Modeling complex AGN media in X‐rays with skirt

Abstract

We present the new X-ray functionalities of the skirt radiative transfer code, forming an advanced tool to study cold dusty gas in active galactic nuclei (AGN), with a particular focus on complex three-dimensional transfer media. Focusing on the X-ray broadband spectra of obscured AGN, skirt incorporates scattering on free electrons, absorption and fluorescence by cold gas, scattering on bound electrons, as well as absorption and scattering by dust. This goes beyond the X-ray physical processes that are currently implemented in most spectral models for fitting distant reflection in AGN. With the introduction of these X-ray physics, we obtain a high-performance radiative transfer code that can model intricate multi-phase AGN media with complex geometries in X-rays, which furthermore supports advanced kinematics and allows for self-consistent model predictions from infrared to X-ray energies.