Open AccessAn extended multi‐zone model for the MCG–6‐30‐15 warm absorber
Author(s) -
Morales R.,
Fabian A. C.,
Reynolds C. S.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
monthly notices of the royal astronomical society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.058
H-Index - 383
eISSN - 1365-2966
pISSN - 0035-8711
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-8711.2000.03409.x
Subject(s) - physics , observable , astrophysics , absorption (acoustics) , flux (metallurgy) , enhanced data rates for gsm evolution , optics , quantum mechanics , telecommunications , materials science , computer science , metallurgy
The variable warm absorber seen with ASCA in the X‐ray spectrum of MCG–6‐30‐15 shows complex time behaviour in which the optical depth of O viii anticorrelates with the flux whereas that of O vii is unchanging. The explanation in terms of a two‐zone absorber has since been challenged by BeppoSAX observations. These present a more complicated behaviour for the O viii edge. We demonstrate here that the presence of a third, intermediate, zone can explain all the observations. In practice, warm absorbers are likely to be extended, multi‐zone regions of which only part causes directly observable absorption edges at any given time.