A Model for the X-Ray and UV Emission from Seyfert Galaxies and Galactic Black Holes

Abstract

We propose that the X--ray emission from radio quiet AGN and galactic black holes is due to Comptonization of soft thermal photons emitted by the underlying accretion disk in localized structures (blobs). The power per unit area produced by the blobs, impinging on the disk, can easily dominate the radiation internally produced by the disk. In this case the electron temperature and the high energy spectrum can be determined in a similar way as in the previously studied homogeneous model (Haardt \& Maraschi 1991). However in the present model: a) the emitted spectrum is largely independent of the {\it fraction} of gravitational power dissipated in the blobs; b) the X--ray spectrum can be harder depending on a form factor of the blobs; c) the UV (or soft X--ray for galactic objects) luminosity that is not intercepted by the blobs can be larger than the X--ray luminosity. In the framework of a simplified accretion disk $\alpha -\Omega$ dynamo model, we make order of magnitude estimates of the number of active blobs, their size, luminosity and hence their compactness, finding values in agreement with what is observed. The expected UV to X--ray spectra and correlations of X--ray and UV light curves are discussed.

10 pages. Plain Tex. Accepted in ApJ Letters

Cited by in corpus (258)

• Radiation mechanisms and geometry of Cygnus X-1 in the soft state
• X-ray Spectral Variability and Rapid Variability of the Soft X-ray Spectrum Seyfert 1 Galaxies Ark 564 and Ton S180
• The X-ray to optical-UV luminosity ratio of X-ray selected Type 1 AGN in XMM-COSMOS
• Plasma Ejection from Magnetic Flares and the X-ray Spectrum of Cygnus X-1
• A Comprehensive Spectral and Variability Study of Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 Galaxies Observed by ASCA: II. Spectral Analysis and Correlations
• Correlation between Compton reflection and X-ray slope in Seyferts and X-ray binaries
• A Comprehensive Spectral and Variability Study of Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 Galaxies Observed by ASCA: I. Observations and Time Series Analysis
• Thermal Instability and Photoionized X-ray Reflection in Accretion Disks
• CAIXA: a catalogue of AGN in the XMM-Newton archive III. Excess Variance Analysis
• First X-ray-Based Statistical Tests for Clumpy-Torus Models: Eclipse Events from 230 Years of Monitoring of Seyfert AGN
• On the origin of radio emission in radio quiet quasars
• Spectral evolution of magnetic flares and time lags in accreting black hole sources
• Coronal outflow dominated accretion discs: a new possibility for low luminosity black holes?
• Testing warm Comptonization models for the origin of the soft X-ray excess in AGN
• ON THE GEOMETRY OF THE X-RAY EMITTING REGION IN SEYFERT GALAXIES
• X-ray Reflection By Photoionized Accretion Discs
• X-ray Polarization from Accreting Black Holes: Coronal Emission
• A long, hard look at MCG-6-30-15 with XMM-Newton II: detailed EPIC analysis and modelling
• Quasars as standard candles III. Validation of a new sample for cosmological studies
• Aborted jets and the X-ray emission of radio-quiet AGNs
• X-ray spectra of accretion discs with dynamic coronae
• Modeling the Low State Spectrum of the X-Ray Nova XTE J1118+480
• XMM-Newton study of the complex and variable spectrum of NGC 4051
• BAT AGN Spectroscopic Survey -- XII. The relation between coronal properties of Active Galactic Nuclei and the Eddington ratio
• Correlation between the photon index and X-ray luminosity of black hole X-ray binaries and active galactic nuclei: observations and interpretation
• Accretion disc coronae as magnetic reservoirs
• Quasars as standard candles I: The physical relation between disc and coronal emission
