arXiv subjects

D. R. Wilkins

Publications and source records attributed to D. R. Wilkins.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2020

Blueshifted absorption lines from X-ray reflection in IRAS 13224-3809

We explore a disc origin for the highly-blueshifted, variable absorption lines seen in the X-ray spectrum of the Narrow Line Seyfert 1 galaxy IRAS13224-3809. The blueshift corresponds to a velocity of about 0.25c. Such features in other Active Galactic Nuclei are often interpreted as UltraFast Outflows (UFOs). The velocity is of course present in the orbital motions of the inner disk. The absorption lines in IRAS13224-3809 are best seen when the flux is low and the reflection component of the disk is strong relative to the power-law continuum. The spectra are consistent with a model in which the reflection component passes through a thin, highly-ionized absorbing layer at the surface of the inner disc, the blue-shifted side of which dominates the flux due to relativistic aberration (the disc inclination is about 70 deg). No fast outflow need occur beyond the disc.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2019

Low frequency X-ray timing with Gaussian processes and reverberation in the radio-loud AGN 3C 120

A framework is developed to perform Fourier-domain timing analysis on X-ray light curves with gaps, employing Gaussian processes to model the probability distribution underlying the observed time series from which continuous samples can be drawn. A technique is developed to measure X-ray reverberation from the inner regions of accretion discs around black holes in the low frequency components of the variability, on timescales longer than can be probed employing standard Fourier techniques. This enables X-ray reverberation experiments to be performed using data from satellites in low-Earth orbit such as NICER, NuSTAR and the proposed X-ray timing mission STROBE-X, and enables long timescale reverberation around higher mass AGN to be measured by combining multiple observations. Gaussian processes are applied to observations of the broad line radio galaxy 3C120 spanning two orbits with XMM-Newton to measure the relative time lags of successive X-ray energy bands. The lag-energy spectrum between 5E-6 and 3E-5Hz, estimated using Gaussian processes, reveals X-ray reverberation from the inner accretion disc for the first time in this radio-loud AGN. Time lags in the relativistically broadened iron K line are significantly detected. The core of the line lags behind the continuum by (3800 +/- 1500)s, suggesting a scale height of the corona of (13 +/- 8)rg above the disc. The ability to compare the structure of coronae in radio loud AGN to their radio quiet counterparts will yield important insight into the mechanisms by which black holes are able to launch jets.

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arXiv2019

Supermassive Black Hole Spin and Reverberation

X-ray reverberation mapping has emerged as a powerful probe of microparsec scales around AGN, and with high sensitivity detectors, its full potential in echo-mapping the otherwise inaccessible disk-corona at the black hole horizon scale will be revealed.

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arXiv2019

Evidence for an emerging disc wind and collimated outflow during an X-ray flare in the narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy Mrk 335

A triggered 140 ks XMM-Newton observation of the narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) Mrk 335 in December 2015 caught the active galaxy at its lowest X-ray flux since 2007. The NLS1 is relatively quiescent for the first ~120 ks of the observation before it flares in brightness by a factor of about five in the last 20 ks. Although only part of the flare is captured before the observation is terminated, the data reveal significant differences between the flare and quiescent phases. During the low-flux state, Mrk 335 demonstrates a reflection-dominated spectrum that results from a compact corona around a Kerr black hole. In addition to the rapid brightening, the flare is further described by spectral softening and a falling reflection fraction that are consistent with previous observations advocating at least part of the corona in Mrk 335 could be the base of an aborted jet. The spectrum during the flaring interval reveals several residuals between the 2-3 sigma level that could be attributed to absorption lines from a highly ionised plasma that is moving outward at v~0.12c. It could be that the increased luminosity during the flare enhances the radiation pressure sufficiently to launch a possible wind. If the wind is indeed responding to the change in corona luminosity then it must be located within ~80 Rg. The escape velocity at this distance is comparable to the estimated wind velocity. If confirmed, this is the first example of a radio-quiet AGN exhibiting behaviour consistent with both diffuse and collimated outflow.

