Initial Measurements of Black Hole Spin in GX 339-4 from Suzaku Spectroscopy

Abstract

We report on a deep Suzaku observation of the stellar-mass black hole GX 339-4 in outburst. A clear, strong, relativistically-shaped iron emission line from the inner accretion disk is observed. The broad-band disk reflection spectrum revealed is one of the most sensitive yet obtained from an accreting black hole. We fit the Suzaku spectra with a physically-motivated disk reflection model, blurred by a new relativistic line function in which the black hole spin parameter is a variable. This procedure yielded a black hole spin parameter of a = 0.89 +/- 0.04. Joint modeling of these Suzaku spectra and prior XMM-Newton spectra obtained in two different outburst phases yields a spin parameter of a = 0.93 +/- 0.01. The degree of consistency between these results suggests that disk reflection models allow for spin measurements that are not strongly biased by scattering effects. We suggest that the best value of the black hole spin parameter is a = 0.93 +/- 0.01 (statistical) +/- 0.04 (systematic). Although preliminary, these results represent the first direct measurement of non-zero spin in a stellar-mass black hole using relativistic line modeling.

4 pages, 3 color figures, accepted for publication in ApJL 4/16/08

References in corpus (8)

• X-ray Properties of Black-Hole Binaries
• Constraining Black Hole Spin Via X-ray Spectroscopy
• Relativistic X-ray Lines from the Inner Accretion Disks Around Black Holes
• A Long, Hard Look at the Low-Hard State in Accreting Black Holes
• Broad iron K-alpha emission lines as a diagnostic of black hole spin
• X-ray reflection in accreting stellar-mass black hole systems
• Viscous Torque and Dissipation in the Inner Region of a Thin Accretion Disk: Implications for Measuring Black Hole Spin
• XMM-Newton and INTEGRAL spectroscopy of the microquasar GRO J1655-40 during its 2005 outburst

Cited by in corpus (25)

• The role of the reflection fraction in constraining black hole spin
• The Masses and Spins of Neutron Stars and Stellar-Mass Black Holes
• Towards precision measurements of accreting black holes using X-ray reflection spectroscopy
• The 2003 Outburst of the X-ray Transient H 1743-322: Comparisons with the Black Hole Microquasar XTE J1550-564
• The radio/X-ray domain of black hole X-ray binaries at the lowest radio luminosities
• Broad relativistic iron emission line observed in SAX J1808.4-3658
• The gas-to-extinction ratio and the gas distribution in the Galaxy
• High Density Reflection Spectroscopy I. A case study of GX~339-4
• A unified accretion-ejection paradigm for black hole X-ray binaries. IV. Replication of the 2010--2011 activity cycle of GX 339-4
• A Delayed Transition to the Hard State for 4U 1630-47 at the End of Its 2010 Outburst
• Misalignment of the microquasar V4641 Sgr (SAX J1819.3--2525)
• Thermal emission from the stellar-mass black hole binary XTE J1118+480 in the low/hard state
• A unified accretion-ejection paradigm for black hole X-ray binaries. V. Low-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations
• Magnetically Arrested Disks in Quiescent Black-Hole Binaries: Formation Scenario, Observable Signatures, and Potential PeVatrons
• A spectrally stratified hot accretion flow in the hard state of MAXI J1820+070
• NuSTAR and XMM-Newton observations of the 2015 outburst decay of GX 339-4
• Study of the long-term evolution of the accretion dynamics of GX 339-4
• Relation Between Quiescence and Outbursting Properties of GX 339-4
• State transitions of GX 339-4 during its outburst rising phase
• Crossing the Eddington limit: examining disk spectra at high accretion rates
• Clues on jet behavior from simultaneous radio-X-ray fits of GX339-4
• Colors and patterns of black hole X-ray binary GX 339-4
• Evolution of the truncated disc and inner hot-flow of GX 339-4
• Emission lines from X-ray illuminated accretion disc in black hole binaries
• Searching for quantum-gravity footprint around stellar-mass black holes