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DOE OSTI2011

THE MASS OF THE BLACK HOLE IN CYGNUS X-1

Cygnus X-1 is a binary star system that is comprised of a black hole and a massive giant companion star in a tight orbit. Building on our accurate distance measurement reported in the preceding paper, we first determine the radius of the companion star, thereby constraining the scale of the binary system. To obtain a full dynamical model of the binary, we use an extensive collection of optical photometric and spectroscopic data taken from the literature. By using all of the available observational constraints, we show that the orbit is slightly eccentric (both the radial velocity and photometric data independently confirm this result) and that the companion star rotates roughly 1.4 times its pseudosynchronous value. We find a black hole mass of M = 14.8 {+-} 1.0 M{sub Sun }, a companion mass of M{sub opt} = 19.2 {+-} 1.9 M{sub Sun }, and the angle of inclination of the orbital plane to our line of sight of i = 27.1 {+-} 0.8 deg.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

SWIFT J1644+57: A WHITE DWARF TIDALLY DISRUPTED BY A 10{sup 4} M{sub Sun} BLACK HOLE?

We propose that the remarkable object Swift J1644+57, in which multiple recurring hard X-ray flares were seen over a span of several days, is a system in which a white dwarf was tidally disrupted by an intermediate-mass black hole. Disruption of a white dwarf rather than a main-sequence star offers a number of advantages in understanding the multiple, and short, timescales seen in the light curve of this system. In particular, the short internal dynamical timescale of a white dwarf offers a more natural way of understanding the short rise times ({approx}100 s) observed. The relatively long intervals between flares ({approx}5 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 4} s) may also be readily understood as the period between successive pericenter passages of the remnant white dwarf. In addition, the expected jet power is larger when a white dwarf is disrupted. If this model is correct, the black hole responsible must have a mass {approx}< 10{sup 5} M{sub Sun }.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

BLINDLY DETECTING ORBITAL MODULATIONS OF JETS FROM MERGING SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLES

In the last few years before merger, supermassive black hole (SMBH) binaries will rapidly inspiral and precess in a magnetic field imposed by a surrounding circumbinary disk. Multiple simulations suggest that this relative motion will convert some of the local energy to a Poynting-dominated outflow, with a luminosity {approx}10{sup 43} erg s{sup -1} (B/10{sup 4} G){sup 2}(M/10{sup 8} M{sub Sun }){sup 2}(v/0.4c){sup 2}, some of which may emerge as synchrotron emission at frequencies near 1 GHz where current and planned wide-field radio surveys will operate. On top of a secular increase in power (and v) on the gravitational wave inspiral timescale, orbital motion will produce significant, detectable modulations, both on orbital periods and (if black hole spins are not aligned with the binary's total angular momenta) spin-orbit precession timescales. Because the gravitational wave merger time increases rapidly with separation, we find that vast numbers of these transients are ubiquitously predicted, unless explicitly ruled out (by low efficiency {epsilon}) or obscured (by accretion geometry f{sub geo}). If the fraction of Poynting flux converted to radio emission times the fraction of lines of sight accessible f{sub geo} is sufficiently large (f{sub geo}{epsilon} > 2 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -4} for a 1 year orbital period), at least one event is accessible to future blind surveys at a nominal 10{sup 4} deg{sup 2} with 0.5 mJy sensitivity. Our procedure generalizes to other flux-limited surveys designed to investigate electromagnetic (EM) signatures associated with many modulations produced by merging SMBH binaries.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

LONG-TERM EVOLUTION OF MASSIVE BLACK HOLE BINARIES. IV. MERGERS OF GALAXIES WITH COLLISIONALLY RELAXED NUCLEI

We simulate mergers between galaxies containing collisionally relaxed nuclei around massive black holes (MBHs). Our galaxies contain four mass groups, representative of old stellar populations; a primary goal is to understand the distribution of stellar-mass black holes (BHs) after the merger. Mergers are followed using direct-summation N-body simulations, assuming a mass ratio of 1:3 and two different orbits. Evolution of the binary MBH is followed until its separation has shrunk by a factor of 20 below the hard-binary separation. During the galaxy merger, large cores are carved out in the stellar distribution, with radii several times the influence radius of the massive binary. Much of the pre-existing mass segregation is erased during this phase. We follow the evolution of the merged galaxies for approximately three central relaxation times after coalescence of the massive binary; both standard and top-heavy mass functions are considered. The cores that were formed in the stellar distribution persist, and the distribution of the stellar-mass BHs evolves against this essentially fixed background. Even after one central relaxation time, these models look very different from the relaxed, multi-mass models that are often assumed to describe the distribution of stars and stellar remnants near a massive BH. While the stellar BHs do form a cusp on roughly a relaxation timescale, the BH density can be much smaller than in those models. We discuss the implications of our results for the extreme-mass-ratio inspiral problem and for the existence of Bahcall-Wolf cusps.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