• Multiwavelength campaign on Mrk 509 XII. Broad band spectral analysis
• Probing the Inner Region of Cyg X-1 in the Low/Hard State through its X-ray Broad Band Spectrum
• X-ray variability and correlations in the two phase disk-corona model for Seyfert galaxies
• Observations of Seyferts by OSSE and parameters of their X-ray/gamma-ray sources
• The Structure of the X-ray and Optical Emitting Regions of the Lensed Quasar Q 2237+0305
• The Origin of the X-ray and Ultraviolet Emission in NGC 7469
• Long-Term X-ray Spectral Variability in Seyfert 1 Galaxies
• The multiwavelength variability of 3C 273
• Accretion disk models and their X-ray reflection signatures. I. Local spectra
• An Expanded RXTE Survey of X-ray Variability in Seyfert 1 Galaxies
• Time-Dependent Disk Models for the Microquasar GRS1915+105
• The Fragmentation of Pre-enriched Primordial Objects
• Connection between the Accretion Disk and Jet in the Radio Galaxy 3C 111
• X-ray Spectra from MHD Simulations of Accreting Black Holes
• New constraints on the continuum-emission mechanism of AGN: Intensive monitoring of NGC 7469 in the X-ray and ultraviolet
• The synchrotron boiler and the spectral states of black hole binaries
• The broad band X-ray/hard X-ray spectra of accreting neutron stars
• An accretion disc-corona model for X-ray spectra of active galactic nuclei
• Evidence for Ionised Accretion Discs in Five Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 Galaxies
• Simultaneous NuSTAR and XMM-Newton 0.5-80 keV spectroscopy of the Narrow Line Seyfert 1 galaxy SWIFT J2127.4+5654
• Rapid Bursts From GRS 1915+105 with RXTE
• On the origin of spectral states in accreting black holes
• Disk, Corona, Jet Connection in the Intermediate State of MAXI J1820+070 Revealed by NICER Spectral-Timing Analysis
• Fe K Emission and Absorption in the XMM-EPIC Spectrum of the Seyfert Galaxy IC 4329a
• Nonthermally Dominated Electron Acceleration during Magnetic Reconnection in a Low-beta Plasma
• The WISSH Quasars Project III. X-ray properties of hyper-luminous quasars
• Modelling spectral and timing properties of accreting black holes: the hybrid hot flow paradigm
• The Comptonisation of accretion disc X-ray emission: Consequences for X-ray reflection and the geometry of AGN coronae
• The relativistic iron line profile in the Seyfert 1 Galaxy IC4329a
• Evolution of the accretion flow in Nova Muscae 1991
• Relativistic spectral features from X-ray illuminated spots and the measure of the black hole mass in AGN
• Doughnut strikes sandwich: the geometry of hot medium in accreting black hole X-ray binaries
• Mapping the inner regions of MCG-6-30-15 with XMM-Newton
• Are X-ray Emitting Coronae around Super Massive Black Holes Outflowing?
• An XMM-Newton observation of the luminous Seyfert 1 galaxy Markarian 509
• Imaging a Quasar Accretion Disk with Microlensing
• Relativistic Distortions in the X-ray Spectrum of Cyg X-1
• Hydrodynamic Simulation of Two Component Advective Flows around Black Holes
• Reconnection in Marginally Collisionless Accretion Disk Coronae
• An RXTE Survey of Long-Term X-ray Variability in Seyfert 1 Galaxies
• An investigation of the origin of soft X-ray excess emission from Narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies Akn564 and Mrk1044
• A self-consistent hybrid Comptonization model for broad-band spectra of accreting supermassive black holes
• A Monte Carlo Code for Relativistic Radiation Transport Around Kerr Black Holes
• Self-Consistent Thermal Accretion Disk Corona Models for Compact Objects: I. Properties of the Corona and the Spectrum of Escaping Radiation
• Quasar Variability in the Framework of Poissonian Models
• Constraining the location of rapid gamma-ray flares in the FSRQ 3C 273
