Comptonization in the vicinity of the black hole horizon |
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| Authors: | Andrzej Nied&#;wiecki |
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| Institution: | ?ód?University, Department of Physics, Pomorska 149/153, 90-236 ?ód?, Poland |
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| Abstract: | Using a Monte Carlo method, we derive spectra arising from Comptonization taking place close to a Kerr black hole. We consider a model consisting of a hot thermal corona Comptonizing seed photons emitted by a cold accretion disc. We find that general relativistic effects are crucial for the emerging spectra in models, which involve significant contribution of radiation produced in the black hole ergosphere. As a result of this contribution, spectra of hard X-ray emission produced in the vicinity of a rapidly rotating black hole strongly depend on the inclination of the line of sight, with larger inclinations corresponding to harder spectra. Remarkably, such anisotropy could be responsible for properties of the X-ray spectra of Seyfert galaxies, which appear to be intrinsically harder in type 2 objects than in type 1, as reported recently. |
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| Keywords: | accretion accretion discs radiation mechanisms: thermal X-rays: binaries |
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