X-Ray Fluorescence from Super-Eddington Accreting Black Holes

Lars Lund Thomsen; Jane Lixin Dai; Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz; Erin Kara; Chris Reynolds

doi:10.3847/2041-8213/ab4518

X-Ray Fluorescence from Super-Eddington Accreting Black Holes

Lars Lund Thomsen, Jane Lixin Dai, Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz, Erin Kara, Chris Reynolds

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3 Citationer (Scopus)

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Abstract

X-ray reverberation has proven to be a powerful tool capable of probing the innermost region of accretion disks around compact objects. Current theoretical effort generally assumes that the disk is geometrically thin, optically thick, and orbiting with Keplerian speed. Thus, these models cannot be applied to systems where super-Eddington accretion happens because the thin disk approximation fails in this accretion regime. Furthermore, state-of-the-art numerical simulations show that optically thick winds are launched from the super-Eddington accretion disks, thereby changing the reflection geometry significantly from the thin disk picture. We carry out theoretical investigations on this topic by focusing on the Fe Kα fluorescent lines produced from super-Eddington disks, and show that their line profiles are shaped by the funnel geometry and wind acceleration. We also systematically compare the Fe line profiles from super-Eddington thick disks to those from thin disks, and find that the former are substantially more blueshifted and symmetric in shape. These results are consistent with the observed Fe Kα line from the jetted tidal disruption event, Swift J1644, in which a transient super-Eddington accretion disk was formed out of stellar debris. Therefore, careful analysis of the Fe Kα line profile can be used to identify systems undergoing super-Eddington accretion.

Originalsprog	Engelsk
Artikelnummer	L21
Tidsskrift	Astrophysical Journal Letters
Vol/bind	884
Udgave nummer	1
Antal sider	11
ISSN	2041-8205
DOI	https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ab4518
Status	Udgivet - 10 okt. 2019

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10.3847/2041-8213/ab4518

Thomsen_2019_ApJL_884_L21Forlagets udgivne version, 1,37 MBLicens: CC BY

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abstract = "X-ray reverberation has proven to be a powerful tool capable of probing the innermost region of accretion disks around compact objects. Current theoretical effort generally assumes that the disk is geometrically thin, optically thick, and orbiting with Keplerian speed. Thus, these models cannot be applied to systems where super-Eddington accretion happens because the thin disk approximation fails in this accretion regime. Furthermore, state-of-the-art numerical simulations show that optically thick winds are launched from the super-Eddington accretion disks, thereby changing the reflection geometry significantly from the thin disk picture. We carry out theoretical investigations on this topic by focusing on the Fe Kα fluorescent lines produced from super-Eddington disks, and show that their line profiles are shaped by the funnel geometry and wind acceleration. We also systematically compare the Fe line profiles from super-Eddington thick disks to those from thin disks, and find that the former are substantially more blueshifted and symmetric in shape. These results are consistent with the observed Fe Kα line from the jetted tidal disruption event, Swift J1644, in which a transient super-Eddington accretion disk was formed out of stellar debris. Therefore, careful analysis of the Fe Kα line profile can be used to identify systems undergoing super-Eddington accretion.",

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AU - Thomsen, Lars Lund

AU - Dai, Jane Lixin

AU - Ramirez-Ruiz, Enrico

AU - Kara, Erin

AU - Reynolds, Chris

PY - 2019/10/10

Y1 - 2019/10/10

N2 - X-ray reverberation has proven to be a powerful tool capable of probing the innermost region of accretion disks around compact objects. Current theoretical effort generally assumes that the disk is geometrically thin, optically thick, and orbiting with Keplerian speed. Thus, these models cannot be applied to systems where super-Eddington accretion happens because the thin disk approximation fails in this accretion regime. Furthermore, state-of-the-art numerical simulations show that optically thick winds are launched from the super-Eddington accretion disks, thereby changing the reflection geometry significantly from the thin disk picture. We carry out theoretical investigations on this topic by focusing on the Fe Kα fluorescent lines produced from super-Eddington disks, and show that their line profiles are shaped by the funnel geometry and wind acceleration. We also systematically compare the Fe line profiles from super-Eddington thick disks to those from thin disks, and find that the former are substantially more blueshifted and symmetric in shape. These results are consistent with the observed Fe Kα line from the jetted tidal disruption event, Swift J1644, in which a transient super-Eddington accretion disk was formed out of stellar debris. Therefore, careful analysis of the Fe Kα line profile can be used to identify systems undergoing super-Eddington accretion.

AB - X-ray reverberation has proven to be a powerful tool capable of probing the innermost region of accretion disks around compact objects. Current theoretical effort generally assumes that the disk is geometrically thin, optically thick, and orbiting with Keplerian speed. Thus, these models cannot be applied to systems where super-Eddington accretion happens because the thin disk approximation fails in this accretion regime. Furthermore, state-of-the-art numerical simulations show that optically thick winds are launched from the super-Eddington accretion disks, thereby changing the reflection geometry significantly from the thin disk picture. We carry out theoretical investigations on this topic by focusing on the Fe Kα fluorescent lines produced from super-Eddington disks, and show that their line profiles are shaped by the funnel geometry and wind acceleration. We also systematically compare the Fe line profiles from super-Eddington thick disks to those from thin disks, and find that the former are substantially more blueshifted and symmetric in shape. These results are consistent with the observed Fe Kα line from the jetted tidal disruption event, Swift J1644, in which a transient super-Eddington accretion disk was formed out of stellar debris. Therefore, careful analysis of the Fe Kα line profile can be used to identify systems undergoing super-Eddington accretion.

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DO - 10.3847/2041-8213/ab4518

M3 - Journal article

SN - 2041-8205

VL - 884

JO - The Astrophysical Journal Letters

JF - The Astrophysical Journal Letters

IS - 1

M1 - L21

ER -

X-Ray Fluorescence from Super-Eddington Accreting Black Holes

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