• Constraints for the accretion disk evaporation rate in AGN from the existence of the Broad Line Region
• Turbulent Comptonization in Black Hole Accretion Disks
• Variable X-ray absorption in the mini-BAL QSO PG 1126-041
• Mid-Infrared Variability from the Spitzer Deep, Wide-Field Survey
• Magnetic flares and the optical variability of the X-ray transient XTE J1118+480
• X-ray Monitoring of Gravitational Lenses With Chandra
• Coronal Properties of the Seyfert 1.9 Galaxy MCG -05-23-016 Determined from Hard X-ray Spectroscopy with NuSTAR
• Temporal characteristics of the X-ray emission of NGC 7469
• NuSTAR Reveals the Comptonizing Corona of the Broad-Line Radio Galaxy 3C 382
• Multi-color optical monitoring of the quasar 3C 273 from 2005 to 2016
• Reflection spectra from an accretion disc illuminated by a neutron star X-ray burst
• A Study of QSO Evolution in the X-Ray Band with the Aid of Gravitational Lensing
• Effects of non-thermal tails in Maxwellian electron distributions on synchrotron and Compton processes
• Revealing the accretion disc corona in Mrk 335 with multi-epoch X-ray spectroscopy
• The structure and radiation spectra of illuminated accretion disks in AGN. II. Flare/spot model of X-ray variability
• Polarization constraints on the X-ray corona in Seyfert Galaxies: MCG-05-23-16
• A long term study of AGN X-ray variability. Structure function analysis on a ROSAT-XMM quasar sample
• NuSTAR/XMM-Newton monitoring of the Seyfert 1 galaxy HE 1143-1810. Testing the two-corona scenario
• Insights on the X-ray weak quasar phenomenon from XMM-Newton monitoring of PHL 1092
• Anatomy of the AGN in NGC 5548: III. The high-energy view with NuSTAR and INTEGRAL
• Evidence for Chain Reaction in the Time Profiles of Gamma Ray Bursts
• Spectra of black-hole binaries in the low/hard state: from radio to X-rays
• Self-Consistent Fokker-Planck Treatment Of Particle Distributions in Astrophysical Plasmas
• Broad-band Spectral Evolution of Scorpius X-1 along its Color-Color Diagram
• The optical-UV spectral energy distribution of the unabsorbed AGN population in the XMM-Newton Bright Serendipitous Survey
• INTEGRAL and XMM-Newton Spectral Studies of NGC 4388
• High-energy monitoring of NGC 4593 with XMM-Newton and NuSTAR. X-ray spectral analysis
• The ASCA X-Ray Spectrum Of The Broad-Line Radio Galaxy Pictor A: A Simple Power Law With No Fe K-alpha Line
• The outflows accelerated by the magnetic fields and radiation force of accretion disks
• Evolution of the X-ray spectrum in the flare model of Active Galactic Nuclei
• Spectra and time variability of galactic black-hole X-ray sources in the low/hard state
• Relativistically smeared X-ray reprocessed components in the GINGA spectra of GS 2023+338
• Evidence for Nonlinear X-ray Variability from the Broad-line Radio Galaxy 3C 390.3
• The Vertical Structure and Ultraviolet Spectrum of X-Ray Irradiated Accretion Disks in Active Galactic Nuclei
• Understanding Spectral Variability and Time Lags in Accreting Black Holes
• Variable line profiles due to non-axisymmetric patterns in an accretion disc around a rotating black hole
• Measuring the Coronal Properties of IC4329A with NuSTAR
• Relations between phenomenological and physical parameters in the hot coronae of AGNs computed with the MoCA code
• Observational signatures of X-ray irradiated accretion disks
• Multi-wavelength campaign on NGC 7469 IV. The broad-band X-ray spectrum
• Spectral Survey of X-Ray Bright Active Galactic Nuclei from the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer
• The soft excess of the NLS1 galaxy Mrk 359 studied with an XMM-Newton-NuSTAR monitoring campaign
• New Constraints on the Spin of the Black Hole Cygnus X-1 and the Physical Properties of its Accretion Disk Corona
