Related papers: Testing Accretion Disk Theory in Black Hole X-ray …
Hard X-ray spectra of black hole binaries in the low/hard state are well modeled by thermal Comptonization of soft seed photons by a corona-type region with $kT$\thinspace$\sim 50${\thinspace}keV and optical depth around 1. Previous…
We report the results from \textit{AstroSat} observations of the transient Galactic black hole X-ray binary MAXI J1535-571 during its hard-intermediate state of the 2017 outburst. We systematically study the individual and joint spectra…
The three X-ray states of active accretion in black-hole binaries have been re-defined to focus attention on different physical elements that may contribute radiation: the accretion disk, a jet, and a compact and radio-quiet corona.…
We fit X-ray spectral data in the thermal dominant or high soft state of two dynamically confirmed black holes, GRO J1655-40 and 4U 1543-47, and estimate the dimensionless spin parameters a* = a/M of the two holes. For GRO J1655-40, using a…
The nature and geometry of the accretion flow in the low/hard state of black hole binaries is currently controversial. While most properties are generally explained in the truncated disc/hot inner flow model, the detection of a broad…
We carried out spectro-temporal analysis of the archived data from multiple outbursts spanning over the last two decades from the black hole X-ray binary GX 339-4. In this paper, the mass of the compact object in the X-ray binary system GX…
Accretion disks around stellar-mass black holes offer unique opportunities to study the fundamental physics of standard thin disks, super-Eddington disks, and structure that may be connected to flux variability. These local analogues of…
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…
Chandra obtained two High Energy Transmission Grating (HETG) spectra of the stellar-mass black hole GRO J1655-40 during its 2005 outburst, revealing a rich and complex disk wind. Soon after its launch, the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory…
Since its launch, the INTErnational Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL) satellite has discovered hundreds of X-ray sources, many of which lack proper classification. This mission also led to the discovery of new categories of high…
Using hard (E>10 keV) X-ray observations with NuSTAR, we are able to differentiate between accretion states, and thus compact object types, of neutron stars and black holes in X-ray binaries (XRBs) in M31, our nearest Milky Way-type…
We analyse the X-ray spectrum of the black hole X-ray binary MAXI J1820+070 using observations from XMM-Newton and NuSTAR during 'hard' states of its 2018-2019 outburst. We take a fully Bayesian approach, and this is one of the first papers…
We investigate the presence of supermassive black hole (SMBH) binary signatures and the feasibility of identifying them through X-ray reflection spectra. The X-ray emitting region is modeled as a set of two mini-disks bound to the…
We present a systemic analysis of all of the stellar mass black hole binaries (confirmed & candidate) observed by the Swift observatory up to June 2010. The broad Swift bandpass enables a trace of disk evolution over an unprecedented range…
We review the properties of 40 X-ray binaries that contain either a confirmed black hole or a black hole candidate. After discussing briefly the significance of these Galactic black holes to both astronomy and physics, we present basic data…
These notes resulted from a series of lectures at the IAC winter school. They are designed to help students, especially those just starting in subject, to get hold of the fundamental tools used to study accretion powered sources. As such,…
X-ray binaries are known to exhibit different spectral states which are often associated with different black hole accretion modes. The exact geometry and properties of these accretion modes is still uncertain. Recent IXPE measurements of…
The black hole candidate XTE J2012+381 underwent an outburst at the end of 2022. We analyzed 105 NICER observations and 2 NuSTAR observations of the source during the outburst. The NuSTAR observations of the $M \sim10M_\odot$ black hole…
We study the spectral properties of the first 14 observations of the rise to outburst phase of the X-ray transient J1550-564. Using the PCA and HEXTE instruments, we find that the 3-200 keV spectra smoothly pass from a standard low/hard…
Understanding the properties of the hot corona is important for studying the accretion disks in black hole X-ray binary systems. Using the Monte-Carlo technique to simulate the inverse Compton scattering between photons emitted from the…