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At least 559 records · Page 31
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2012

SUZAKU OBSERVATIONS OF 4U 1957+11: POTENTIALLY THE MOST RAPIDLY SPINNING BLACK HOLE IN (THE HALO OF) THE GALAXY

We present three Suzaku observations of the black hole candidate 4U 1957+11 (V1408 Aql)-a source that exhibits some of the simplest and cleanest examples of soft, disk-dominated spectra. 4U 1957+11 also presents among the highest peak temperatures found from disk-dominated spectra. Such temperatures may be associated with rapid black hole spin. The 4U 1957+11 spectra also require a very low normalization, which can be explained by a combination of small inner disk radius and a large distance (>10 kpc) which places 4U 1957+11 well into the Galactic halo. We perform joint fits to the Suzaku spectra with both relativistic and Comptonized disk models. Assuming a low-mass black hole and the nearest distance (3 M{sub Sun }, 10 kpc), the dimensionless spin parameter a* {identical_to} Jc/GM{sup 2} {approx}> 0.9. Higher masses and farther distances yield a* Almost-Equal-To 1. Similar conclusions are reached with Comptonization models; they imply a combination of small inner disk radii (or, equivalently, rapid spin) and large distance. Low spin cannot be recovered unless 4U 1957+11 is a low-mass black hole that is at the unusually large distance of {approx}> 40 kpc. We speculate whether the suggested maximal spin is related to how the system came to reside in the halo.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS2007

Cosmic Messengers: Binary Black Holes and Gravitational Waves

The final merger of two black holes releases a tremendous amount of energy, more than the combined light from all the stars in the visible universe. This energy is emitted in the form of gravitational waves, and observing these sources with gravitational wave detectors such as LISA requires that we know the pattern or fingerprint of the radiation emitted. Since black hole mergers take place in regions of extreme gravitational fields, we need to solve Einstein s equations of general relativity on a computer in order to calculate these wave patterns. For more than 30 years, scientists have tried to compute these wave patterns. However, their computer codes have been plagued by problems that caused them to crash. . This situation has changed dramatically in the past 2 years, with a series of amazing breakthroughs. This talk will take you on this quest for these gravitational wave patterns, showing how a spacetime is constructed on a computer to build a simulation laboratory for binary black hole mergers. We will focus on the recent advances that are revealing these waveforms, and the dramatic new potential for discoveries that arises when these sources will. be observed by LISA.

Centrella, Joan↗
NASA NTRS2007

Binary Black Holes and Gravitational Waves

The final merger of two black holes releases a tremendous amount of energy, more than the combined light from all the stars in the visible universe. This energy is emitted in the form of gravitational waves, and observing these sources with gravitational wave detectors such as LIGO and LISA requires that we know the pattern or fingerprint of the radiation emitted. Since black hole mergers take place in regions of extreme gravitational fields, we need to solve Einstein's equations of general relativity on a computer in order to calculate these wave patterns. For more than 30 years, scientists have tried to compute these wave patterns. However, their computer codes have been plagued by problems that caused them to crash. This situation has changed dramatically in the past 2 years, with a series of amazing breakthroughs. This discussion examines these gravitational patterns, showing how a spacetime is constructed on a computer to build a simulation laboratory for binary black hole mergers. The focus is on recent advances that are revealing these waveforms, and the dramatic new potential for discoveries that arises when these sources will be observed by the space-based gravitational wave detector LISA.

Centrella, Joan↗
NASA NTRS2006

Techniques for Binary Black Hole Simulations

Recent advances in techniques for numerical simulation of black hole systems have enabled dramatic progress in astrophysical applications. Our approach to these simulations, which includes new gauge conditions for moving punctures, AMR, and specific tools for analyzing black hole simulations, has been applied to a variety of black hole configurations, typically resulting in simulations lasting several orbits. I will discuss these techniques, what we've learned in applications, and outline some areas for further development.

