Showing papers by "Michal Dovciak published in 2016"

XIPE: the x-ray imaging polarimetry explorer

Abstract: XIPE, the X-ray Imaging Polarimetry Explorer, is a mission dedicated to X-ray Astronomy. At the time of writing XIPE is in a competitive phase A as fourth medium size mission of ESA (M4). It promises to reopen the polarimetry window in high energy Astrophysics after more than 4 decades thanks to a detector that efficiently exploits the photoelectric effect and to X-ray optics with large effective area. XIPE uniqueness is time-spectrally-spatially- resolved X-ray polarimetry as a breakthrough in high energy astrophysics and fundamental physics. Indeed the payload consists of three Gas Pixel Detectors at the focus of three X-ray optics with a total effective area larger than one XMM mirror but with a low weight. The payload is compatible with the fairing of the Vega launcher. XIPE is designed as an observatory for X-ray astronomers with 75 % of the time dedicated to a Guest Observer competitive program and it is organized as a consortium across Europe with main contributions from Italy, Germany, Spain, United Kingdom, Poland, Sweden.

eXTP: Enhanced X-ray Timing and Polarization mission

Abstract: eXTP is a science mission designed to study the state of matter under extreme conditions of density, gravity and magnetism. Primary goals are the determination of the equation of state of matter at supra-nuclear density, the measurement of QED effects in highly magnetized star, and the study of accretion in the strong-field regime of gravity. Primary targets include isolated and binary neutron stars, strong magnetic field systems like magnetars, and stellar-mass and supermassive black holes. The mission carries a unique and unprecedented suite of state-of-the-art scientific instruments enabling for the first time ever the simultaneous spectral-timing-polarimetry studies of cosmic sources in the energy range from 0.5-30 keV (and beyond). Key elements of the payload are: the Spectroscopic Focusing Array (SFA) - a set of 11 X-ray optics for a total effective area of similar to 0.9 m(2) and 0.6 m(2) at 2 keV and 6 keV respectively, equipped with Silicon Drift Detectors offering < 180 eV spectral resolution; the Large Area Detector (LAD) - a deployable set of 640 Silicon Drift Detectors, for a total effective area of similar to 3.4 m(2), between 6 and 10 keV, and spectral resolution better than 250 eV; the Polarimetry Focusing Array (PFA) - a set of 2 X-ray telescope, for a total effective area of 250 cm(2) at 2 keV, equipped with imaging gas pixel photoelectric polarimeters; the Wide Field Monitor (WFM) - a set of 3 coded mask wide field units, equipped with position-sensitive Silicon Drift Detectors, each covering a 90 degrees x 90 degrees field of view. The eXTP international consortium includes major institutions of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Universities in China, as well as major institutions in several European countries and the United States. The predecessor of eXTP, the XTP mission concept, has been selected and funded as one of the so-called background missions in the Strategic Priority Space Science Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences since 2011. The strong European participation has significantly enhanced the scientific capabilities of eXTP. The planned launch date of the mission is earlier than 2025.

Minimum X‐ray source size of the on‐axis corona in AGN

Abstract: 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 1 GM /c2 above the event horizon in this geometry. However, the source must also be large enough to intercept sufficient seed photons from the disc 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 1GM /c2 in 1H0707-495 if the disc is the source of seed photons. Hence the source cannot fit as close as 1 GM /c2 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. (© 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Theoretical modelling of the AGN iron-line vs continuum time-lags in the lamp-post geometry

Abstract: Context. Theoretical modelling of time-lags between variations in the Fe Kα emission and the X-ray continuum might shed light on the physics and geometry of the X-ray emitting region in active galaxies (AGN) and X-ray binaries. We here present the results from a systematic analysis of time-lags between variations in two energy bands (5−7 vs. 2−4 keV) for seven X-ray bright and variable AGN.Aims. We estimate time-lags as accurately as possible and fit them with theoretical models in the context of the lamp-post geometry. We also constrain the geometry of the X-ray emitting region in AGN.Methods. We used all available archival XMM-Newton data for the sources in our sample and extracted light curves in the 5−7 and 2−4 keV energy bands. We used these light curves and applied a thoroughly tested (through extensive numerical simulations) recipe to estimate time-lags that have minimal bias, approximately follow a Gaussian distribution, and have known errors. Using traditional χ 2 minimisation techniques, we then fitted the observed time-lags with two different models: a phenomenological model where the time-lags have a power-law dependence on frequency, and a physical model, using the reverberation time-lags expected in the lamp-post geometry. The latter were computed assuming a point-like primary X-ray source above a black hole surrounded by a neutral and prograde accretion disc with solar iron abundance. We took all relativistic effects into account for various X-ray source heights, inclination angles, and black hole spin values.Results. Given the available data, time-lags between the two energy bands can only be reliably measured at frequencies between ~5 × 10-5 Hz and ~10-3 Hz. The power-law and reverberation time-lag models can both fit the data well in terms of formal statistical characteristics. When fitting the observed time-lags to the lamp-post reverberation scenario, we can only constrain the height of the X-ray source. The data require, or are consistent with, a small (≲ 10 gravitational radii) X-ray source height.Conclusions. In principle, the 5−7 keV band, which contains most of the Fe Kα line emission, could be an ideal band for studying reverberation effects, as it is expected to be dominated by the X-ray reflection component. We here carried out the best possible analysis with XMM-Newton data. Time-lags can be reliably estimated over a relatively narrow frequency range, and their errors are rather large. Nevertheless, our results are consistent with the hypothesis of X-ray reflection from the inner accretion disc.

