THE IMPACT OF ACCURATE EXTINCTION MEASUREMENTS FOR X-RAY SPECTRAL MODELS
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Smith-2016-THE IMPACT OF ACCURA.pdf
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Author(s)
Smith, Randall K.
Valencic, Lynne A.
Corrales, Lia
Date Issued
February 2016
Journal
The Astrophysical Journal
Publisher
IOP Publishing
Citation
Smith, Randall K., Lynne A. Valencic, and Lia Corrales. “THE IMPACT OF ACCURATE EXTINCTION MEASUREMENTS FOR X-RAY SPECTRAL MODELS.” The Astrophysical Journal 818, no. 2 (February 18, 2016): 143. © 2016 The American Astronomical Society
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Interstellar extinction includes both absorption and scattering of photons from interstellar gas and dust grains, and it has the effect of altering a source's spectrum and its total observed intensity. However, while multiple absorption models exist, there are no useful scattering models in standard X-ray spectrum fitting tools, such as XSPEC. Nonetheless, X-ray halos, created by scattering from dust grains, are detected around even moderately absorbed sources, and the impact on an observed source spectrum can be significant, if modest, compared to direct absorption. By convolving the scattering cross section with dust models, we have created a spectral model as a function of energy, type of dust, and extraction region that can be used with models of direct absorption. This will ensure that the extinction model is consistent and enable direct connections to be made between a source's X-ray spectral fits and its UV/optical extinction.
MIT Department
MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research
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Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.3847/0004-637x/818/2/143
