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NASA NTRS2020

Candidate Electromagnetic Counterpart to the Binary Black Hole Merger Gravitational-Wave Event S190521g

We report the first plausible optical electromagnetic counterpart to a (candidate) binary black hole merger. Detected by the Zwicky Transient Facility, the electromagnetic flare is consistent with expectations for a kicked binary black hole merger in the accretion disk of an active galactic nucleus [B. McKernan, K. E. S. Ford, I. Bartoset al., Astrophys. J. Lett.884, L50 (2019)] and is unlikely [<O(0.01%))] due to intrinsic variability of this source. The lack of color evolution implies that it is not a supernova and instead is strongly suggestive of a constant temperature shock. Other false-positive events, such as microlensing ora tidal disruption event, are ruled out or constrained to be <O(0.1%). If the flare is associated withS190521g, we find plausible values of total mass M(BBH) ∼ 100 Mꙩ, kick velocity v(k) ∼ 200 km/s at θ ∼ 60° in a disk with aspect ratio H/a ∼ 0.01(i.e., disk height H at radius a) and gas density ρ ∼ 10^(−10)g/cu.cm. The merger could have occurred at a disk migration trap (a ∼ 700 r(g); r(g) ≡ GM(SMBH)/sq.c, where M(SMBH) is the mass of the active galactic nucleus supermassive black hole). The combination of parameters implies a significant spin for at least one of the black holes in S190521g. The timing of our spectroscopy prevents useful constraints on broad-line asymmetry due to an off-center flare. We predict a repeat flare in this source due to a reencountering with the disk in ∼ 1.6 yr(M(SMBH)/10^(8) Mꙩ)(a/10^(3)r(g))^(3/2).

M. J. Graham↗
DOE OSTI2012

String loops in the field of braneworld spherically symmetric black holes and naked singularities

We study motion of current-carrying string loops in the field of braneworld spherically symmetric black holes and naked singularities. The spacetime is described by the Reissner-Nordström geometry with tidal charge b reflecting the non-local tidal effects coming from the external dimension; both positive and negative values of the spacetime parameter b are considered. We restrict attention to the axisymmetric motion of string loops when the motion can be fully governed by an appropriately defined effective potential related to the energy and angular momentum of the string loops. In dependence on these two constants of the motion, the string loops can be captured, trapped, or can escape to infinity. In close vicinity of stable equilibrium points at the centre of trapped states the motion is regular. We describe how it is transformed to chaotic motion with growing energy of the string loop. In the field of naked singularities the trapped states located off the equatorial plane of the system exist and trajectories unable to cross the equatorial plane occur, contrary to the trajectories in the field of black holes where crossing the equatorial plane is always admitted. We concentrate our attention to the so called transmutation effect when the string loops are accelerated in the deep gravitational field near the black hole or naked singularity by transforming the oscillatory energy to the energy of the transitional motion. We demonstrate that the influence of the tidal charge can be substantial especially in the naked singularity spacetimes with b > 1 where the acceleration to ultrarelativistic velocities with Lorentz factor γ ∼ 100 can be reached, being more than one order higher in comparison with those obtained in the black hole spacetimes.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

THE X-RAY SPECTRAL EVOLUTION OF GALACTIC BLACK HOLE X-RAY BINARIES TOWARD QUIESCENCE

Most transient black hole X-ray binaries (BHXBs) spend the bulk of their time in a quiescent state, where they accrete matter from their companion star at highly sub-Eddington luminosities (we define quiescence here as a normalized Eddington ratio l{sub x} = L{sub 0.5-10{sub keV}}/L{sub Edd} < 10{sup -5}). Here, we present Chandra X-ray imaging spectroscopy for three BHXB systems (H 1743-322, MAXI J1659-152, and XTE J1752-223) as they fade into quiescence following an outburst. Multiple X-ray observations were taken within one month of each other, allowing us to track each individual system's X-ray spectral evolution during its decay. We compare these three systems to other BHXB systems. We confirm that quiescent BHXBs have softer X-ray spectra than low-hard-state BHXBs, and that quiescent BHXB spectral properties show no dependence on the binary system's orbital parameters. However, the observed anti-correlation between X-ray photon index ({Gamma}) and l{sub x} in the low-hard state does not continue once a BHXB enters quiescence. Instead, {Gamma} plateaus to an average ({Gamma}) = 2.08 {+-} 0.07 by the time l{sub x} reaches {approx}10{sup -5}. l{sub x} {approx} 10{sup -5} is thus an observationally motivated upper limit for the beginning of the quiescent spectral state. Our results are discussed in the context of different accretion flow models and across the black hole mass scale.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Primordial black hole and wormhole formation by domain walls

