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Register a new userCan the relativistic light bending model explain X-ray spectral variations of Seyfert galaxies?
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Many Seyfert galaxies are known to exhibit Fe-K broad emission line features in their X-ray energy spectra. The observed lines have three distinct features; (1) the line profiles are skewed and show significant low-energy tails, (2) the Fe-K band have low variability, which produces a broad and deep dip in the root-mean-square (rms) spectra, and (3) photons in this band have time lags behind those in the adjacent energy bands with amplitudes of several $R_g/c$, where $R_g$ is the gravitational radius. The relativistic light bending model is proposed to explain these observed features, where a compact X-ray source (lamp post) above an extreme Kerr black hole illuminates the innermost area of the accretion disc. In this paper, we critically examine the relativistic light bending model by computing the rms spectra and the lag features using a ray-tracing technique, when a lamp post moves vertically on the black hole spin axis. As a result, we found that the observed deep rms dip requires that the iron is extremely overabundant ($gtrsim10$ solar), whereas the observed lag amplitude is consistent with the normal iron abundance. Furthermore, disappearance of the lag in the high-flux state requires a source height as high as $sim40,R_g$, which contradicts the relativistically broad emission line feature. Our simulations agree with the data that the reverberation feature moves to lower frequencies with larger source height, however, if this scenario is correct, the simulations predict detection of a clear Fe-K lag at low frequencies, which is not constrained in the data. Therefore, we conclude that the relativistic light bending model may not explain the characteristic Fe-K spectral variations in Seyfert galaxies.
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Aims: The unification scheme of Seyfert galaxies predicts that the observed differences between type 1 and type 2 Seyfert galaxies are solely due to the differing orientations of the toroidal-shaped obscuring material around AGN. The observed X-ray spectra of Seyfert type 2s compared to type 1s are expected to be affected by higher absorbing column density due to the edge-on view of the obscuring torus. We study the 0.5 - 10 keV X-ray spectral properties of Seyfert type 1s and type 2s with the aim to test the predictions of Seyfert unification scheme in the X-ray regime. Methods: We use an optically selected Seyfert sample in which type 1s and type 2s have matched distributions in the orientation independent parameters of AGN and host galaxy. Results: The 0.5 - 10 keV XMM-Newton pn X-ray spectra of Seyfert galaxies are in general best fitted with a model consists of an absorbed power-law, a narrow Gaussian fitted to the Fe K{alpha} emission line and an often seen soft excess component characterized by either a thermal plasma model with temperature kT sim 0.1 - 1.0 keV and/or a steep power-law. The 2.0 - 10 keV hard X-ray continuum emission in several Seyfert type 2s is reflection dominated and suggests the Compton-thick obscuration. Results on the statistical comparison of the distributions of the observed X-ray luminosities in the soft (0.5 - 2.0 keV) and hard (2.0 - 10.0 keV) bands, the X-ray absorbing column densities, the equivalent widths of Fe K{alpha} line and the flux ratios of hard X-ray to [OIII] {lambda}5007{AA} for the two Seyfert subtypes are consistent with the obscuration and orientation based unification scheme.
We analyze the X-ray, optical, and mid-infrared data of a changing-look Seyfert galaxy sdssj15 at $zsimeq0.086$. Over a period of one decade (2009 - 2018), its broad H$alpha$ line intensity increased by a factor of $sim$4. Meanwhile, the X-ray emission in 2014 as observed by chandra was about five times brighter than that in 2010 by {it Suzaku}, and the corresponding emissions in V-band, mid-infrared W1 band brighten by $sim$ 0.18, 0.32 mag, respectively. Moreover, the absorption in X-rays is moderate and stable, i.e. ${rm N_{H}}sim 10^{21} {rm cm^{-2}}$, but the X-ray spectrum becomes harder in the 2014 chandra bright state (i.e. photon index $Gamma = 1.52^{+0.06}_{-0.06}$) than that of the 2010 suzaku low state ($Gamma=2.03^{+0.22}_{-0.21}$). With an Eddington ratio being lower than a few percent, the inner region of the accretion disk in sdssj15 is likely a hot accretion flow. We then compile from literature the X-ray data of changing-look AGNs, and find that they generally follow the well-established V-shaped correlation in AGNs, that is, above a critical turn-over luminosity the X-ray spectra soften with the increasing luminosity, and below that luminosity the trend is reversed in a way of harder when brighter. This presents a direct evidence that CL-AGNs have distinctive changes in not only the optical spectral type, but also the X-ray spectral shape. The similarity in the X-ray spectral evolution between CL-AGNs and black hole X-ray binaries indicates that the observed CL-AGNs phenomena may relate to the state transition in accretion physics.
