of the black hole. The X-rays that are seen reflected from the…
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…
Accretion around black holes is very often characterized by distinctive X-ray reflection features (mostly, iron inner-shell transitions), which arise due to the primary radiation being reprocessed by a dense and relatively colder medium,…
Relativistic emission lines generated by thin accretion disks around rotating black holes are an important diagnostic tool for testing gravity near the horizon. The iron K-line is of special importance for the interpretation of the X-ray…
We investigate general relativistic effects on the photon spectrum emitted from decaying (or annihilating) particle dark matter in the halo surrounding a primordial black hole. The spectrum undergoes significant modification due to…
The reflection of X-rays at the inner accretion disk around black holes imprints relativistically broadened features in the observed spectrum. Aside from the black hole properties and the ionization and density of the accretion disk, these…
Binary black holes emit gravitational waves as they inspiral towards coalescence. Searches for electromagnetic counterparts to these gravitational waves rely on looking for common sources producing both signals. In this paper, we take a…
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…
We study polarization from scattering of light on a cloud in radial motion along the symmetry axis of an accretion disk. Radiation drag from the disk and gravitational attraction of the central black hole are taken into account, as well as…