In theories with a broken discrete symmetry, Hubble sized spherical domain walls may spontaneously nucleate during inflation. These objects are subsequently stretched by the inflationary expansion, resulting in a broad distribution of sizes. The fate of the walls after inflation depends on their radius. Walls smaller than a critical radius fall within the cosmological horizon early on and collapse due to their own tension, forming ordinary black holes. But if a wall is large enough, its repulsive gravitational field becomes dominant much before the wall can fall within the cosmological horizon. In this ''supercritical'' case, a wormhole throat develops, connecting the ambient exterior FRW universe with an interior baby universe, where the exponential growth of the wall radius takes place. The wormhole pinches off in a time-scale comparable to its light-crossing time, and black holes are formed at its two mouths. As discussed in previous work, the resulting black hole population has a wide distribution of masses and can have significant astrophysical effects. The mechanism of black hole formation has been previously studied for a dust-dominated universe. Here we investigate the case of a radiation-dominated universe, which is more relevant cosmologically, by using numerical simulations in order to find the initial mass of a black hole as a function of the wall size at the end of inflation. For large supercritical domain walls, this mass nearly saturates the upper bound according to which the black hole cannot be larger than the cosmological horizon. We also find that the subsequent accretion of radiation satisfies a scaling relation, resulting in a mass increase by about a factor of 2.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Quantum chaos and unitary black hole evaporation

The formation and evaporation of small AdS black holes in a theory with a holographic dual is governed by the usual rules of quantum mechanics. The eigenstate thermalization hypothesis explains the validity of semiclassical gravity for local bulk observables and can be used to quantify the magnitude of quantum corrections to the semi-classical approximation. The holographic dual produces a basis of black hole states with finite energy width, and observables that are smooth functions on the classical phase space will self-average over a large number of energy eigenstates, exponential in the Bekenstein-Hawking entropyS, leading to results that are consistent with semiclassical gravity up to small corrections of order e –S/2 . As expected, the semiclassical description breaks down for transition amplitudes that reflect the unitary evolution of the holographic theory.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Model predictions of the results of interferometric observations for stars under conditions of strong gravitational scattering by black holes and wormholes

The characteristic and distinctive features of the visibility amplitude of interferometric observations for compact objects like stars in the immediate vicinity of the central black hole in our Galaxy are considered. These features are associated with the specifics of strong gravitational scattering of point sources by black holes, wormholes, or black-white holes. The revealed features will help to determine the most important topological characteristics of the central object in our Galaxy: whether this object possesses the properties of only a black hole or also has characteristics unique to wormholes or black-white holes. These studies can be used to interpret the results of optical, infrared, and radio interferometric observations.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS2016

Binary Black Hole Mergers in the First Advanced LIGO Observing Run

The first observational run of the Advanced LIGO detectors, from September 12, 2015 to January 19, 2016, saw the first detections of gravitational waves from binary black hole mergers. In this paper we present full results from a search for binary black hole merger signals with total masses up to 100M solar mass and detailed implications from our observations of these systems. Our search, based on general-relativistic models of gravitational wave signals from binary black hole systems, unambiguously identified two signals, GW150914 and GW151226, with a significance of greater than 5 alpha over the observing period. It also identified a third possible signal, LVT151012, with substantially lower significance, which has a 87 probability of being of astrophysical origin. We provide detailed estimates of the parameters of the observed systems. Both GW150914 and GW151226 provide an unprecedented opportunity to study the two-body motion of a compact-object binary in the large velocity, highly nonlinear regime. We do not observe any deviations from general relativity, and place improved empirical bounds on several high-order post-Newtonian coefficients. From our observations we infer stellar-mass binary black hole merger rates lying in the range 9-240 Gpc-3 yr-1. These observations are beginning to inform astrophysical predictions of binary black hole formation rates, and indicate that future observing runs of the Advanced detector network will yield many more gravitational wave detections.

