Magnetic flares in Active Galactic Nuclei: modeling the iron Kα line

The X‐ray spectra of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) are complex and vary rapidly in time as seen in recent observations. Magnetic flares above the accretion disk can account for the extreme variability of AGN. They also explain the observed iron Kα fluorescence lines. We present radiative transfer modeling of the X‐ray reflection due to emission from magnetic flares close to the marginally stable orbit. The hard X‐ray primary radiation coming from the flare source illuminates the accretion disk. A Compton reflection/reprocessed component coming from the disk surface is computed for different emission directions. We assume that the density structure remains adjusted to the hydrostatic equilibrium without external illumination because the flare duration is only a quarter‐orbit. The model takes into account the variations of the incident radiation across the hot spot underneath the flare source. The integrated spectrum seen by a distant observer is computed for flares at different orbital phases close to the marginally stable orbit of a Schwarzschild black hole and of a maximally rotating Kerr black hole. The calculations include relativistic and Doppler corrections of the spectra using a ray tracing technique. We explore the practical possibilities to map out the azimuthal irradiation pattern of the inner accretion disks and conclude that the next generation of X‐ray satellites should reveal this structure from iron Kα line profiles and X‐ray lightcurves. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

The onset of General Relativity: gravitationally redshifted emission lines

We study and quantify gravitational redshift by means of relativistic ray tracing simulations of emission lines. The emitter model is based on thin, Keplerian rotating rings in the equatorial plane of a rotating black hole. Emission lines are characterised by a generalized fully relativistic Doppler factor or redshift associated with the line core. Two modes of gravitational redshift, shift and distortion, become stronger with the emitting region closer to the Kerr black hole. Shifts of the line cores reveal an effect at levels of 0.0015 to 60% at gravitational radii ranging from 10⁵ to 2. The corresponding Doppler factors range from 0.999985 to 0.4048. Line shape distortion by strong gravity, i.e. very skewed and asymmetric lines occur at radii smaller than roughly ten gravitational radii. Gravitational redshift decreases with distance to the black hole but remains finite due to the asymptotical flatness of black hole space–time. The onset of gravitational redshift can be tested observationally with sufficient spectral resolution. Assuming a resolving power of ∼100000, yielding a resolution of ≈0.1 Å for optical and near‐infrared broad emission lines, the gravitational redshift can be probed out to approximately 75000 gravitational radii. In general, gravitational redshift is an indicator of black hole mass and spin as well as for the inclination angle of the emitter, e.g. an accretion disk. We suggest to do multi‐wavelength observations because all redshifted features should point towards the same central mass. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Boundary layer emission in luminous LMXBs

We show that aperiodic and quasiperiodic variability of bright LMXBs – atoll and Z‐sources – on ∼ sec‐msec time scales is caused primarily by variations of the luminosity of the boundary layer. The emission of the accretion disk is less variable on these time scales and its power density spectrum follows P _disk(f ) ∝ f ^–1 law, contributing to observed flux variation at low frequencies and low energies only. The kHz QPOs have the same origin as variability at lower frequencies, i.e. independent of the nature of the “clock”, the actual luminosity modulation takes place on the neutron star surface. The boundary layer spectrum remains nearly constant in the course of the luminosity variations and is represented to certain accuracy by the Fourier frequency resolved spectrum. In the investigated range of ∼ (0.1 – 1) _Edd it depends weakly on the global mass accretion rate and in the limit ∼ _Edd is close toWien spectrum with kT ∼ 2.4 keV. Its independence on the global value of lends support to the theoretical suggestion by Inogamov & Sunyaev (1999) that the boundary layer is radiation pressure supported. Based on the knowledge of the boundary layer spectrum we attempt to relate the motion along the Z‐track to changes of physically meaningful parameters. Our results suggest that the contribution of the boundary layer to the observed emission decreases along the Z‐track from conventional ∼50% on the horizontal branch to a rather small number on the normal branch. This decrease can be caused, for example, by obscuration of the boundary layer by the geometrically thickened accretion disk at ∼ _Edd. Alternatively, this can indicate significant change of the structure of the accretion flow at ∼ _Edd and disappearance of the boundary layer as a distinct region of the significant energy release associated with the neutron star surface. (© 2005 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

