Assessing the power-law emissivity assumption in X-ray reflection spectroscopy: A simulation-based evaluation of different coronal geometries — E8 Intelligence Research

The emissivity profile assumed in X-ray reflection spectroscopy significantly impacts black hole spin measurements. Using simulated NuSTAR spectra generated for lamppost and disk-like coronae with the relxill model suite, we evaluate systematic biases introduced when fitting with power-law or broken power-law emissivity profiles. We find that a simple power-law can accurately recover spins for low-height lamppost coronae with long exposures and low inclination angle, while broken power-laws introduce degeneracies when the simple power-law already performs adequately. However, for extended or high-height coronae, especially at high inclinations, both models produce large systematic biases unresolved by longer exposure times. Our results demonstrate that power-law approximations are reliable for compact coronae, highlighting the need for geometry-specific models in complex cases. Source: https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2027JHEAp..5500723L (arXiv:ADS-2027JHEAp..5500723L) Author: Andrew Stewart Caldin, Independent Researcher, UK. Part of the E8 Intelligence Research series. Platform: e8intelligence.com