Journal
ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
Volume 703, Issue 1, Pages 569-584Publisher
IOP PUBLISHING LTD
DOI: 10.1088/0004-637X/703/1/569
Keywords
accretion, accretion disks; black hole physics; polarization; X-rays: binaries
Categories
Funding
- NSF [AST-0707624]
- NASA [PF6-70045, NAS8-03060]
- Direct For Mathematical & Physical Scien
- Division Of Astronomical Sciences [807444] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
Ask authors/readers for more resources
We present the results of one- and three-dimensional radiative transfer calculations of polarized spectra emerging from snapshots of radiation magnetohydrodynamical simulations of the local vertical structure of black hole accretion disks. The simulations cover a wide range of physical regimes relevant for the high/soft state of black hole X-ray binaries. We constrain the uncertainties in theoretical spectral color correction factors due to the presence of magnetic support of the disk surface layers and strong density inhomogeneities. For the radiation-dominated simulation, magnetic support increases the color correction factor by about 10%, but this is largely compensated by a 10% softening due to inhomogeneities. We also compute the effects of inhomogeneities and Faraday rotation on the resulting polarization. Magnetic fields in the simulations are just strong enough to produce significant Faraday depolarization near the spectral peak of the radiation field. X-ray polarimetry may therefore be a valuable diagnostic of accretion disk magnetic fields, being able to directly test simulations of magnetorotational turbulence.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available