Reflection Features in the X-Ray Spectrum of Fairall 9 and Implications for Tests of General Relativity

Abstract

X-ray reflection spectroscopy is potentially a powerful tool to probe the spacetime geometry around astrophysical black holes and test general relativity in the strong field regime. However, precision tests of general relativity are only possible if we employ the correct astrophysical model and if we can limit the systematic uncertainties. It is thus crucial to select the sources and the observations most suitable for these tests. In this work, we analyze simultaneous observations of XMM-Newton and NuSTAR of the supermassive black hole in Fairall 9. This source has a number of properties that make it a promising candidate for tests of general relativity using X-ray reflection spectroscopy. Nevertheless, we find that with the available data there is not a unique interpretation of the spectrum of Fairall.9, which prevents, for the moment, the use of this source for robust tests of general relativity. This issue may be solved by future X-ray missions with a higher energy resolution near the iron line.