Baker, John G.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Prospects for direct detection of black hole formation in neutron star mergers with next-generation gravitational-wave detectors

A direct detection of black hole formation in neutron star mergers would provide invaluable information about matter in neutron star cores and finite temperature effects on the nuclear equation of state. We study black hole formation in neutron star mergers using a set of 190 numerical relativity simulations consisting of long-lived and black-hole-forming remnants. The postmerger gravitational-wave spectrum of a long-lived remnant has greatly reduced power at a frequency 𝑓 greater than 𝑓 peak , for 𝑓 ≳ 4 kHz, with 𝑓 peak ∈ [2.5,4] kHz. On the other hand, black-hole-forming remnants exhibit excess power in the same large 𝑓 region and manifest exponential damping in the time domain characteristic of a quasinormal mode. We demonstrate that the gravitational-wave signal from a collapsed remnant is indeed a quasinormal ringing. We report on the opportunity for direct detections of black hole formation with next-generation gravitational-wave detectors such as Cosmic Explorer and Einstein Telescope and set forth the tantalizing prospect of such observations up to a distance of 100 Mpc for an optimally oriented and located source with an SNR of 4.

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗
DOE OSTI2021

Solar mass primordial black holes in moduli dominated universe

In this report we explore the prospect of producing primordial black holes around the solar mass region during an early matter domination epoch. The early matter-dominated epoch can arise when a moduli field comes to dominate the energy density of the Universe prior to big bang nucleosynthesis. The absence of radiation pressure during a matter-dominated epoch enhances primordial black hole formation from the gravitational collapse of primordial density fluctuations. In particular, we find that primordial black holes are produced in the 0.1 - 10M ⊙ mass range with a favorable choice of parameters in the theory. However, they cannot explain all of the merger events detected by the LIGO/Virgo gravitational wave search. In such a case, primordial black holes form about 4% of the total dark matter abundance, of which 95% belongs to the LIGO/Virgo consistent mass range. The rest of the dark matter could be in the form of particles that are produced from the decay of the moduli field during reheating.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

A black hole mass determination for the compact galaxy MRK 1216

Mrk 1216 is a nearby, early-type galaxy with a small effective radius of 2.8 kpc and a large stellar velocity dispersion of 308 km s{sup −1} for its K-band luminosity of 1.4×10{sup 11} L{sub ⊙}. Using integral field spectroscopy assisted by adaptive optics from Gemini North, we measure spatially resolved stellar kinematics within ∼450 pc of the galaxy nucleus. The galaxy exhibits regular rotation with velocities of ±180 km s{sup −1} and a sharply peaked velocity dispersion profile that reaches 425 km s{sup −1} at the center. We fit axisymmetric, orbit-based dynamical models to the combination of these high angular resolution kinematics, large-scale kinematics extending to roughly three effective radii, and Hubble Space Telescope imaging, resulting in a constraint of the mass of the central black hole in Mrk 1216. After exploring several possible sources of systematics that commonly affect stellar-dynamical black hole mass measurements, we find a black hole mass of M{sub BH}=(4.9±1.7)×10{sup 9} M{sub ⊙} and an H-band stellar mass-to-light ratio of Υ{sub H}=1.3±0.4 Υ{sub ⊙} (1σ uncertainties). Mrk 1216 is consistent with the local black hole mass–stellar velocity dispersion relation, but is a factor of ∼5–10 larger than expectations from the black hole mass–bulge luminosity and black hole mass–bulge mass correlations when conservatively using the galaxy’s total luminosity or stellar mass. This behavior is quite similar to the extensively studied compact galaxy NGC 1277. Resembling the z∼2 quiescent galaxies, Mrk 1216 may be a passively evolved descendant, and perhaps reflects a previous era when galaxies contained over-massive black holes relative to their bulge luminosities/masses, and the growth of host galaxies had yet to catch up.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Non-isometric codes for the black hole interior from fundamental and effective dynamics