A search for X-ray reprocessing echoes in the power spectral density functions of AGN

Abstract: We present the results of a detailed study of the X-ray power spectral density (PSD) functions of 12 X-ray bright AGN, using almost all the archival XMM–Newton data. The total net exposure of the EPIC-pn light curves is larger than 350 ks in all cases (and exceeds 1 Ms in the case of 1H 0707?497). In a physical scenario in which X-ray reflection occurs in the inner part of the accretion disc of AGN, the X-ray reflection component should be a filtered echo of the X-ray continuum signal and should be equal to the convolution of the primary emission with the response function of the disc. Our primary objective is to search for these reflection features in the 5–7 keV (iron line) and 0.5–1 keV (soft) bands, where the X-ray reflection fraction is expected to be dominant. We fit to the observed periodograms two models: a simple bending power-law model (BPL) and a BPL model convolved with the transfer function of the accretion disc assuming the lamp-post geometry and X-ray reflection from a homogeneous disc. We do not find any significant features in the best-fitting BPL model residuals either in individual PSDs in the iron band, soft and full band (0.3–10 keV) or in the average PSD residuals of the brightest and more variable sources (with similar black hole mass estimates). The typical amplitude of the soft and full-band residuals is around 3–5 per cent. It is possible that the expected general relativistic effects are not detected because they are intrinsically lower than the uncertainty of the current PSDs, even in the strong relativistic case in which X-ray reflection occurs on a disc around a fast rotating black hole having an X-ray source very close above it. However, we could place strong constrains to the X-ray reflection geometry with the current data sets if we knew in advance the intrinsic shape of the X-ray PSDs, particularly its high-frequency slope.

Theoretical modelling of the AGN iron-line vs continuum time-lags in the lamp-post geometry

Abstract: Context: Theoretical modelling of time-lags between variations in the Fe K$\alpha$ emission and the X-ray continuum might shed light on the physics and geometry of the X-ray emitting region in active galaxies (AGN) and X-ray binaries. We here present the results from a systematic analysis of time-lags between variations in two energy bands ($5-7$ vs $2-4\,\mathrm{keV}$) for seven X-ray bright and variable AGN. Aims: We estimate time-lags as accurately as possible and fit them with theoretical models in the context of the lamp-post geometry. We also constrain the geometry of the X-ray emitting region in AGN. Methods: We used all available archival \textit{XMM-Newton} data for the sources in our sample and extracted light curves in the $5-7$ and $2-4\,\mathrm{keV}$ energy bands. We used these light curves and applied a thoroughly tested (through extensive numerical simulations) recipe to estimate time-lags that have minimal bias, approximately follow a Gaussian distribution, and have known errors. Using traditional $\chi^2$ minimisation techniques, we then fitted the observed time-lags with two different models: a phenomenological model where the time-lags have a power-law dependence on frequency, and a physical model, using the reverberation time-lags expected in the lamp-post geometry. The latter were computed assuming a point-like primary X-ray source above a black hole surrounded by a neutral and prograde accretion disc with solar iron abundance. We took all relativistic effects into account for various X-ray source heights, inclination angles, and black hole spin values.

Testing Wind as an Explanation for the Spin Problem in the Continuum-fitting Method

Abstract: The continuum-fitting method is one of the two most advanced methods of determining the black hole spin in accreting X-ray binary systems. There are, however, still some unresolved issues with the underlying disk models. One of these issues manifests as an apparent decrease in spin for increasing source luminosity. Here, we perform a few simple tests to establish whether outflows from the disk close to the inner radius can address this problem. We employ four different parametric models to describe the wind and compare these to the apparent decrease in spin with luminosity measured in the sources LMC X-3 and GRS 1915+105. Wind models in which parameters do not explicitly depend on the accretion rate cannot reproduce the spin measurements. Models with mass accretion rate dependent outflows, however, have spectra that emulate the observed ones. The assumption of a wind thus effectively removes the artifact of spin decrease. This solution is not unique, the same conclusion can be obtained using a truncated inner disk model. To distinguish among the valid models, we will need high-resolution X-ray data and a realistic description of the Comptonization in the wind.

