arXiv subjects

Yash A. Gursahani

Publications and source records attributed to Yash A. Gursahani.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

X-rays Mark the Spot: The Effects of Reduced Metallicity on X-ray AGN Obscuration at High Redshift

The James Webb Space Telescope has pushed the frontier of high-redshift galaxy and active galactic nucleus (AGN) observations firmly past $z=10$. Corresponding to the first 500 Myr after the Big Bang, this coincides with the epoch of supermassive black hole seeding and their early growth, much of which is likely to occur in highly obscured environments. In this work, we investigate the expected X-ray properties of these obscured AGNs focusing on the impact of the significantly lower iron abundance predicted at such early times. We use Monte Carlo methods to model the radiative transfer of X-rays from a central AGN through a surrounding torus of cold gas, characterizing the emergent X-ray spectrum as a function of the metallicity, opening angle of the torus, and column density. Motivated by expectations of high-$z$ systems, we focus on Compton-thick obscurers with columns $N_H=10^{24}-10^{25}\,{\rm cm}^{-2}$. We find that decreased metallicity can significantly increase the fraction of X-ray photons that escape the torus, improving the prospects of detecting these very high-$z$ AGNs. The covering fraction of the obscurer (i.e. torus opening angle) plays a complex role, with repeated scatterings across the interior of the torus (isotropizing the emission) competing with escape through the opening, producing geometric beaming. Additionally, we explore non-solar abundance ratios that mimic the delay-time distribution of Type Ia supernovae. We use our models to address the detectability of highly obscured $z=10$ AGNs in next-generation, high-angular resolution X-ray surveys.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2026

An XMM-Newton Analysis of the Supermassive Black Hole Binary Candidate MCG+11--11--032

We investigate the possibility of a binary supermassive black hole system at the center of MCG+11--11--032, a local (z = 0.036) Seyfert 2 galaxy. Prior work with stacked Swift/XRT spectra suggested the presence of two Fe K$α$ lines (at 6.16 keV and 6.56 keV) with 2$σ$ confidence. This could be consistent with a prediction of several hydrodynamical models, in which each black hole hosts a mini-disk and contributes one Doppler-shifted Fe K$α$ line to the total spectrum. Another study using a single exposure from Chandra/ACIS did not find evidence for a double line. Here, we conduct follow-up with two epochs of XMM-Newton/EPIC data spaced $\sim$6 months apart. After fitting our spectra with models from the previous two studies, we do not find evidence for a double iron line in either observation. Our best-fit model yields $Γ= 1.63^{+0.20}_{-0.21}$ and $N_\text{H}/10^{22} \text{ cm}^{-2} = 17.9^{+2.7}_{-2.4}$ for the first epoch, and $Γ= 1.46^{+0.22}_{-0.24}$ and $N_\text{H}/10^{22} \text{ cm}^{-2} = 17.1^{+2.7}_{-2.4}$ for the second. We compare our spectral parameters with those derived in past work on this source, finding broad agreement with prior datasets. Lastly, we discuss the properties of MCG+11--11--032 alongside samples of Seyfert 2 galaxies from the literature, finding that it is consistent with this population and the single AGN scenario.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2023

The Swansong of the Galactic Center Source X7: An Extreme Example of Tidal Evolution near the Supermassive Black Hole

We present two decades of new high-angular-resolution near-infrared data from the W. M. Keck Observatory that reveal extreme evolution in X7, an elongated dust and gas feature, presently located half an arcsecond from the Galactic Center supermassive black hole. With both spectro-imaging observations of Br-γ line-emission and Lp (3.8 μm) imaging data, we provide the first estimate of its orbital parameters and quantitative characterization of the evolution of its morphology and mass. We find that the leading edge of X7 appears to be on a mildly eccentric (e~0.3), relatively short-period (170 years) orbit and is headed towards periapse passage, estimated to occur in ~2036. Furthermore, our kinematic measurements rule out the earlier suggestion that X7 is associated with the stellar source S0-73 or with any other point source that has overlapped with X7 during our monitoring period. Over the course of our observations, X7 has (1) become more elongated, with a current length-to-width ratio of 9, (2) maintained a very consistent long-axis orientation (position angle of 50 deg), (3) inverted its radial velocity differential from tip to tail from -50 to +80 km/sec, and (4) sustained its total brightness (12.8 Lp magnitudes at the leading edge) and color temperature (425 K), which suggest a constant mass of ~50 MEarth. We present a simple model showing that these results are compatible with the expected effect of tidal forces exerted on it by the central black hole and we propose that X7 is the gas and dust recently ejected from a grazing collision in a binary system.

astro-ph.GA↗