No Arabic abstract
We present a promising new technique, the g-distribution method, for measuring the inclination angle (i), the innermost stable circular orbit (ISCO), and the spin of a supermassive black hole. The g-distribution method uses measurements of the energy shifts in the relativistic iron line emitted by the accretion disk of a supermassive black hole due to microlensing by stars in a foreground galaxy relative to the g-distribution shifts predicted from microlensing caustic calculations. We apply the method to the gravitationally lensed quasars RX J1131-1231 (z_s=0.658, z_l=0.295), QJ 0158-4325 (z_s=1.294, z_l=0.317), and SDSS 1004+4112 (z_s=1.734, z_l=0.68). For RX J1131-1231 our initial results indicate that r_ISCO<8.5 gravitational radii (r_g) and i > 76 degrees. We detect two shifted Fe lines, in several observations, as predicted in our numerical simulations of caustic crossings. The current DeltaE-distribution of RX J1131-1231 is sparsely sampled but further X-ray monitoring of RX J1131-1231 and other lensed quasars will provide improved constraints on the inclination angles, ISCO radii and spins of the black holes of distant quasars.
The innermost stable cicular orbit (ISCO) of an accretion disc orbiting a neutron star (NS) is often assumed a unique prediction of general relativity. However, it has been argued that ISCO also appears around highly elliptic bodies described by Newtonian theory. In this sense, the behaviour of an ISCO around a rotating oblate neutron star is formed by the interplay between relativistic and Newtonian effects. Here we briefly explore the consequences of this interplay using a straightforward analytic approach as well as numerical models that involve modern NS equations of state. We examine the ratio K between the ISCO radius and the radius of the neutron star. We find that, with growing NS spin, the ratio K first decreases, but then starts to increase. This non-monotonic behaviour of K can give rise to a neutron star spin interval in which ISCO appears for two very different ranges of NS mass. This may strongly affect the distribution of neutron stars that have an ISCO (ISCO-NS). When (all) neutron stars are distributed around a high mass M0, the ISCO-NS spin distribution is roughly the same as the spin distribution corresponding to all neutron stars. In contrast, if M0 is low, the ISCO-NS distribution can only have a peak around a high value of spin. Finally, an intermediate value of M0 can imply an ISCO-NS distribution divided into two distinct groups of slow and fast rotators. Our findings have immediate astrophysical applications. They can be used for example to distinguish between different models of high-frequency quasiperiodic oscillations observed in low-mass NS X-ray binaries.
We investigate the positions of stable circular massive particle orbits in the Majumdar--Papapetrou dihole spacetime with equal mass. In terms of qualitative differences of their sequences, we classify the dihole separation into five ranges and find four critical values as the boundaries. When the separation is relatively large, the sequence on the symmetric plane bifurcates, and furthermore, they extend to each innermost stable circular orbit in the vicinity of each black hole. In a certain separation range, the sequence on the symmetric plane separates into two parts. On the basis of this phenomenon, we discuss the formation of double accretion disks with a common center. Finally, we clarify the dependence of the radii of marginally stable circular orbits and innermost stable circular orbits on the separation parameter. We find a discontinuous transition of the innermost stable circular orbit radius. We also find the separation range at which the radius of the innermost stable circular orbit can be smaller than that of the stable circular photon orbit.
We consider the escape probability of a photon emitted from the innermost stable circular orbit (ISCO) of a rapidly rotating black hole. As an isotropically emitting light source on a circular orbit reduces its orbital radius, the escape probability of a photon emitted from it decreases monotonically. The escape probability evaluated at the ISCO also decreases monotonically as the black hole spin increases. When the dimensionless Kerr parameter $a$ is at the Thorne limit $a=0.998$, the escape probability from the ISCO is $58.8%$. In the extremal case $a=1$, even if the orbital radius of the light source is arbitrarily close to the ISCO radius, which coincides with the horizon radius, the escape probability remains at $54.6%$. We also show that such photons that have escaped from the vicinity of the horizon reach infinity with sufficient energy to be potentially observed because Doppler blueshift due to relativistic beaming can overcome the gravitational redshift. Our findings indicate that signs of the near-horizon physics of a rapidly rotating black hole will be detectable on the edge of its shadow.
We study the innermost stable circular orbit (ISCO) of a spinning test particle moving in the vicinity of an axially symmetric rotating braneworld black hole (BH). We start with the description of the event horizon, static limit surface and ergosphere region of such BH and bring out the effect of tidal charge parameter on ergosphere. It is found that the ISCO of rotating braneworld BH is very sensitive to braneworld BH parameter C (also known as tidal charge parameter) in addition to its rotation parameter. We further discovered that the orbital radius of the spinning test particles changes non monotonously with the braneworld BH tidal charge parameter. It is found that for rotating braneworld BH the allowed range of the particle spin grows as the tidal charge parameter C decreases, in contrast with the Kerr Newman BH. We also found the similar behavior of the particles spin for the braneworld Reissner Nordstrom (C < 0) BH in contrast with its counterpart having (C > 0).
The innermost stable circular orbits (ISCOs) around rapidly rotating neutron stars are studied in dilatonic Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet theory. Universal relations for properly scaled ISCO properties are extended from General Relativity to dilatonic Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet theory and additional relations are obtained.