Related papers: A Method for Black Hole Mass Determination in Accr…
The black hole mass and accretion rate in Ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) in external galaxies, whose X-ray luminosities exceed those of the brightest black holes in our Galaxy by hundreds and thousands of times$^{1,2}$, is an unsolved…
There are two proposed explanations for ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) with luminosities in excess of $10^{39}$ erg s$^{-1}$. They could be intermediate-mass black holes (more than 100-1,000, solar masses, $M_\odot$) radiating at…
We discuss masses of stellar black holes found in binary systems and errors in their determination. The observed mass distribution has a broad shape within the range $4-16 M_\odot$ without visible concentration to some preferred value. On…
To understand the origin of hard X-ray emissions from black hole X-ray binaries during their low/hard states, we calculate the X-ray spectra of black-hole accretion flow for the following three configurations of hot and cool media: (a) an…
Many upcoming surveys, particularly in the radio and optical domains, are designed to probe either the temporal and/or the spatial variability of a range of astronomical objects. In the light of these high resolution surveys, we review the…
The majority of the ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) in external galaxies are believed to be accreting black holes in binary systems; some of the black holes could be as massive as $\sim 100-1000 \ms$. We have performed evolution…
We describe techniques for measuring the central masses of galaxies using emission-line kinematics observed with the Hubble Space Telescope. For accurate results, it is necessary to model various instrumental effects, particularly the…
We study low-mass binary X-ray sources involving stellar mass black holes within massive gravity. Regarding the accretion disk, we adopt the standard model for an optically thick, cool, and geometrically thin disk by Shakura-Sunyaev. For…
This study focuses on the X-ray emission of low-mass black hole binaries in massive Brans-Dicke gravity. First, we compute the accretion disk adopting the well-known Shakura-Sunyaev model for an optically thick, cool, and geometrically thin…
Accreting black holes in galactic X-ray sources are surrounded by hot plasma. The innermost part of these systems is likely a corona with different temperatures for ions and electrons. In the so-called low-hard state, hot electrons…
Data derived from general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations of accretion onto black holes can be used as input to a postprocessing scheme that predicts the radiated spectrum. Combining a relativistic Compton scattering radiation…
We discuss the relationship between a standard Shakura & Sunyaev (1973) accretion disk model and the Big Blue Bump (BBB) observed in Type 1 AGN, and propose a new method to estimate black hole masses. We apply this method to a sample of 23…
Stars with an initial mass more than ~25 Msun are thought to ultimately become black holes. Then stellar-mass black holes should be ubiquitous but fewer than 20 have been found in our Galaxy to date, all of which have been found through…
A small group of X-ray binaries currently provides the best evidence for the existence of stellar-mass black holes. These objects are interacting binary systems where the X-rays arise from accretion of material onto a compact object (i.e.…
The thermal dominant state in black hole binaries (BHBs) is well understood but rarely seen in ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs). Using simultaneous observations of M82 with Chandra and XMM-Newton, we report the first likely identification…
Spin parameters of stellar-mass black holes in X-ray binaries are currently being estimated by fitting the X-ray continuum spectra of their accretion disk emission. For this method, it is necessary to know the inclination of the…
The flare produced when a star is tidally disrupted by a supermassive black hole holds potential as a diagnostic of both the black hole mass and the star mass. We propose a new method to realize this potential based upon a physical model of…
We present general relativistic radiation MHD simulations of super-Eddington accretion on a $10M_\odot$ black hole. We consider a range of mass accretion rates, black hole spins, and magnetic field configurations. We compute the spectra and…
Recent X-ray timing and spectral observations of black hole binaries in outburst have redefined methods for investigating the properties of Galactic black holes and the physics of accretion flows. High-frequency X-ray QPOs in 5 systems…
We report variability of the X-ray source, X-7, in NGC 6946, during a 60 ksec Chandra observation when the count rate decreased by a factor of ~1.5 in ~5000 secs. Spectral fitting of the high and low count rate segments of the light curve…