Line Emission from an Accretion Disk Around a Black Hole: Effects of Disk Structure

Journal Article · Tue Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1998 · Astrophysical Journal

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1086/306420· OSTI ID:324906

Pariev, V I ^[1]; Bromley, B C ^[2]

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1. P. N. Lebedev Physical Institute, Leninsky Prospect 53, Moscow 117924 (Russia)
2. Theoretical Astrophysics Group, MS-51, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States)

The observed iron K{alpha} fluorescence lines in Seyfert I galaxies provide strong evidence for an accretion disk near a supermassive black hole as a source of the line emission. These lines serve as powerful probes for examining the structure of inner regions of accretion disks. Previous studies of line emission have considered only geometrically thin disks, where the gas moves along geodesics in the equatorial plane of a black hole. Here we extend this work to consider the effects on line profiles from finite disk thickness, radial accretion flow, and turbulence. We adopt the Novikov{endash}Thorne {alpha}-disk model and find that within this framework turbulent broadening is the dominant new effect. The most prominent change in the skewed, double-horned line profiles is a substantial reduction in the maximum flux at both red and blue peaks. The effect is most pronounced when the inclination angle is large and when the accretion rate is high. Thus, the effects discussed here may be important for future detailed modeling of high-quality observational data. {copyright} {ital {copyright} 1998.} {ital The American Astronomical Society}

• OSTI ID: 324906
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal, Journal Name: Astrophysical Journal Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 508; ISSN ASJOAB; ISSN 0004-637X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

66 PHYSICS
ACCRETION DISKS
BLACK HOLES
FLUID MECHANICS
LINE WIDTHS
SEYFERT GALAXIES
SPECTRA