Selected work

A Systematic View of Ten New Black Hole SpinsThe launch of NuSTAR and the increasing number of binary black hole (BBH) mergers detected through gravitational wave (GW) observations have exponentially advanced our understanding of black holes. Despite the simplicity owed to being fully described by their mass and angular momentum, black holes have remained mysterious laboratories that probe the most extreme environments in the Universe. While significant progress has been made in the recent decade, the distribution of spin in black holes has not yet been understood. In this work, we provide a systematic analysis of all known black holes in X-ray binary systems (XB) that have previously been observed by NuSTAR, but have not yet had a spin measurement using the "relativistic reflection" method obtained from that data. By looking at all the available archival NuSTAR data of these sources, we measure ten new black hole spins: IGR J17454-2919 -- $a=0.97^{+0.03}_{-0.17}$; GRS 1758-258 -- $a=0.991^{+0.007}_{-0.019}$; MAXI J1727-203 -- $a=0.986^{+0.012}_{-0.159}$; MAXI J0637-430 -- $a=0.97\pm0.02$; Swift J1753.5-0127 -- $a=0.997^{+0.001}_{-0.003}$; V4641 Sgr -- $a=0.86^{+0.04}_{-0.06}$; 4U 1543-47 -- $a=0.98^{+0.01}_{-0.02}$; 4U 1957+11 -- $a=0.95^{+0.02}_{-0.04}$; H 1743-322 -- $a=0.98^{+0.01}_{-0.02}$; MAXI J1820+070 -- $a=0.988^{+0.006}_{-0.028}$ (all uncertainties are at the $1\sigma$ confidence level). We discuss the implications of our measurements on the entire distribution of stellar mass black hole spins in XB, and we compare that with the spin distribution in BBH, finding that the two distributions are clearly in disagreement. Additionally, we discuss the implications of this work on our understanding of how the "relativistic reflection" spin measurement technique works, and discuss possible sources of systematic uncertainty that can bias our measurements.

The Spin of a Newborn Black Hole: Swift J1728.9-3613The origin and distribution of stellar-mass black hole spins are a rare window into the progenitor stars and supernova events that create them. Swift J1728.9-3613 is an X-ray binary, likely associated with the supernova remnant G351.9-0.9 (Balakrishnan et al. 2023). A NuSTAR X-ray spectrum of this source during its 2019 outburst reveals reflection from an accretion disk extending to the innermost stable circular orbit. Modeling of the relativistic Doppler shifts and gravitational redshifts imprinted on the spectrum measures a dimensionless spin parameter of $a=0.86\pm0.02$ ($1\sigma$ confidence), a small inclination angle of the inner accretion disk $\theta<10$ degrees, and a sub-solar iron abundance in the disk $A_{\rm Fe}<0.84$. This high spin value rules out a neutron star primary at the $5\;\sigma$ level of confidence. If the black hole is located in a still visible supernova remnant, it must be young. Therefore, we place a lower limit on the natal black hole spin of $a>0.82$, concluding that the black hole must have formed with a high spin. This demonstrates that black hole formation channels that leave a supernova remnant, and those that do not (e.g. Cyg X-1), can both lead to high natal spin with no requirement for subsequent accretion within the binary system. Emerging disparities between the population of high-spin black holes in X-ray binaries and the low-spin black holes that merge in gravitational wave events may therefore be explained in terms of different stellar conditions prior to collapse, rather than different environmental factors after formation.

The Spin and Orientation of the Black Hole in XTE J1908+094NuSTAR observed the black hole candidate XTE J1908+094 during its 2013 and 2019 outbursts. We use relativistic reflection to measure the spin of the black hole through 19 different assumptions of relxill flavors and parameter combinations. The most favored model in terms of the Deviance Information Criterion (DIC) measures the spin of the black hole to be $a={0.55}_{-0.45}^{+0.29}$ , and the inclination to be $\theta ={27}_{-3}^{+2}$ degrees (1σ statistical errors). We look at the effects of coronal geometry assumptions and the density of the accretion disk on the spin prediction. All 19 tested models provide consistent spin estimates. We discuss the evolution of spin measurement techniques using relativistic reflection in X-ray binaries and discuss the implications of this spin measurement in reconciling the distributions of stellar-mass black hole spin measurements made through X-ray and gravitational wave observations.

A New Spin on an Old Black Hole: NuSTAR Spectroscopy of EXO 1846-031The black hole candidate EXO 1846-031 underwent an outburst in 2019, after at least 25 yr in quiescence. We observed the system using NuSTAR on 2019 August 3. The 3-79 keV spectrum shows strong relativistic reflection features. Our baseline model gives a nearly maximal black hole spin value of $a={0.997}_{-0.002}^{+0.001}$ (1σ statistical errors). This high value nominally excludes the possibility of the central engine harboring a neutron star. Using several models, we test the robustness of our measurement to assumptions about the density of the accretion disk, the nature of the corona, the choice of disk continuum model, and the addition of reflection from the outer regions of the accretion disk. All tested models agree on a very high black hole spin value and a high value for the inclination of the inner accretion disk of $\theta \approx 73^\circ $ . We discuss the implications of this spin measurement in the population of stellar mass black holes with known spins, including LIGO and Virgo events.

Multiband Optical Light Curves of Black-widow PulsarsWe collect new and archival optical observations of nine “black-widow” millisecond pulsar binaries. New measurements include direct imaging with the Keck, Gemini-S, MDM, and Las Cumbres Observatory 2 m telescopes. This is supplemented by synthesized colors from Keck long-slit spectra. Four black-widow optical companions are presented here for the first time. Together these data provide multicolor photometry covering a large fraction of the orbital phase. We fit these light curves with a direct (photon) heating model using a version of the ICARUS light-curve modeling code. The fits provide distance and fill-factor estimates, inclinations, and heating powers. We compare the heating powers with the observed GeV luminosities, noting that the ratio is sensitive to pulsar distance and to the gamma-ray beaming. We make a specific correction for “outer gap” model beams, but even then some sources are substantially discrepant, suggesting imperfect beaming corrections and/or errors in the fit distance. The fits prefer large metal abundance for half of the targets, a reasonable result for these wind-stripped secondaries. The companion radii indicate substantial Roche-lobe filling, f <SUB> c </SUB> ≈ 0.7-1 except for PSR J0952-0607, which with f <SUB> c </SUB> < 0.5 has a companion density ρ ≈ 10 g cm<SUP>-3</SUP>, suggesting unusual evolution. We note that the direct-heating fits imply large heating powers and rather small inclinations, and we speculate that unmodeled effects can introduce such bias.

PSR J0636+5128: A Heated Companion in a Tight OrbitWe present an analysis of archival Gemini g‧, r‧, K and Keck H, K <SUB> s </SUB> imaging of this nearby short-period binary (P <SUB> B </SUB> = 95.8 minutes) 2.87 ms pulsar. The heated companion is clearly detected. Direct pulsar heating provides an acceptable model at the revised >700 pc parallax distance. The relatively shallow light curve modulation prefers an inclination i < 40° this high-latitude view provides a likely explanation for the lack of radio signatures of wind dispersion or eclipse. It also explains the low minimum companion mass and, possibly, the faintness of the source in X-rays and γ-rays.

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