Related papers: Why Low-Mass Black-Hole Binaries Are Transient
Stellar models indicate that the core compactness of a star, which is a common proxy for its explodability in a supernova, does not increase monotonically with the star's mass. Rather, the core compactness dips sharply over a range of…
In this article we consider the formation and evolution of black holes, especially those in binary stars where radiation from the matter falling on them can be seen. We consider a number of effects introduced by some of us, which are not…
A framework for the interpretation of the spectral states of black hole X-ray transients based on the diversity of accretion disk models is introduced. Depending on the mass accretion rate, it is proposed that the accretion disk is…
Recently (Brown \& Bethe 1994) it was suggested that most stars with main sequence mass in the range of about $18 - 30 M_{\odot}$ explode, returning matter to the Galaxy, and then go into low-mass ($\geq 1.5 M_{\odot}$) black holes. Even…
The accretion of ~ 0.1 -- 1 M_o of material by a neutron star through Roche lobe overflow of its companion or through white-dwarf/neutron-star coalescence in a low mass binary system could be enough to exceed the critical mass of a neutron…
Mergers of neutron stars with black holes have been suggested as candidates for short gamma-ray bursts. They have also been studied for their potential as gravitational wave sources observable with ground-based detectors. For these…
We calculate upper bounds on the inner radii of geometrically thin accretion disks in galactic black-hole systems by relating their rapid variability properties to those of neutron stars. We infer that the inner disk radii do not exhibit…
By definition transients are sudden events, some, like supernovae, are catastrophic, while others might be due to recurrent phenomena. The aim of studying transients is to reveal the physical conditions causing them, in this sense ideal…
Distinguishing the photon output of an accreting supermassive black hole binary system from that of a single supermassive black hole accreting at the same rate is intrinsically difficult because the majority of the light emerges from near…
Accretion onto black holes is one of the most efficient energy source in the Universe. Black hole accretion powers some of the most luminous objects in the universe, including quasars, active galactic nuclei, tidal disruption events,…
We have accumulated multiwavelength lightcurves for eight black hole X-ray binaries which have been observed to enter a supposed ``soft X-ray transient'' outburst, but which in fact remained in the low/hard state throughout the outburst.…
We consider the formation of low-mass X-ray binaries containing accreting neutron stars via the helium-star supernova channel. The predicted relative number of short-period transients provides a sensitive test of the input physics in this…
A summary is given of the present state of our knowledge of High-Mass X-ray Binaries (HMXBs), their formation and expected future evolution. Among the HMXB-systems that contain neutron stars, only those that have orbital periods upwards of…
The formation of close massive black-hole binaries is a challenge for binary evolutionary models, especially the intriguing system M33 X-7 which harbours one of the most massive stellar-mass black holes (16 solar masses) orbiting a 70 solar…
We discuss the formation and evolution of binaries which contain neutron stars or black holes. It is shown that in a stellar system which for $10^{10}$ yr had star formation rate similar to the current one in the Galactic disc, the rate of…
A significant fraction of nearby galaxies show evidence of weak nuclear activity unrelated to normal stellar processes. Recent high-resolution, multiwavelength observations indicate that the bulk of this activity derives from black hole…
We study the formation of neon-enriched donor stars in ultracompact X-ray binaries (orbital periods P<80 min) and show that their progenitors have to be low-mass (0.3 - 0.4 solar mass) ``hybrid'' white dwarfs (with CO cores and thick helium…
While the non-thermal radio through at least near-infrared emission in the hard state in X-ray binaries (XRBs) is known to originate in jets, the source of the non-thermal X-ray component is still uncertain. We introduce a new model for…
Primordial micro black holes can constitute dark matter if short-distance gravity is modified by extra dimensions or a large number of species and if the memory-burden effect sufficiently suppresses Hawking evaporation. The resulting black…
We study the evolution of a low-mass X-ray binary by coupling a binary stellar evolution code with a general relativistic code that describes the behaviour of the neutron star. We find that non-conservative mass transfer scenarios are…