Signatures of X-ray reverberation in the power spectra of AGN

Abstract: Aims: we study the effects of X-ray reprocessing in the power spectra (PSDs) of active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Methods: we compute fully relativistic disc response functions in the case of lamp-post geometry using the full observed reflection spectrum for various X-ray source heights, disc inclination, and spin values of the central black hole. Since the observed PSD is equal to the product of the intrinsic power spectrum with the transfer function (i.e. the Fourier transform of the disc response function), we are able to predict the observed PSDs in the case of X-ray illumination of the inner disc. Results: the observed PSD should show a prominent dip at high frequencies and an oscillatory behaviour with a decreasing amplitude at higher frequencies. The reverberation echo features should be more prominent in energy bands where the reflection component is more pronounced. The frequency of the dip is independent of energy, and it is mainly determined by the black hole mass and the X-ray source height. The amplitude of the dip increases with increasing black hole spin and inclination angle, as long as the height of the lamp is smaller than ~10 gravitational radii. Conclusions: the detection of the X-ray reverberation signals in the PSDs can provide further evidence for X-ray illumination of the inner disc in AGN. Our results are largely independent of the assumed geometry of the disc-corona system, as long as it does not change with time, and the disc response function is characterized by a sharp rise, a plateau, and a decline at longer times. Irrespective of the geometry, the frequency of the main dip should decrease with increasing mean time of the response function, and the amplitude of the dip should increase with increasing reflection fraction

Monitoring the Galactic Centre with the Australia Telescope Compact Array

Abstract: The supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), at the centre of the Milky Way undergoes regular flaring activity which is thought to arise from the innermost region of the accretion flow. We performed the monitoring observations of the Galactic Centre to study the flux-density variations at 3mm using the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) between 2010 and 2014. We obtain the light curves of Sgr A* by subtracting the contributions from the extended emission around it, and the elevation and time dependent gains of the telescope. We perform structure function analysis and the Bayesian blocks representation to detect flare events. The observations detect six instances of significant variability in the flux density of Sgr A* in three observations, with variations between 0.5 to 1.0 Jy, which last for 1.5 $-$ 3 hours. We use the adiabatically expanding plasmon model to explain the short time-scale variations in the flux density. We derive the physical quantities of the modelled flare emission, such as the source expansion speed $v_{\mathrm{exp}}$, source sizes, spectral indices, and the turnover frequency. These parameters imply that the expanding source components are either confined to the immediate vicinity of Sgr A* by contributing to the corona or the disc, or have a bulk motion greater than $v_{\mathrm{exp}}$. No exceptional flux density variation on short flare time-scales was observed during the approach and the flyby of the dusty S-cluster object (DSO/G2). This is consistent with its compactness and the absence of a large bow shock.

Signatures of X-ray reverberation in the power spectra of AGN

Abstract: We compute fully relativistic disc response functions in the case of the "lamp-post" geometry using the full observed reflection spectrum for various X-ray source heights, disc inclination, and spin values of the central black hole. Since the observed PSD is equal to the product of the intrinsic power spectrum with the "transfer function" (i.e. the Fourier transform of the disc response function), we are able to predict the observed PSDs in the case of X-ray illumination of the inner disc. The observed PSD should show a prominent dip at high frequencies and an oscillatory behaviour, with a decreasing amplitude, at higher frequencies. The reverberation "echo" features should be more prominent in energy bands where the reflection component is more pronounced. The frequency of the dip is independent of energy, and it is mainly determined by the black hole mass and the X-ray source height. The amplitude of the dip increases with increasing black hole spin and inclination angle, as long as the height of the "lamp" is smaller than ~10 gravitational radii. The detection of the X-ray reverberation signals in the PSDs can provide further evidence for X-ray illumination of the inner disc in AGN. Our results are largely independent of the assumed geometry of the disc-corona system, as long as it does not change with time, and the disc response function is characterized by a sharp rise, a "plateau", and a decline at longer times. Irrespective of the geometry, the frequency of the main dip should decrease with increasing "mean time" of the response function, and the amplitude of the dip should increase with increasing reflection fraction.

Eclipsing the innermost accretion disc regions in AGN

Abstract: Variable X-ray absorption has been observed in active galactic nuclei (AGN) on several time scales. Observations allow us to identify the absorber with clouds associated either with the clumpy torus (parsec scales, long timescales) or with the broad line region (BLR) (short timescales). In the latter, the cloud size has been estimated to be of the order of few gravitational radii from the observed absorption variability. Such small cloud sizes are comparable to the X-ray emitting regions so that a detailed modeling of occultation events in AGN has the potential of enabling us to infer accurately the geometry of the system. We have developed a relativistic X-ray spectral model for occultation events and we present here theoretical predictions on the different observables that can be inferred by studying X-ray eclipses in simulated XMMNewton data. These include the size of the X-ray emitting regions as well as more fundamental parameters such as the black hole spin and the system inclination. We find that absorption varies as a function of the energy range and that its maximum takes place when the approaching part of the accretion disc is covered. Therefore we study the hard-to-soft (H/ S) ratio light curves produced during an eclipse and use them to characterise the properties of the inner accretion disc in a new model-independent way. (© 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)