The lamppost model is often used to describe the X-ray source geometry in AGN, where an infinitesimal point source is located on the black hole spin axis. This is especially invoked for Narrow Line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) galaxies, where an extremely broad
iron line seen in episodes of low X-ray flux can both be explained by extremely strong relativistic effects as the source approaches the black hole horizon. The most extreme spectrum seen from the NLS1 1H0707-495 requires that the source is less than 1Rg above the event horizon in this geometry. However, the source must also be large enough to intercept sufficient seed photons from the disk to make the hard X-ray Compton continuum which produces the observed iron line/reflected spectrum. We use a fully relativistic ray tracing code to show that this implies that the source must be substantially larger than 1Rg in 1H0707-495 if the disk is the source of seed photons. Hence the source cannot fit as close as 1Rg to the horizon, so the observed spectrum and variability are not formed purely by effects of strong gravity but probably also by changes in corona and inner accretion flow geometry.
We perform a spectral analysis of a sample of 11 medium redshift (1.5 < z < 2.2) quasars. Our sample all have optical spectra from the SDSS, infrared spectra from GNIRS and TSPEC, and X-ray spectra from XMM-Newton. We first analyse the Balmer broad e
mission line profiles which are shifted into the IR spectra to constrain black hole masses. Then we fit an energy-conserving, three component accretion model of the broadband spectral energy distribution (SED) to our multi-wavelength data. Five out of the 11 quasars show evidence of an SED peak, allowing us to constrain their bolometric luminosity from these models and estimate their mass accretion rates. Based on our limited sample, we suggest that estimating bolometric luminosities from L_5100A and L_2-10keV may be unreliable, as has been also noted for a low-redshift, X-ray selected AGN sample.
Ultra-fast outflows (UFOs) are seen in many AGN, giving a possible mode for AGN feedback onto the host galaxy. However, the mechanism(s) for the launch and acceleration of these outflows are currently unknown, with UV line driving apparently strongly
disfavoured as the material along the line of sight is so highly ionised that it has no UV transitions. We revisit this issue using the Suzaku X-ray data from PDS 456, an AGN with the most powerful UFO seen in the local Universe. We explore conditions in the wind by developing a new 3-D Monte-Carlo code for radiation transport. The code only handles highly ionised ions, but the data show the ionisation state of the wind is high enough that this is appropriate, and this restriction makes it fast enough to explore parameter space. We reproduce the results of earlier work, confirming that the mass loss rate in the wind is around 30% of the inferred inflow rate through the outer disc. We show for the first time that UV line driving is likely to be a major contribution to the wind acceleration. The mass loss rate in the wind matches that predicted from a purely line driven system, and this UV absorption can take place out of the line of sight. Continuum driving should also play a role as the source is close to Eddington. This predicts that the most extreme outflows will be produced from the highest mass accretion rate flows onto high mass black holes, as observed.
Black holes depend only on mass and spin, while what we see from the accretion flow in steady state depends also on mass accretion rate and (weakly) inclination. Hence we should be able to scale the accretion flow properties from the stellar to the s
upermassive black holes. But the data show significant differences between these two types of systems, suggesting that we are missing some crucial physics in AGN. One of these differences is the soft X-ray excess which is seen ubiquitously in bright AGN, but only occasionally in BHB. Another is the much faster variability seen in the high energy tail of high mass accretion rate AGN compared to that seen in the tail of BHB. We show that while this variability is not understood, it can be used via the new spectral-timing techniques to constrain the nature of the soft X-ray excess. The coherence, lag-frequency and lag-energy results strongly support this being an additional low temperature Comptonisation component rather than extreme relativistically smeared reflection in the simple Narrow Line Seyfert 1 PG1244+026.
We extract the spectra of the strong low-frequency quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO) and its harmonic during the rising phase of an outburst in the black-hole binary XTE J1550-564. We compare these frequency resolved spectra to the time-averaged spect
rum and the spectrum of the rapid (<0.1s) variability. The spectrum of the time averaged emission can be described by a disc, a Compton upscattered tail, and its reflection. The QPO spectrum contains no detectable disc, and the Compton spectrum is generally harder than in the time averaged emission, and shows less reflection, making it very similar to the spectrum of the rapid variability. The harmonic likewise contains no detectable disc component, but has a Compton spectrum which is systematically softer than the QPO, softer even than the Compton tail in the time averaged emission. We interpret these results in the context of the Lense-Thirring model for the QPO, where a precessing hot flow replaces the inner disc, and the harmonic is produced by the angular dependence of Compton scattering within the hot flow. We extend these models to include stratification of the hot flow, so that it is softer (lower optical depth) at larger radii closer to the truncated disc, and harder (higher optical depth) in the innermost parts of the flow where the rapid variability is produced. The different optical depth with radius gives rise to different angular dependence of the Comptonised emission, weighting the fundamental to the inner parts of the hot flow, and the harmonic to the outer. This is the first model which can explain both the spectrum of the QPO and its harmonic in a self consistent geometry.
