A Comparison of Intermediate-Mass Black Hole Candidate Ultraluminous X-Ray Sources and Stellar-Mass Black Holes

2004 ◽  
Vol 614 (2) ◽  
pp. L117-L120 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. Miller ◽  
A. C. Fabian ◽  
M. C. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Black Holes ◽  
Black Hole ◽  
Stellar Mass ◽  
Intermediate Mass ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Black Hole Candidate

scholarly journals ULX contribution to stellar feedback: an intermediate-mass black hole candidate and the population of ULXs in the low-metallicity starburst galaxy ESO 338-4

2019 ◽  
Vol 627 ◽  
pp. A63 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. M. Oskinova ◽  
A. Bik ◽  
J. M. Mas-Hesse ◽  
M. Hayes ◽  
A. Adamo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Black Holes ◽  
Black Hole ◽  
Neutron Stars ◽  
Formation Rate ◽  
Compact Objects ◽  
Starburst Galaxy ◽  
Intermediate Mass ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Black Hole Candidate ◽  
Stellar Feedback

Context. X-ray radiation from accreting compact objects is an important part of stellar feedback. The metal-poor galaxy ESO 338-4 has experienced vigorous starburst during the last <40 Myr and contains some of the most massive super star clusters in the nearby Universe. Given its starburst age and its star-formation rate, ESO 338-4 is one of the most efficient nearby manufactures of neutron stars and black holes, hence providing an excellent laboratory for feedback studies. Aims. We aim to use X-ray observations with the largest modern X-ray telescopes XMM-Newton and Chandra to unveil the most luminous accreting neutron stars and black holes in ESO 338-4. Methods. We compared X-ray images and spectra with integral field spectroscopic observations in the optical to constrain the nature of strong X-ray emitters. Results. X-ray observations uncover three ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) in ESO 338-4. The brightest among them, ESO 338 X-1, has X-ray luminosity in excess of 1040 erg s−1. We speculate that ESO 338-4 X-1 is powered by accretion on an intermediate-mass (≳300 M⊙) black hole. We show that X-ray radiation from ULXs and hot superbubbles strongly contributes to He II ionization and general stellar feedback in this template starburst galaxy.

scholarly journals Probing black hole accretion tracks, scaling relations, and radiative efficiencies from stacked X-ray active galactic nuclei

2019 ◽  
Vol 493 (1) ◽  
pp. 1500-1511 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Shankar ◽  
David H Weinberg ◽  
Christopher Marsden ◽  
Philip J Grylls ◽  
Mariangela Bernardi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Black Holes ◽  
Black Hole ◽  
Selection Bias ◽  
Stellar Mass ◽  
Supermassive Black Holes ◽  
Independent Evidence ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Black Hole Accretion ◽  
Black Hole Masses ◽  
Hole Accretion

ABSTRACT The masses of supermassive black holes at the centres of local galaxies appear to be tightly correlated with the mass and velocity dispersions of their galactic hosts. However, the local Mbh–Mstar relation inferred from dynamically measured inactive black holes is up to an order-of-magnitude higher than some estimates from active black holes, and recent work suggests that this discrepancy arises from selection bias on the sample of dynamical black hole mass measurements. In this work, we combine X-ray measurements of the mean black hole accretion luminosity as a function of stellar mass and redshift with empirical models of galaxy stellar mass growth, integrating over time to predict the evolving Mbh–Mstar relation. The implied relation is nearly independent of redshift, indicating that stellar and black hole masses grow, on average, at similar rates. Matching the de-biased local Mbh–Mstar relation requires a mean radiative efficiency ε ≳ 0.15, in line with theoretical expectations for accretion on to spinning black holes. However, matching the ‘raw’ observed relation for inactive black holes requires ε ∼ 0.02, far below theoretical expectations. This result provides independent evidence for selection bias in dynamically estimated black hole masses, a conclusion that is robust to uncertainties in bolometric corrections, obscured active black hole fractions, and kinetic accretion efficiency. For our fiducial assumptions, they favour moderate-to-rapid spins of typical supermassive black holes, to achieve ε ∼ 0.12–0.20. Our approach has similarities to the classic Soltan analysis, but by using galaxy-based data instead of integrated quantities we are able to focus on regimes where observational uncertainties are minimized.

