arXiv subjects

Chris Done

Publications and source records attributed to Chris Done.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

arXiv2017

Black hole spin of Cyg X-1 determined from the softest state ever observed

We show the softest ever spectrum from Cyg~X-1, detected in 2013 with Suzaku. This has the weakest high energy Compton tail ever seen from this object, so should give the cleanest view of the underlying disk spectrum, and hence the best determination of black hole spin from disk continuum fitting. Using the standard model of a disk with simple non-thermal Comptonisation to produce the weak high energy tail gives a high spin black hole. However, we get a significantly better fit by including an additional, low temperature thermal Comptonisation component, which allows a much lower black hole spin. Corroboration of the existence of an additional Compton component comes from the frequency dependent hard lags seen in the rapid variability in archival high/soft state data. These can not be explained if the continuum is a single non-thermal Comptonisation component, but are instead consistent with a radially stratified, multi zone Comptonisation spectrum, where the spectrum is softer further from the black hole. A complex multi-zone Comptonisation continuum is required to explain both spectra and timing together, and this has an impact on the derived black hole spin.

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arXiv2016

Crossing the Eddington limit: examining disk spectra at high accretion rates

The faintest ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs), those with 0.3-10 keV luminosities 1 < L_X/10^39 < 3 erg s^-1, tend to have X-ray spectra that are disk-like but broader than expected for thin accretion disks. These `broadened disk' spectra are thought to indicate near- or mildly super-Eddington accretion onto stellar remnant black holes. Here we report that a sample of bright thermal-dominant black hole binaries, which have Eddington ratios constrained to moderate values, also show broadened disk spectra in the 0.3-10 keV band at an order of magnitude lower luminosities. This broadening would be missed in studies that only look above ~2 keV. While this may suggest that broadened disk ULXs could be powered by accretion onto massive stellar remnant black holes with close to maximal spin, we argue in favor of a scenario where they are at close to the Eddington luminosity, such that radiation pressure would be expected to result in geometrically slim, advective accretion disks. However, this implies that an additional physical mechanism is required to produce the observed broad spectra at low Eddington ratios.

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arXiv2016

Energy spectra of X-ray quasi-periodic oscillations in the Lense-Thirring precession model

We model the energy dependence of a quasi periodic oscillation (QPOs) produced by Lense-Thirring precession of a hot inner flow. We use a fully 3-dimensional Monte-Carlo code to compute the Compton scattered flux produced by the hot inner flow intercepting seed photons from an outer truncated standard disc. The changing orientation of the precessing torus relative to the line of sight produces the observed modulation of the X-ray flux. We consider two scenarios of precession. First, we assume that the precession axis is perpendicular to the plane of the outer disc. In this scenario the relative geometry of the cold disc and the hot torus does not change during precession, so the emitted spectrum does not change, and the modulation is solely due to the changing viewing angle. In the second scenario the precession axis is tilted with respect to the outer disc plane. This leads to changes in the relative geometry of the hot flow and cold plasma, possibly resulting in variations of the plasma temperature and thus generating additional spectral variability, which combines with the variations due to the viewing angle changes.

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arXiv2016

Reaching the Peak of the quasar spectral energy distribution - II. Exploring the accretion disc, dusty torus and host galaxy

We continue our study of the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of 11 AGN at 1.5 < z < 2.2, with optical-NIR spectra, X-ray data and mid-IR photometry. In a previous paper we presented the observations and models; in this paper we explore the parameter space of these models. We first quantify uncertainties on the black hole masses (M$_{\rm BH}$) and degeneracies between SED parameters. The effect of BH spin is tested, and we find that while low to moderate spin values (a$_*$ $\leq$ 0.9) are compatible with the data in all cases, maximal spin (a$_*$ = 0.998) can only describe the data if the accretion disc is face-on. The outer accretion disc radii are well constrained in 8/11 objects, and are found to be a factor ~5 smaller than the self-gravity radii. We then extend our modelling campaign into the mid-IR regime with WISE photometry, adding components for the host galaxy and dusty torus. Our estimates of the host galaxy luminosities are consistent with the M$_{\rm BH}$-bulge relationship, and the measured torus properties (covering factor and temperatures) are in agreement with earlier work, suggesting a predominantly silicate-based grain composition. Finally, we deconvolve the optical-NIR spectra using our SED continuum model. We claim that this is a more physically motivated approach than using empirical descriptions of the continuum such as broken power-laws. For our small sample, we verify previously noted correlations between emission linewidths and luminosities commonly used for single-epoch M$_{\rm BH}$ estimates, and observe a statistically significant anti-correlation between [O III] equivalent width and AGN luminosity.

