The puzzle of the soft X-ray excess in AGN: absorption or reflection?

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dc.creatorChevallier, L.
dc.creatorCollin, S.
dc.creatorDumont, A. -M.
dc.creatorCzerny, B.
dc.creatorMouchet, M.
dc.creatorGoncalves, A. C.
dc.creatorGoosmann, R. W.
dc.date2006-01-19
dc.date.accessioned2026-07-07T06:57:02Z
dc.date.available2026-07-07T06:57:02Z
dc.descriptionThe 2-10 keV continuum of AGN is generally well represented by a single power law. However, at smaller energies the continuum displays an excess with respect to the extrapolation of this power law, called the ''soft X-ray excess''. Until now this soft X-ray excess was attributed, either to reflection of the hard X-ray source by the accretion disk, or to the presence of an additional comptonizing medium, giving a steep spectrum. An alternative solution proposed by Gierlinski and Done (2004) is that a single power law well represents both the soft and the hard X-ray emission and the impression of the soft X-ray excess is due to absorption of a primary power law by a relativistic wind. We examine the advantages and drawbacks of reflection versus absorption models, and we conclude that the observed spectra can be well modeled, either by absorption (for a strong excess), or by reflection (for a weak excess). However the physical conditions required by the absorption models do not seem very realistic: we would prefer an ''hybrid model''.
dc.description4 pages, 3 figures, abstracts SF2A-2005, published by EDP-Sciences Conference Series
dc.identifierhttps://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0601464
dc.identifierhttp://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0601464
dc.identifierSF2A-2005: Semaine de l'Astrophysique Francaise, meeting held in Strasbourg, France, June 27 - July 1, 2005, Edited by F. Casoli, T. Contini, J.M. Hameury and L. Pagani. Published by EdP-Sciences, Conference Series, 2005, p. 519
dc.identifier.urihttp://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/106826
dc.subjectAstrophysics
dc.titleThe puzzle of the soft X-ray excess in AGN: absorption or reflection?
dc.typetext

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