2026
Broad iron line as a relativistic reflection from warm corona in AGNs
BISWAS, Parikshit Partha; Agata RÓŻAŃSKA; Frederic VINCENT; Debora LANČOVÁ; Piotr ZYCKI et al.Basic information
Original name
Broad iron line as a relativistic reflection from warm corona in AGNs
Authors
BISWAS, Parikshit Partha; Agata RÓŻAŃSKA; Frederic VINCENT; Debora LANČOVÁ and Piotr ZYCKI
Edition
Astronomy & Astrophysics, LES ULIS CEDEX A, EDP SCIENCES S A, 2026, 0004-6361
Other information
Language
English
Type of outcome
Article in a journal
Confidentiality degree
is not subject to a state or trade secret
References:
Impact factor
Impact factor: 5.800 in 2024
Marked to be transferred to RIV
No
Organization unit
Institute of physics in Opava
Keywords in English
accretion; accretion disks; black hole physics; radiative transfer; relativistic processes; High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
Tags
International impact, Reviewed
Links
GN25-16928O, research and development project.
Changed: 11/3/2026 11:46, RNDr. Debora Lančová, Ph.D.
Abstract
In the original language
Context. We present that the broad feature usually observed in X-ray spectra at around 6.4 keV can be explained by ray-traced emission from the two-slab system containing a dissipative, warm corona on the top of an accretion disk in an active galactic nucleus (AGN). Such an accretion flow is externally illuminated by X-ray radiation from a lamp located above a central supermassive black hole (SMBH). Thermal lines from highly ionized iron ions (FeXXV and FeXXVI) caused by both internal heating and reflection from the warm corona, can be integrated into the observed broad line profile due to the close vicinity to the SMBH. Aims. We investigate the dependence of the total broad line profile on the variations in black hole spin parameter, viewing angle, lamp height, and dissipation factor. Our results introduce a new method to probe properties of warm corona using high-resolution spectroscopic measurements with current XRISM and future NewATHENA X-ray missions. Methods. We use photoionization code TITAN to compute local ion population and emission line profiles, and ray-tracing code GYOTO to include relativistic effects on the outgoing X-ray spectrum. Results. In our models, the temperature of the inner atmosphere covering the disk can reach values of 107 − 108 K due to warm corona dissipation and external illumination, which is adequate for generating highly ionized iron lines. These lines can undergo significant gravitational redshift near the black hole, leading to a prominent spectral feature centered around 6.4 keV. Conclusions. For all computed models, relativistic corrections shift highly ionized iron lines to the 6.4 keV region, usually attributed to fluorescent emission from the illuminated skin of an accretion disk. Hence, for a warm corona that covers the inner disk regions, the resulting theoretical line profile under strong gravity is a sum of different iron line transitions, with highly ionized iron contributing the most to the total line profile observed in an AGN.