Ionized Reflection Spectra from Accretion Disks Illuminated by X-ray Pulsars

X-ray reflection signatures are observed around multiple classes of accreting compact objects. Modelling these features yield important constraints on the physics of accretion disks, motivating the development of X-ray reflection models appropriate for a variety of systems and illumination condition...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:arXiv.org 2012-02
Main Authors: Ballantyne, D R, Purvis, J D, Strausbaugh, R G, Hickox, R C
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accretion disks
Constraint modelling
Magnetospheres
Pulsars
X ray reflection
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:X-ray reflection signatures are observed around multiple classes of accreting compact objects. Modelling these features yield important constraints on the physics of accretion disks, motivating the development of X-ray reflection models appropriate for a variety of systems and illumination conditions. Here, constant density ionized X-ray reflection models are presented for a disk irradiated with a very hard power-law X-ray spectrum (\Gamma < 1) and a variable high-energy cutoff. These models are then applied to the Suzaku data of the accreting X-ray pulsar LMC X-4, where very good fits are obtained with a highly ionized reflector responsible for both the broad Fe K line and the soft excess. The ionized reflector shows strong evidence for significant Doppler broadening and is redshifted by ~10^4 km/s. These features indicate that the reflecting material is associated with the complex dynamics occurring at the inner region of the magnetically-truncated accretion disk. Thus, reflection studies of X-ray pulsar spectra may give important insights into the accretion physics at the magnetospheric radius.
ISSN:2331-8422
DOI:10.48550/arxiv.1202.2311