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arXiv2016

Testing the Completeness of the SDSS Colour Selection for Ultramassive, Slowly Spinning Black Holes

We investigate the sensitivity of the colour-based quasar selection algorithm of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey to several key physical parameters of supermassive black holes (SMBHs), focusing on BH spin ($a_{\star}$) at the high BH-mass regime ($M_{BH} \geqslant10^9\, M_{\odot}$). We use a large grid of model spectral energy distribution, assuming geometrically-thin, optically-thick accretion discs, and spanning a wide range of five physical parameters: BH mass $M_{BH}$, BH spin $a_{\star}$, Eddington ratio $L / L_{Edd}$ , redshift $z$, and inclination angle $inc$. Based on the expected fluxes in the SDSS imaging ugriz bands, we find that $\sim 99.8\%$ of our models with $M_{BH} \leqslant 10^{9.5}\, M_{\odot}$ are selected as quasar candidates and thus would have been targeted for spectroscopic follow-up. However, in the extremely high-mass regime, $\geqslant 10^{10} M_{\odot}$, we identify a bias against slowly/retrograde spinning SMBHs. The fraction of SEDs that would have been selected as quasar candidates drops below $\sim50\%$ for $a_{\star} <0$ across $0.5<z<2$. For particularly massive BHs, with $M_{BH} \simeq 3\times10^{10}\, M_{\odot}$, this rate drops below $\sim20\%$, and can be yet lower for specific redshifts. We further find that the chances of identifying any hypothetical sources with $M_{BH} = 10^{11}\, M_{\odot}$ by colour selection would be extremely low at the level of $\sim 3\%$. Our findings, along with several recent theoretical arguments and empirical findings, demonstrate that the current understanding of the SMBH population at the high-$M_{BH}$, and particularly the low- or retrograde-spinning regime, is highly incomplete.

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arXiv2016

The Quiescent Intracluster Medium in the Core of the Perseus Cluster

Clusters of galaxies are the most massive gravitationally-bound objects in the Universe and are still forming. They are thus important probes of cosmological parameters and a host of astrophysical processes. Knowledge of the dynamics of the pervasive hot gas, which dominates in mass over stars in a cluster, is a crucial missing ingredient. It can enable new insights into mechanical energy injection by the central supermassive black hole and the use of hydrostatic equilibrium for the determination of cluster masses. X-rays from the core of the Perseus cluster are emitted by the 50 million K diffuse hot plasma filling its gravitational potential well. The Active Galactic Nucleus of the central galaxy NGC1275 is pumping jetted energy into the surrounding intracluster medium, creating buoyant bubbles filled with relativistic plasma. These likely induce motions in the intracluster medium and heat the inner gas preventing runaway radiative cooling; a process known as Active Galactic Nucleus Feedback. Here we report on Hitomi X-ray observations of the Perseus cluster core, which reveal a remarkably quiescent atmosphere where the gas has a line-of-sight velocity dispersion of 164+/-10 km/s in a region 30-60 kpc from the central nucleus. A gradient in the line-of-sight velocity of 150+/-70 km/s is found across the 60 kpc image of the cluster core. Turbulent pressure support in the gas is 4% or less of the thermodynamic pressure, with large scale shear at most doubling that estimate. We infer that total cluster masses determined from hydrostatic equilibrium in the central regions need little correction for turbulent pressure.

