Comptonization and Time-lags in Multi-Temperature Plasmas Surrounding Compact Objects

Jason Cullen, PASA, 17 (1), 48.
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Comptonization and Time-lags in Multi-Temperature Plasmas Surrounding Compact Objects

Jason Cullen 1,2

1 Special Research Centre for Theoretical Astrophysics, School of Physics,
University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006
cullen@physics.usyd.edu.au

2 Sir Frank Packer Department of Theoretical Physics, School of Physics,
University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006

Abstract:

This paper investigates a recent model proposed by Moskalenko, Collmar and Schönfelder (1998) for the plasma surrounding galactic black hole candidates. Using a linear Monte Carlo code, the spectral and temporal behavior of the model is found for the case where the plasma geometry consists of a hot shell surrounding a cooler spherical core.

The spectrum produced by this model at X-ray and gamma-ray energies is obtained numerically. Also found for the first time in this geometry are the photon time-lags between two energy bands due to rapid aperiodic variability. It is argued that the time-lag information may be able to determine whether this particular geometry is a realistic model for the material surrounding galactic black hole candidates.

Keywords: black hole physics  --  X-rays: stars  --  plasmas  --  gamma-rays: theory  --  radiative transfer  --  accretion





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