• High-energy monitoring of NGC 4593 II. Broadband spectral analysis: testing the two-corona model
• Exploring the nature of broadband variability in the FSRQ 3C 273
• Narrow Moving Fe K-alpha lines from magnetic flares in AGN
• BAT AGN Spectroscopic Survey--VIII. Type 1 AGN With Massive Absorbing Columns
• Testing the disk-corona interplay in radiatively-efficient broad-line AGN
• Unveiling the broad band X-ray continuum and iron line complex in Mkr 841
• XMM-Newton observations of high-luminosity radio-quiet QSOs
• Novel calibrations of virial black hole mass estimators in active galaxies based on X-ray luminosity and optical/NIR emission lines
• The INTEGRAL view on Black Hole X-ray Binaries
• Disclosing the properties of low-redshift dual AGN through XMM-Newton and SDSS spectroscopy
• A deep X-ray view of the bare AGN Ark 120. II. Evidence for Fe K emission transients
• Magnetic inversion as a mechanism for the spectral transition of black hole binaries
• Ultraluminous X-ray Sources Powered by Radiatively Efficient Two-Phased Super-Eddington Accretion onto Stellar Mass Black holes
• The response of the Fe Kαline to changes in the X-ray illumination of accretion discs
• BeppoSAX observations of Mrk 841 and Mrk335
• Electron Acceleration and the Production of Nonthermal Electron Distributions in Accretion Disk Coronae
• On the complex disc-corona interactions in the soft spectral states of Soft X-ray Transients
• AstroSat and Chandra view of the high soft state of 4U 1630-47 (4U 1630-472): evidence of the disk wind and a rapidly spinning black hole
• The Suzaku Observation of NGC 3516: Complex Absorption and the Broad and Narrow Fe K Lines
• Black hole spin: theory and observation
• A Suzaku Observation of NGC 4593: Illuminating the Truncated Disk
• On the Baldwin Effect in Active Galactic Nuclei: I. The Continuum-Spectrum - Mass Relationship
• Evaporation of ion-irradiated disks
• Relativistic Fe K alpha line study in Seyfert 1 galaxies observed with Suzaku
• A Correlation Between the Ionization State of the Inner Accretion Disk and the Eddington Ratio of Active Galactic Nuclei
• The BeppoSAX view of the X-ray active nucleus of NGC4258
• High redshift radio quiet quasars -- exploring parameter space of accretion models. Part II: patchy corona model
• The structure and X-ray radiation spectra of illuminated accretion disks in AGN. III. Modeling fractional variability
• Hard X-ray selected giant radio galaxies - I. The X-ray properties and radio connection
• Multi-epoch analysis of the X-ray spectrum of the active galactic nucleus in NGC 5506
• Radio/X-ray monitoring of the broad-line radio galaxy 3C 382. High-energy view with XMM-Newton and NuSTAR
• Discovery of hard X-ray delays in the X-ray emission of the Seyfert 1 galaxy Mrk~110: possible evidence for Comptonization
• The X-ray view of optically selected dual AGN
• Magnetic-reconnection-heated corona in active galactic nuclei: refined disc-corona model and application to broad-band radiation
• NuSTAR spectral analysis of two bright Seyfert 1 galaxies: MCG +8-11-11 and NGC 6814
• An X-ray view of central engines of low luminosity quasars (LLQSO) in the local Universe
• Iron lines from transient and persisting hot spots on AGN accretion disks
• Testing models of X-ray reflection from irradiated disks
• X-ray variability of the Narrow Line Seyfert 1 Galaxy PKS 0558-504
• Multiple delays in QSO 0957+561: observational evidence and interpretation
• XMM-Newton observation of PG 0844 + 349
• A Suzaku Observation of Mkn 590 Reveals a Vanishing Soft Excess
• The origin of seed photons for Comptonization in the black hole binary Swift J1753.5-0127
• Iron K-alpha line profiles driven by non-axisymmetric illumination
• A quasi-spherical inner accretion flow in Seyfert galaxies ?
