Observational Insights Into the Dependence of Quasar Accretion Disk Structure on Black Hole Mass and Accretion Rate

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I will discuss recent work on using the X-ray and optical properties of a sample of 318 radio-quiet quasars to investigate the dependence quasar accretion disk structure on black hole mass and accretion rate. Specifically, we studied the dependence of the ratio of quasar optical flux to X-ray flux on black hole mass and Eddington ratio, as well as the dependence of the X-ray spectral slope on black hole mass and Eddington ratio. We find evidence that quasars emit a smaller fraction of their bolometric luminosity in the X-rays as black hole mass and accretion rate increase. In addition, we find evidence that the X-ray spectral slope displays a non-monotonic dependence on black hole mass and accretion rate. I will discuss our results within the context of accretion models with comptonizing corona, and discuss the implications for quasar feedback. This work was supported in part by NSF grant AST03-07384.
Original languageEnglish
JournalBulletin of the American Astronomical Society
Volume211
Pages (from-to)947-
ISSN0002-7537
Publication statusPublished - 1 Dec 2007
Externally publishedYes

ID: 229915740