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arXiv2016

A quasi-periodic modulation of the iron line centroid energy in the black hole binary H 1743-322

Accreting stellar-mass black holes often show a `Type-C' quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO) in their X-ray flux, and an iron emission line in their X-ray spectrum. The iron line is generated through continuum photons reflecting off the accretion disk, and its shape is distorted by relativistic motion of the orbiting plasma and the gravitational pull of the black hole. The physical origin of the QPO has long been debated, but is often attributed to Lense-Thirring precession, a General Relativistic effect causing the inner flow to precess as the spinning black hole twists up the surrounding space-time. This predicts a characteristic rocking of the iron line between red and blue shift as the receding and approaching sides of the disk are respectively illuminated. Here we report on XMM-Newton and NuSTAR observations of the black hole binary H 1743-322 in which the line energy varies systematically over the ~4 s QPO cycle (3.70 sigma significance), as predicted. This provides strong evidence that the QPO is produced by Lense-Thirring precession, constituting the first detection of this effect in the strong gravitation regime. There are however elements of our results harder to explain, with one section of data behaving differently to all the others. Our result enables the future application of tomographic techniques to map the inner regions of black hole accretion disks.

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arXiv2016

A disk wind interpretation of the strong Fe Kα features in 1H 0707-495

1H 0707-495 is the most convincing example of a supermassive black hole with an X-ray spectrum being dominated by extremely smeared, relativistic reflection, with the additional requirement of strongly supersoler iron abundance. However, here we show that the iron features in its 2--10 keV spectrum are rather similar to the archetypal wind dominated source, PDS 456. We fit all the 2--10 keV spectra from 1H 0707-495 using the same wind model as used for PDS 456, but viewed at higher inclination so that the iron absorption line is broader but not so blueshifted. This gives a good overall fit to the data from 1H 0707-495, and an extrapolation of this model to higher energies also gives a good match to the NuSTAR data. Small remaining residuals indicate that the iron line emission is stronger than in PDS 456. This is consistent with the wider angle wind expected from a continuum driven wind from the super-Eddington mass accretion rate in 1H 0707-495, and/or the presence of residual reflection from the underlying disk though the presence of the absorption line in the model removes the requirement for highly relativistic smearing, and highly supersoler iron abundance. We suggest that the spectrum of 1H 0707-495 is sculpted more by absorption in a wind than by extreme relativistic effects in strong gravity.

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arXiv2016

The Mass and Spin of The Extreme Narrow Line Seyfert 1 Galaxy 1H 0707-495 and Its Implications for The Trigger for Relativistic Jets

Relativistic reflection models of the X-ray spectrum of the `complex' Narrow Line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) 1H 0707-495 require a high spin, moderate inclination, low mass black hole. With these parameters fixed, the observed optical/UV emission directly determines the mass accretion rate through the outer disc and hence predicts the bolometric luminosity. This is $140-260~\times$ the Eddington limit. Such a disc should power a strong wind, and winds are generically expected to be clumpy. Changing inclination angle with respect to a clumpy wind structure gives a possible explanation for the otherwise puzzling difference between `complex' NLS1 such as 1H 0707-495 and `simple' ones like PG 1244+026. Lines of sight which intercept the wind show deep absorption features at iron from the hot phase of the wind, together with stochastic dips and complex absorption when the clumps occult the X-ray source (complex NLS1), whereas both these features are absent for more face-on inclination (simple NLS1). This geometry is quite different to the clean view of a flat disc which is assumed for the spin measurements in relativistic reflection models, so it is possible that even 1H 0707-495 has low spin. If so, this re-opens the simplest and hence very attractive possibility that high black hole spin is a necessary and sufficient condition to trigger highly relativistic (bulk Lorentz factor $\sim 10-15$) jets.

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arXiv2016

An optically-thick disk wind in GRO J1655-40?