RECOILING SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLES IN SPIN-FLIP RADIO GALAXIES

Numerical relativity simulations predict that coalescence of supermassive black hole (SMBH) binaries leads not only to a spin flip but also to a recoiling of the merger remnant SMBHs. In the literature, X-shaped radio sources are popularly suggested to be candidates for SMBH mergers with spin flip of jet-ejecting SMBHs. Here we investigate the spectral and spatial observational signatures of the recoiling SMBHs in radio sources undergoing black hole spin flip. Our results show that SMBHs in most spin-flip radio sources have mass ratio q {approx}> 0.3 with a minimum possible value q{sub min} {approx_equal} 0.05. For major mergers, the remnant SMBHs can get a kick velocity as high as 2100 km s{sup -1} in the direction within an angle {approx}< 40 Degree-Sign relative to the spin axes of remnant SMBHs, implying that recoiling quasars are biased to be with high Doppler-shifted broad emission lines while recoiling radio galaxies are biased to large apparent spatial off-center displacements. We also calculate the distribution functions of line-of-sight velocity and apparent spatial off-center displacements for spin-flip radio sources with different apparent jet reorientation angles. Our results show that the larger the apparent jet reorientation angle is, the larger the Doppler-shifting recoiling velocity and apparent spatial off-center displacement will be. We investigate the effects of recoiling velocity on the dust torus in spin-flip radio sources and suggest that recoiling of SMBHs would lead to 'dust-poor' active galactic nuclei. Finally, we collect a sample of 19 X-shaped radio objects and for each object give the probability of detecting the predicted signatures of recoiling SMBH.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

ACCRETION ONTO BLACK HOLES FROM LARGE SCALES REGULATED BY RADIATIVE FEEDBACK. II. GROWTH RATE AND DUTY CYCLE

This paper, the second in a series on radiation-regulated accretion onto black holes (BHs) from galactic scales, focuses on the effects of radiation pressure and angular momentum of the accreting gas. We simulate accretion onto intermediate-mass black holes, but we derive general scaling relationships that are solutions of the Bondi problem with radiation feedback valid for any mass of the BH M{sub bh}. Thermal pressure of the ionized sphere around the BH regulates the accretion rate, producing periodic and short-lived luminosity bursts. We find that for ambient gas densities exceeding n{sup cr}{sub H,{infinity}}{proportional_to}M{sup -1}{sub bh}, the period of the oscillations decreases rapidly and the duty cycle increases from 6%, in agreement with observations of the fraction of active galactic nuclei at z {approx} 3, to 50%. The mean accretion rate becomes Eddington limited for n{sub H,{infinity}} > n{sup Edd}{sub H,{infinity}} {approx_equal} n{sup cr}{sub H,{infinity}} T{sub {infinity},4}{sup -1} where T{sub {infinity},4} is the gas temperature in units of 10{sup 4} K. In the sub-Eddington regime, the mean accretion rate onto BHs is about 1%T{sup 2.5}{sub {infinity},4} of the Bondi rate, and thus is proportional to the thermal pressure of the ambient medium. The period of the oscillations coincides with the depletion timescale of the gas inside the ionized bubble surrounding the BH. Gas depletion is dominated by a pressure gradient pushing the gas outward if n{sub H,{infinity}} < n{sup cr}{sub H,{infinity}} and by accretion onto the BH otherwise. Generally, for n{sub H,{infinity}} < n{sup cr}{sub H,{infinity}} angular momentum does not significantly affect the accretion rate and period of the oscillations.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

RADIO MONITORING OF THE TIDAL DISRUPTION EVENT SWIFT J164449.3+573451. I. JET ENERGETICS AND THE PRISTINE PARSEC-SCALE ENVIRONMENT OF A SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLE

We present continued radio observations of the tidal disruption event Swift J164449.3+573451 extending to {delta}t Almost-Equal-To 216 days after discovery. The data were obtained with the EVLA, AMI Large Array, CARMA, the SMA, and the VLBA+Effelsberg as part of a long-term program to monitor the expansion and energy scale of the relativistic outflow, and to trace the parsec-scale environment around a previously dormant supermassive black hole (SMBH). The new observations reveal a significant change in the radio evolution starting at {delta}t Almost-Equal-To 1 month, with a brightening at all frequencies that requires an increase in the energy by about an order of magnitude, and an overall density profile around the SMBH of {rho}{proportional_to}r{sup -3/2} (0.1-1.2 pc) with a significant flattening at r Almost-Equal-To 0.4-0.6 pc. The increase in energy cannot be explained with continuous injection from an L{proportional_to}t{sup -5/3} tail, which is observed in the X-rays. Instead, we conclude that the relativistic jet was launched with a wide range of Lorentz factors, obeying E(> {Gamma}{sub j}){proportional_to}{Gamma}{sup -2.5}{sub j}. The similar ratios of duration to dynamical timescale for Sw 1644+57 and gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) suggest that this result may be applicable to GRB jets as well. The radial density profile may be indicative of Bondi accretion, with the inferred flattening at r {approx} 0.5 pc in good agreement with the Bondi radius for a {approx}few Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 6} M{sub Sun} black hole. The density at {approx}0.5 pc is about a factor of 30 times lower than inferred for the Milky Way Galactic Center, potentially due to a smaller number of mass-shedding massive stars. From our latest observations ({delta}t Almost-Equal-To 216 days) we find that the jet energy is E{sub j,iso} Almost-Equal-To 5 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 53} erg (E{sub j} Almost-Equal-To 2.4 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 51} erg for {theta}{sub j} = 0.1), the radius is r Almost-Equal-To 1.2 pc, the Lorentz factor is {Gamma}{sub j} Almost-Equal-To 2.2, the ambient density is n Almost-Equal-To 0.2 cm{sup -3}, and the projected angular size is r{sub proj} Almost-Equal-To 25 {mu}as, below the resolution of the VLBA+Effelsberg. Assuming no future changes in the observed evolution and a final integrated total energy of E{sub j} Almost-Equal-To 10{sup 52} erg, we predict that the radio emission from Sw 1644+57 should be detectable with the EVLA for several decades and will be resolvable with very long baseline interferometry in a few years.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

BLACK HOLE POWERED NEBULAE AND A CASE STUDY OF THE ULTRALUMINOUS X-RAY SOURCE IC 342 X-1

We present new radio, optical, and X-ray observations of three ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) that are associated with large-scale nebulae. We report the discovery of a radio nebula associated with the ULX IC 342 X-1 using the Very Large Array (VLA). Complementary VLA observations of the nebula around Holmberg II X-1, and high-frequency Australia Telescope Compact Array and Very Large Telescope spectroscopic observations of NGC 5408 X-1 are also presented. We study the morphology, ionization processes, and the energetics of the optical/radio nebulae of IC 342 X-1, Holmberg II X-1, and NGC 5408 X-1. The energetics of the optical nebula of IC 342 X-1 is discussed in the framework of standard bubble theory. The total energy content of the optical nebula is 6 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 52} erg. The minimum energy needed to supply the associated radio nebula is 9.2 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 50} erg. In addition, we detected an unresolved radio source at the location of IC 342 X-1 at the VLA scales. However, our Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) observations using the European VLBI Network likely rule out the presence of any compact radio source at milliarcsecond (mas) scales. Using a simultaneous Swift X-ray Telescope measurement, we estimate an upper limit on the mass of the black hole in IC 342 X-1 using the 'fundamental plane' of accreting black holes and obtain M{sub BH} {<=} (1.0 {+-} 0.3) Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 3} M{sub Sun }. Arguing that the nebula of IC 342 X-1 is possibly inflated by a jet, we estimate accretion rates and efficiencies for the jet of IC 342 X-1 and compare with sources like S26, SS433, and IC 10 X-1.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

EXTREME CORONAL LINE EMITTERS: TIDAL DISRUPTION OF STARS BY MASSIVE BLACK HOLES IN GALACTIC NUCLEI?

Tidal disruption of stars by supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies is expected to produce unique emission-line signatures, which have not yet been explored adequately. Here we report the discovery of extremely strong coronal lines from [Fe X] up to [Fe XIV] in a sample of seven galaxies (including two recently reported cases), which we interpret as such signatures. This is the first systematic search for objects of this kind, by making use of the immense database of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. The galaxies, which are non-active as evidenced by the narrow line ratios, show broad emission lines of complex profiles in more than half of the sample. Both the high-ionization coronal lines and the broad lines are fading on timescales of years in objects observed with spectroscopic follow-ups, suggesting their transient nature. Variations of inferred non-stellar continua, which have absolute magnitudes of at least -16 to -18 mag in the g band, are also detected in more than half of the sample. The coronal line emitters reside in sub-L{sub *} disk galaxies (-21.3 < M{sub i} < -18.5) with small stellar velocity dispersions. The sample seems to form two distinct types based on the presence or absence of the [Fe VII] lines, with the latter having relatively low luminosities of [O III], [Fe XI], and the host galaxies. These characteristics can most naturally be understood in the context of transient accretion onto intermediate-mass black holes at galactic centers following tidal disruption of stars in a gas-rich environment. We estimate the incidence of such events to be around 10{sup -5} yr{sup -1} for a galaxy with -21.3 < M{sub i} < -18.5.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

TIDAL DISRUPTIONS OF WHITE DWARFS FROM ULTRA-CLOSE ENCOUNTERS WITH INTERMEDIATE-MASS SPINNING BLACK HOLES

We present numerical relativity results of tidal disruptions of white dwarfs from ultra-close encounters with a spinning, intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH). These encounters require a full general relativistic treatment of gravity. We show that the disruption process and prompt accretion of the debris strongly depend on the magnitude and orientation of the black hole (BH) spin. However, the late-time accretion onto the BH follows the same decay, M-dot {proportional_to} t{sup -5/3}, estimated from Newtonian gravity disruption studies. We compute the spectrum of the disk formed from the fallback material using a slim disk model. The disk spectrum peaks in the soft X-rays and sustains Eddington luminosity for 1-3 yr after the disruption. For arbitrary BH spin orientations, the disrupted material is scattered away from the orbital plane by relativistic frame dragging, which often leads to obscuration of the inner fallback disk by the outflowing debris. The disruption events also yield bursts of gravitational radiation with characteristic frequencies of {approx}3.2 Hz and strain amplitudes of {approx}10{sup -18} for galactic IMBHs. The optimistic rate of considered ultra-close disruptions is consistent with no sources found in the ROSAT all-sky survey. Future missions like Wide-Field X-ray Telescope could observe dozens of events.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

SUZAKU OBSERVATION OF THE BLACK HOLE CANDIDATE MAXI J1836-194 IN A HARD/INTERMEDIATE SPECTRAL STATE

We report on a Suzaku observation of the newly discovered X-ray binary MAXI J1836-194. The source is found to be in the hard/intermediate spectral state and displays a clear and strong relativistically broadened iron emission line. We fit the spectra with a variety of phenomenological, as well as physically motivated disk reflection models, and find that the breadth and strength of the iron line are always characteristic of emission within a few gravitational radii around a black hole. This result is independent of the continuum used and strongly points toward the central object in MAXI J1836-194 being a stellar mass black hole rotating with a spin of a = 0.88 {+-} 0.03 (90% confidence). We discuss this result in the context of spectral state definitions, physical changes (or lack thereof) in the accretion disk, and on the potential importance of the accretion disk corona in state transitions.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

FORMATION OF MASSIVE BLACK HOLES IN DENSE STAR CLUSTERS. II. INITIAL MASS FUNCTION AND PRIMORDIAL MASS SEGREGATION

A promising mechanism to form intermediate-mass black holes is the runaway merger in dense star clusters, where main-sequence stars collide and form a very massive star (VMS), which then collapses to a black hole (BH). In this paper, we study the effects of primordial mass segregation and the importance of the stellar initial mass function (IMF) on the runaway growth of VMSs using a dynamical Monte Carlo code for N-body systems with N as high as 10{sup 6} stars. Our code now includes an explicit treatment of all stellar collisions. We place special emphasis on the possibility of top-heavy IMFs, as observed in some very young massive clusters. We find that both primordial mass segregation and the shape of the IMF affect the rate of core collapse of star clusters and thus the time of the runaway. When we include primordial mass segregation, we generally see a decrease in core-collapse time (t{sub cc}). Although for smaller degrees of primordial mass segregation this decrease in t{sub cc} is mostly due to the change in the density profile of the cluster, for highly mass-segregated (primordial) clusters, it is the increase in the average mass in the core which reduces the central relaxation time decreasing t{sub cc}. The final mass of the VMS formed is always close to {approx}10{sup -3} of the total cluster mass, in agreement with previous studies and is reminiscent of the observed correlation between the central BH mass and the bulge mass of the galaxies. As the degree of primordial mass segregation is increased, the mass of the VMS increases at most by a factor of three. Flatter IMFs generally increase the average mass in the whole cluster, which increases t{sub cc}. For the range of IMFs investigated in this paper, this increase in t{sub cc} is to some degree balanced by stellar collisions, which accelerate core collapse. Thus, there is no significant change in t{sub cc} for the somewhat flatter global IMFs observed in very young massive clusters.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

TESTS OF GENERAL RELATIVITY IN THE STRONG-GRAVITY REGIME BASED ON X-RAY SPECTROPOLARIMETRIC OBSERVATIONS OF BLACK HOLES IN X-RAY BINARIES

Although general relativity (GR) has been tested extensively in the weak-gravity regime, similar tests in the strong-gravity regime are still missing. In this paper, we explore the possibility to use X-ray spectropolarimetric observations of black holes in X-ray binaries to distinguish between the Kerr metric and the phenomenological metrics introduced by Johannsen and Psaltis (which are not vacuum solutions of Einstein's equation) and thus to test the no-hair theorem of GR. To this end, we have developed a numerical code that calculates the radial brightness profiles of accretion disks and parallel transports the wave vector and polarization vector of photons through the Kerr and non-GR spacetimes. We used the code to predict the observational appearance of GR and non-GR accreting black hole systems. We find that the predicted energy spectra and energy-dependent polarization degree and polarization direction do depend strongly on the underlying spacetime. However, for large regions of the parameter space, the GR and non-GR metrics lead to very similar observational signatures, making it difficult to observationally distinguish between the two types of models.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

CIRCUMBINARY MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMIC ACCRETION INTO INSPIRALING BINARY BLACK HOLES

We have simulated the magnetohydrodynamic evolution of a circumbinary disk surrounding an equal-mass binary comprising two non-spinning black holes during the period in which the disk inflow time is comparable to the binary evolution time due to gravitational radiation. Both the changing spacetime and the binary orbital evolution are described by an innovative technique utilizing high-order post-Newtonian approximations. Prior to the beginning of the inspiral, the structure of the circumbinary disk is predicted well by extrapolation from Newtonian results: a gap of roughly two binary separation radii is cleared, and matter piles up at the outer edge of this gap as inflow is retarded by torques exerted by the binary; the accretion rate is roughly half its value at large radius. During inspiral, the inner edge of the disk initially moves inward in coordination with the shrinking binary, but-as the orbital evolution accelerates-the inward motion of the disk edge falls behind the rate of binary compression. In this stage, the binary torque falls substantially, but the accretion rate decreases by only 10%-20%. When the binary separation is tens of gravitational radii, the rest-mass efficiency of disk radiation is a few percent, suggesting that supermassive binary black holes could be very luminous at this stage of their evolution. Inner disk heating is modulated at a beat frequency comparable to the binary orbital frequency. However, a disk with sufficient surface density to be luminous may be optically thick, suppressing periodic modulation of the luminosity.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

SECULAR EVOLUTION OF COMPACT BINARIES NEAR MASSIVE BLACK HOLES: GRAVITATIONAL WAVE SOURCES AND OTHER EXOTICA

The environment near supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in galactic nuclei contains a large number of stars and compact objects. A fraction of these are likely to be members of binaries. Here we discuss the binary population of stellar black holes and neutron stars near SMBHs and focus on the secular evolution of such binaries, due to the perturbation by the SMBH. Binaries with highly inclined orbits with respect to their orbit around the SMBH are strongly affected by secular Kozai processes, which periodically change their eccentricities and inclinations (Kozai cycles). During periapsis approach, at the highest eccentricities during the Kozai cycles, gravitational wave (GW) emission becomes highly efficient. Some binaries in this environment can inspiral and coalesce at timescales much shorter than a Hubble time and much shorter than similar binaries that do not reside near an SMBH. The close environment of SMBHs could therefore serve as a catalyst for the inspiral and coalescence of binaries and strongly affect their orbital properties. Such compact binaries would be detectable as GW sources by the next generation of GW detectors (e.g., advanced-LIGO). Our analysis shows that {approx}0.5% of such nuclear merging binaries will enter the LIGO observational window while on orbits that are still very eccentric (e {approx}> 0.5). The efficient GW analysis for such systems would therefore require the use of eccentric templates. We also find that binaries very close to the SMBH could evolve through a complex dynamical (non-secular) evolution, leading to emission of several GW pulses during only a few years (though these are likely to be rare). Finally, we note that the formation of close stellar binaries, X-ray binaries, and their merger products could be induced by similar secular processes, combined with tidal friction rather than GW emission as in the case of compact object binaries.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN: IS THERE A 'RUNAWAY-MASS' BLACK HOLE IN THE ORION NEBULA CLUSTER?

We investigate the dynamical evolution of the Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC) by means of direct N-body integrations. A large fraction of residual gas was probably expelled when the ONC formed, so we assume that the ONC was much more compact when it formed compared with its current size, in agreement with the embedded cluster radius-mass relation from Marks and Kroupa. Hence, we assume that few-body relaxation played an important role during the initial phase of evolution of the ONC. In particular, three-body interactions among OB stars likely led to their ejection from the cluster and, at the same time, to the formation of a massive object via 'runaway' physical stellar collisions. The resulting depletion of the high-mass end of the stellar mass function in the cluster is one of the important points where our models fit the observational data. We speculate that the runaway-mass star may have collapsed directly into a massive black hole (M{sub .} {approx}> 100 M{sub Sun }). Such a dark object could explain the large velocity dispersion of the four Trapezium stars observed in the ONC core. We further show that the putative massive black hole is likely to be a member of a binary system with Almost-Equal-To 70% probability. In such a case, it could be detected either due to short periods of enhanced accretion of stellar winds from the secondary star during pericentre passages, or through a measurement of the motion of the secondary whose velocity would exceed 10 km s{sup -1} along the whole orbit.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

12 YEARS OF X-RAY VARIABILITY IN M31 GLOBULAR CLUSTERS, INCLUDING 8 BLACK HOLE CANDIDATES, AS SEEN BY CHANDRA

We examined 134 Chandra observations of the population of X-ray sources associated with globular clusters (GCs) in the central region of M31. These are expected to be X-ray binary systems (XBs), consisting of a neutron star or black hole accreting material from a close companion. We created long-term light curves for these sources, correcting for background, interstellar absorption, and instrumental effects. We tested for variability by examining the goodness of fit for the best-fit constant intensity. We also created structure functions (SFs) for every object in our sample, the first time this technique has been applied to XBs. We found significant variability in 28 out of 34 GCs and GC candidates; the other 6 sources had 0.3-10 keV luminosities fainter than {approx}2 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 36} erg s{sup -1}, limiting our ability to detect similar variability. The SFs of XBs with 0.3-10 keV luminosities {approx}2-50 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 36} erg s{sup -1} generally showed considerably more variability than the published ensemble SF of active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Our brightest XBs were mostly consistent with the AGN SF; however, their 2-10 keV fluxes could be matched by <1 AGN per square degree. These encouraging results suggest that examining the long-term light curves of other X-ray sources in the field may provide an important distinction between X-ray binaries and background galaxies, as the X-ray emission spectra from these two classes of X-ray sources are similar. Additionally, we identify 3 new black hole candidates (BHCs) using additional XMM-Newton data, bringing the total number of M31 GC BHCs to 9, with 8 covered in this survey.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

BROAD-LINE REGION PHYSICAL CONDITIONS IN EXTREME POPULATION A QUASARS: A METHOD TO ESTIMATE CENTRAL BLACK HOLE MASS AT HIGH REDSHIFT

We describe a method for estimating physical conditions in the broad-line region (BLR) for a significant subsample of Seyfert 1 nuclei and quasars. Several diagnostic ratios based on intermediate (Al III {lambda}1860, Si III] {lambda}1892) and high (C IV {lambda}1549, Si IV {lambda}1397) ionization lines in the UV spectra of quasars are used to constrain density, ionization, and metallicity of the emitting gas. We apply the method to two extreme Population A quasars-the prototypical NLSy1 I Zw 1 and higher z source SDSS J120144.36+011611.6. Under assumptions of spherical symmetry and pure photoionization we infer BLR physical conditions: low ionization (ionization parameter <10{sup -2}), high density (10{sup 12}-10{sup 13} cm{sup -3}), and significant metal enrichment. Ionization parameter and density can be derived independently for each source with an uncertainty that is less than {+-}0.3 dex. We use the product of density and ionization parameter to estimate the BLR radius and derive an estimation of the virial black hole mass (M{sub BH}). Estimates of M{sub BH} based on the 'photoionization' analysis described in this paper are probably more accurate than those derived from the mass-luminosity correlations widely employed to compute black hole masses for high-redshift quasars.

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