Fluctuations of the surface brightness of cosmic X-ray background (CXB) carry unique information about faint and low luminosity source populations, which is inaccessible for conventional large-scale structure (LSS) studies based on resolved sources. We used Chandra data of the XBOOTES field ($sim9,mathrm{deg^2}$) to conduct the most accurate measurement to date of the power spectrum of fluctuations of the unresolved CXB on the angular scales of $sim3,$arcsec $-$ $sim17,$arcmin. We find that at sub-arcmin angular scales, the power spectrum is consistent with the AGN shot noise, without much need for any significant contribution from their one-halo term. This is consistent with the theoretical expectation that low-luminosity AGN reside alone in their dark matter halos. However, at larger angular scales we detect a significant LSS signal above the AGN shot noise. Its power spectrum, obtained after subtracting the AGN shot noise, follows a power law with the slope of $-0.8pm0.1$ and its amplitude is much larger than what can be plausibly explained by the two-halo term of AGN. We demonstrate that the detected LSS signal is produced by unresolved clusters and groups of galaxies. For the flux limit of the XBOOTES survey, their flux-weighted mean redshift equals $left<zright>sim0.3$, and the mean temperature of their intracluster medium (ICM), $left<Tright>approx 1.4$ keV, corresponds to the mass of $M_{500} sim 10^{13.5},mathrm{M}_odot$. The power spectrum of CXB fluctuations carries information about the redshift distribution of these objects and the spatial structure of their ICM on the linear scales of up to $sim$Mpc, i.e. of the order of the virial radius.
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 explore the dependencies on model parameters, employing Monte Carlo radiation transfer computations of the X-ray reflection on the accretion disk and taking general relativity effects into account. In particular, we discuss the role of the black hole spin, of the observer viewing angle, and of the primary X-ray source distance from the black hole. We give several examples of the resulting polarization degree for two types of exemplary objects - active galactic nuclei and Galactic black holes. In order to assess potential observability of the polarization features, we assume the sensitivity of the proposed New Hard X-ray Mission (NHXM). We examine the energy range from several keV to ~50 keV, so the iron-line complex and the Compton hump are included in our model spectra. We find the resultant polarization degree to increase at the higher end of the studied energy band, i.e. at >~20 keV. Thus, the best results for polarimetry of reflection spectra should be achieved at the Compton hump energy region. We also obtain higher polarization degree for large spin values of the black hole, small heights of the primary source, and low inclination angles of the observer.
It is arguably in the X-ray regime that Narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLS1s) exhibit the most extreme behaviour. Spectral complexity, rapid and large amplitude flux variations, and exceptional spectral variability are well known characteristics. However, NLS1s are not eccentric, but form a continuous sequence with typical Seyfert 1 galaxies. Understanding the extreme behaviour displayed by NLS1s will provide insight to the general AGN phenomenon. In this review, I will examine some of the important NLS1 X-ray discoveries over the past twenty years. I will then explore recent work that looks at the nature of the primary X-ray source (i.e. the corona) in NLS1s, demonstrating how the corona can be compact, dynamic, and in some cases consistent with collimated outflow. X-ray observations of NLS1s will be key in determining the nature of the corona, resolving the disc-jet connection, and determining the origin of the radio loud/quiet dichotomy in AGN.
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