We introduce a new holographic map for encoding black hole interiors by including both fundamental and effective dynamics. This holographic map is constructed by evolving a state in the effective, semiclassical gravity description of the interior backwards in time to pull the degrees of freedom outside the black hole, before evolving forwards in time in the fundamental description. We show this “backwards-forwards” map is equivalent to a post-selection map of the type introduced by Akers, Engelhardt, Harlow, Penington, and Vardhan, and in the case of trivial effective interactions reduces to their model, while providing a suitable generalization when those interactions are nontrivial. We show the map is equivariant with respect to time evolution, and independent of any interactions outside the black hole. This construction includes interactions with an infaller in a way that preserves the unitarity of black hole evolution exactly and does not allow for superpolynomial computational complexity.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2025

Radiation GRMHD Models of Accretion onto Stellar-mass Black Holes. I. Survey of Eddington Ratios

We summarize results from a survey of radiation-dominated black hole accretion flows across a wide range of mass accretion rates, as well as two values of black hole spin and initial magnetic field geometry. These models apply an algorithm targeting direct solutions to the radiation transport equation in full general relativity and have been enabled by access to modern exascale computing systems. Super-Eddington accretion flows form geometrically thick radiation-pressure-supported disks that drive powerful equatorial outflows. A narrow funnel-shaped photosphere in the inner region results in very low radiative efficiencies in this regime. The structure of near- and sub-Eddington accretion depends on whether there is net vertical magnetic flux at the midplane of the disk. With net flux, the disk forms a thin, dense layer at the midplane surrounded by a magnetically dominated corona, whereas without net flux, the disk remains magnetically dominated everywhere. Although none of our models achieve the magnetically arrested disk regime, those with net vertical flux and a rapidly spinning black hole still produce powerful relativistic jets. Our calculations adopt simple opacity models (with scalings appropriate to stellar-mass black hole accretion). We discuss the application of our results to observations of X-ray binaries and ultraluminous X-ray sources such as Cyg X-3 and SS433. We also speculate on the application of our super-Eddington models to the interpretation of little red dots recently discovered by JWST.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS2020

A NICER Look at the State Transitions of the Black Hole Candidate MAXI J1535-571 During its Reflares

The black hole candidate and X-ray binary MAXI J1535−571 was discovered in 2017 September. During the decay of its discovery outburst, and before returning to quiescence, the source underwent at least four reflaring events, with peak luminosities of ∼1035–36 erg s−1 (d/4.1 kpc)2. To investigate the nature of these flares, we analysed a sample of NICER (Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer) observations taken with almost daily cadence. In this work, we present the detailed spectral and timing analysis of the evolution of the four reflares. The higher sensitivity of NICER at lower energies, in comparison with other X-ray detectors, allowed us to constrain the disc component of the spectrum at ∼0.5 keV. We found that during each reflare the source appears to trace out a q-shaped track in the hardness–intensity diagram similar to those observed in black hole binaries during full outbursts. MAXI J1535−571 transits between the hard state (valleys) and softer states (peaks) during these flares. Moreover, the Comptonized component is undetected at the peak of the first reflare, while the disc component is undetected during the valleys. Assuming the most likely distance of 4.1 kpc, we find that the hard-to-soft transitions take place at the lowest luminosities ever observed in a black hole transient, while the soft-to-hard transitions occur at some of the lowest luminosities ever reported for such systems.

V A Cuneo↗
NASA NTRS2000

Relativistic Astrophysics in Black Hole and Low-Mass Neutron Star Binaries LTSA98

