475 research outputs found
Limit Theorems and Governing Equations for Levy Walks
The Levy Walk is the process with continuous sample paths which arises from
consecutive linear motions of i.i.d. lengths with i.i.d. directions. Assuming
speed 1 and motions in the domain of beta-stable attraction, we prove
functional limit theorems and derive governing pseudo-differential equations
for the law of the walker's position. Both Levy Walk and its limit process are
continuous and ballistic in the case beta in (0,1). In the case beta in (1,2),
the scaling limit of the process is beta-stable and hence discontinuous. This
case exhibits an interesting situation in which scaling exponent 1/beta on the
process level is seemingly unrelated to the scaling exponent 3-beta of the
second moment. For beta = 2, the scaling limit is Brownian motion
Subdiffusive transport in intergranular lanes on the Sun. The Leighton model revisited
In this paper we consider a random motion of magnetic bright points (MBP)
associated with magnetic fields at the solar photosphere. The MBP transport in
the short time range [0-20 minutes] has a subdiffusive character as the
magnetic flux tends to accumulate at sinks of the flow field. Such a behavior
can be rigorously described in the framework of a continuous time random walk
leading to the fractional Fokker-Planck dynamics. This formalism, applied for
the analysis of the solar subdiffusion of magnetic fields, generalizes the
Leighton's model.Comment: 7 page
Relativistic X-ray Lines from the Inner Accretion Disks Around Black Holes
Relativistic X-ray emission lines from the inner accretion disk around black
holes are reviewed. Recent observations with the Chandra X-ray Observatory,
X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission-Newton, and Suzaku are revealing these lines to be
good probes of strong gravitational effects. A number of important
observational and theoretical developments are highlighted, including evidence
of black hole spin and effects such as gravitational light bending, the
detection of relativistic lines in stellar-mass black holes, and evidence of
orbital-timescale line flux variability. In addition, the robustness of the
relativistic disk lines against absorption, scattering, and continuum effects
is discussed. Finally, prospects for improved measures of black hole spin and
understanding the spin history of supermassive black holes in the context of
black hole-galaxy co-evolution are presented. The best data and most rigorous
results strongly suggest that relativistic X-ray disk lines can drive future
explorations of General Relativity and disk physics.Comment: 40 pages, includes color figures, to appear in ARAA, vol 45, in pres
The Complex X-ray Spectrum of the Sefyert 1.5 Source NGC 6860
The X-ray spectrum of the Seyfert 1.5 source NGC 6860 is among the most
complex of the sources detected in the Swift Burst Alert Telescope all-sky
survey. A short XMM-Newton follow-up observation of the source revealed a flat
spectrum both above and below 2 keV. To uncover the complexity of the source,
in this paper we analyze both a 40 ks Suzaku and a 100 ks XMM-Newton
observation of NGC 6860. While the spectral state of the source changed between
the newer observations presented here and the earlier short XMM-Newton spectrum
- showing a higher flux and steeper power law component - the spectrum of NGC
6860 is still complex with clearly detected warm absorption signatures. We find
that a two component warm ionized absorber is present in the soft spectrum,
with column densities of about 10^20 and 10^21 cm$^-2, ionization parameters of
xi = 180 and 45 ergs cm s^-1, and outflow velocities for each component in the
range of 0-300 km s^-1. Additionally, in the hard spectrum we find a broad
(approx 11000 km s^-1) Fe K-alpha emission line, redshifted by approx 2800 km
s^-1.Comment: 35 pages, 9 figures, Accepted to Ap
A fit to the simultaneous broadband spectrum of Cygnus X-1 using the transition disk model
We have used the transition disk model to fit the simultaneous broad band
( keV) spectrum of Cygnus X-1 from OSSE and Ginga observations. In this
model, the spectrum is produced by saturated Comptonization within the inner
region of the accretion disk, where the temperature varies rapidly with radius.