scholarly journals No evidence for intermediate-mass black holes in the globular clusters ω Cen and NGC 6624

2019 ◽  
Vol 488 (4) ◽  
pp. 5340-5351 ◽  
Author(s):  
H Baumgardt ◽  
C He ◽  
S M Sweet ◽  
M Drinkwater ◽  
A Sollima ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Black Holes ◽  
Black Hole ◽  
Globular Clusters ◽  
Surface Brightness ◽  
Velocity Dispersion ◽  
Stellar Mass ◽  
Main Sequence Stars ◽  
Intermediate Mass ◽  
Measured Velocity ◽  
Large Grid

ABSTRACT We compare the results of a large grid of N-body simulations with the surface brightness and velocity dispersion profiles of the globular clusters ω Cen and NGC 6624. Our models include clusters with varying stellar-mass black hole retention fractions and varying masses of a central intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH). We find that an $\sim 45\, 000$ M⊙ IMBH, whose presence has been suggested based on the measured velocity dispersion profile of ω Cen, predicts the existence of about 20 fast-moving, m &gt; 0.5 M⊙, main-sequence stars with a (1D) velocity v &gt; 60 km s−1 in the central 20 arcsec of ω Cen. However, no such star is present in the HST/ACS proper motion catalogue of Bellini et al. (2017), strongly ruling out the presence of a massive IMBH in the core of ω Cen. Instead, we find that all available data can be fitted by a model that contains 4.6 per cent of the mass of ω Cen in a centrally concentrated cluster of stellar-mass black holes. We show that this mass fraction in stellar-mass BHs is compatible with the predictions of stellar evolution models of massive stars. We also compare our grid of N-body simulations with NGC 6624, a cluster recently claimed to harbour a 20 000 M⊙ black hole based on timing observations of millisecond pulsars. However, we find that models with MIMBH &gt; 1000 M⊙ IMBHs are incompatible with the observed velocity dispersion and surface brightness profile of NGC 6624, ruling out the presence of a massive IMBH in this cluster. Models without an IMBH provide again an excellent fit to NGC 6624.

scholarly journals Observational evidence for stellar-mass black holes

2006 ◽  
Vol 2 (S238) ◽  
pp. 3-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge Casares
Keyword(s):  
Black Holes ◽  
Black Hole ◽  
Mass Spectrum ◽  
Radial Velocity ◽  
Stellar Mass ◽  
Observational Evidence ◽  
X Ray ◽  
History Of ◽  
X Ray Binaries ◽  
Dynamical Masses

AbstractRadial velocity studies of X-ray binaries provide the most solid evidence for the existence of stellar-mass black holes. We currently have 20 confirmed cases, with dynamical masses in excess of 3 M⊙. Accurate masses have been obtained for a subset of systems which gives us a hint at the mass spectrum of the black hole population. This review summarizes the history of black hole discoveries and presents the latest results in the field.

scholarly journals A BROADBAND X-RAY SPECTRAL STUDY OF THE INTERMEDIATE-MASS BLACK HOLE CANDIDATE M82 X-1 WITHNuSTAR,CHANDRA, ANDSWIFT

2016 ◽  
Vol 829 (1) ◽  
pp. 28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Murray Brightman ◽  
Fiona A. Harrison ◽  
Didier Barret ◽  
Shane W. Davis ◽  
Felix Fürst ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Black Hole ◽  
Spectral Study ◽  
Intermediate Mass ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Black Hole Candidate

scholarly journals POPULATION OF BLACK HOLES IN THE MILKY WAY AND IN THE MAGELLANIC CLOUDS

2013 ◽  
Vol 53 (A) ◽  
pp. 665-670
Author(s):  
Janusz Ziółkowski
Keyword(s):  
Black Holes ◽  
Black Hole ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Stellar Mass ◽  
Magellanic Clouds ◽  
Intermediate Mass ◽  
Different Types ◽  
The Galaxy

In this review, I will briefly discuss the different types of black hole (BH) populations (supermassive, intermediate mass and stellar mass BHs) both in the Galaxy and in the Magellanic Clouds and compare them with each other.

scholarly journals mocca-survey Database I: Binary black hole mergers from globular clusters with intermediate mass black holes

