Investigating the consistency of the shape and flux of X-ray reflection spectra in the hard state with an accretion disk reaching close to the black hole

TL;DR

This study analyzes X-ray reflection spectra in black hole binaries, showing that a disk close to the black hole can produce reflection features consistent with observations, with implications for disk geometry and ionization.

Contribution

It provides a simultaneous fit of shape and flux of reflection spectra, estimating disk density and ionization, and suggests the disk can extend close to the black hole in the hard state.

Findings

Reprocessed blackbody component remains small, consistent with data.

Inner reflection is highly ionized and continuum-driven.

Disk may extend close to the black hole despite low reprocessed flux.

Abstract

The observed spectra from black hole (BH) X-ray binaries (XRBs) typically consist of two primary components: multitemperature blackbody (BB) originating from the accretion disk in soft X-ray, and a power-law like component in hard X-ray due to Comptonization of soft photons by the hot corona. Illumination of the disk by the corona gives rise to another key component known as reflection. A fraction of the incident hard X-ray radiation is naturally absorbed and re-emitted as a BB at lower energies, referred to as reprocessed BB. For densities relevant to XRBs and typical ionization values, the reprocessed BB may become significant in the soft X-ray region and should be noticeable in the observed spectra as a consequence of reflection. The absence of any BB component in the low/hard state of BH XRB may not be consistent with reflection of high irradiating flux observed as power-law from appropriately dense disk of XRB. We focus on the low/hard state of the BH XRB MAXI J1820+070. We simultaneously fit the shape and flux of the reflection spectra, allowing us to estimate the correct density and ionization of the slab and, correspondingly, the reprocessed BB. Our fitting suggests that the disk in principle may extend close to the BH and still the reprocessed BB due to disk illumination remains small enough to be consistent with the data as opposed to earlier study. The inner reflection component is highly ionized and its fit is primarily driven by its contribution to the continuum. The reprocessed BB cannot resolve whether the disk is extended close to the BH or not in the hard state. For this specific observation, the flux in inner reflection component turns out to be quite low with respect to outer reflection or power-law. Outflowing slab corona covering the inner region of the disk could be the possible geometry of the source with the underlying disk reaching close to the BH. (shortened)