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Evidence of Spin and Energy Extraction in a Galactic Black Hole Candidate: The XMM-NEWTON/EPIC SPECTRUM of XTE 11650-500We observed the Galactic black hole candidate XTE J1650-500 early in its fall of 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 h d a broad, skewed Fe Kar emission line that suggests the primary in this system may be a Kerr black hole and that indicates a steep disk 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 from 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 l0(exp 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.
Document ID
20040070827
Acquisition Source
Headquarters
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
External Source(s)
Authors
Miller, J. M.
(Massachusetts Inst. of Tech. Cambridge, MA, United States)
Fabian, A. C.
(Cambridge Univ. Cambridge, United Kingdom)
Wunands, R.
(Massachusetts Inst. of Tech. Cambridge, MA, United States)
Reynolds, C. S.
(Maryland Univ. College Park, MD, United States)
Ehle, M.
(XMM-Newton Science Operations Centre Madrid, Spain)
Freyberg, M. J.
(Max-Planck-Inst. fuer Physik und Astrophysik Garching, Germany)
VanDerKlis, M.
(Amsterdam Univ. Netherlands)
Lewin, W. H. G.
(Massachusetts Inst. of Tech. Cambridge, MA, United States)
Sanchez-Fernandez, C.
(Instituto Nacional de Tecnica Aeroespacial Madrid, Spain)
Castro-Tirado, A. J.
(Instituto Nacional de Tecnica Aeroespacial Madrid, Spain)
Date Acquired
August 21, 2013
Publication Date
May 10, 2002
Publication Information
Publication: Astrophysical Journal
Volume: 570
Subject Category
Astrophysics
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: PF9-10010
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAS8-39073
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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