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arXiv2018

The remarkable X-ray variability of IRAS 13224-3809 I: The variability process

We present a detailed X-ray timing analysis of the highly variable NLS1 galaxy, IRAS 13224-3809. The source was recently monitored for 1.5 Ms with XMM-Newton which, combined with 500 ks archival data, makes this the best studied NLS1 galaxy in X-rays to date. We apply standard time- and Fourier-domain in order to understand the underlying variability process. The source flux is not distributed lognormally, as would be expected for accreting sources. The first non-linear rms-flux relation for any accreting source in any waveband is found, with $\mathrm{rms} \propto \mathrm{flux}^{2/3}$. The light curves exhibit significant strong non-stationarity, in addition to that caused by the rms-flux relation, and are fractionally more variable at lower source flux. The power spectrum is estimated down to $\sim 10^{-7}$ Hz and consists of multiple peaked components: a low-frequency break at $\sim 10^{-5}$ Hz, with slope $α< 1$ down to low frequencies; an additional component breaking at $\sim 10^{-3}$ Hz. Using the high-frequency break we estimate the black hole mass $M_\mathrm{BH} = [0.5-2] \times 10^{6} M_{\odot}$, and mass accretion rate in Eddington units, $\dot m_{\rm Edd} \gtrsim 1$. The non-stationarity is manifest in the PSD with the normalisation of the peaked components increasing with decreasing source flux, as well as the low-frequency peak moving to higher frequencies. We also detect a narrow coherent feature in the soft band PSD at $0.7$ mHz, modelled with a Lorentzian the feature has $Q \sim 8$ and an $\mathrm{rms} \sim 3$ %. We discuss the implication of these results for accretion of matter onto black holes.

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arXiv2018

The variability of the warm absorber in I Zwicky 1 as seen by XMM-Newton

We present new XMM-Newton observations of the intriguing warm absorber in I Zwicky 1. This luminous and nearby narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy shows ionized absorption by two components of outflowing gas; a low and a high-ionization phase with log $ξ$~0 and log $ξ$~2 respectively. Detailed modelling of these data reveal a complex and variable multi-phase warm absorber. However, we find the changes in the ionization state of the gas not to be straightforwardly correlated with the variability of the intrinsic continuum source, in apparent contrast with photoionization equilibrium. The observed variability hints instead at a close connection between the two gas components, possibly both directly connected to the accretion disc activity. We thus suggest a phenomenological model capable of explaining these observations, consisting of a clumpy outflow where the high and the low-ionization components are closely linked. Changes in ionization over the years are mainly driven by the different densities of the clumps crossing the observer's line-of-sight, in which the `skin' layer facing the source accounts for the more ionized component.

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arXiv2018

Eleven years of monitoring the Seyfert 1 Mrk 335 with Swift: Characterizing the X-ray and UV/optical variability

The narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy (NLS1) Mrk 335 has been continuously monitored with Swift since May 2007 when it fell into a long-lasting, X-ray low-flux interval. Results from the nearly 11 years of monitoring are presented here. Structure functions are used to measure the UV-optical and X-ray power spectra. The X-ray structure function measured between 10-100 days is consistent with the flat, low-frequency part of the power spectrum measured previously in Mrk 335. The UV-optical structure functions of Mrk 335 are comparable with those of other Seyfert 1 galaxies and of Mrk 335 itself when it was in a normal bright state. There is no indication that the current X-ray low-flux state is attributed to changes in the accretion disc structure of Mrk 335. The characteristic timescales measured in the structure functions can be attributed to thermal (for the UV) and dynamic (for the optical) timescales in a standard accretion disc. The high-quality UVW2 (~1800 A in the source frame) structure function appears to have two breaks and two different slopes between 10-160 days. Correlations between the X-ray and other bands are not highly significant when considering the entire 11-year light curves, but more significant behaviour is present when considering segments of the light curves. A correlation between the X-ray and UVW2 in 2014 (Year-8) may be predominately caused by an giant X-ray flare that was interpreted as jet-like emission. In 2008 (Year-2), possible lags between the UVW2 emission and other UV-optical waveband may be consistent with reprocessing of X-ray or UV emission in the accretion disc.

