The lack of variability of the iron line in MCG-6-30-15: general relativistic effects

Abstract

The spectrum and variability of the Seyfert galaxy MCG-6-30-15 can be decomposed into two apparently disconnected components: a highly variable power law and an almost constant component which contains a broad and strong iron line. We explore a possible explanation of the puzzling lack of variability of the iron line, by assuming that the variations of the power law component are due to changes in the height of the primary source in the near vicinity of a rotating black hole. Due to the bending of light in the strong field of the central black hole, the apparent brightness of the power-law component can vary by about a factor 4 according to its position, while the total iron line flux variability is less than 20 percent. This behaviour is obtained if the primary source is located within 3-4 gravitational radii ($r_{\mathrm{g}}$) from the rotation axis with a variable height of between $\sim$ 3 and 8 $r_{\mathrm{g}}$. These results revive the possibility that future X-ray observations of MCG-6-30-15 can map out the strong gravity regime of accreting black holes.

accepted for publication in MNRAS Letters

References in corpus (17)

• A long hard look at MCG-6-30-15 with XMM-Newton
• XMM-EPIC observation of MCG-6-30-15: Direct evidence for the extraction of energy from aspinning black hole?
• The variable iron K emission line in MCG-6-30-15
• X-ray iron line reverberation from black hole accretion disks
• X-ray continuum variability of MCG-6-30-15
• The iron line in MCG-6-30-15 from XMM-Newton: evidence for gravitational light-bending?
• The profile and equivalent width of the X-ray iron emission-line from a disk around a Kerr black hole
• Radio Continuum Morphology of Southern Seyfert Galaxies
• The nature of X-ray spectral variability in Seyfert Galaxies
• Evidence for Rapid Iron K_alpha Line Flux Variability in MCG--6-30-15
• Effects of Kerr Spacetime on Spectral Features from X-Ray Illuminated Accretion Discs
• The continuum variability of MCG--6-30-15: A detailed analysis of the long 1999 ASCA observation
• On the origin of the broad, relativistic iron line of MCG-6-30-15 observed by XMM-Newton
• X-ray iron line variability for the model of an orbiting flare above a black hole accretion disc
• Reflected Iron Line From a Source Above a Kerr Black Hole Accretion Disc
• Deprojection Galaxy Cluster X-ray, Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Temperature Decrement and Weak Lensing Mass Maps
• The effects of relativistic bulk motion of X-ray flares in the corona on the iron Kalpha line in Seyfert 1 galaxies

Cited by in corpus (141)