Abbott, B. P.↗
DOE OSTI2011

TESTING PHOTOMETRIC DIAGNOSTICS FOR THE DYNAMICAL STATE AND POSSIBLE INTERMEDIATE-MASS BLACK HOLE PRESENCE IN GLOBULAR CLUSTERS

Surface photometry is a necessary tool to establish the dynamical state of star clusters. We produce realistic HST-like images from N-body models of star clusters with and without central intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) in order to measure their surface brightness profiles. The models contain {approx}600,000 individual stars, black holes of various masses between 0% and 2% of the total mass, and are evolved for Hubble time. We measure surface brightness and star count profiles for every constructed image in order to test the effect of IMBHs on the central logarithmic slope, the core radius, and the half-light radius. We use these quantities to test diagnostic tools for the presence of central black holes using photometry. We find that the only models that show central shallow cusps with logarithmic slopes between -0.1 and -0.4 are those containing central black holes. Thus, the central logarithmic slope seems to be a good way to choose clusters suspected of containing IMBHs. Clusters with steep central cusps can definitely be ruled out to host an IMBH. The measured r{sub c} /r{sub h} ratio has similar values for clusters that have not undergone core-collapse and those containing a central black hole. We note that observed Galactic globular clusters have a larger span of values for central slope and r{sub c} /r{sub h} than our modeled clusters, and suggest possible reasons that could account for this and contribute to improved future models.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Confirmation via the continuum-fitting method that the spin of the black hole in Cygnus X-1 is extreme

In Gou et al., we reported that the black hole primary in the X-ray binary Cygnus X-1 is a near-extreme Kerr black hole with a spin parameter a{sub *} > 0.95 (3σ). We confirm this result while setting a new and more stringent limit: a{sub *} > 0.983 at the 3σ (99.7%) confidence level. The earlier work, which was based on an analysis of all three useful spectra that were then available, was possibly biased by the presence in these spectra of a relatively strong Compton power-law component: the fraction of the thermal seed photons scattered into the power law was f{sub s} = 23%-31%, while the upper limit for reliable application of the continuum-fitting method is f{sub s} ≲ 25%. We have subsequently obtained six additional spectra of Cygnus X-1 suitable for the measurement of spin. Five of these spectra are of high quality with f{sub s} in the range 10%-19%, a regime where the continuum-fitting method has been shown to deliver reliable results. Individually, the six spectra give lower limits on the spin parameter that range from a{sub *} > 0.95 to a{sub *} > 0.98, allowing us to conservatively conclude that the spin of the black hole is a{sub *} > 0.983 (3σ).

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Formation of overheated regions and truncated disks around black holes: three-dimensional general relativistic radiation-magnetohydrodynamics simulations

Using three-dimensional general relativistic radiation-magnetohydrodynamics simulations of accretion flows around stellar mass black holes, we report that the relatively cold disk (≳10{sup 7} K) is truncated near the black hole. Hot and less dense regions, of which the gas temperature is ≳10{sup 9} K and more than 10 times higher than the radiation temperature (overheated regions), appear within the truncation radius. The overheated regions also appear above as well as below the disk, sandwiching the cold disk, leading to the effective Compton upscattering. The truncation radius is ∼30r{sub g} for M-dot ∼L{sub Edd}/c{sup 2}, where r{sub g}, M-dot ,L{sub Edd},c are the gravitational radius, mass accretion rate, Eddington luminosity, and light speed, respectively. Our results are consistent with observations of a very high state, whereby the truncated disk is thought to be embedded in the hot rarefied regions. The truncation radius shifts inward to ∼10r{sub g} with increasing mass accretion rate M-dot ∼100L{sub Edd}/c{sup 2}, which is very close to an innermost stable circular orbit. This model corresponds to the slim disk state observed in ultraluminous X-ray sources. Although the overheated regions shrink if the Compton cooling effectively reduces the gas temperature, the sandwich structure does not disappear at the range of M-dot ≲100L{sub Edd}/c{sup 2}. Our simulations also reveal that the gas temperature in the overheated regions depends on black hole spin, which would be due to efficient energy transport from black hole to disks through the Poynting flux, resulting in gas heating.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