• Study of X-ray variability and coronae of Seyfert galaxies using NuSTAR
• Investigating the impact of vertically extended coronae on X-ray reverberation mapping
• Analysis of Spitzer-IRS spectra of hyperluminous infrared galaxies
• The polyhedral nature of LINERs: An XMM-Newton view of LINERs in radio galaxies
• A 12-day ASCA Observation of the Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 Galaxy Ton S180: Time-Selected Spectroscopy
• Properties of the two-temperature corona model for active galactic nuclei and galactic black holes
• A Single Intrinsic Luminosity Function for Both Type-I and Type-II Active Galactic Nuclei
• The nature of a broad line radio galaxy: Simultaneous RXTE and Chandra HETG observations of 3C 382
• X-Ray Variability and the Inner Region in Active Galactic Nuclei
• The relativistic shift of narrow spectral features from black-hole accretion discs
• The origin of optical emission lines in the soft state of X-ray binary outbursts: the case of MAXI J1820+070
• Correlating spectral and timing properties in the evolving jet of the micro blazar MAXI J1836-194
• Cascades of shocks in Active Galactic Nuclei and their radiation
• 4U 1344-60: a bright intermediate Seyfert galaxy at z=0.012 with a relativistic Fe Kalpha emission line
• The ASCA X-Ray Spectrum of Arp 102B and Evaluation of Simple Models for Its Associated, Metastable Fe II Absorber
• AGN's UV and X-ray luminosities in clumpy accretion flows
• Magnetic Flares and the Observed Optical Depth in Seyfert Galaxies
• Distinct High Energy Cutoff Variation Patterns in Two Seyfert Galaxies
• On the nature of the soft gamma-ray emission in the hard state of the black hole transient GRS 1716-249
• X-ray variability of AGN and correlations with spectral properties
• On Measuring the Variation of High Energy Cut-off in Active Galactic Nuclei
• Testing a model of variability of X-ray reprocessing features in Active Galactic Nuclei
• Light Echoes in Kerr Geometry: A Source of High Frequency QPOs from Random X-ray Bursts
• AGN variability time scales and the discrete-event model
• X-ray polarimetry as a new tool to discriminate reflection from absorption scenarios -- Predictions for MCG-6-30-15
• Electron-Positron Pairs in Hot Accretion Flows and Thin Disk Coronae
• Hot Corona Properties of Swift/BAT detected AGN
• A deep X-ray view of the bare AGN Ark 120. VI. Geometry of the hot corona from spectroscopic and polarization signatures
• X-Ray spectra from accretion disks illuminated by protons
• Suzaku Discovery of a Slowly Varying Hard X-ray Continuum from the Type I Seyfert Galaxy NGC 3516
• On the effect of coronal outflow on spectra formation in galactic black hole systems
• Continuum optical-UV and X-ray variability of AGN: current results and future challenges
• Flare-induced fountains and buried flares in AGN
• Coronal properties of the Seyfert 1 galaxy 3C 120 with NuSTAR
• The properties of the X-ray corona in the distant ($z=3.91$) quasar APM 08279+5255
• The Contribution of Particle Impact to the Production of Fe K Emission from Accreting Black Holes
• On the Origin of Polarization near the Lyman Edge in Quasars
• On the "failure" of the standard model for Soft X-ray Transients in quiescence
• Inclination-Dependent AGN Flux Profiles From Strong Lensing of the Kerr Space-Time
• The coronal parameters of local Seyfert galaxies
• Multiwavelength Monitoring of the Dwarf Seyfert 1 Galaxy NGC 4395. II. X-ray and Ultraviolet Continuum Variability
• Constraining the central engine of radio-loud AGNs
• Surprisingly Strong K-band Emission Found in Low Luminosity Active Galactic Nuclei
• Variable X-ray Absorption in the Seyfert 2 Galaxy Mrk 348
• Search for coronal temperature variation in Seyfert galaxies
• Non-Thermal Emission from AGN Coronae
• Investigating the origin of the Fe emission lines of the Seyfert 1 galaxy Mrk~205
• XMM-Newton reveals a Seyfert-like X-ray spectrum in the z=3.6 QSO B1422+231