My group, in close collaboration with Dr. Zhang's group at University of Alabama-Huntsville, have been systematically analyzing and re-analyzing a substantial amount of archival data from previous and ongoing X-ray missions, in order to study possible relativistic effects around stellar-mass black holes and neutron stars. Our effort has been focused primarily on the data from the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer. We carefully studied interesting quasi-periodic X-ray variability in newly discovered black hole candidates (XTE J1859+226 and XTE J1550-564), which, as we had proposed earlier, could be caused by general relativistic process (e.g., frame dragging) around the central black hole. We also discovered an intriguing temporal correlation between X-ray photons at different energies that is associated with the quasi-periodic signals of interest. The results provided new insights into the physical origin of the phenomena. Furthermore, we studied the spectral lines of black hole candidates which provide another avenue for studying general relativistic processes around black holes. The lines-may originate in the relativistic jets (which could be powered by the spin of the black hole) or in the disk around the black hole, as in the cases of 4U 1630-47 and GX 339-4 (two well-known black hole candidates), and may thus be distorted or shifted due to relativistic effects. Of course, neutron star systems were not forgotten either. After examining the properties of newly discovered fast quasi-periodic variability (at kiloHertz) associated with such systems, we proposed a relativistic model to explain the origin of the signals. We have also started to use new great observatories in orbit (such as Chandra and XMM-Newton) to observe the sources that are of interest to us. Finally, interesting results were also been obtained from our collaborations with other groups who are interested in some of the same objects. Such collaborative efforts have greatly enhanced the project and will likely continue in the future.

Cui, Wei↗
DOE OSTI2025

Tidal Love numbers of analog black holes

Tidal Love numbers quantify the conservative static response of compact objects to external tidal fields, and are found to vanish exactly for asymptotically flat black holes in four-dimensional general relativity. Many aspects of the physics of black holes have an analog in the theory of supersonic acoustic flows, including the existence of an event horizon and associated phenomena, such as quasinormal modes and superradiance. In this paper, we investigate the tidal Love numbers of acoustic black holes in different number of dimensions. We find that they exhibit a number of similar properties as higher-dimensional general relativistic black holes, such as logarithmic running with radial distance, and vanishing tidal response for special multipole moments. As a result, we show that the latter is a consequence of ladder symmetries, analogous to those identified for black holes.

Classical black holes↗
DOE OSTI2026

Radiation GRMHD Models of Accretion onto Stellar-mass Black Holes. II. Super-Eddington Accretion

We present a comprehensive analysis of super-Eddington black hole accretion simulations that solve the GRMHD equations coupled with angle-discretized radiation transport. The simulations span a range of accretion rates, two black hole spins, and two magnetic field topologies, and include resolution studies as well as comparisons with nonradiative models. Super-Eddington accretion flows consistently develop geometrically thick disks supported by radiation pressure, regardless of magnetic field configuration. Radiation generated in the inner disk drives substantial outflows, forming conical funnel regions that limit photon escape and result in very low radiation efficiency. The accretion flows are highly turbulent, with thermal energy transport dominated by radiation advection rather than diffusion. Angular momentum is primarily carried outward by Maxwell stress, with turbulent Reynolds stress playing a subdominant role. Both strong and weak jets are produced. Strong jets arise from sufficient net vertical magnetic flux and rapid black hole spin, and they can effectively evacuate the funnel, enabling radiation to escape through strong geometric beaming. In contrast, weak jets fail to clear the funnel, which becomes obscured by radiation-driven outflows and leads to distinct observational signatures. Spiral structures are observed in the plunging region, behaving like density waves. These super-Eddington models are applicable to a variety of astronomical systems, including ultraluminous X-ray sources, little red dots, and black hole transients.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Minidisk Accretion onto Spinning Black Hole Binaries: Quasi-periodicities and Outflows

We perform a full 3D general relativistic magnetohydrodynamical (GRMHD) simulation of an equal-mass, spinning, binary black hole approaching merger, surrounded by a circumbinary disk and with a minidisk around each black hole. For this purpose, we evolve the ideal GRMHD equations on top of an approximated spacetime for the binary that is valid in every position of space, including the black hole horizons, during the inspiral regime. We use relaxed initial data for the circumbinary disk from a previous long-term simulation, where the accretion is dominated by a m = 1 overdensity called the lump. We compare our new spinning simulation with a previous non-spinning run, studying how spin influences the minidisk properties. We analyze the accretion from the inner edge of the lump to the black hole, focusing on the angular momentum budget of the fluid around the minidisks. We find that minidisks in the spinning case have more mass over a cycle than the non-spinning case. However, in both cases we find that most of the mass received by the black holes is delivered by the direct plunging of material from the lump. We also analyze the morphology and variability of the electromagnetic fluxes, and we find they share the same periodicities of the accretion rate. In the spinning case, we find that the outflows are stronger than the non-spinning case. Our results will be useful to understand and produce realistic synthetic light curves and spectra, which can be used in future observations.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Aspects of hairy black holes