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arXiv2018

The 1.5 Ms Observing Campaign on IRAS 13224-3809: X-ray Spectral Analysis I

We present a detailed spectral analysis of the recent 1.5\,Ms XMM-Newton observing campaign on the narrow line Seyfert 1 galaxy IRAS~13224$-$3809, taken simultaneously with 500\,ks of NuSTAR data. The X-ray lightcurve shows three flux peaks, registering at about 100 times the minimum flux seen during the campaign, and rapid variability with a time scale of kiloseconds. The spectra are well fit with a primary powerlaw continuum, two relativistic-blurred reflection components from the inner accretion disk with very high iron abundance, and a simple blackbody-shaped model for the remaining soft excess. The spectral variability is dominated by the power law continuum from a corona region within a few gravitational radii from the black hole. Additionally, blueshifted Ne \textsc{x}, Mg \textsc{xii}, Si \textsc{xiv} and S \textsc{xvi} absorption lines are identified in the stacked low-flux spectrum, confirming the presence of a highly ionized outflow with velocity up to $v= 0.267$ and $0.225$\,c. We fit the absorption features with \texttt{xstar} models and find a relatively constant velocity outflow through the whole observation. Finally, we replace the \texttt{bbody} and supersolar abundance reflection models by fitting the soft excess successfully with the extended reflection model \texttt{relxillD}, which allows for higher densities than the standard \texttt{relxill} model. This returns a disk electron density $n_{\rm e}>10^{18.7}$\,cm$^{-3}$ and lowers the iron abundance from $Z_{\rm Fe}=24^{+3}_{-4}Z_\odot$ with $n_{\rm e}\equiv10^{15}$\,cm$^{-3}$ to $Z_{\rm Fe}=6.6^{+0.8}_{-2.1}Z_\odot$.

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arXiv2018

Variable blurred reflection in the narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy Mrk 493

We examine a 200 ks XMM-Newton observation of the narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy Mrk 493. The active galaxy was half as bright as in a previous 2003 snapshot observation and the current lower flux enables a study of the putative reflection component in detail. We determine the characteristics of the 2015 X-ray continuum by first analyzing the short-term variability using model-independent techniques. We then continue with a time-resolve analysis including spectral fitting and modelling the fractional variability. We determine that the variability arises from changes in the amount of primary flux striking the accretion disk, which induces changes in the ionization parameter and flux of the blurred reflection component. The observations seem consistent with the picture that the primary source is of roughly constant brightness and that variations arise from changes in the degree of light bending happening in the vicinity of the supermassive black hole.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2017

Is there a UV/X-ray connection in IRAS 13224-3809?

We present results from the optical, ultraviolet and X-ray monitoring of the NLS1 galaxy IRAS 13224-3809 taken with Swift and XMM-Newton during 2016. IRAS 13224-3809 is the most variable bright AGN in the X-ray sky and shows strong X-ray reflection, implying that the X-rays strongly illuminate the inner disc. Therefore, it is a good candidate to study the relationship between coronal X-ray and disc UV emission. However, we find no correlation between the X-ray and UV flux over the available ~40 day monitoring, despite the presence of strong X-ray variability and the variable part of the UV spectrum being consistent with irradiation of a standard thin disc. This means either that the X-ray flux which irradiates the UV emitting outer disc does not correlate with the X-ray flux in our line of sight and/or that another process drives the majority of the UV variability. The former case may be due to changes in coronal geometry, absorption or scattering between the corona and the disc.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2017

On the illumination of neutron star accretion discs

The illumination of the accretion disc in a neutron star X-ray binary by X-rays emitted from (or close to) the neutron star surface is explored through general relativistic ray tracing simulations. The applicability of the canonical suite of relativistically broadened emission line models (developed for black holes) to discs around neutron stars is evaluated. These models were found to describe well emission lines from neutron star accretion discs unless the neutron star radius is larger than the innermost stable orbit of the accretion disc at 6rg or the disc is viewed at high inclination, above 60deg where shadowing of the back side of the disc becomes important. Theoretical emissivity profiles were computed for accretion discs illuminated by hotspots on the neutron star surfaces, bands of emission and emission by the entirety of the hot, spherical star surface and in all cases, the emissivity profile of the accretion disc was found to be well represented by a single power law falling off slightly steeper than r^-3. Steepening of the emissivity index was found where the emission is close to the disc plane and the disc can appear truncated when illuminated by a hotspot at high latitude. The emissivity profile of the accretion disc in Serpens X-1 was measured and found to be consistent with a single unbroken power law with index q=3.5 (-0.4,+0.3), suggestive of illumination by the boundary layer between the disc and neutron star surface.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2017

