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Evidence of Spin and Energy Extraction in a Galactic Black Hole Candidate: The [ITAL]XMM-Newton[/ITAL]/EPIC-[CLC]pn[/CLC] Spectrum of XTE J1650−500

Authors :
Christopher S. Reynolds
Walter H. G. Lewin
A. C. Fabian
Michael Freyberg
A. J. Castro-Tirado
Jon M. Miller
M. van der Klis
C. Sanchez-Fernandez
M. Ehle
Rudy Wijnands
Source :
The Astrophysical Journal. 570:L69-L73
Publication Year :
2002
Publisher :
American Astronomical Society, 2002.

Abstract

We observed the Galactic black hole candidate XTE J1650-500 early in its Fall, 2001 outburst with the XMM-Newton European Photon Imaging pn Camera (EPIC-pn). The observed spectrum is consistent with the source having been in the "very high" state. We find a broad, skewed Fe K-alpha emission line which suggests that the primary in this system may be a Kerr black hole, and which indicates a steep emissivity profile that is hard to explain in terms of a standard accretion disk model. These results are quantitatively and qualitatively similar to those from an XMM-Newton observation of the Seyfert galaxy MCG--6-30-15. The steep emissivity in MCG--6-30-15 may be explained by the extraction and dissipation of rotational energy from a black hole with nearly- maximal angular momentum or material in the plunging region via magnetic connections to the inner accretion disk. If this process is at work in both sources, an exotic but fundamental general relativistic prediction may be confirmed across a factor of 10^6 in black hole mass. We discuss these results in terms of the accretion flow geometry in stellar-mass black holes, and the variety of enigmatic phenomena often observed in the very high state.

Details

ISSN :
15384357 and 0004637X
Volume :
570
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
The Astrophysical Journal
Accession number :
edsair.doi...........e8c2d641eb479475f268cdce197763c7
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1086/341099