Person:

McClintock, Jeffrey

We measure the spin of XTE J1550-564 in two ways: by modelling the thermal continuum spectrum of the accretion disc, and independently by modeling the broad red wing of the reflection fluorescence Fe-K line. We find that the spin measurements conducted independently using both leading methods are in agreement with one another. For the continuum-fitting analysis, we use a data sample consisting of several dozen RXTE spectra, and for the Fe-K analysis, we use a pair of ASCA spectra from a single epoch. Our spin estimate for the black hole primary using the continuum-fitting method is -0.11 < a* < 0.71 (90 per cent confidence), with a most likely spin of a* = 0.34. In obtaining this result, we have thoroughly explored the dependence of the spin value on a wide range of model-dependent systematic errors and observational errors; our precision is limited by uncertainties in the distance and orbital inclination of the system. For the Fe-line method, our estimate of spin is a* = 0.55(+0.15,-0.22). Combining these results, we conclude that the spin of this black hole is moderate, a* = 0.49(+0.13,-0.20), which suggests that the jet of this microquasar is powered largely by its accretion disc rather than by the spin energy of the black hole.

We use the Novikov-Thorne thin disk model to fit the thermal continuum X-ray spectra of black hole X-ray binaries, and thereby extract the dimensionless spin parameter a∗=a/M of the black hole as a parameter of the fit. We summarize the results obtained to date for six systems and describe work in progress on additional systems. We also describe recent methodological advances, our current efforts to make our analysis software fully available to others, and our theoretical efforts to validate the Novikov-Thorne model.

he black hole binary system LMC X-3 has been observed by virtually every X-ray mission since the inception of X-ray astronomy. Among the persistent sources, LMC X-3 is uniquely both habitually soft and highly variable. Using a fully relativistic accretion disk model, we analyze hundreds of spectra collected during eight X-ray missions that span 26 years. For a selected sample of 391 RXTE spectra, we find that to within ≈2% the inner radius of the accretion disk is constant over time and unaffected by source variability. Even considering an ensemble of eight X-ray missions, we find consistent values of the radius to within ≈4%–6%. Our results provide strong evidence for the existence of a fixed inner-disk radius. The only reasonable inference is that this radius is closely associated with the general relativistic innermost stable circular orbit. Our findings establish a firm foundation for the measurement of black hole spin.