The Method of Transfer Functions to Describe GR Effects in Spectra and Polarisation from Black-hole Accretion Disks

We briefly review a fruitful approach to compute a variety of radiation signatures of General Relativity (GR) originating from accretion disks in strong gravity. A set of transfer functions can be pre-computed and then employed to accelerate the ray-traycing computations, generate a series of model spectra, and to fit the model predictions to actual data sets in X-rays. We have been developing this method to examine spectra and light curves and to model the expected polarimetric properties; in particular, to analyse the properties of the “corona-disk-line” geometry with GR effects taken into account. New impetus to this activity is emerging in the anticipation of upcoming missions equipped with the sensitivity to polarimetric properties in X-rays: IXPE (Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer) and eXTP (enhanced X-ray Timing and Polarimetry mission).