SWIFT OBSERVATIONS OF MAXI J1659-152: A COMPACT BINARY WITH A BLACK HOLE ACCRETOR

We report on the detection and follow-up high-cadence monitoring observations of MAXI J1659-152, a bright Galactic X-ray binary transient with a likely black hole accretor, by Swift over a 27 day period after its initial outburst detection. MAXI J1659-152 was discovered almost simultaneously by Swift and the Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image on 2010 September 25, and was monitored intensively from the early stages of the outburst through the rise to a brightness of {approx}0.5 Crab by the Swift X-ray, UV/Optical, and the hard X-ray Burst Alert Telescopes. We present temporal and spectral analysis of the Swift observations. The broadband light curves show variability characteristic of black hole candidate transients. We present the evolution of thermal and non-thermal components of the 0.5-150 keV combined X-ray spectra during the outburst. MAXI J1659-152 displays accretion state changes typically associated with black hole binaries, transitioning from its initial detection in the hard state, to the steep power-law state, followed by a slow evolution toward the thermal state, signified by an increasingly dominant thermal component associated with the accretion disk, although this state change did not complete before Swift observations ended. We observe an anti-correlation between the increasing temperature and decreasing radius of the inner edge of the accretion disk, suggesting that the inner edge of the accretion disk infalls toward the black hole as the disk temperature increases. We observed significant evolution in the absorption column during the initial rise of the outburst, with the absorption almost doubling, suggestive of the presence of an evolving wind from the accretion disk. We detect quasi-periodic oscillations that evolve with the outburst, as well as irregular shaped dips that recur with a period of 2.42 {+-} 0.09 hr, strongly suggesting an orbital period that would make MAXI J1659-152 the shortest period black hole binary yet known.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS2012

Low Frequency (11 mHz) Oscillations in H1743-322: A New Class of Black Hole QPOs?

We report the discovery of quasi-periodic oscillations (QPO) at approx 11 mHz in two RXTE observations and one Chandra observation of the black hole candidate HI743-322. The QPO is observed only at the beginning of the 2010 and 2011 outbursts at similar hard color and intensity, suggestive of an accretion state dependence for the QPO. Although its frequency appears to be correlated with Xray intensity on timescales of a day, in successive outbursts eight months apart we measure a QPO frequency that differs by less than approximately equals 0.0015 Hz while the intensity had changed significantly. We show that this 11 mHz QPO is different from the so-called Type-C QPOs seen in black holes and that the mechanisms that produce the two flavors of variability are most probably independent. We compare the 11 mHz QPO with other variability phenomena seen in accreting black holes and neutron stars and conclude that although at 1-2 orders of magnitude lower in frequency, they best resemble the so-called "1 Hz" QPOs seen in dipping neutron star systems. If confirmed, H1743-322 is the first black hole showing this type of variability. Given the unusual characteristics and the hard-state dependence of the 11 mHz QPO, we speculate that these oscillations might instead be related to the radio jets observed in HI743-322. It remains unexplained, however, why similar QPOs have not yet been identified in other black holes and why they have only been seen in the last two outbursts of HI743-322.

Altamirano, D.↗
DOE OSTI2018

Generating five-dimensional Myers–Perry black hole solution using quaternions

Newman–Janis and Giampieri algorithms are two simple methods to generate stationary rotating black hole solutions in four dimensions. In this paper, we obtain the Myers–Perry black hole from the Schwarzschild solution in five dimensions by using quaternions. Our method generates the Myers–Perry black hole solution with two angular momenta in one fell swoop.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2013

