scholarly journals Structure and Emission Line Spectrum of an X-ray Heated Accretion Disk in AGN

1994 ◽  
Vol 159 ◽  
pp. 484-484
Author(s):  
Yuan-Kuen Ko ◽  
Timothy R. Kallman

We investigate the structure of an X-ray heated accretion disk in active galactic nuclei. It is found that X-ray heating can prevent the disk to be disrupted by its self-gravity under sufficient X-ray heating. The disk size can be two orders of magnitute larger than that limited by self-gravity of the disk without X-ray heating. An accretion disk corona will be formed by X-ray heating and can be a site for line emission. We present such emission line spectra which range from optical to hard X-ray energies and compare with the observational data.

1990 ◽  
Vol 124 ◽  
pp. 251-253
Author(s):  
Wei Zheng ◽  
Steven A. Grandi

The interaction of galaxies not only occurs in galactic scales, but also may be linked to the binary cores in active galactic galaxies. The presence of a binary in the center of galaxies was suggested by Begelman, Blandford and Rees (1980). Gaskell (1983) suggests that supermassive binaries may account for the observed structure of emission line profiles such as double peaks displaced by a significant velocity difference. Collin-Souffrin, et al. (1986) argue that line emission may be formed in the outer part of an accretion disk. The resultant profile, as expected from rotational motion, would be very broad and often possess a double-horn shape. However, the emission line profiles in most active galactic nuclei do not share such a resemblance, and there are only two reported cases, 3C390.3 (Pérez et al. 1987) and Arp102B (Chen, Halpern and Filippenko 1989), in which the broad Balmer line profile may be of such a shape. Therefore, the assumption for accretion disk is to be verified with care.


2021 ◽  
Vol 922 (1) ◽  
pp. 85
Author(s):  
P. Tzanavaris ◽  
T. Yaqoob ◽  
S. LaMassa ◽  
A. Ptak ◽  
M. Yukita

Abstract We select eight nearby active galactic nuclei (AGNs) which, based on previous work, appear to be Compton-thin in the line of sight. We model with mytorus their broadband X-ray spectra from 20 individual observations with Suzaku, accounting self-consistently for Fe Kα line emission, as well as direct and scattered continuum from matter with finite column density and solar Fe abundance. Our model configuration allows us to measure the global, out of the line of sight, equivalent hydrogen column density separately from that in the line of sight. For 5 out of 20 observations (in 3 AGNs) we find that the global column density is in fact ≳1.5 × 1024 cm−2, consistent with the distant scattering matter being Compton-thick. For a fourth AGN, two out of five observations are also consistent with being Compton-thick, although with large errors. Some of these AGNs have been reported to host relativistically broadened Fe Kα emission. Based on our modeling, the Fe Kα emission line is not resolved in all but two Suzaku observations, and the data can be fitted well with models that only include a narrow Fe Kα emission line.


1998 ◽  
Vol 188 ◽  
pp. 455-456
Author(s):  
M. Yokosawa

Active galactic nuclei(AGN) produce many type of active phenomena, powerful X-ray emission, UV hump, narrow beam ejection, gamma-ray emission. Energy of these phenomena is thought to be brought out binding energy between a black hole and surrounding matter. What condition around a black hole produces many type of active phenomena? We investigated dynamical evolution of accretion flow onto a black hole by using a general-relativistic, hydrodynamic code which contains a viscosity based on the alpha-model. We find three types of flow's pattern, depending on thickness of accretion disk. In a case of the thin disk with a thickness less than the radius of the event horizon at the vicinity of a marginally stable orbit, the accreting flow through a surface of the marginally stable orbit becomes thinner due to additional cooling caused by a general-relativistic Roche-lobe overflow and horizontal advection of heat. An accretion disk with a middle thickness, 2rh≤h≤ 3rh, divides into two flows: the upper region of the accreting flow expands into the atmosphere of the black hole, and the inner region of the flow becomes thinner, smoothly accreting onto the black hole. The expansion of the flow generates a dynamically violent structure around the event horizon. The kinetic energy of the violent motion becomes equivalent to the thermal energy of the accreting disk. The shock heating due to violent motion produces a thermally driven wind which flows through the atmosphere above the accretion disk. A very thick disk, 4rh≤h,forms a narrow beam whose energy is largely supplied from hot region generated by shock wave. The accretion flowing through the thick disk,h≥ 2rh, cannot only form a single, laminar flow falling into the black hole, but also produces turbulent-like structure above the event horizon. The middle disk may possibly emit the X-ray radiation observed in active galactic nuclei. The thin disk may produce UV hump of Seyfert galaxy. Thick disk may produce a jet observed in radio galaxy. The thickness of the disk is determined by accretion rate, such ashκ κes/cṁf(r) κ 10rhṁf(r), at the inner region of the disk where the radiation pressure dominates over the gas pressure. Here, Ṁ is the accretion rate and ṁ is the normarized one by the critical-mass flux of the Eddington limit. κesandcare the opacity by electron scattering and the velocity of light.f(r) is a function with a value of unity far from the hole.


1998 ◽  
Vol 184 ◽  
pp. 75-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Yonehara ◽  
S. Mineshige ◽  
J. Fukue ◽  
M. Umemura ◽  
E.L. Turner

Generally, it is believed that there is a supermassive black hole and a surrounding accretion disk in a central region of active galactic nuclei (AGN). However, it is quite difficult to obtain direct information about the center of AGN, because the accretion disk size is far too small to resolve.


1990 ◽  
Vol 115 ◽  
pp. 187-196
Author(s):  
T. R. Kallman

AbstractAccretion disk coronae are likely to be the dominant site for X-ray absorption and reprocessed emission in low mass X-ray binaries, and may be present in other classes of compact X-ray sources such as active galactic nuclei and cataclysmic variables. In spite of this fact, and in spite of the observational evidence for their existence, there remain many uncertainties about the structure of accretion disk coronae. This paper will discuss the coronal structure and dynamics, their X-ray spectral signatures including coupling to the variability behavior of compact X-ray sources, and the major unsolved theoretical issues surrounding them.


2005 ◽  
Vol 634 (1) ◽  
pp. 161-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. M. Heckman ◽  
A. Ptak ◽  
A. Hornschemeier ◽  
G. Kauffmann

2010 ◽  
Vol 715 (1) ◽  
pp. 636-650 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keigo Fukumura ◽  
Demosthenes Kazanas ◽  
Ioannis Contopoulos ◽  
Ehud Behar

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