English

Super-spinning compact objects and models of high-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations observed in Galactic microquasars

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena 2014-12-03 v1

Abstract

We have previously applied several models of high-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations (HF QPOs) to estimate the spin of the central Kerr black hole in the three Galactic microquasars, GRS 1915+105, GRO J1655-40, and XTE J1550-564. Here we explore the alternative possibility that the central compact body is a super-spinning object (or a naked singularity) with the external space-time described by Kerr geometry with a dimensionless spin parameter a = cJ/GM2 > 1.We calculate the relevant spin intervals for a subset of HF QPO models considered in the previous study. Our analysis indicates that for all but one of the considered models there exists at least one interval of a > 1 that is compatible with constraints given by the ranges of the central compact object mass independently estimated for the three sources. For most of the models, the inferred values of a are several times higher than the extreme Kerr black hole value a = 1. These values may be too high since the spin of superspinars is often assumed to rapidly decrease due to accretion when a >> 1. In this context, we conclude that only the epicyclic and the Keplerian resonance model provides estimates that are compatible with the expectation of just a small deviation from a = 1.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1410.6129,
  title  = {Super-spinning compact objects and models of high-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations observed in Galactic microquasars},
  author = {Andrea Kotrlova and Gabriel Torok and Eva Sramkova and Zdenek Stuchlik},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1410.6129},
  year   = {2014}
}

Comments

6 pages, 4 figures, accepted by A&A