• High Energy Break and Reflection Features in the Seyfert Galaxy MCG+8-11-11
• Thermal solutions of strongly magnetized disks and the hysteresis in X-ray binaries
• The X-ray Spectrum Of The Black Hole Candidate Swift J1753.5-0127
• Ionised Accretion Discs in Active Galactic Nuclei: The Effects of a Lamppost with a Variable Height
• Disk-Corona Models and X-ray Emission from Seyfert Galaxies
• X-ray Simulations of Polar Gas in Accreting Supermassive Black Holes
• Spectral variability analysis of an XMM-Newton observation of Ark 564
• BeppoSAX observations of the Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 galaxy RX J1702.5+3247
• Influences of magnetic coupling process on the spectrum of a disk covered by the corona
• A search for X-ray absorbed sources in the 3XMM catalogue, using photometric redshifts and Bayesian spectral fits
• On the Origin of the FeK$\alpha$ Line in the Seyfert 2 Galaxy NGC 7172
• Jet disc coupling in black hole binaries
• NuSTAR spectral analysis of three Seyfert galaxies: NGC 3227, NGC 5548 and MR 2251$-$178
• Relativistic iron K alpha line detection in the Suzaku spectra of IC 4329A
• Spectral components in black hole X-ray binaries
• The ${\sigma }_{\mathrm{H}\beta }$-based dimensionless accretion rate and its connection with the corona for AGN
• Broadband spectral analysis of Mrk 926 using multi-epoch X-ray observations
• Coordinated X-ray and UV absorption within the accretion disk wind of the active galactic nucleus PG 1126-041
• The first X-ray look at SMSS J114447.77-430859.3: the most luminous quasar in the last 9 Gyr
• Breaking the rules at $z\simeq$0.45: the rebel case of RBS 1055
• A toy model for X-ray spectral variability of active galactic nuclei
• XMM-Newton --NuSTAR monitoring campaign of the Seyfert 1 galaxy IC 4329A
• Big Blue Bump and Transient Active Regions in Seyfert Galaxies
• Accretion flows in the hard state of black hole X-ray binaries: the effect of hot gas condensation
• Probing the origin of the iron K_alpha line around stellar and supermassive black holes using X-ray polarimetry
• Inferring the coronal flaring patterns in AGN from reverberation maps
• The NuSTAR view of the Seyfert Galaxy HE 0436-4717
• Magnetic flares in Active Galactic Nuclei: Modeling the iron Kalpha-line
• Selected Chapters on Active Galactic Nuclei as Relativistic Systems
• Microflares in accretion disks
• Accretion with two-phase gas supply and its application in black hole X-ray binaries
• High-energy monitoring of Seyfert galaxies: the case of NGC 4593
• Safety first: Stability and dissipation of line-tied force-free flux tubes in magnetized coronae
• The New Primary X-ray Component Confirmed in the Seyfert I Galaxy IC4329A
• Untangling the Complex Nature of AGN Variability with Fairall 9
• Smearing of mass accretion rate variation by viscous processes in accretion disks in compact binary systems
• Flares from spiral waves by lensing and time-delay amplification?
• Accretion Geometry of Black Hole X-ray Binaries: Insights from X-ray Observations
• The physical relation between disc and coronal emission in quasars
• X-rays and gamma rays from active galactic nuclei
• Inflow Generated X-ray Corona Around Supermassive Black Holes and Unified Model for X-ray Emission
• Comprehensive Spectral Analysis of Cyg X-1 using RXTE Data
• Unprecedentedly bright X-ray flaring in Cygnus X-1 observed by INTEGRAL
• Relativistic smearing of the reflection spectrum in Galactic Black Hole Candidates
• Unveiling BLR Structure in AGN with High Resolution X-Ray Spectra: An Analytic Approach to Wind Emission Line Profiles
• A New Approach for Testing Einstein's Theory of Gravity Close to Rapidly Spinning Black Holes
• Enhanced activity in close dual-AGN systems in the local Universe
• Accretion in Active Galactic Nuclei
• Energy dependence of the X-ray power spectrum in NGC4051 and NGC4395