Systematic Uncertainties of Atomic Data in Photoionization Modeling

The Astrophysical Journal, vol. 956, pp. 65

Abstract

Abstract Fitting plasma models to high-quality spectra is a crucial tool for deriving diagnostics about the physical conditions in various astrophysical sources. Despite decades of model development, this prescription often provides an unsatisfying description of observational data. We explore some of the origins of the failure of fits of photoionized plasma models to high-resolution X-ray spectra. In particular, we test whether systematic uncertainties in underlying atomic data can account for data model discrepancies, and whether including model uncertainties during spectral fitting can provide statistically acceptable fits and reasonable parameter estimates. We fit Chandra/HETG spectra of NGC 3783 with the photoionized absorber model warmabs. We use the remaining data model discrepancies to estimate the systematic uncertainties of bound–bound radiative rates for individual transitions quantitatively. We then include these uncertainties into warmabs to return a total model uncertainty. We find residual data model discrepancies which are due to systematic errors that cannot be accounted for solely by a modification of the optical depth of strong absorption lines. Furthermore, statistical uncertainties still dominate the fit statistics. The relevance of model uncertainties in spectral fitting will vary on a case-by-case basis. However, they are likely to have a minor effect on most of the currently existing data sets. We conclude that while the quality of atomic data does have an effect on fitting photoionization models, and so demands further improvement, uncertainties in radiative rates cannot be held solely responsible for statistically unacceptable fits. Other sources of systematic uncertainties are likely to be of comparable importance and require further investigation.

Authors 4

1. Ralf Ballhausen

   University of Maryland, College Park · Goddard Space Flight Center

   Affiliation as printed

   NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 662, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA

   University of Maryland, Department of Astronomy, College Park, MD 20742, USA; ballhaus@umd.edu

   University of Maryland, Department of Astronomy, College Park, MD 20742, USA

2. T. R. Kallman

   Goddard Space Flight Center

   Affiliation as printed

   NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 662, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA

3. Liyi Gu Aachen Leiden Observatory SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research

   Leiden University · RIKEN · Leiden Observatory · Space Research Organisation Netherlands

   Affiliation as printed

   Leiden Observatory, Leiden University, PO Box 9513, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands

   RIKEN High Energy Astrophysics Laboratory, 2–1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan

   SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research, Niels Bohrweg 4, 2333 CA Leiden, The Netherlands

4. Frits B. S. Paerels

   Columbia University

   Affiliation as printed

   Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA