The Radio Scream from black holes at Cosmic Dawn: a semi-analytic model for the impact of radio-loud black holes on the 21 cm global signal
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Aaron Ewall-Wice↗
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The evaporation of black holes in supergravity
In supergravity, charged rotating black holes are generically driven towards becoming extremal and supersymmetric through the emission of Hawking radiation. Eventually, as the black hole approaches the BPS bound and is close to becoming supersymmetric, quantum gravity corrections become critical to describing the emission of Hawking radiation, making the QFT in curved spacetime approximation inaccurate. In this paper, we compute how such quantum gravity corrections affect the spectrum of Hawking radiation for black holes in $\mathcal{N}$ = 2 supergravity in flatspace. We show that due to such corrections, the spectrum of emitted Hawking radiation for both spin-0 and spin-1/2 particles deviates drastically at low temperatures from the naively expected black-body spectrum. Rather remarkably, the spectrum exhibits a discrete emission line from direct transitions from near-BPS to BPS states, providing the first controlled example where the discreteness of the black hole energies is visible in the emitted Hawking radiation. Similar quantum gravity effects drastically modify the absorption cross-section: BPS black holes are transparent to certain frequencies, while near-BPS black holes appear much larger than the semi-classical prediction.
AdS-CFT Correspondence↗
Searching for Black Holes
Our UV/VIS work concentrates on black hole X-ray nova. These objects consist of two stars in close orbit, one of which we believe is a black hole - our goal is to SHOW that one is a black hole. In order to reach this goal we carry out observations in the Optical, UV, IR and X-ray bands, and compare the observations to theoretical models. In the past year, our UV/VIS grant has provided partial support (mainly travel funds and page charges) for work we have done on X-ray nova containing black holes and neutron stars. We have been very successful in obtaining telescope time to support our project - we have completed approximately a dozen separate observing runs averaging 3 days each, using the MMT (5M), Lick 3M, KPNO 2.1M, CTIO 4M, CTIO 1.5M, and the SAO/WO 1.2M telescopes. These observations have allowed the identification of one new black hole (Nova Oph 1977), and allowed the mass of another to be measured (GS2000+25). Perhaps our most exciting new result is the evidence we have gathered for the existence of 'event horizons' in black hole X-ray nova.
Garcia, M.↗
Nucleosynthetic signatures of primordial origin around supermassive black holes
We report that if primordial black holes (PBHs) seeded the supermassive black holes (SMBHs) at the centers of high-redshift quasars, then the gas surrounding these black holes may reveal nucleosynthetic clues to their primordial origins. We present predictions of altered primordial abundances around PBHs massive enough to seed SMBHs at z ≈ 6 – 7.5. We find that if PBHs with initial masses of ~10 5 M ⊙ are responsible for such SMBHs, they may produce primordial deuterium and Helium fractions enhanced by ≥ 10%, and lithium abundance depleted by ≥ 10%, at distances of up to ≈ a comoving kiloparsec away from the black hole after decoupling. We estimate that ~ 10 8 M ⊙ of gas is enhanced (or depleted) by at least one percent. Evidence of these modified primordial deuterium, helium, and lithium abundances could still be present if this circum-PBH gas remains unaccreted by the SMBH and in or near the host galaxies of high-redshift quasars. Measuring the abundance anomalies will be challenging, but could offer a novel way to reveal the primordial origin of such SMBH seeds.
79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
Slow-motion scattering and coalescence of maximally charged black holes
Systems consisting of several maximally charged, nonrotating black holes ('Reissner-Nordstrom' black holes) interacting with one another are studied. An effective action for the system in the slow-motion, fully strong-field regime is presented. An exact calculation of black-hole-black-hole scattering and coalescence in the slow-motion (but strong-field) limit is given.
Ferrell, Robert C.↗
Truncation of the Inner Accretion Disk Around a Black Hole at Low Luminosity
Most black hole binaries show large changes in X-ray luminosity caused primarily by variations in mass accretion rate. An important question for understanding black hole accretion and jet production is whether the inner edge of the accretion disk recedes at low accretion rate. Measurements of the location of the inner edge (R(sub in)) can be made using iron emission lines that arise due to fluorescence of iron in the disk, and these indicate that R(sub in) is very close to the black hole at high and moderate luminosities (greater than approximately equal to 1% of the Eddington luminosity, L(sub Edd). Here, we report on X-ray observation of the black hole GX 339-4 in the hard state by Suzaku and the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) that extend iron line studies to 0.14% L(sub Edd) and show that R(sub in) increases by a factor of greater than 27 over the value found when GX 339-4 was bright. The exact value of R(sub in) depends on the inclination of the inner disk (i), and we derive 90% confidence limits of R(sub in) greater than 35R(sub g) at i = 0 degrees and R(sub in) greater than 175R(sub g) at i = 30 degrees. This provides direct evidence that the inner portion of the disk is not present at low luminosity, allowing for the possibility that the inner disk is replaced by advection- or magnetically-dominated accretion flows.
Tomsick, John A.↗
Truncation of the Inner Accretion Disk Around a Black Hole at Low Luminosity
Most black hole binaries show large changes in X-ray luminosity caused primarily by variations in mass accretion rate. An important question for understanding black hole accretion and jet production is whether the inner edge of the accretion disk recedes at low accretion rate. Measurements of the location of the inner edge (R(sub in)) can be made using iron emission lines that arise due to fluorescence of iron in the disk, and these indicate that R(sub in) is very close to the black hole at high and moderate luminosities (greater than or equal to 1% of the Eddington luminosity, L(sub Edd). Here, we report on X-ray observations of the black hole GX 339-4 in the hard state by Suzaku and the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer that extend iron line studies to 0.14% L(sub Edd) and show that R(sub in) increases by a factor of greater than 27 over the value found when GX 339-4 was bright. The exact value of R(sub in) depends on the inclination of the inner disk (i), and we derive 90% confidence limits of R(sub in) greater than 35 R(sub g) at i = 0 degrees and R(sub in) greater than 175 R(sub g) at i = 30 degrees. This provides direct evidence that the inner portion of the disk is not present at low luminosity, allowing for the possibility that the inner disk is replaced by advection- or magnetically dominated accretion flows.
Tomsick, John A.↗
Uncertainty quantification of the virial black hole mass with conformal prediction
Precise measurements of the black hole mass are essential to gain insight on the black hole and host galaxy co-evolution. A direct measure of the black hole mass is often restricted to nearest galaxies and instead, an indirect method using the single-epoch virial black hole mass estimation is used for objects at high redshifts. However, this method is subjected to biases and uncertainties as it is reliant on the scaling relation from a small sample of local active galactic nuclei. In this study, we propose the application of conformalized quantile regression (CQR) to quantify the uncertainties of the black hole predictions in a machine learning setting. We compare CQR with various prediction interval techniques and demonstrated that CQR can provide a more useful prediction interval indicator. In contrast to baseline approaches for prediction interval estimation, we show that the CQR method provides prediction intervals that adjust to the black hole mass and its related properties. That is it yields a tighter constraint on the prediction interval (hence more certain) for a larger black hole mass, and accordingly, bright and broad spectral line width source. Using a combination of neural network model and CQR framework, the recovered virial black hole mass predictions and uncertainties are comparable to those measured from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. The code is publicly available.
79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
Super-Eddington Mechanical Power of an Accreting Black Hole in M83
Mass accretion onto black holes releases energy in the form of radiation and outflows. Although the radiative flux cannot substantially exceed the Eddington limit, at which the outgoing radiation pressure impedes the inflow of matter, it remains unclear whether the kinetic energy flux is bounded by this same limit. Here, we present the detection of a radio-optical structure, powered by outflows from a non-nuclear black hole. Its accretion disk properties indicate that this black hole is less than 100 solar masses. The optical-infrared line emission implies an average kinetic power of 3 × 10(exp 40) erg second(exp -1), higher than the Eddington luminosity of the black hole. These results demonstrate kinetic power exceeding the Eddington limit over a sustained period, which implies greater ability to influence the evolution of the black hole's environment.
uper-Eddington Mechanical Power↗
Constraining Primordial Black Holes with Dwarf Galaxy Heating
Black holes formed in the early universe, prior to the formation of stars, can exist as dark matter and also contribute to the black hole merger events observed in gravitational waves. We set a new limit on the abundance of primordial black holes (PBHs) by considering interactions of PBHs with the interstellar medium, which result in the heating of gas. We examine generic heating mechanisms, including emission from the accretion disk, dynamical friction, and disk outflows. Using the data from the Leo T dwarf galaxy, we set a new cosmology-independent limit on the abundance of PBHs in the mass range ${ \mathcal O }(1){M}_{\odot }\mbox{-}{10}^{7}{M}_{\odot }$, relevant for the recently detected gravitational-wave signals from intermediate-mass BHs.
79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
Supergravity spectrum of AdS 5 black holes
We embed Kerr-Newman-AdS black holes into N = 8 gauged supergravity and study quadratic fluctuations around the black hole backgrounds of all fields in the larger theory. The equations of motion of the perturbations are partially diagonalized by the group theory of broken symmetry. Nearly all fields in theory have non-minimal couplings, so their equations of motion are not merely massive Klein-Gordon equations with minimal coupling to background gauge fields, and their analogues for fields with spin. In the special case of extremal black holes we identify specific modes of instability, some of which touch supersymmetric locus. For example, we identify scalar fields in supergravity that condense in the near horizon region and transition the black hole into a superconducting phase. We also identify supergravity modes that are susceptible to superradiant instability.
AdS-CFT Correspondence↗
Merging Black Holes
The final merger of two black holes is expected to be the strongest gravitational wave source for ground-based interferometers such as LIGO, VIRGO, and GEO600, as well as the space-based LISA. Observing these sources with gravitational wave detectors requires that we know the radiation waveforms they emit. And, when the black holes merge in the presence of gas and magnetic fields, various types of electromagnetic signals may also be produced. Since these mergers take place in regions of extreme gravity, we need to solve Einstein's equations of general relativity on a computer. For more than 30 years, scientists have tried to compute black hole mergers using the methods of numerical relativity. The resulting computer codes have been plagued by instabilities, causing them to crash well before the black holes in the binary could complete even a single orbit. Within the past few years, however, this situation has changed dramatically, with a series of remarkable breakthroughs. This talk will focus on new simulations that are revealing the dynamics and waveforms of binary black hole mergers, and their applications in gravitational wave detection, testing general relativity, and astrophysics.
Centrella, John↗
Modeling Gravitational Radiation Waveforms from Black Hole Mergers
Gravitational radiation from merging binary black hole systems is anticipated as a key source for gravitational wave observations. Ground-based instruments, such as the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) may observe mergers of stellar-scale black holes, while the space-based Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) observatory will be sensitive to mergers of massive galactic-center black holes over a broad range of mass scales. These cataclysmic events may emit an enormous amount of energy in a brief time. Gravitational waves from comparable mass mergers carry away a few percent of the system's mass-energy in just a few wave cycles, with peak gravitational wave luminosities on the order of 10^23 L_Sun. Optimal analysis and interpretation of merger observation data will depend on developing a detailed understanding, based on general relativistic modeling, of the radiation waveforms. We discuss recent progress in modeling radiation from equal mass mergers using numerical simulations of Einstein's gravitational field equations, known as numerical relativity. Our simulations utilize Adaptive Mesh Refinement (AMR) to allow high-resolution near the black holes while simultaneously keeping the outer boundary of the computational domain far from the black holes, and making it possible to read out gravitational radiation waveforms in the weak-field wave zone. We discuss the results from simulations beginning with the black holes orbiting near the system's innermost stable orbit, comparing the recent simulations with earlier "Lazarus" waveform estimates based on an approximate hybrid numerical/perturbative technique.
Baker, J. G.↗
Relativistic gas accretion onto supermassive black hole binaries from inspiral through merger
Accreting supermassive black hole binaries are powerful multimessenger sources emitting both gravitational and electromagnetic (EM) radiation. Understanding the accretion dynamics of these systems and predicting their distinctive EM signals is crucial to informing and guiding upcoming efforts aimed at detecting gravitational waves produced by these binaries. To this end, accurate numerical modeling is required to describe both the spacetime and the magnetized gas around the black holes. In this paper, we present two key advances in this field of research. First, we have developed a novel 3D general relativistic magnetohydrodynamics (GRMHD) framework that combines multiple numerical codes to simulate the inspiral and merger of supermassive black hole binaries starting from realistic initial data and running all the way through merger. Throughout the evolution, we adopt a simple but functional prescription to account for gas cooling through photon emission. Next, we have applied our new computational method to follow the time evolution of a circular, equal-mass, nonspinning black hole binary for ∼200 orbits, starting from a separation of 20𝑟 𝑔 and reaching the postmerger evolutionary stage of the system. We have shown how mass continues to flow toward the binary even after the binary “decouples” from its surrounding disk, but the accretion rate onto the black holes diminishes. We have identified how the minidisks orbiting each black hole are slowly drained and eventually dissolve as the binary compresses. We confirm previous findings that the system’s luminosity decreases by a factor of a few during inspiral; however, we observe an abrupt increase by ∼50% in this quantity at the time of merger, likely accompanied by an equally abrupt change in spectrum. Lastly, we have demonstrated that during the inspiral, fluid ram pressure regulates the fraction of the magnetic flux transported to the binary that attaches to the black holes’ horizons.
Accretion disk & black-hole plasma↗
The universality of black hole thermodynamics
The thermodynamic properties of black holes — temperature, entropy and radiation rates — are usually associated with the presence of a horizon. We argue that any extremely compact object (ECO) must have the same thermodynamic properties. Here, quantum fields just outside the surface of an ECO have a large negative Casimir energy similar to the Boulware vacuum of black holes. If the thermal radiation emanating from the ECO does not fill the near-surface region at the local Unruh temperature, then we find that no solution of gravity equations is possible. In string theory, black holes microstates are horizonless quantum objects called fuzzballs that are expected to have a surface ~l p outside r = 2GM; thus the information puzzle is resolved while preserving the semiclassical thermodynamics of black holes.
79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
High energy spectrum of spherically accreting black holes
Spherically accreting black holes may sustain strong collisionless shocks, downstream of which the fluid approximation is not valid. The proton-electron Coulomb exchange provides for the downstream matter diffusion into the hole. Energy conversion efficiencies upward of 10-30 percent are obtained, with most of the luminosity in hard X-rays and gamma-rays. The whole spectrum and its application for radio-quiet QSO's and galactic X- and gamma-ray sources are discussed.
Meszaros, P.↗
A New Class of Flares from Accreting Supermassive Black Holes
Accreting supermassive black holes (SMBHs) can exhibit variable emission across the electromagnetic spectrum and over a broad range of timescales. The variability of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in the ultraviolet and optical is usually at the few tens of per cent level over timescales of hours to weeks1. Recently, rare, more dramatic changes to the emission from accreting SMBHs have been observed, including tidal disruption events2,3,4,5, ‘changing look’ AGNs6,7,8,9 and other extreme variability objects10,11. The physics behind the ‘re-ignition’, enhancement and ‘shut-down’ of accretion onto SMBHs is not entirely understood. Here we present a rapid increase in ultraviolet–optical emission in the centre of a nearby galaxy, marking the onset of sudden increased accretion onto a SMBH. The optical spectrum of this flare, dubbed AT 2017bgt, exhibits a mix of emission features. Some are typical of luminous, unobscured AGNs, but others are likely driven by Bowen fluorescence—robustly linked here with high-velocity gas in the vicinity of the accreting SMBH. The spectral features and increased ultraviolet flux show little evolution over a period of at least 14 months. This disfavours the tidal disruption of a star as their origin, and instead suggests a longer-term event of intensified accretion. Together with two other recently reported events with similar properties, we define a new class of SMBH-related flares. This has important implications for the classification of different types of enhanced accretion onto SMBHs.
Benny Trakhtenbrot↗
Pregalactic black holes - A new constraint
Pregalactic black holes accrete matter in the early universe and produce copious amounts of X radiation. By using observations of the background radiation in the X and gamma wavebands, a strong constraint is imposed upon their possible abundance. If pregalactic black holes are actually present, several outstanding problems of cosmogony can be resolved with typical pregalactic black hole masses of 100 solar masses. Significantly more massive holes cannot constitute an appreciable mass fraction of the universe and are limited by a specific mass-density bound.
Barrow, J. D.↗