Critical emission from a high-spin black hole

2017/12/31 by Alexandru Lupsasca, Achilleas P. Porfyriadis, Yichen Shi · 18 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy #Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations #Astrophysics #Black Holes and Theoretical Physics #Black hole (networking) #Emissivity #Mechanics #Observable #Optics #Physics #Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research #Quantum mechanics #Rotational symmetry #Spin (aerodynamics) #Spinning #astro-ph.HE #gr-qc #hep-th

paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevd.97.064017

published in Physical review. D/Physical review. D. 97(6) (American Physical Society) · 12 pages, 3 figures. v2: minor edits, matches published version

openalex publication_date 2018/03/19 · arxiv created 2018/03/22 · arxiv updated 2018/03/26 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05

Abstract

We consider a rapidly spinning black hole surrounded by an equatorial, geometrically thin, slowly accreting disk that is stationary and axisymmetric. We analytically compute the broadening of electromagnetic line emissions from the innermost part of the disk, which resides in the near-horizon region. The result is independent of the disk's surface emissivity and therefore universal. This is an example of critical behavior in astronomy that is potentially observable by current or future telescopes.

Citations

• Iron line profiles in strong gravity
• Near-horizon extreme Kerr magnetospheres
• Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Black Hole Merger
• GW170104: Observation of a 50-Solar-Mass Binary Black Hole Coalescence at Redshift 0.2
• On neutral scalar radiation by a massive orbiting star in extremal Kerr-Newman black hole

Cited by

• Electromagnetic emissions from near-horizon region of an extreme Kerr-Taub-NUT black hole