Parameter dependency on the public X-ray reverberation models kynxilrev and kynrefrev

We present a comparative study of the constrained parameters of active galactic nuclei (AGN) made by the public X-ray reverberation model kynxilrev and kynrefrev that make use of the reflection code xillver and reflionx, respectively. By varying the central mass (M_BH), coronal height (h), inclination (i), photon index of the continuum emission (Γ), and source luminosity (L), the corresponding lag-frequency spectra can be produced. We select only the simulated AGN, where their lag amplitude (τ) and M_BH follow the known mass-scaling law. In these mock samples, we show that τ and h are correlated and can possibly be used as an independent scaling law. Furthermore, h (in gravitational units) is also found to be positively scaled with MBH, suggesting a more compact corona in lower-mass AGN. Both models reveal that the coronal height mostly varies between ∼5 and 15 r_g, with the average height at ∼10 r_g and can potentially be found from low- to high-mass AGN. Nevertheless, the kynxilrev seems to suggest a lower M_BH and h than the kynrefrev. This inconsistency is more prominent in lower-spin AGN. The significant correlation between the source height and luminosity is revealed only by kynrefrev, suggesting the h–L relation is probably model-dependent. Our findings emphasize the differences between these reverberation models that raises the question of biases in parameter estimates and inferred correlations.