We revisited the unusual wind in GRO J1655-40 detected with Chandra in 2005 April, using long-term RXTE X-ray data and simultaneous optical/near-infrared photometric data. This wind is the most convincing case for magnetic driving in black hole binaries, as it has an inferred launch radius which is a factor of 10 smaller than the thermal wind prediction. However, the optical and near-infrared fluxes monotonically increase around the Chandra observation, whereas the X-ray flux monotonically decreases from 10 days beforehand. Yet the optical and near-infrared fluxes are from the outer, irradiated disk, so for them to increase implies that the X-rays likewise increased. We applied a new irradiated disk model to the multi-wavelength spectral energy distributions (SEDs). Fitting the optical and near-infrared fluxes, we estimated the intrinsic luminosity at the Chandra epoch was > ~0.7 L_Edd, which is more than one order of magnitude larger than the observed X-ray luminosity. These results could be explained if a Compton-thick, almost completely ionized gas was present in the wind and strong scattering reduced the apparent X-ray luminosity. The effects of scattering in the wind should then be taken into account for discussion of the wind-driving mechanism. Radiation pressure and Compton heating may also contribute to powering the wind at this high luminosity.

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arXiv2016

Tracking the energetics of the non-thermal disc-corona-jet in the very high state GX 339-4

The dramatic hard-soft spectral transition in Black Hole Binaries is important as it is associated with the collapse of the jet and with the strongest low frequency QPOs. These transition spectra (intermediate and very high state: VHS) are complex, with soft but distinctly non-thermal Comptonisation which merges smoothly into the disc emission. Here we develop a physical model for the accretion flow which can accommodate all these features, with an outer standard disc, which can make a transition to an energetically coupled disc-corona region, and make a further transition to a hot inner flow which can be radiatively inefficient if required. The code explicitly uses fully relativistic emissivity (Novikov-Thorne), and all Comptonisation is calculated with a hybrid (thermal and non-thermal) electron distribution. We fit this to a VHS spectrum from GX 339-4. We show that the complex continuum curvature produced by a hybrid electron distribution is enough to remove the strong constraint on black hole spin derived from reflection using simpler Comptonisation models. More fundamentally, we show that the VHS cannot be fit with the same Novikov-Thorne emissivity which can fit the disc dominated spectrum but instead requires that the inner flow is somewhat radiatively inefficient. This is consistent with an accretion powered jet, but simultaneous radio data show that the jet has already collapsed at the time of our data. Instead, it could point to truncation of the inner flow at radii larger than the innermost stable circular orbit, as predicted by the Lense-Thirring QPO models.

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arXiv2016

A variable ULX and possible IMBH candidate in M51a

ULX-7, in the northern spiral arm of M51, demonstrates unusual behaviour for an ultraluminous X-ray source, with a hard X-ray spectrum but very high short-term variability. This suggests that it is not in a typical ultraluminous state. We analyse the source using archival data from XMM-Newton, Chandra and NuSTAR, and by examining optical and radio data from HST and VLA. Our X-ray spectral analysis shows that the source has a hard power-law spectral shape with a photon index Gamma~1.5, which persists despite the source's X-ray luminosity varying by over an order of magnitude. The power spectrum of the source features a break at 6.5^{+0.5}_{-1.1}x10^-3 Hz, from a low-frequency spectral index of alpha_1=-0.1^{+0.5}_{-0.2} to a high-frequency spectral index of alpha_2=0.65^{+0.05}_{-0.14}, making it analogous to the low-frequency break found in the power spectra of low/hard state black holes (BHs). We can take a lower frequency limit for a corresponding high-frequency break to calculate a BH mass upper limit of 1.6x10^3 solar masses. Using the X-ray/radio fundamental plane we calculate another upper limit to the BH mass of 3.5x10^4 solar masses for a BH in the low/hard state. The hard spectrum, high rms variability and mass limits are consistent with ULX-7 being an intermediate-mass BH; however we cannot exclude other interpretations of this source's interesting behaviour, most notably a neutron star with an extreme accretion rate.