We review the existence of exact hairy black holes in asymptotically flat, anti-de Sitter and de Sitter space-times. We briefly discuss the issue of stability and the charging of the black holes with a Maxwell field.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

SUPERMASSIVE SEEDS FOR SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLES

Recent observations of quasars powered by supermassive black holes (SMBHs) out to z {approx}> 7 constrain both the initial seed masses and the growth of the most massive black holes (BHs) in the early universe. Here we elucidate the implications of the radiative feedback from early generations of stars and from BH accretion for popular models for the formation and growth of seed BHs. We show that by properly accounting for (1) the limited role of mergers in growing seed BHs as inferred from cosmological simulations of early star formation and radiative feedback, (2) the sub-Eddington accretion rates of BHs expected at the earliest times, and (3) the large radiative efficiencies {epsilon} of the most massive BHs inferred from observations of active galactic nuclei at high redshift ({epsilon} {approx}> 0.1), we are led to the conclusion that the initial BH seeds may have been as massive as {approx}> 10{sup 5} M{sub Sun }. This presents a strong challenge to the Population III seed model, which calls for seed masses of {approx}100 M{sub Sun} and, even with constant Eddington-limited accretion, requires {epsilon} {approx}< 0.09 to explain the highest-z SMBHs in today's standard {Lambda}CDM cosmological model. It is, however, consistent with the prediction of the direct collapse scenario of SMBH seed formation, in which a supermassive primordial star forms in a region of the universe with a high molecule-dissociating background radiation field, and collapses directly into a 10{sup 4}-10{sup 6} M{sub Sun} seed BH. These results corroborate recent cosmological simulations and observational campaigns which suggest that these massive BHs were the seeds of a large fraction of the SMBHs residing in the centers of galaxies today.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

BINARY DISRUPTION BY MASSIVE BLACK HOLES: HYPERVELOCITY STARS, S STARS, AND TIDAL DISRUPTION EVENTS

We examine whether disrupted binary stars can fuel black hole growth. In this mechanism, tidal disruption produces a single hypervelocity star (HVS) ejected at high velocity and a former companion star bound to the black hole. After a cluster of bound stars forms, orbital diffusion allows the black hole to accrete stars by tidal disruption at a rate comparable to the capture rate. In the Milky Way, HVSs and the S star cluster imply similar rates of 10{sup -5} to 10{sup -3} yr{sup -1} for binary disruption. These rates are consistent with estimates for the tidal disruption rate in nearby galaxies and imply significant black hole growth from disrupted binaries on 10 Gyr timescales.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Detecting Axion Dark Matter with Black Hole Polarimetry

The axion, as a leading dark matter candidate, is the target of many on-going and proposed experimental searches based on its coupling to photons. Ultralight axions that couple to photons can also cause polarization rotation of light which can be probed by cosmic microwave background. In this work, we show that a large axion field is inevitably developed around black holes due to the Bose-Einstein condensation of axions, enhancing the induced birefringence effects. Therefore, we propose measuring the modulation of supermassive black hole imaging polarization angles as a new probe to the axion-photon coupling of axion dark matter. The oscillating axion field around black holes induces polarization rotation on the black hole image, which is detectable and distinguishable from astrophysical effects on the polarization angle, as it exhibits distinctive temporal variability and frequency invariability. We present the range of axion-photon couplings within the axion mass range $10^{-21}-10^{-16}\text{eV}$ that can be probed by the Event Horizon Telescope. The axion parameter space probed by black hole polarimetry will expand with the improvement in sensitivity on the polarization measurement and more black hole polarimetry targets with determined black hole masses.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