Revealing structure and evolution within the corona of the Seyfert galaxy I Zw 1

X-ray spectral timing analysis is presented of XMM-Newton observations of the narrow line Seyfert 1 galaxy I Zwicky 1 (I Zw 1) taken in 2015 January. After exploring the effect of background flaring on timing analyses, X-ray time lags between the reflection-dominated 0.3-1.0keV energy and continuum-dominated 1.0-4.0keV band are measured, indicative of reverberation off the inner accretion disc. The reverberation lag time is seen to vary as a step function in frequency; across lower frequency components of the variability, 3e-4 to 1.2e-3Hz a lag of 160s is measured, but the lag shortens to (59 +/- 4)s above 1.2e-3Hz. The lag-energy spectrum reveals differing profiles between these ranges with a change in the dip showing the earliest arriving photons. The low frequency signal indicates reverberation of X-rays emitted from a corona extended at low height over the disc while at high frequencies, variability is generated in a collimated core of the corona through which luminosity fluctuations propagate upwards. Principal component analysis of the variability supports this interpretation, showing uncorrelated variation in the spectral slope of two power law continuum components. The distinct evolution of the two components of the corona is seen as a flare passes inwards from the extended to the collimated portion. An increase in variability in the extended corona was found preceding the initial increase in X-ray flux. Variability from the extended corona was seen to die away as the flare passed into the collimated core leading to a second sharper increase in the X-ray count rate.

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arXiv2017

Probing the geometry and motion of AGN coronae through accretion disc emissivity profiles

To gain a better understanding of the inner disc region that comprises active galactic nuclei it is necessary to understand the pattern in which the disc is illuminated (the emissivity profile) by X-rays emitted from the continuum source above the black hole (corona). The differences in the emissivity profiles produced by various corona geometries are explored via general relativistic ray tracing simulations. Through the analysis of various parameters of the geometries simulated it is found that emissivity profiles produced by point source and extended geometries such as cylindrical slabs and spheroidal coronae placed on the accretion disc are distinguishable. Profiles produced by point source and conical geometries are not significantly different, requiring an analysis of reflection fraction to differentiate the two geometries. Beamed point and beamed conical sources are also simulated in an effort to model jet-like coronae, though the differences here are most evident in the reflection fraction. For a point source we determine an approximation for the measured reflection fraction with the source height and velocity. Simulating spectra from the emissivity profiles produced by the various geometries produce distinguishable differences. Overall spectral differences between the geometries do not exceed 15 per cent in the most extreme cases. It is found that emissivity profiles can be useful in distinguishing point source and extended geometries given high quality spectral data of extreme, bright sources over long exposure times. In combination with reflection fraction, timing, and spectral analysis we may use emissivity profiles to discern the geometry of the X-ray source.

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arXiv2017

The high-Eddington NLS1 Ark 564 has the coolest corona

Ark 564 is an archetypal Narrow line Seyfert 1 that has been well observed in soft X-rays from 0.3-10 keV, revealing a steep spectrum, strong soft excess, iron K emission line and dramatic variability on the order of hours. Because of its very steep spectrum, observations of the source above 10 keV have been sparse. We report here on the first NuSTAR observation of Ark 564. The source was observed for 200 ks with NuSTAR, 50 ks of which were concurrent with Suzaku observations. NuSTAR and Suzaku observed a dramatic flare, in which the hard emission is clearly delayed with respect to the soft emission, consistent with previous detections of a low-frequency hard lag found in XMM-Newton data. The NuSTAR spectrum is well described by a low-temperature Comptonisation continuum (with an electron temperature of 15 +/- 2 keV), which irradiates a highly ionised disc. No further relativistic broadening or ionized absorption is required. These spectral results show that Ark 564 has one of the lowest temperature coronae observed by NuSTAR to date. We discuss possible reasons for low-temperature coronae in high-Eddington sources.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2016

