Presentation #100.38 in the session AGN.
The reflection and reverberation of X-rays off the inner regions of the accretion disks around supermassive black holes gives us a unique view of the extreme environment just outside the event horizon. By measuring how variations in the X-ray continuum echo off the inner regions of the accretion disk, we are able to probe the geometry and structure of the X-ray emitting corona, measure the mass and spin of the black hole, and observe the effects of General Relativity and strong light bending in action. Much remains unknown, however, about the mechanism by which the corona is accelerated by the accretion flow, and how the corona and inner accretion disk are connected to the launching of jets, relativistic winds and ultrafast outflows.