XMM‐Newton and broad iron lines

Iron line emission is common in the X‐ray spectra of accreting black holes. When the line emission is broad or variable then it is likely to originate from close to the black hole. X‐ray irradiation of the accretion flow by the power‐law X‐ray continuum produces the X‐ray ‘reflection’ spectrum which includes the iron line. The shape and variability of the iron lines and reflection can be used as a diagnostic of the radius, velocity and nature of the flow. The inner radius of the dense flow corresponds to the innermost stable circular orbit and thus can be used to determine the spin of the black hole. Studies of broad iron lines and reflection spectra offer much promise for understanding how the inner parts of accretion flows (and outflows) around black holes operate. There remains great potential for XMM‐Newton to continue to make significant progress in this work. The need for high quality spectra and thus for long exposure times is paramount. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

A short review of relativistic iron lines from stellar‐mass black holes

In this contribution, I briefly review recent progress in detecting and measuring the properties of relativistic iron lines observed in stellar‐mass black hole systems, and the aspects of these lines that are most relevant to studies of similar lines in Seyfert‐1 AGN. In particular, the lines observed in stellar‐mass black holes are not complicated by complex low‐energy absorption or partial‐covering of the central engine, and strong lines are largely independent of the model used to fit the underlying broad‐band continuum flux. Indeed, relativistic iron lines are the most robust diagnostic of black hole spin that is presently available to observers, with specific advantages over the systematics–plagued disk continuum. If accretion onto stellar‐mass black holes simply scales with mass, then the widespread nature of lines in stellar‐mass black holes may indicate that lines should be common in Seyfert‐1 AGN, though perhaps harder to detect. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Connection between spectral complexity and X‐ray weakness: testing the reflection interpretation

In recent work it was demonstrated that narrow‐line Seyfert 1 galaxies, which possessed spectral complexity in the 2–10 keV band were at the same time X‐ray weak. In this contribution I show how X‐ray weakness can be understood in the context of reflection and light bending picture. In fact, X‐ray weakness should be expected from objects that are in a reflection dominated state. With simultaneous UV and X‐ray data available with most XMM‐Newton observations, an estimate of the X‐ray weakness is relatively straightforward. As such, it is an easy way to substantiate conclusions of reflection dominated spectra, and we use this method to examine recent claims. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Relativistic Fe line emission and highly photoionized absorption in GROJ1655‐40

We report on two XMM‐Newton and simultaneous INTEGRAL observations of the microquasar GRO J1655‐40 during its 2005 outburst. The source was most probably in its high‐soft state during both observations. There is evidence for the presence of both a relativistically broadened Fe line providing strong support for the existence of a spinning black hole, and a highly photo‐ionized absorber. The photo‐ionized absorber is responsible for strong K absorption lines of Fe XXV and Fe XXVI in the EPIC pn spectra. The parameters of the highly‐ionized absorber were different during the two observations. A less ionized absorber is present in the second observation, where the 0.5–200 keV luminosity of GRO J1655‐40 decreased by around a half. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Active galaxies

In this paper I will review, in an unavoidably incomplete and biased way, the main results obtained by XMM‐Newton on Active Galactic Nuclei. I will then highlight the major issues still open in which XMM‐Newton can still give important contributions, expecially if the observing programs will shift in the future towards more long exposures of single objects and observations of large samples. I will also argue in favour of a legacy program consisting of good S/N observations of a flux‐limited, sizeable sample of AGN. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

X‐ray spectra and polarization from accreting black holes: polarization from an orbiting spot

The polarization from a spot orbiting around Schwarzschild and extreme Kerr black holes is studied. We assume different models of local polarization. Firstly, as a toy model we set the local polarization vector either normal to the disc plane, or perpendicular to the toroidal magnetic field. Then we examine the more realistic situation with a spot arising due to the emission from the primary source above the disc. We employ either Rayleigh single scattering or Compton multiple scattering approximations. The time dependence of the degree and angle of polarization during the spot revolution is examined as a function of the observer's inclination angle and black hole angular momentum. The gravitational and Doppler shifts, lensing effect as well as time delays are taken into account. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Reprocessed emission line profiles from dense clouds in geometrically thick accretion engines

