Related papers: Constraining Black Hole Spin Via X-ray Spectroscop…
We report on simultaneous XMM-Newton and RXTE observations of the stellar-mass black hole candidate SWIFT J1753.5-0127. The source was observed in the low-hard state, during the decline of a hard outburst. The inner accretion disk is…
We use a ray-tracing technique to compute the observed spectrum of a thin accretion disk around a Kerr black hole. We include all relativistic effects such as frame-dragging, Doppler boost, gravitational redshift, and bending of light by…
There is robust observational evidence supporting the existence of $5 - 20$ $M_\odot$ compact bodies in X-ray binary systems and of $10^5 - 10^9$ $M_\odot$ bodies at the center of many galaxies. All these objects are commonly interpreted as…
The bright soft X-ray transient Nova Muscae 1991 was intensively observed during its entire 8-month outburst using the Large Area Counter (LAC) onboard the Ginga satellite. Recently, we obtained accurate estimates of the mass of the black…
Spectral features can arise by reflection of coronal X-rays on a black hole accretion disc. The resulting profile bears various imprints of strong gravitational field acting on the light emitting gas. The observed shape of the reflection…
All prior work on measuring the spins of stellar-mass black holes via the X-ray continuum-fitting method has relied on the use of weakly-Comptonized spectra obtained in the thermal dominant state. Using a self-consistent Comptonization…
We re-examine archival Ginga data for the black hole binary system GS 1124-683, obtained when the system was undergoing its 1991 outburst. Our analysis estimates the dimensionless spin parameter a=cJ/GM^2 by fitting the X-ray continuum…
The black-hole binary system LMC X-3 has been observed by virtually every X-ray mission since the inception of X-ray astronomy. Among the persistent sources, LMC X-3 is uniquely both habitually soft and highly variable. Using a fully…
It has recently been suggested that Compton downscattering may give rise to the broad iron lines seen in the X-ray spectra of Seyfert 1 galaxies. This challenges the standard model in which these lines originate from the innermost regions…
The analysis of relativistically broadened X-ray spectral features from the inner accretion disk provides a powerful tool for measuring the spin of supermassive black holes (SMBH) in active galactic nuclei (AGN). However, AGN spectra are…
We present a comprehensive study of the X-ray binary system XTE~J1550-564, with the primary objective of analyzing the evolution of the black hole's spin parameter. To achieve this objective, we embarked on the necessary step of identifying…
1E 1740.7-2942 is one of the strongest hard X-ray emitters in the Galactic Centre region, believed to be a black hole in a high-mass X-ray binary system. Although extensively studied in X-rays, many aspects about the underlying nature of…
This paper investigates the observable properties of a Kerr-Sen black hole surrounded by a thin accretion disk, focusing on the impact of the black hole's spin and charge on the image. Using ray-tracing techniques, we conduct a detailed…
In prior work, {\it Chandra} and Gemini-North observations of the eclipsing X-ray binary M33 X-7 have yielded measurements of the mass of its black hole primary and the system's orbital inclination angle of unprecedented accuracy. Likewise,…
X-ray reflection spectroscopy is a powerful tool for testing the Kerr hypothesis and probing the strong gravity regime around accreting black holes. Most tests of General Relativity (GR) assume that the spacetime around a black hole is…
We consider a rapidly spinning black hole surrounded by an equatorial, geometrically thin, slowly accreting disk that is stationary and axisymmetric. We analytically compute the broadening of electromagnetic line emissions from the…
We present a new analysis of Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer observations of the 2002 outburst of the transient X-ray nova 4U 1543-47. We focus on observations in the High/Soft state, and attempt to measure the spin of the black hole by…
X-ray reflection is a very powerful method to assess the spin of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in active galactic nuclei (AGN), yet this technique is not universally accepted. Indeed, complex reprocessing (absorption, scattering) of the…
We present a broad-band analysis of deep Suzaku observations of nearby Seyfert 1 AGN: Fairall 9, MCG--6-30-15, NGC 3516, NGC 3783 and NGC 4051. The use of deep observations (exposures >200 ks) with high S/N allows the complex spectra of…
The origin and distribution of stellar-mass black hole spins are a rare window into the progenitor stars and supernova events that create them. Swift J1728.9-3613 is an X-ray binary, likely associated with the supernova remnant G351.9-0.9…