We show that disc continuum fitting can be used to constrain black hole spin in a subclass of Narrow Line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) AGN as their low mass and high mass accretion rate means that the disc peaks at energies just below the soft X-ray bandpass. We
apply the technique to the NLS1 PG1244+026, where the optical/UV/X-ray spectrum is consistent with being dominated by a standard disc component. This gives a best estimate for black hole spin which is low, with a firm upper limit of $a_*<0.86$. This contrasts with the recent X-ray determinations of (close to) maximal black hole spin in other NLS1 based on relativistic smearing of the iron profile. While our data on PG1244+026 does not have sufficient statistics at high energy to give a good measure of black hole spin from the iron line profile, cosmological simulations predict that black holes with similar masses have similar growth histories and so should have similar spins. This suggests that there is a problem either in our understanding of disc spectra, or/and X-ray reflection or/and the evolution of black hole spin.
Unified X-ray spectral and timing studies of Cygnus X-1 in the low/hard and hard intermediate state were conducted in a model-independent manner, using broadband Suzaku data acquired on 25 occasions from 2005 to 2009 with a total exposure of ~ 450 ks
. The unabsorbed 0.1--500 keV source luminosity changed over 0.8--2.8% of the Eddington limit for 14.8 solar masses. Variations on short (1--2 seconds) and long (days to months) time scales require at least three separate components: a constant component localized below ~2 keV, a broad soft one dominating in the 2--10 keV range, and a hard one mostly seen in 10--300 keV range. In view of the truncated disk/hot inner flow picture, these are respectively interpreted as emission from the truncated cool disk, a soft Compton component, and a hard Compton component. Long-term spectral evolution can be produced by the constant disk increasing in temperature and luminosity as the truncation radius decreases. The soft Compton component likewise increases, but the hard Compton does not, so that the spectrum in the hard intermediate state is dominated by the soft Compton component; on the other hand, the hard Compton component dominates the spectrum in the dim low/hard state, probably associated with a variable soft emission providing seed photons for the Comptonization.
(Abridged) Narrow Line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) galaxies have low mass black holes and mass accretion rates close to (or exceeding) Eddington, so a standard blackbody accretion disc should peak in the EUV. However, the lack of true absorption opacity in the
disc means that the emission is better approximated by a colour temperature corrected blackbody, and this colour temperature correction is large enough ($sim 2.4$) that the bare disc emission from a zero spin black hole can extend into the soft X-ray bandpass. Part of the soft X-ray excess seen in these objects must be intrinsic emission from the disc unless the vertical structure is very different to that predicted. However, the soft excess is much broader than predicted by a bare disc spectrum, indicating some Compton upscattering by cool, optically thick material. We associate this with the disc itself, so it must ultimately be powered by mass accretion. We build an energetically self consistent model assuming that the emission thermalises at large radii, but that at smaller radii the gravitational energy is split between powering optically thick Comptonised disc emission (forming the soft X-ray excess) and an optically thin corona above the disc (forming the tail to higher energies). We show examples of this model fit to the extreme NLS1 REJ1034+396, and to the much lower Eddington fraction Broad Line Seyfert 1 PG1048+231. We use these to guide our fits and interpretations of three template spectra made from co-adding multiple sources to track out a sequence of AGN spectra as a function of $L/L_{Edd}$. The new model is publically available within the {sc xspec} spectral fitting package.
We extract all the XMM-Newton EPIC pn burst mode spectra of GX 339-4, together with simultaneous/contemporaneous RXTE data. These include three disc dominated and two soft intermediate spectra, and the combination of broad bandpass/moderate spectral
resolution gives some of the best data on these bright soft states in black hole binaries. The disc dominated spectra span a factor three in luminosity, and all show that the disc emission is broader than the simplest multicolour disc model. This is consistent with the expected relativistic smearing and changing colour temperature correction produced by atomic features in the newest disc models. However, these models do not match the data at the 5 per cent level as the predicted atomic features are not present in the data, perhaps indicating that irradiation is important even when the high energy tail is weak. Whatever the reason, this means that the data have smaller errors than the best physical disc models, forcing use of more phenomenological models for the disc emission. We use these for the soft intermediate state data, where previous analysis using a simple disc continuum found an extremely broad residual, identified as the red wing of the iron line from reflection around a highly spinning black hole. However, the iron line energy is close to where the disc and tail have equal fluxes, so using a broader disc continuum changes the residual iron line profile dramatically. With a broader disc continuum model, the inferred line is formed outside of 30 ${rm{R_g}}$, so cannot constrain black hole spin. We caution that a robust determination of black hole spin from the iron line profile is very difficult where the disc makes a significant contribution at the iron line energy i.e. in most bright black hole states.
These notes resulted from a series of lectures at the IAC winter school. They are designed to help students, especially those just starting in subject, to get hold of the fundamental tools used to study accretion powered sources. As such, the referen
ces give a place to start reading, rather than representing a complete survey of work done in the field. I outline Compton scattering and blackbody radiation as the two predominant radiation mechanisms for accreting black holes, producing the hard X-ray tail and disc spectral components, respectively. The interaction of this radiation with matter can result in photo-electric absorption and/or reflection. While the basic processes can be found in any textbook, here I focus on how these can be used as a toolkit to interpret the spectra and variability of black hole binaries (hereafter BHB) and Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). I also discuss how to use these to physically interpret real data using the publicly available XSPEC spectral fitting package (Arnaud et al 1996), and how this has led to current models (and controversies) of the accretion flow in both BHB and AGN.