The central engines of active galactic nuclei (AGN) contain cold, dense material as well as hot X-ray-emitting gas. The standard paradigm for the engine geometry is a cold thin disc sandwiched between hot X-ray coronae. Strong support for this geometry in Seyferts comes from the study of fluorescent iron line profiles, although the evidence is not ubiquitously airtight. The thin disc model of line profiles in AGN and in X-ray binaries should still be benchmarked against other plausible possibilities. One proposed alternative is an engine consisting of dense clouds embedded in an optically thin, geometrically thick X-ray-emitting engine. This model is also motivated by studies of geometrically thick engines such as advection-dominated accretion flows (ADAFs). Here we compute the reprocessed iron line profiles from dense clouds embedded in geometrically thick, optically thin X-ray-emitting discs near a Schwarzschild black hole. We consider a range of cloud distributions and disc solutions, including ADAFs, pure radial infall and bipolar outflows. We find that such models can reproduce line profiles similar to those from geometrically thin, optically thick discs and might help alleviate some of the problems encountered from the latter. Thus, independent of thin discs, thick disc engines can also exhibit iron line profiles if embedded dense clouds can survive long enough to reprocess radiation.     

Reprocessed emission from warped accretion discs with application to X-ray iron line profiles

Fluorescent iron line profiles currently provide the best diagnostic for engine geometries of active galactic nuclei (AGN). Here we construct a method for calculating the relativistic iron line profile from an arbitrarily warped accretion disc, illuminated from above and below by hard X-ray sources. This substantially generalizes previous calculations of reprocessing by accretion discs by including non-axisymmetric effects. We include a relativistic treatment of shadowing by ray-tracing photon paths along Schwarzschild geodesics. We apply this method to two classes of warped discs, and generate a selection of resulting line profiles. New profile features include a time-varying line profile if the warp precesses about the disc, profile differences between 'twisted' and 'twist-free' warps and the possibility of steeper red and softer blue fall-offs than for flat discs. We discuss some qualitative implications of the line profiles in the context of Type I and II Seyfert AGN and other sources.     

Tidal disruption of stars by super‐massive black holes—XMM‐Newton highlights and the next decade

This article provides a summary of XMM ‐Newton highlights on stellar tidal disruption events. First found with ROSAT , ongoing and upcoming sky surveys will detect these events in the thousands. In X‐rays, tidal disruption events (TDEs ) provide us with powerful new probes of accretion physics under extreme conditions and on short timescales and of relativistic effects near the super‐massive black holes (SMBHs) , of the formation and evolution of disk winds near or above the Eddington limit, and of the processes of high‐energy emission from newly launched radio jets. TDEs serve as signposts of the presence of dormant single black holes at the cores of galaxies, and of binary black holes as well, since TDE lightcurves are characteristically different in the latter case. XMM ‐Newton has started to contribute to all of these topics, and a rich discovery space is opening up in the next decade.     

The sizes of broad emission line regions and black hole masses of double-peaked broad low-ionization emission line objects

In this paper, the sizes of the broad emission line regions (BLRs) and black hole (BH) masses of double-peaked broad low-ionization emission line emitters (DBP emitters) are compared using different methods: virial BH masses versus BH masses from stellar velocity dispersions, the size of BLRs from the continuum luminosity versus the size of BLRs from the accretion disc model. First, the virial BH masses of DBP emitters estimated by the continuum luminosity and linewidth of broad Hβ are about six times (a much larger value, if including another DBP emitters, of which the stellar velocity dispersions are traced by the linewidths of narrow emission lines) larger than the BH masses estimated from the relation   M _BH–σ  which is a more accurate relation to estimate BH masses. Second, the sizes of the BLRs of DBP emitters estimated by the empirical relation of   R _BLR– L _5100 Å  are about three times (a much larger value, if including another DBP emitters, of which the stellar velocity dispersions are traced by the linewidths of narrow emission lines) larger than the mean flux-weighted sizes of BLRs of DBP emitters estimated by the accretion disc model. The higher electron density of BLRs of DBP emitters would be the main reason which leads to smaller size of BLRs than the predicted value from the continuum luminosity.     

The applications of the MHD Alfvén wave oscillation model for kHz quasi‐periodic oscillations

In this paper, we improve the previous work on the MHD Alfvén wave oscillation model for the neutron star (NS) kHz quasi‐periodic oscillations (QPOs), and compare the model with the updated twin kHz QPO data. For the 17 NS X‐ray sources with the simultaneously detected twin kHz QPO frequencies, the stellar mass M and radius R constraints are given by means of the derived parameter A in the model, which is associated with the averaged mass density of the star as 〈ρ 〉 = 3M /(4πR³) ≃ 2.4 × 10¹⁴ (A /0.7)² g/cm³, and we also compare the M ‐R constraints with the stellar equations of state. Moreover, we also discuss the theoretical maximum kHz QPO frequency and maximum twin peak separation, and some expectations on SAX J1808.4–3658 are mentioned, such as its highest kHz QPO frequency ∼ 870 Hz, which is about 1.4–1.5 times less than those of the other known kHz QPO sources. The estimated magnetic fields for both Z sources (about Eddington accretion rate ) and Atoll sources (∼ 1% ) are approximately ∼10⁹ G and ∼10⁸ G, respectively. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

