Spectral modeling of the three spectral states of the Galactic microquasar GRS 1915+105

Abstract

We have analyzed Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer spectral data of the Galactic micro-quasar GRS 1915+105 in its various spectral states, as defined by Belloni et al. (2000). In states A and B the spectra are dominated by a strong soft thermal component, accompanied by a weak harder tail. The soft component is rather complex and cannot be described as a simple accretion disk emission. Relativistic effects in Kerr metric contribute to the complexity of the soft component but are not sufficient to fully account for it. As found previously, state C spectra are dominated by a Comptonized component, with small contribution from disk photons. The X-ray reprocessed component is highly significant in those spectra and, in contrast to the usual hard state spectra from accreting black holes, it is highly ionized.

A&A, in press