Constraining Black Hole Spin based on the Absence of Lense-Thirring Precession of Megamaser Clumps

2021/04/11 by Santiago Giner, Abraham Loeb, Giner, Santiago +1
Physics and Astronomy · #Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations #Astrophysics of Galaxies (astro-ph.GA) #FOS: Physical sciences #Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena #General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology (gr-qc) #High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena (astro-ph.HE) #Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research

paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2104.05084

openalex publication_date 2021/04/11 · openalex created_date 2021/04/26 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28

Abstract

We make use of the absence of Lense-Thirring precession of the innermost megamaser clumps around black holes in order to place upper limits on the spin amplitude of seven black holes at the center of megamaser galaxies: NGC 4258, NGC 2273, UGC 3789, NGC 3393, NGC 5495, NGC 5765b, and UGC 6093. The constraints are derived by requiring that the associated precession time-scale be longer than the age of the megamaser clumps, in order to preserve the single-plane geometry of the megamasers.

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