In an earlier attempt, we demonstrated the viability of this model by fitting
the data from EXOSAT, XMPC balloon and OSSE observations, though these were not
made simultaneously. Since the source is known to be variable, however, the
results of this fit were not conclusive. In addition, since only once set of
observations was used, the good agreement with the data could have been a
chance occurrence. Here, we improve considerably upon our earlier analysis by
considering four sets of simultaneous observations of Cygnus X-1, using an
empirical model to obtain the disk temperature profile. The vertical structure
is then obtained using this profile and we show that the analysis is self-
consistent. We demonstrate conclusively that the transition disk spectrum is a
better fit to the observations than that predicted by the soft photon
Comptonization model. Since the temperature profile is obtained by fitting the
data, the unknown viscosity mechanism need not be specified. The disk structure
can then be used to infer the viscosity parameter , which appears to
vary with radius and luminosity. This behavior can be understood if
depends intrinsically on the local parameters such as density, height and
temperature. However, due to uncertainties in the radiative transfer,
quantitative statements regarding the variation of cannot yet be made.Comment: 8 figures. uses aasms4.sty, accepted by ApJ (Mar 98
X-ray properties of an Unbiased Hard X-ray Detected Sample of AGN
The SWIFT gamma ray observatory's Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) has detected a
sample of active galactic nuclei (AGN) based solely on their hard X-ray flux
(14-195 keV). In this paper, we present for the first time {\it XMM-Newton}
X-ray spectra for 22 BAT AGNs with no previously analyzed X-ray spectra. If our
sources are a representative sample of the BAT AGN, as we claim, our results
present for the first time global X-ray properties of an unbiased towards
absorption (n), AGN
sample. We find 9/22 low absorption (n cm), simple power
law model sources, where 4 of these sources have a statistically significant
soft component. Among these sources, we find the presence of a warm absorber
statistically significant for only one Seyfert 1 source, contrasting with the
ASCA results of \citet{rey97} and \citet{geo98}, who find signatures of warm
absorption in half or more of their Seyfert 1 samples at similar redshifts.
Additionally, the remaining sources (14/22) have more complex spectra, well-fit
by an absorbed power law at keV. Five of the complex sources are
classified as Compton-thick candidates. Further, we find four more sources with
properties consistent with the hidden/buried AGN reported by Ueda {\it et al.}
(2007). Finally, we include a comparison of the {\it XMM-Newton} EPIC spectra
with available SWIFT X-ray Telescope (XRT) observations. From these
comparisons, we find 6/16 sources with varying column densities, 6/16 sources
with varying power law indices, and 13/16 sources with varying fluxes, over
periods of hours to months. Flux and power law index are correlated for objects
where both parameters vary.Comment: 39 pages, 16 figures, accepted to Ap
Possible X-ray diagnostic for jet/disk dominance in Type 1 AGN
Using Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer Seyfert 1 and 1.2 data spanning 9 years, we
study correlations between X-ray spectral features. The sample consists of 350
time-resolved spectra from 12 Seyfert 1 and 1.2 galaxies. Each spectrum is
fitted to a model with an intrinsic powerlaw X-ray spectrum produced close to
the central black hole that is reprocessed and absorbed by material around the
black hole. To test the robustness of our results, we performed Monte Carlo
simulations of the spectral sample. We find a complex relationship between the
iron line equivalent width (EW) and the underlying power law index (Gamma). The
data reveal a correlation between Gamma and EW which turns over at Gamma <~ 2,
but finds a weak anti-correlation for steeper photon indices. We propose that
this relationship is driven by dilution of a disk spectrum (which includes the
narrow iron line) by a beamed jet component and, hence, could be used as a
diagnostic of jet-dominance. In addition, our sample shows a strong correlation
between the reflection fraction (R) and Gamma, but we find that it is likely
the result of modeling degeneracies. We also see the X-ray Baldwin effect (an
anti-correlation between the 2-10 keV X-ray luminosity and EW) for the sample
as a whole, but not for the individual galaxies and galaxy types.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ, 14 page
The average X-ray/gamma-ray spectrum of radio-quiet Seyfert 1s
We have obtained the average 1--500 keV spectrum of radio-quiet Seyfert 1s
using data from EXOSAT, Ginga, HEAO, and GRO/OSSE. The spectral fit to the
combined average EXOSAT and OSSE data is fully consistent with that for Ginga
and OSSE, confirming results from an earlier Ginga/OSSE sample. The average
spectrum is well-fitted by a power-law X-ray continuum with an energy spectral
index of moderately absorbed by an ionized medium and with
a Compton reflection component. A high-energy cutoff (or a break) in the the
power-law component at a few hundred keV or more is required by the data. We
also show that the corresponding average spectrum from HEAO A1 and A4 is fully
compatible with that obtained from EXOSAT, Ginga and OSSE. These results
confirm that the apparent discrepancy between the results of Ginga (with
) and the previous results of EXOSAT and HEAO (with ) is indeed due to ionized absorption and Compton reflection first
taken into account for Ginga but not for the previous missions. Also, our
results confirm that the Seyfert-1 spectra are on average cut off in gamma-rays
at energies of at least a few hundred keV, not at keV (as suggested
earlier by OSSE data alone). The average spectrum is compatible with emission
from either an optically-thin relativistic thermal plasma in a disk corona, or
with a nonthermal plasma with a power-law injection of relativistic electrons.Comment: 7 pages, 3 Postscript figures, MNRAS accepte
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