A Survey of Black Hole Spin in Seyfert 1 AGN with Suzaku
Abstract
The X-ray spectra of many type 1 active galactic nuclei (AGN) show strong emission features in the 5-7 keV energy range due to the fluorescence of iron in an optically-thick medium. In many such AGN, studies of their spectral variability place the illuminating X-ray source and the corresponding, fluoresced "reflection" features within tens of Schwarzschild radii from the black hole. It is then likely that relativistic effects may alter the morphologies of the emission lines, particularly of the prominent Fe Kα line, encoding it with valuable information about the spacetime immediately surrounding the black hole. I present recent Suzaku data on several AGN that have previously been observed with relativistically broadened Fe Kα lines. I focus particularly on MCG-6-30-15, NGC 3783 and NGC 3516, which are some of the deepest exposures of such AGN taken to date. After careful modeling of the continuum and complex absorption in each source, I constrain the spin of the black hole in each AGN by modeling the shape of the relativistic Fe Kα line.
- Publication:
-
38th COSPAR Scientific Assembly
- Pub Date:
- 2010
- Bibcode:
- 2010cosp...38.2416B