The advection-dominated accretion flow+thin accretion disk model for two low-luminosity active galactic nuclei: M81 and NGC4579

TL;DR

This study refines the ADAF+thin disk model for low-luminosity AGN, matching observed spectra and X-ray line features by using accurate black hole masses and detailed transition zone physics.

Contribution

It updates previous models with well-measured black hole masses, demonstrating the model's ability to reproduce observed SEDs and X-ray features of M81 and NGC4579.

Findings

Model reproduces observed SEDs with accurate black hole masses.

Thermal X-ray lines are consistent with Keplerian motion in transition zones.

Calculated X-ray emission constrains properties of the ADAF-thin disk interface.

Abstract

It was found that the advection-dominated accretion flow (ADAF)+thin disk model calculations can reproduce the observed spectral energy distributions (SED) of the two low luminosity AGN, provided they are accreting at ~0.01-0.03 Eddington rates and the thin disks are truncated to ADAFs at ~100 R_s (Schwarzschild radii) for M81 and NGC4579 (Quataert et al., 1999). However, the black hole masses adopted in their work are about one order of magnitude lower than recent measurements on these two sources. Adopting the well estimated black hole masses, our ADAF+thin disk model calculations can reproduce the observed SEDs of these two LLAGN, if the black hole is accreting at 2.5e-4 Eddington rates with the thin disk truncated at 120 R_s for M81 (3.3e-3 and R_tr = 80R_s are required for NGC4579). The observed widths of the thermal X-ray iron lines at 6.8 keV are consistent with the Doppler broadening by the Keplerian motion of the gases in the transition zones at ~100R_s. The observed thermal X-ray lines provide a useful diagnosis on the physical properties of the transition zones. We calculate the thermal X-ray line emission from the transition zone between the ADAF and the thin disk with standard software package Astrophysical Plasma Emission Code (APEC), and the physical implications on the models of the transition zones are discussed.