Observations of Relativistically Broadened Iron Kalpha Lines From Stellar Mass Black Holes
Abstract
The measurement of Doppler broadened and gravitationally redshifted iron emission lines from accreting black holes has been used to measure the inner radius of the optically thick disk (Rin). At high mass accretion rates, when the disk is at or close to the Innermost Stable Circular Orbit (ISCO), a determination of Rin provides a constraint on the spin of the black hole. Measuring Rin can also provide information about whether the disk is truncated or not, and this is especially important for understanding the relationship between the disk and the steady jet in the hard state. Over the past few years, the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) has provided improved measurements due to its combination of bandpass (3-79 keV), good energy resolution, and high throughput. In this presentation, we discuss NuSTAR results for a number of stellar mass black holes (e.g., Cyg X-1, GX 339-4, and GRS 1739-278). While these observations have been successful in obtaining measurements of Rin, the improved spectra have also provided extra information about the source geometry and the inner disk inclination, which we will discuss.
- Publication:
-
AAS/High Energy Astrophysics Division #15
- Pub Date:
- April 2016
- Bibcode:
- 2016HEAD...1520202T