2020 ◽  
Vol 498 (3) ◽  
pp. 4287-4294
Author(s):  
Jongsuk Hong ◽  
Abbas Askar ◽  
Mirek Giersz ◽  
Arkadiusz Hypki ◽  
Suk-Jin Yoon
Keyword(s):  
Black Holes ◽  
Black Hole ◽  
Gravitational Waves ◽  
Globular Clusters ◽  
Stellar Mass ◽  
Intermediate Mass ◽  
Binary Black Holes ◽  
Black Hole Binaries ◽  
Binary Black Hole ◽  
Intermediate Mass Black Holes

ABSTRACT The dynamical formation of black hole binaries in globular clusters that merge due to gravitational waves occurs more frequently in higher stellar density. Meanwhile, the probability to form intermediate mass black holes (IMBHs) also increases with the density. To explore the impact of the formation and growth of IMBHs on the population of stellar mass black hole binaries from globular clusters, we analyse the existing large survey of Monte Carlo globular cluster simulation data (mocca-survey Database I). We show that the number of binary black hole mergers agrees with the prediction based on clusters’ initial properties when the IMBH mass is not massive enough or the IMBH seed forms at a later time. However, binary black hole formation and subsequent merger events are significantly reduced compared to the prediction when the present-day IMBH mass is more massive than ${\sim}10^4\, \rm M_{\odot }$ or the present-day IMBH mass exceeds about 1 per cent of cluster’s initial total mass. By examining the maximum black hole mass in the system at the moment of black hole binary escaping, we find that ∼90 per cent of the merging binary black holes escape before the formation and growth of the IMBH. Furthermore, large fraction of stellar mass black holes are merged into the IMBH or escape as single black holes from globular clusters in cases of massive IMBHs, which can lead to the significant underpopulation of binary black holes merging with gravitational waves by a factor of 2 depending on the clusters’ initial distributions.

scholarly journals Radio and X-ray detections of GX 339–4 in quiescence using MeerKAT and Swift

2020 ◽  
Vol 493 (1) ◽  
pp. L132-L137 ◽  
Author(s):  
E Tremou ◽  
S Corbel ◽  
R P Fender ◽  
P A Woudt ◽  
J C A Miller-Jones ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Black Holes ◽  
Black Hole ◽  
Active Galactic Nuclei ◽  
Binary Systems ◽  
Accretion Rate ◽  
Galactic Nuclei ◽  
Stellar Mass ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Accretion Process ◽  
Upper Limits

ABSTRACT The radio–X-ray correlation that characterizes accreting black holes at all mass scales – from stellar mass black holes in binary systems to supermassive black holes powering active galactic nuclei – is one of the most important pieces of observational evidence supporting the existence of a connection between the accretion process and the generation of collimated outflows – or jets – in accreting systems. Although recent studies suggest that the correlation extends down to low luminosities, only a handful of stellar mass black holes have been clearly detected, and in general only upper limits (especially at radio wavelengths) can be obtained during quiescence. We recently obtained detections of the black hole X-ray binary (XRB) GX 339–4 in quiescence using the Meer Karoo Array Telescope (MeerKAT) radio telescope and Swift X-ray Telescope instrument on board the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, probing the lower end of the radio–X-ray correlation. We present the properties of accretion and of the connected generation of jets in the poorly studied low-accretion rate regime for this canonical black hole XRB system.

scholarly journals Intermediate-mass black holes in Galactic globular clusters

2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (S266) ◽  
pp. 491-494
Author(s):  
Carolina Pepe ◽  
Leonardo J. Pellizza
Keyword(s):  
Black Holes ◽  
Black Hole ◽  
Interstellar Medium ◽  
Globular Clusters ◽  
Velocity Profiles ◽  
Hydrodynamical Model ◽  
Interstellar Matter ◽  
Intermediate Mass ◽  
Central Black Hole ◽  
X Ray

AbstractOver the last few years, different observations have suggested the existence of intermediate-mass (~103 M⊙) black holes in the centers of globular clusters. However, the issue is still a matter of debate, as current observations have alternative explanations. We previously developed a hydrodynamical model for the interstellar medium in these systems to explain the luminosity of the central X-ray source found in NGC 6388, assuming a black hole accreting from the insterstellar medium. Here, we explore the predictions of our model regarding the flow of the interstellar matter in the inner cluster regions and find that the density and velocity profiles could help to determine the presence of a central black hole as well as its mass.

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