S. Falocco, F. J. Carrera, A. Corral, E. Laird, K. Nandra, X. Barcons, M. J. Page, J. Digby-North
The X-ray spectra of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) carry the signatures of the
emission from the central region, close to the Super Massive Black Hole (SMBH).
For this reason, the study of deep X-ray spectra is a powerful instrument to
investigate the origin of their emission.
The emission line most often observed in the X-ray spectra of AGN is Fe K. It
is known that it can be broadened and deformed by relativistic effects if
emitted close enough to the central SMBH. In recent statistical studies of the
X-ray spectra of AGN samples, it is found that a narrow Fe line is ubiquitous,
while whether the broad features are as common is still uncertain. We present
here the results of an investigation on the characteristics of the Fe line in
the average X-ray spectra of AGN in deep Chandra fields.
The average spectrum of the AGN is computed using Chandra spectra with more
than 200 net counts from the AEGIS, Chandra Deep Field North and Chandra Deep
Field South surveys. The sample spans a broader range of X-ray luminosities
than other samples studied with stacking methods up to z=3.5. We analyze the
average spectra of this sample using our own averaging method, checking the
results against extensive simulations. Subsamples defined in terms of column
density of the local absorber, luminosity and z are also investigated.
We found a very significant Fe line with a narrow profile in all our samples
and in almost all the subsamples that we constructed. The equivalent width (EW)
of the narrow line estimated in the average spectrum of the full sample is 74
eV. The broad line component is significantly detected in the subsample of AGN
with L<1.43 1E44 cgs and z<0.76, with EW=108 eV.
We concluded that the narrow Fe line is an ubiquitous feature of the X-ray
spectra of the AGN up to z=3.5.The broad line component is significant in the
X-ray spectra of the AGN with low luminosity and low z.
View original:
http://arxiv.org/abs/1111.3202
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