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arXiv2015

X-Ray Polarimetry with the Polarization Spectroscopic Telescope Array (PolSTAR)

This paper describes the Polarization Spectroscopic Telescope Array (PolSTAR), a mission proposed to NASA's 2014 Small Explorer (SMEX) announcement of opportunity. PolSTAR measures the linear polarization of 3-50 keV (requirement; goal: 2.5-70 keV) X-rays probing the behavior of matter, radiation and the very fabric of spacetime under the extreme conditions close to the event horizons of black holes, as well as in and around magnetars and neutron stars. The PolSTAR design is based on the technology developed for the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) mission launched in June 2012. In particular, it uses the same X-ray optics, extendable telescope boom, optical bench, and CdZnTe detectors as NuSTAR. The mission has the sensitivity to measure ~1% linear polarization fractions for X-ray sources with fluxes down to ~5 mCrab. This paper describes the PolSTAR design as well as the science drivers and the potential science return.

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arXiv2015

Minimum X-ray source size for a lamp-post corona in light-bending models for AGN

The lamppost model is often used to describe the X-ray source geometry in AGN, where an infinitesimal point source is located on the black hole spin axis. This is especially invoked for Narrow Line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) galaxies, where an extremely broad iron line seen in episodes of low X-ray flux can both be explained by extremely strong relativistic effects as the source approaches the black hole horizon. The most extreme spectrum seen from the NLS1 1H0707-495 requires that the source is less than 1Rg above the event horizon in this geometry. However, the source must also be large enough to intercept sufficient seed photons from the disk to make the hard X-ray Compton continuum which produces the observed iron line/reflected spectrum. We use a fully relativistic ray tracing code to show that this implies that the source must be substantially larger than 1Rg in 1H0707-495 if the disk is the source of seed photons. Hence the source cannot fit as close as 1Rg to the horizon, so the observed spectrum and variability are not formed purely by effects of strong gravity but probably also by changes in corona and inner accretion flow geometry.

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arXiv2015

The Accreting Black Hole Swift J1753.5-0127 from Radio to Hard X-Ray

(abridged) We report on multi-wavelength measurements of Swift J1753.5-0127 in the hard state at L=2.7e36 erg/s (assuming d=3 kpc) in 2014. The radio emission is optically thick synchrotron, presumably from a compact jet. We take advantage of the low extinction and model the near-IR to UV emission with a multi-temperature disk model. Assuming a BH mass of M_BH=5 Msun and a system inclination of 40 deg, the fits imply an inner radius for the disk of Rin/Rg>212 d_3 (5Msun/M_BH). The outer radius is R_out/R_g=90,000 d_3 (5Msun/M_BH), which corresponds to 6.6e10 d_3 cm, consistent with the expected size of the disk. The 0.5-240 keV spectrum measured by Swift/XRT, Suzaku, and NuSTAR is relatively well characterized by a power-law with a photon index of Gamma=1.722+/-0.003, but a significant improvement is seen when a second continuum component is added. Reflection is a possibility, but no iron line is detected, implying a low iron abundance. We are able to fit the entire SED with a multi-temperature disk component, a Comptonization component, and a broken power-law, representing the emission from the compact jet. The broken power-law cannot significantly contribute to the soft X-ray emission, and this may be related to why Swift J1753.5-0127 is an outlier in the radio/X-ray correlation. The broken power-law might dominate above 20 keV, which would constrain the break frequency to be between 2.4e10 Hz and 3.6e12 Hz. Although the fits to the full SED do not include significant thermal emission in the X-ray band, previous observations have consistently seen such a component, and we find that there is evidence at the 3.1-sigma level for a disk-blackbody component with a temperature of 150(+30)(-20) eV and an inner radius of 5-14 R_g. If this component is real, it might imply the presence of an inner accretion disk in addition to the strongly truncated (R_in>212 R_g) disk.

