X-ray spectropolarimetric signature of a warped disk around a stellar-mass black hole. (16th May 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Cheng, Yifan; Liu, Dan; Nampalliwar, Sourabh; Bambi, Cosimo
• Is Part Of: Classical and quantum gravity. Volume 33:Number 12(2016:Jun.)
• Publication Date: 2016-05-16
• Subjects: black holes -- accretion disk -- x-ray; 9760Lf -- 9780Jp; Quantum gravity -- Periodicals; Gravitation -- Periodicals; Relativity (Physics) -- Periodicals; Space and time -- Periodicals; Periodicals; 521.1
• DOI: 10.1088/0264-9381/33/12/125015
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0264-9381

Abstract

Abstract: Black holes (BHs) in x-ray binaries are often assumed to be rotating perpendicular to the plane of the accretion disk and parallel to the orbital plane of the binary. While the Bardeen–Petterson effect forces the inner part of the accretion disk to be aligned with the equatorial plane of a spinning BH, the disk may be warped such that the inclination angle of the outer part is different from that of the inner part. In this paper, we identify a possible observational signature of a warped accretion disk in the spectrum of the polarization degree of the continuum. Such a signature would provide direct evidence for the presence of a warped disk and, potentially, even a measure of the warp radius, which, in turn, could be used to infer the viscosity parameter of the disk.