• An XMM-Newton survey of broad iron lines in Seyfert galaxies
• A light bending model for the X-ray temporal and spectral properties of accreting black holes
• An Explanation for the soft X-ray excess in AGN
• Relativistic X-ray Lines from the Inner Accretion Disks Around Black Holes
• Irradiation of an Accretion Disc by a Jet: General Properties and Implications for Spin Measurements of Black Holes
• The role of the reflection fraction in constraining black hole spin
• An extended scheme for fitting X-ray data with accretion disk spectra in the strong gravity regime
• Understanding X-ray reflection emissivity profiles in AGN: Locating the X-ray source
• Relativistic Lines and Reflection from the Inner Accretion Disks Around Neutron Stars
• A long, hard look at MCG-6-30-15 with XMM-Newton II: detailed EPIC analysis and modelling
• An absorption origin for the X-ray spectral variability of MCG-6-30-15
• X-ray reflection in the NLS1 1H 0707-495
• Suzaku observations of the hard X-ray variability of MCG-6-30-15: the effects of strong gravity around a Kerr black hole
• XMM-Newton study of the complex and variable spectrum of NGC 4051
• X-ray Absorption and Reflection in Active Galactic Nuclei
• Towards precision measurements of accreting black holes using X-ray reflection spectroscopy
• The NuSTAR spectrum of Mrk 335: Extreme relativistic effects within 2 gravitational radii of the event horizon?
• Determination of the X-ray reflection emissivity profile of 1H 0707-495
• The Relativistic Fe Emission Line in XTE J1650-500 with BeppoSAX: Evidence for Black Hole Spin and Light Bending Effects?
• Driving extreme variability: The evolving corona and evidence for jet launching in Markarian 335
• The variable X-ray spectrum of Markarian 766 - I. Principal components analysis
• Flux and energy modulation of redshifted iron emission in NGC3516: implications for the black hole mass
• The broad band spectral variability of MCG-6-30-15 observed by NuSTAR and XMM-Newton
• The 1.5 Ms Observing Campaign on IRAS 13224-3809: X-ray Spectral Analysis I
• A re--analysis of the iron line in the XMM-Newton data from the low/hard state in GX339--4
• The truncated and evolving inner accretion disc of the black hole GX 339-4
• X-ray reflection in the Seyfert galaxy 1H0419-577 revealing strong relativistic effects in the vicinity of a Kerr black hole
• XMM-Newton observations of the Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 galaxy Mrk 335 in an historical low X-ray flux state
• Suzaku observations of Mrk 335: Confronting partial covering and relativistic reflection
• Iron line profiles in Suzaku spectra of bare Seyfert galaxies
• Mapping the inner regions of MCG-6-30-15 with XMM-Newton
• Relativistic spectral features from X-ray illuminated spots and the measure of the black hole mass in AGN
• Spectral variability and reverberation time delays in the Suzaku X-ray spectrum of NGC 4051
• Relativistic disc reflection in the extreme NLS1 IRAS13224-3809
• An absorption origin for the soft excess in Seyfert 1 AGN
• Constraining the Spin of the Black Hole in Fairall 9 with Suzaku
• A General Relativistic Magnetohydrodynamics Simulation of Jet Formation
• The absorption-dominated model for the X-ray spectra of type I active galaxies: MCG-6-30-15
• Probing the geometry and motion of AGN coronae through accretion disc emissivity profiles
• Polarization signatures of strong gravity in AGN accretion discs
• Energy-dependent variability and the origin of the soft X-ray excess in AGN
• Testing the Kerr black hole hypothesis using X-ray reflection spectroscopy and a thin disk model with finite thickness
• Suzaku Observation of a Hard Excess in 1H 0419-577: Detection of a Compton-Thick Partial-Covering Absorber
• A unified accretion-ejection paradigm for black hole X-ray binaries. III. Spectral signatures of hybrid disk configurations
• X-Ray Polarimetry with the Polarization Spectroscopic Telescope Array (PolSTAR)
• Revealing the accretion disc corona in Mrk 335 with multi-epoch X-ray spectroscopy
• Revealing the X-ray Variability of AGN with Principal Component Analysis
• Iron-line and continuum flux variations in the RXTE spectra of the black-hole candidate XTE J1650-500
• Origin of the X-ray disc-reflection steep radial emissivity
• Insights on the X-ray weak quasar phenomenon from XMM-Newton monitoring of PHL 1092
• Evidence for an emerging disc wind and collimated outflow during an X-ray flare in the narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy Mrk 335
• On the X-ray spectra of luminous, inhomogeneous accretion flows
• Discovery of a relativistic Fe line in PG 1425+267 with XMM--Newton and study of its short-timescale variability
• Caught in the act: Measuring the changes in the corona that cause the extreme variability of 1H 0707-495
• Variable iron-line emission near the black hole of Markarian 766
• X-Ray Variability of AGN and Relationship to Galactic Black Hole Binary Systems
• On variability and spectral distortion of the fluorescent iron lines from black-hole accretion discs
• X-ray spectral variability in PG1535+547: the changing-look of a 'soft X-ray weak' AGN
• IRAS 13197-1627 has them all: Compton-thin absorption, photo-ionized gas, thermal plasmas, and a broad Fe line
• Constraints on the absorption-dominated model for the X-ray spectrum of MCG-6-30-15
• Evidence of Light-Bending Effects and its implication for spectral state transitions
• Role of emission angular directionality in spin determination of accreting black holes with broad iron line
• Using principal component analysis to understand the variability of PDS 456
• Unveiling the broad band X-ray continuum and iron line complex in Mkr 841
• Impact of the returning radiation on the analysis of the reflection spectra of black holes
• Principal Component Analysis of MCG--6-30-15 with XMM-Newton
• Testing the Kerr black hole hypothesis with GRS 1716-249 by combining the continuum-fitting and the iron-line methods
• The nature of the extreme X-ray variability in the NLS1 1H 0707-495
• NGC 5548: Lack of a Broad Fe K Line and Constraints on the Location of the Hard X-ray Source
• X-ray to UV Variability Correlation in MCG-6-30-15
