THE IMPACT OF ACCURATE EXTINCTION MEASUREMENTS FOR X-RAY SPECTRAL MODELS
Author(s)
Smith, Randall K.; Valencic, Lynne A.; Corrales, Lia
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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.
Date issued
2016-02Department
MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space ResearchJournal
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
ISSN
1538-4357
0004-637X