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arXiv2015

The Best Constraints on A Super-Eddington Accretion Flow: XMM-Newton Observations of An Intermediate-mass Black Hole

RX J1140.1+0307 (hereafter RX1140) is a Narrow Line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) with one of the lowest black hole masses known in an AGN (M ${\le} 10^6$ M$_{\odot}$). We show results from two new {\it XMM-Newton} observations, showing soft 2-10~keV spectra, a strong excess at lower energies, and fast X-ray variability as is typical of this class. The soft excess can be equally well fit by either low temperature Comptonisation or highly smeared, ionised reflection models, but we use a covariance analysis of the fast X-ray variability as well as lag and coherence spectra to show that the low temperature Comptonisation model gives a better description of the break in variability properties between soft and hard X-rays. Both models also require an additional component at the softest energies, as expected from the accretion disc. However, this inner disc spectrum does not join smoothly onto the variable optical and far UV emission (which should be produced in the outer disc) unless the mass is underestimated by an order of magnitude. The variable optical and far UV emission instead suggests that $L/L_{Edd}\sim 10$ through the outer disc, in which case advection and/or wind losses are required to explain the observed broadband spectral energy distribution. However, the similarity of the X-ray properties of RX1140 to other simple NLS1 such as PG 1244+026, RE J1034+396 and RX~J0136 means it is likely that these are also super-Eddington sources. This means their spectral energy distribution cannot be used to determine black hole spin despite appearing to be disc dominated. It also means that the accretion geometry close to the black hole is unlikely to be a flat disc as assumed in the new X-ray reverberation mapping techniques.

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arXiv2015

Reaching the Peak of the Quasar Spectral Energy Distribution I: Observations and Models

We perform a spectral analysis of a sample of 11 medium redshift (1.5 < z < 2.2) quasars. Our sample all have optical spectra from the SDSS, infrared spectra from GNIRS and TSPEC, and X-ray spectra from XMM-Newton. We first analyse the Balmer broad emission line profiles which are shifted into the IR spectra to constrain black hole masses. Then we fit an energy-conserving, three component accretion model of the broadband spectral energy distribution (SED) to our multi-wavelength data. Five out of the 11 quasars show evidence of an SED peak, allowing us to constrain their bolometric luminosity from these models and estimate their mass accretion rates. Based on our limited sample, we suggest that estimating bolometric luminosities from L_5100A and L_2-10keV may be unreliable, as has been also noted for a low-redshift, X-ray selected AGN sample.

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arXiv2015

Complex Narrow Line Seyfert 1s: High spin or high inclination?

Complex narrow line Seyfert 1s (NLS1s), such as 1H0707-495, differ from simple NLS1s like PG1244+026 by showing stronger broad spectral features at Fe K and larger amplitude flux variability. These are correlated: the strongest Fe K features are seen during deep dips in the light curves of complex NLS1s. There are two competing explanations for these features, one where a compact X-ray source on the spin axis of a highly spinning black hole approaches the horizon and the consequent strong relativistic effects focus the intrinsic flux onto the inner edge of a thin disc, giving a dim, reflection dominated spectrum. The other is that the deep dips are caused by complex absorption by clumps close to the hard X-ray source. The reflection dominated model is able to reproduce the very short 30s soft lag from reverberation seen in the complex NLS1 1H0707-495. However, it does not explain the characteristic switch to hard lags on longer timescales. Instead, a full model of propagating fluctuations coupled to reverberation can explain the switch in the simple NLS1 PG1244+026 using a low spin black hole. However PG1244+026 has a longer reverberation lag of $\sim 200$s. Here we extend the successful propagation-reverberation model for the simple NLS1 PG1244+026 to include the effect of absorption from clumps in a turbulent region above the disk. The resulting occultations of the inner accretion flow can introduce additional hard lags when relativistic effects are taken into account. This dilutes the soft lag from reverberation and shifts it to higher frequencies, making a smooth transition between the 200s lags seen in simple NLS1s to the 30s lags in complex NLS1s. These two classes of NLS1 could then be determined by inclination angle with respect to a clumpy, probably turbulent, failed wind structure on the disc.

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