• Implementation of a radial disk ionization profile in the RELXILL_NK model
• The hard X-ray spectrum of the Seyfert galaxy IRAS 18325-5926: cool corona, reflection from an ionized disk and variable iron K emission
• INTEGRAL and RXTE Observations of Centaurus A
• Accretion Disk Illumination in Schwarzschild and Kerr Geometries: Fitting Formulae
• Reflection dominated X-ray spectra of Narrow Line Seyfert 1 Galaxies: Mrk 478 and EXO 1346.2+2645
• Modelling the X-ray polarimetric signatures of complex geometry: the case study of the "changing look" AGN NGC 1365
• An intense soft-excess and evidence for light bending in the luminous narrow-line quasar PHL 1092
• Studying the Reflection Spectra of the New Black Hole X-ray Binary Candidate MAXI J1631-479 Observed by NuSTAR: A Variable Broad Iron Line Profile
• Black hole spin: theory and observation
• Relativistic Fe K alpha line study in Seyfert 1 galaxies observed with Suzaku
• The structure and X-ray radiation spectra of illuminated accretion disks in AGN. III. Modeling fractional variability
• The changing X-ray time lag in MCG-6-30-15
• SDSS J075101.42+291419.1: A Super-Eddington Accreting Quasar with Extreme X-ray Variability
• Reflection spectra of accretion disks illuminated by disk-like coronae
• Modelling X-ray RMS spectra I: intrinsically variable AGN
• Gravitational effects on the high energy emission of accreting black holes
• The hard X-ray spectrum of NGC 1365: scattered light, not black hole spin
• X-ray reflection spectroscopy with Kaluza-Klein black holes
• XMM-Newton observation of Mrk 110
• The spins of the Galactic black holes in MAXI J1535-571 and 4U 1630-472 from Insight-HXMT
• XMM-Newton unveils the complex iron K alpha region of Mrk 279
• PCA of PCA: Principal Component Analysis of Partial Covering Absorption in NGC 1365
• XMM-Newton Observations of the Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 Galaxy IRAS 13224$-$3809 : X-ray Spectral Analysis II
• Soft X-Ray Excess from Shocked Accreting Plasma in Active Galactic Nuclei
• Variation in the primary and reprocessed radiation from an orbiting spot around a black hole
• Illumination of the accretion disk in black hole binaries: An extended jet as the primary source of hard X-rays
• Fourier Resolved Spectroscopy of the XMM-Newton Observations of MCG -6-30-15
• A broadband X-ray spectral study of the Seyfert 1 galaxy ESO 141--G055 with XMM-Newton and NuSTAR
• Discovery of late-time X-ray flare and anomalous emission line enhancement after the nuclear optical outburst in a narrow-line Seyfert 1 Galaxy
• Impact of the reflection model on the estimate of the properties of accreting black holes
• A Short Review of Relativistic Iron Lines from Stellar-Mass Black Holes
• X-ray polarimetry as a new tool to discriminate reflection from absorption scenarios -- Predictions for MCG-6-30-15
• Spectral properties of NGC 4151 and the Estimation of black hole mass using TCAF solution
• X-ray-binary spectra in the lamp post model
• Black Hole Spin Measurements Based on a Thin Disc Model with Finite Thickness I. An example study of MCG-06-30-15
• Broad Iron Lines in AGN and X-ray Binaries
• Relativistic reflection from accretion disks in the population of Active Galactic Nuclei at z=0.5-4
• The origin of the vanishing soft X-ray excess in the changing-look Active Galactic Nucleus Mrk 590
• An X-ray spectral study of the origin of reflection features in bare Seyfert 1 galaxy ESO 511--G030
• Inclination-Dependent AGN Flux Profiles From Strong Lensing of the Kerr Space-Time
• Testing the Kerr metric using X-ray reflection spectroscopy: spectral analysis of GX 339-4
• Does the Iron K${}_{\alpha }$ Line of Active Galactic Nuclei Arise from the Cerenkov Line-like Radiation?
• Exploring the X-ray spectral variability of MCG-6-30-15 with XMM-Newton
• XMM-Newton and Broad Iron Lines
• Active Galactic Nuclei at the Crossroads of Astrophysics
• General Relativity effects and line emission
• Testing the Keplerian disk hypothesis using X-ray reflection spectroscopy
• On the peculiar properties of the narrow-line quasar PG 1543+489
• Relativistic iron K alpha line detection in the Suzaku spectra of IC 4329A
• Impact of ionization and electron density gradients in X-ray reflection spectroscopy measurements
• Modeling time delays in the X-ray spectrum of the Seyfert galaxy MCG-6-30-15
• Exploring higher order images with Fe K_α-lines from relativistic disks: black hole spin determination and bias
• Testing the $\delta$-Kerr metric with black hole X-ray data
• Relativistic reflection within an extended hot plasma geometry
• Large-amplitude rapid X-ray variability in the narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy PG 1404$+$226
• Hard X-Ray broadband spectroscopy of Mrk 876: characterizing its spectrum
• Can the relativistic light bending model explain X-ray spectral variations of Seyfert galaxies?
• Reflection Spectra of Accretion Disks Illuminated by an Off-Axis Corona
• Inferring the coronal flaring patterns in AGN from reverberation maps
• Shot cutoff timescales in different spectral states of Cygnus X-1
• Models for the X-ray spectra and variability of luminous accreting black holes
• Origin of the X-ray Broad Iron Spectral Feature in GRS 1915+105
• Correlated variability of the reflection fraction with the X-ray flux and spectral index for Mkn 478
• Comparing Reflection and Absorption Models for the Soft X-ray Variability in the NLS1 AGN UGC 11763
• Fourier resolved spectroscopy of 4U 1728-34: New Insights into Spectral and Temporal Properties of Low-Mass X-ray Binaries
• X-ray reflection spectroscopy with improved calculations of the emission angle
• Iron Line Tomography of General Relativistic Hydrodynamic Accretion around Kerr Black Holes
• Tracking the evolution of the accretion flow in MAXI J1820+070 during its hard state with the JED-SAD model
• Variability of the X-ray Broad Iron Spectral Features in Active Galactic Nuclei and Black-hole Binaries
• Strong gravity effects: X-ray spectra, variability and polarimetry
• Assessing systematic uncertainties from spectral re-analysis of Cyg X-1 with different coronal geometries