The estimations of neutron star mass and radius by the kHz QPOs

The kHz quasi‐periodic oscillations (QPOs) have been detected by the RXTE satellite in about thirty neutron stars (NSs) in low mass X‐ray binaries (LMXBs), which are usually interpreted to be related to the Keplerian motions in the orbit close to NS surface where the accreted matter is sucked onto the star. Based on the MHD Alfvén wave oscillation model and the relativistic precession model for the neutron star (NS) kHz QPOs, estimations of mass M and radius R of some NSs are given, which can give clues to evaluate the models. Furthermore, comparisons with theoretical M ‐R relations by stellar equations of state (EOSs) are presented (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Open questions on black hole binaries

I discuss open questions regarding accreting black holes in binary systems, focusing on two questions: can we measure the spins of black holes and what is the nature of the ultraluminous X‐ray sources. XMM‐Newton could make significant strides in answering these questions and others over the next ten years. I suggest two observational programs designed to help increase our understanding of accreting black holes. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

On the relation between supersoft X‐ray sources and VY Scl stars: The cases of V504 Cen and VY Scl

We summarise our optical monitoring program of VY Scl stars with the SMARTS telescopes, and triggered X‐ray as well as optical observations after/during state transitions of V504 Cen and VY Scl (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Broad reprocessed Balmer emission from warped accretion discs

Double-peaked broad emission lines in active galactic nuclei are generally considered to be formed in an accretion disc. In this paper, we compute the profiles of reprocessing emission lines from a relativistic, warped accretion disc around a black hole in order to explore the possibility that certain asymmetries in the double-peaked emission-line profile which cannot be explained by a circular Keplerian disc may be induced by disc warping. The disc warping also provides a solution for the energy budget in the emission-line region because it increases the solid angle of the outer disc portion subtended to the inner portion of the disc. We adopted a parametrized disc geometry and a central point-like source of ionizing radiation to capture the main characteristics of the emission-line profile from such discs. We find that the ratio between the blue and red peaks of the line profiles becoming less than unity can be naturally predicted by a twisted warped disc, and a third peak can be produced in some cases. We show that disc warping can reproduce the main features of multipeaked line profiles of four active galactic nuclei from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey.     

Statistical properties of twin kilohertz quasi‐periodic oscillations in neutron star low‐mass X‐ray binaries

We collect the data of twin kilohertz quasi‐periodic oscillations (kHz QPOs) published before 2012 from 26 neutron star (NS) low‐mass X‐ray binary (LMXB) sources, then we analyze the centroid frequency (ν) distribution of twin kHz QPOs (lower frequency ν₁ and upper frequency ν₂) both for Atoll and Z sources. For the data without shift‐and‐add, we find that Atoll and Z sources show different distributions of ν₁, ν₂ and ν₂/ν₁, but the same distribution of Δν (difference of twin kHz QPOs), which indicates that twin kHz QPOs may share the common properties of LXMBs and have the same physical origins. The distribution of Δν is quite different from a constant value, so is ν 2/ν₁ from a constant ratio. The weighted mean values and maxima of ν₁ and ν₂ in Atoll sources are slightly higher than those in Z sources. We also find that shift‐and‐add technique can reconstruct the distributions of ν₁ and Δν. The K‐S test results of ν₁ and Δν between Atoll and Z sources from data with shift‐and‐add are quite different from those without it, and we think that this may be caused by the selection biases of the sample. We also study the properties of the quality factor (Q) and the root‐meansquared (rms) amplitude of 4U 0614+09 with data from the two observational methods, but the errors are too big to make a robust conclusion. The NS spin frequency (ν_s) distribution of 28 NS‐LMXBs show a bigger mean value (∼408 Hz) than that (∼281 Hz) of the radio binary millisecond pulsars (MSPs), which may be due to the lack of the spin detections from Z sources (systematically lower than 281 Hz). Furthermore, on the relations between the kHz QPOs and NS spin frequency ν_s, we find the approximate correlations of the mean values of Δν with NS spin and its half, respectively. (© 2014 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)