2002/03/13 by A. -M. Dumont, A. M. Dumont, B. Czerny +3 · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations #Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena #Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20020368
accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics
arxiv created 2002/03/13 · openalex publication_date 2002/05/01 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2022/10/03 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31
We present a model of the vertical stratification and the spectra of an irradiated medium under the assumption of constant pressure. Such a solution has properties intermediate between constant density models and hydrostatic equilibrium models, and it may represent a flattened configuration of gas clumps accreting onto the central black hole. Such a medium develops a hot skin, thicker than hydrostatic models, but thinner than constant density models, under comparable irradiation. The range of theoretical values of the alphaox index is comparable to those from hydrostatic models and both are close to the observed values for Seyfert galaxies but lower than in quasars. The amount of X-ray Compton reflection is consistent with the observed range. The characteristic property of the model is a frequently multicomponent iron K alpha line.