The Future of X-ray Reverberation from AGN

XMM-Newton is capable of making a transformational advance in our understanding of how luminous accreting black holes work, by dedicating about 10 per cent of future observing time to long observations, of order Megaseconds, to X-ray variable Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) research. This would enable reverberation studies, already a commonplace feature of AGN, to proceed to the next level and follow the behaviour of the powerful dynamic corona. Such a dedicated legacy programme can only be carried out with XMM-Newton.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2016

Towards modelling X-ray reverberation in AGN: Piecing together the extended corona

Models of X-ray reverberation from extended coronae are developed from general relativistic ray tracing simulations. Reverberation lags between correlated variability in the directly observed continuum emission and that reflected from the accretion disc arise due to the additional light travel time between the corona and reflecting disc. X-ray reverberation is detected from an increasing sample of Seyfert galaxies and a number of common properties are observed, including a transition from the characteristic reverberation signature at high frequencies to a hard lag within the continuum component at low frequencies, as well a pronounced dip in the reverberation lag at 3keV. These features are not trivially explained by the reverberation of X-rays originating from simple point sources. We therefore model reverberation from coronae extended both over the surface of the disc and vertically. Causal propagation through its extent for both the simple case of constant velocity propagation and propagation linked to the viscous timescale in the underlying accretion disc is included as well as stochastic variability arising due to turbulence locally on the disc. We find that the observed features of X-ray reverberation in Seyfert galaxies can be explained if the long timescale variability is dominated by the viscous propagation of fluctuations through the corona. The corona extends radially at low height over the surface of the disc but with a bright central region in which fluctuations propagate up the black hole rotation axis driven by more rapid variability arising from the innermost regions of the accretion flow.

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arXiv2015

Driving Extreme Variability - Measuring the evolving coronae and evidence for jet launching in AGN

Relativistically blurred reflection from the accretion disc provides a powerful probe of the extreme environments close to supermassive black holes; the inner regions of the accretion flow and the corona that produces the intense X-ray continuum. Techniques by which the geometry and extent of the corona can be measured through the observed X-ray spectrum are reviewed along with the evolution in the structure of the corona that is seen to accompany variations in the X-ray luminosity both on long and short timescales. Detailed analyses of the narrow line Seyfert 1 galaxies Markarian 335 and 1H0707-495, over observations with XMM-Newton as well as Suzaku and NuSTAR spanning nearly a decade reveal that increases in the X-ray luminosity coincide with an expansion of the corona to cover a larger area of the inner accretion disc. Underlying this long timescale variability lie more complex patterns of behaviour on short timescales. Flares in the X-ray emission during a low flux state of Mrk 335 observed in 2013 and 2014 are found to mark a reconfiguration of the corona while there is evidence that the flares were caused by a vertical collimation and ejection of coronal material, reminiscent of an aborted jet-launching event. Measurements of the corona and reflecting accretion disc are combined to infer the conditions on the inner disc that lead to the flaring event.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2015

Flaring from the supermassive black hole in Mrk 335 studied with Swift and NuSTAR

Monitoring of the narrow line Seyfert 1 galaxy Markarian 335 (Mrk 335) with the Swift satellite discovered an X-ray flare beginning 2014 August 29. At the peak, the 0.5-5keV count rate had increased from that in the low flux state by a factor of 10. A target of opportunity observation was triggered with NuSTAR, catching the decline of the flare on 2014 September 20. We present a joint analysis of Swift and NuSTAR observations to understand the cause of this flare. The X-ray spectrum shows an increase in directly observed continuum flux and the softening of the continuum spectrum to a photon index of 2.49 (-0.07,+0.08) compared to the previous low flux observations. The X-ray spectrum remains well-described by the relativistically blurred reflection of the continuum from the accretion disc whose emissivity profile suggests that it is illuminated by a compact X-ray source, extending at most 5.2rg over the disc. A very low reflection fraction of 0.41 (-0.15,+0.15) is measured, unexpected for such a compact corona. The X-ray flare is, hence, interpreted as arising from the vertical collimation and ejection of the X-ray emitting corona at a mildly relativistic velocity, causing the continuum emission to be beamed away from the disc. As the flare subsides, the base of this jet-like structure collapses into a compact X-ray source that provides the majority of the radiation that illuminates the disc while continuum emission is still detected from energetic particles further out, maintaining the low reflection fraction.

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