499 research outputs found
The physical origin of the X-ray power spectral density break timescale in accreting black holes
X-ray variability of active galactic nuclei (AGN) and black hole binaries can
be analysed by means of the power spectral density (PSD). The break observed in
the power spectrum defines a characteristic variability timescale of the
accreting system. The empirical variability scaling that relates characteristic
timescale, black hole mass, and accretion rate () extends from supermassive black holes in AGN down
to stellar-mass black holes in binary systems. We suggest that the PSD break
timescale is associated with the cooling timescale of electrons in the
Comptonisation process at the origin of the observed hard X-ray emission. We
obtain that the Compton cooling timescale directly leads to the observational
scaling and naturally reproduces the functional dependence on black hole mass
and accretion rate (). This result simply
arises from general properties of the emission mechanism and is independent of
the details of any specific accretion model.Comment: 4 pages, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics,
Letters to the Edito
BeppoSAX observations of the quasar Markarian 205
We present the first BeppoSAX observation (0.1 to 220 keV) of the quasar Mrk
205. We have searched for the unusual Fe line profile claimed in the XMM-Newton
spectrum which has been widely discussed in recent literature. We find no
evidence for a broad, ionized Fe line component in our data. We detect for the
first time a Compton hump in this object. Besides, when this component is
included in the fit, the line strength diminishes, in agreement with a recent
re-analysis of the XMM-Newton data, but with better constraints on the
reflection component thanks to the PDS instrument (15-220 keV). We interpret
this fact as another indication for illumination of a distant and cold material
rather than reprocessing in the highly ionized inner parts of an accretion
disk. We cannot constrain the presence of a high energy cutoff but we confirm
the existence of a variable soft excess (one year timescale).Comment: 13 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in A&
Synchrotron radio emission in radio-quiet AGNs
The basic mechanism responsible for radio emission in radio-loud active
galactic nuclei (AGNs) is assumed to be synchrotron radiation. We suggest here
that radio emission in radio-quiet objects is also due to synchrotron radiation
of particles accelerated in shocks. We consider generic shocks and study the
resulting synchrotron properties. We estimate the synchrotron radio luminosity
and compare it with the X-ray component produced by inverse Compton emission.
We obtain that the radio to X-ray luminosity ratio is much smaller than unity,
with values typical of radio-quiet sources. The predicted trends on source
parameters, black hole mass and accretion rate, may account for the
anticorrelation between radio-loudness and Eddington ratio observed in
different AGN samples.Comment: 5 pages, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic
Resolving the Host Galaxy of the Nearby QSO I Zw 1 with Sub-Arcsecond Multi-Transition Molecular Line Observations
We present the first sub-kpc 0.7" (~ 850 pc) resolution 12CO(1-0) molecular
line observations of the ISM in the host galaxy of the QSO I Zw 1. The
observations were obtained with the BIMA mm-interferometer in its compact A
configuration. The BIMA data are complemented by new observations of the
12CO(2-1) and 13CO(1-0) line with IRAM Plateau de Bure mm-interferometer (PdBI)
at 0.9" and 1.9" resolution, respectively. These measurements, which are part
of a multi-wavelength study of the host galaxy of I Zw 1, are aimed at
comparing the ISM properties of a QSO host with those of nearby galaxies as
well as to obtain constraints on galaxy formation/evolution models. Our images
of the 12CO(1-0) line emission show a ring-like structure in the circumnuclear
molecular gas distribution with an inner radius of about 1.2 kpc. The presence
of such a molecular gas ring was predicted from earlier lower angular
resolution PdBI 12CO(1-0) observations. A comparison of the BIMA data with IRAM
PdBI 12CO(2-1) observations shows variations in the excitation conditions of
the molecular gas in the innermost 1.5" comprising the nuclear region of I Zw
1. The observed properties of the molecular cloud complexes in the disk of the
host galaxy suggest that they can be the sites of massive circumnuclear star
formation, and show no indications of excitation by the nuclear AGN. This all
indicates that the molecular gas in a QSO host galaxy has similar properties to
the gas observed in nearby low luminosity AGNs.Comment: to be published in ApJ 1 July 2004 issu
High-Energy sources before INTEGRAL -- INTEGRAL reference catalog --
We describe the INTEGRAL reference catalog which classifies previously known
bright X-ray and gamma-ray sources before the launch of INTEGRAL. These sources
are, or have been at least once, brighter than ~1 mCrab above 3 keV, and are
expected to be detected by INTEGRAL. This catalog is being used in the INTEGRAL
Quick Look Analysis to discover new sources or significantly variable sources.
We compiled several published X-ray and gamma-ray catalogs, and surveyed recent
publications for new sources. Consequently, there are 1122 sources in our
INTEGRAL reference catalog. In addition to the source positions, we show an
approximate spectral model and expected flux for each source, based on which we
derive expected INTEGRAL counting rates. Assuming the default instrument
performances and at least ~10^5 sec exposure time for any part of the sky, we
expect that INTEGRAL will detect at least ~700 sources below 10 keV and ~400
sources above 20 keV over the mission life.Comment: Accepted to A&A Letter INTEGRAL special issu
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