CALIBRATING C-IV-BASED BLACK HOLE MASS ESTIMATORS

We present the single-epoch black hole mass estimators based on the C IV {lambda}1549 broad emission line, using the updated sample of the reverberation-mapped active galactic nuclei and high-quality UV spectra. By performing multi-component spectral fitting analysis, we measure the C IV line widths (FWHM{sub C{sub IV}} and line dispersion, {sigma}{sub C{sub IV}}) and the continuum luminosity at 1350 A (L{sub 1350}) to calibrate the C-IV-based mass estimators. By comparing with the H{beta} reverberation-based masses, we provide new mass estimators with the best-fit relationships, i.e., M{sub BH}{proportional_to}L{sub 1350}{sup 0.50{+-}0.07}{sigma}{sub C{sub IV}{sup 2}} and M{sub BH}{proportional_to}L{sub 1350}{sup 0.52{+-}0.09} FWHM{sub C{sub IV}{sup 0.56{+-}0.48}}. The new C-IV-based mass estimators show significant mass-dependent systematic difference compared to the estimators commonly used in the literature. Using the published Sloan Digital Sky Survey QSO catalog, we show that the black hole mass of high-redshift QSOs decreases on average by {approx}0.25 dex if our recipe is adopted.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Search for Quantum Black Hole Production in High-Invariant-Mass Lepton + Jet Final States Using p p Collisions at s = 8 TeV and the ATLAS Detector

CERN-LHC. Search for quantum black-hole production using 20.3 inverse fb of data collected in 2012 with the ATLAS detector in pp collisions at the LHC at sqrt(s) = 8 TeV. The quantum black holes are assumed to decay into a lepton (electron or muon) and a jet. In either channel, no event with a lepton-jet invariant mass of 3.5 TeV or more is observed, consistent with the expected background. Limits are set on the product of cross sections and branching fractions for the lepton+jet final states of quantum black holes produced in a search region for invariant masses above 1 TeV. The combined 95% confidence level upper limit on this product for quantum black holes with threshold mass above 3.5 TeV is 0.18 fb. This limit constrains the threshold quantum black-hole mass to be above 5.3 TeV in the model considered.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Asymptotic Reissner–Nordström black holes

We consider two types of Born–Infeld like nonlinear electromagnetic fields and obtain their interesting black hole solutions. The asymptotic behavior of these solutions is the same as that of a Reissner–Nordström black hole. We investigate the geometric properties of the solutions and find that depending on the value of the nonlinearity parameter, the singularity covered with various horizons. -- Highlights: •We investigate two types of the BI-like nonlinear electromagnetic fields in the Einsteinian gravity. •We analyze the effects of nonlinearity on the electromagnetic field. •We examine the influences of the nonlinearity on the geometric properties of the black hole solutions.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

A PROBABLE MILLI-PARSEC SUPERMASSIVE BINARY BLACK HOLE IN THE NEAREST QUASAR MRK 231

Supermassive binary black holes (BBHs) are unavoidable products of galaxy mergers and are expected to exist in the cores of many quasars. Great effort has been made during the past several decades to search for BBHs among quasars; however, observational evidence for BBHs remains elusive and ambiguous, which is difficult to reconcile with theoretical expectations. In this paper, we show that the distinct optical-to-UV spectrum of Mrk 231 can be well interpreted as emission from accretion flows onto a BBH, with a semimajor axis of ∼590 AU and an orbital period of ∼1.2 years. The flat optical and UV continua are mainly emitted from a circumbinary disk and a mini-disk around the secondary black hole (BH), respectively; and the observed sharp drop off and flux deficit at λ ∼ 4000–2500 Å is due to a gap (or hole) opened by the secondary BH migrating within the circumbinary disk. If confirmed by future observations, this BBH will provide a unique laboratory to study the interplay between BBHs and accretion flows onto them. Our result also demonstrates a new method to find sub-parsec scale BBHs by searching for deficits in the optical-to-UV continuum among the spectra of quasars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS2009

Computations of Photon Orbits Emitted by Flares at the ISCO of Accretion Disks Around Rotating Black Holes

We present detailed computations of photon orbits emitted by flares at the ISCO of accretion disks around rotating black holes. We show that for sufficiently large spin parameter, i.e. $a > 0.94 M$, following a flare at ISCO, a sufficient number of photons arrive at an observer after multiple orbits around the black hole, to produce an "photon echo" of constant lag, i.e. independent of the relative phase between the black hole and the observer, of $\Delta T \simeq 14 M$. This constant time delay, then, leads to the presence of a QPO in the source power spectrum at a frequency $\nu \simeq 1/14M \simeq 10 (M_[\odot]/M])$ kHz, even for a totally random ensemble of such flares. Observation of such a QPO will provide incontrovertible evidence for the high spin of the black hole and a very accurate, independent, measurement of its mass.

Kazanas, Demosthenes↗