New models for the CLUMPY AGN obscurer
Abstract
It is clear today that the obscurer of active galactic nuclei (AGN), the 'torus', is more complex than a donut -- a model still often used in X-ray analyses. A realistic model needs to explain X-ray eclipse events and the column density distribution of the AGN population. We construct a new clumpy torus model with these constraints, and Monte Carlo simulate X-ray spectra. Further we consider recent hydrodynamic simulations. Testing against NuSTAR spectra of several Compton-thick AGN, we discover the ubiquitous need for another component: a highly covering, inner Compton-thick reflector. Physical interpretations of this component include a warped (maser) disk or the inner torus wall where clouds launch. We release new xspec tables for our model, with both the inner reflector and the cloud population free to vary in covering factor. Our model can be used self-consistently with CLUMPY infrared emission models for multi-wavelength analyses.
- Publication:
-
AAS/High Energy Astrophysics Division #16
- Pub Date:
- August 2017
- Bibcode:
- 2017HEAD...1610620B