Reprocessed emission from warped accretion discs induced by the Bardeen-Petterson effect

Abstract

The broad Balmer emission-line profiles resulting from the reprocessing of UV/X-ray radiation from a warped accretion disc induced by the Bardeen-Petterson effect are studied. We adopt a thin warped disc geometry and a central ring-like illuminating source in our model. We compute the steady-state shape of the warped disc numerically, and then use it in the calculation of the line profile. We find that, from the outer radius to the inner radius of the disc, the warp is twisted by an angle ∼ π before being flattened efficiently into the equatorial plane. The profiles obtained depend weakly on the illuminating source radius in the range from 3rg to 10rg, but depend strongly on this radius when it approaches the marginally stable orbit of an extreme Kerr black hole. Double- or triplet-peaked line profiles are present in most cases when the illuminating source radius is low. The triplet-peaked line profiles observed from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey may be a 'signature' of a warped disc. © 2009 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2009 RAS.