No Arabic abstract
In large and complicated stellar systems like galaxies it is difficult to predict the number and characteristics of a black hole population. Such populations may be modelled as an aggregation of homogeneous (i.e. having uniform star formation history and the same initial chemical composition) stellar populations. Using realistic evolutionary models we predict the abundances and properties of black holes formed from binaries in these environments. We show that the black hole population will be dominated by single black holes originating from binary disruptions and stellar mergers. Furthermore, we discuss how black hole populations are influenced by such factors as initial parameters, metallicity, initial mass function, and natal kick models. As an example application of our results, we estimate that about 26 microlensing events to happen every year in the direction of the Galactic Bulge due to black holes in a survey like OGLE-IV. Our results may be used to perform in-depth studies related to realistic black hole populations, e.g. observational predictions for space survey missions like Gaia, or Einstein Probe. We prepared a publicly available database with the raw data from our simulations to be used for more in-depth studies.
The LIGO and Virgo detectors have recently directly observed gravitational waves from several mergers of pairs of stellar-mass black holes, as well as from one merging pair of neutron stars. These observations raise the hope that compact object mergers could be used as a probe of stellar and binary evolution, and perhaps of stellar dynamics. This colloquium-style article summarizes the existing observations, describes theoretical predictions for formation channels of merging stellar-mass black-hole binaries along with their rates and observable properties, and presents some of the prospects for gravitational-wave astronomy.
We present an analysis of ionized X-ray disk winds observed in the Fe K band of four stellar-mass black holes observed with Chandra, including 4U 1630-47, GRO J1655-40, H 1743-322, and GRS 1915+105. High-resolution photoionization grids were generated in order to model the data. Third-order gratings spectra were used to resolve complex absorption profiles into atomic effects and multiple velocity components. The Fe XXV line is found to be shaped by contributions from the intercombination line (in absorption), and the Fe XXVI line is detected as a spin-orbit doublet. The data require 2-3 absorption zones, depending on the source. The fastest components have velocities approaching or exceeding 0.01c, increasing mass outflow rates and wind kinetic power by orders of magnitude over prior single-zone models. The first-order spectra require re-emission from the wind, broadened by a degree that is loosely consistent with Keplerian orbital velocities at the photoionization radius. This suggests that disk winds are rotating with the orbital velocity of the underlying disk, and provides a new means of estimating launching radii -- crucial to understanding wind driving mechanisms. Some aspects of the wind velocities and radii correspond well to the broad-line region (BLR) in active galactic nuclei, suggesting a physical connection. We discuss these results in terms of prevalent models for disk wind production and disk accretion itself, and implications for massive black holes in active galactic nuclei.
The direct detections of gravitational waves (GW) from merging binary black holes (BBH) by aLIGO have brought us a new opportunity to utilize BBH for a measurement of the Hubble constant. In this paper, we point out that there exists a small number of BBH that gives significantly small sky localization volume so that a host galaxy is uniquely identified. Then a redshift of a BBH is obtained from a spectroscopic follow-up observation of the host galaxy. Using these redshift-identified BBH, we show that the Hubble constant is measured at a level of precision better than 1% with advanced detectors like aLIGO at design sensitivity. Since a GW observation is completely independent of other astrophysical means, this qualitatively new probe will help resolve a well-known value discrepancy problem on the Hubble constant from cosmological measurements and local measurements.
We study the prospect of using TianQin to detect stellar-mass binary black holes (SBBHs). We estimate the expected detection number as well as the precision of parameter estimation on SBBH inspirals, using five different population models. We note TianQin can possibly detect a few SBBH inspirals with signal to noise ratios greater than 12; lowering the threshold and combining multiple detectors can both boost the detection number. The source parameters can be recovered with good precision for most events above the detection threshold. For example, the precision of the merger time most likely occurs near 1s, making it possible to guide the detection of the ground-based detectors, the precision of the eccentricity $e_0$ most likely occurs near $10^{-4}$, making it possible to distinguish the formation channels, and the precision of the mass parameter is better than $10^{-6}$ in general and most likely occurs near $10^{-7}$. We note, in particular, that for a typical merger event, the error volume is likely to be small enough to contain only the host galaxy, which could greatly help in the study of gravitational wave cosmology and relevant studies through the multimessenger observation.
If a black hole has a low spin value, it must double its mass to reach a high spin parameter. Although this is easily accomplished through mergers or accretion in the case of supermassive black holes in galactic centers, it is impossible for stellar-mass black holes in X-ray binaries. Thus, the spin distribution of stellar-mass black holes is almost pristine, largely reflective of the angular momentum imparted at the time of their creation. This fact can help provide insights on two fundamental questions: What is the nature of the central engine in supernovae and gamma-ray bursts? and What was the spin distribution of the first black holes in the universe?