Related papers: RELXILL_NK: A Black Hole Relativistic Reflection M…
The magnetic reconnection process is analyzed for relativistic magnetohydrodynamical plasmas around rotating black holes. A simple generalization of the Sweet-Parker model is used as a first approximation to the problem. The reconnection…
In this work, we elaborate on the development of a general relativistic formalism that allows one to analytically express the mass and spin parameters of the Kerr black hole in terms of observational data: the total redshift and blueshift…
We report the detection of relativistically broadened iron K alpha emission in the X-ray spectra of AGN detected in the 4Ms CDF-S. Using the Bayesian X-ray analysis (BXA) package, we fit 199 hard band (2-7 keV) selected sources in the…
Optical analogues to black holes allow the investigation of general relativity in a laboratory setting. Previous works have considered analogues to Schwarzschild black holes in an isotropic coordinate system; the major drawback is that…
The gravitational field around an astrophysical black hole (BH) is thought to be described by the Kerr spacetime, which is a solution of the Einstein equation. Signatures of binary black hole (BBH) coalescence in gravitational waves (GW)…
Relativistic reflection features in the X-ray spectra of accreting black holes are considered to be generated by the illumination of the accretion disk by the hot corona. In this work, we present a numerical method for the emission line…
This paper reviews the effects of general relativity in an X-ray spectrum reflected from a cold matter accreting onto a black hole. The spectrum consists of the iron K$\alpha$ line and the Compton reflection. We sketch the overall picture…
We present a new solution in Einstein's General Relativity representing a Schwarzschild black hole immersed in a rotating universe. Such a solution is constructed analytically by means of the last unexplored Lie point symmetry of the Ernst…
Here we present a novel classical model to describe the near-inner horizon geometry of a rotating, accreting black hole. The model assumes spacetime is homogeneous and is sourced by radial streams of a collisionless, null fluid, and it…
Black holes are among the most intriguing objects in nature. They are believed to be fully described by General Relativity (GR), and the astrophysical black holes are expected to belong to the Kerr family, obeying the no-hair theorems.…
The fundamental parameters describing the coronal spectrum of an accreting black hole are the slope $\Gamma$ of the power-law continuum and the energy $E_{cut}$ at which it rolls over. Remarkably, this parameter can be accurately measured…
High resolution radio imaging of AGN have revealed that some sources present motion of superluminal knots and transverse stratification of their jet. Recent observational projects have provided new observational constraints on the central…
In general relativity without a cosmological constant, a classical theorem due to Hawking states that stationary black holes must be topologically spherical. This result is one of the several ingredients that collectively imply the…
We propose a novel approach to the investigation of how black hole spin influences the behavior of astrophysical accretion. We examine the terminal behavior of general relativistic, multi-transonic, hydrodynamic advective accretion in the…
Current astrophysical research suggests that the most persistently luminous objects in the Universe are powered by the flow of matter through accretion disks onto black holes. Accretion disk systems are observed to emit copious radiation…
The iron K$\alpha$ line commonly observed in the X-ray spectrum of black hole candidates is produced by X-ray fluorescence of the inner accretion disk. This line can potentially be quite a powerful tool to probe the spacetime geometry…
Classical invariants of General Relativity can be used to approximate the entropy of the gravitational field. In this work, we study two proposed estimators based on scalars constructed out from the Weyl tensor, in Kerr spacetime. In order…
General relativity is one of the pillars of modern physics. For decades, the theory has been mainly tested in the weak field regime with experiments in the Solar System and radio observations of binary pulsars. Until 2015, the strong field…
The development of techniques to measure accurately black hole spins is crucial to study the physics and astrophysics of these objects. X-ray reflection spectroscopy is currently the most popular method to estimate the spins of accreting…
Based on a spectral analysis of the X-ray continuum that employs a fully relativistic accretion-disk model, we conclude that the compact primary of the binary X-ray source GRS 1915+105 is a rapidly-rotating Kerr black hole. We find a lower…