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Nuclear spallation in active galaxies

Published version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

Change log

Authors

Gallo, LC 
Randhawa, JS 
Waddell, SGH 
Hani, MH 
García, JA 

Abstract

A number of works point to the presence of narrow emission features at unusual energies in the X-ray spectra of active galactic nuclei (AGN) or to potentially low iron abundances as possible evidence for the spallation of iron. With the imminence of high-resolution calorimeter spectroscopy, the potential to test spallation models in astrophysical sources will soon be possible. Previously determined nuclear spallation reactions of Fe are recalculated making use of improved total inelastic and partial reaction cross sections that result in different absolute and relative abundances of the main spallation elements Mn, Cr, V, and Ti. The effects of ionisation and dynamics near the black hole are examined in simulated spectra with CCD and calorimeter (i.e. Hitomi) resolution. With high-resolution, differences in relative abundances and ionisation should be detectable if spallation is originating at large distances from the black hole (e.g. torus or disc wind) where blurring is not significant. If spallation were occurring in the inner accretion disc, it would likely be undetected as blurring effects would cause significant blending of spectral features.

Description

Keywords

accretion, accretion discs, nuclear reactions, nucleosynthesis, abundances, galaxies: active, galaxies: nuclei, X-rays: galaxies

Journal Title

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0035-8711
1365-2966

Volume Title

484

Publisher

Oxford University Press (OUP)

Rights

All rights reserved
Sponsorship
Science and Technology Facilities Council (ST/R000867/1)
Science and Technology Facilities Council (ST/S000623/1)