NuSTAR Spectroscopy of GRS 1915+105: Disk Reflection, Spin, and Connections to Jets

Abstract

We report on the results of spectral fits made to a NuSTAR observation of the black hole GRS 1915+105 in a "plateau" state. This state is of special interest because it is similar to the "low/hard" state seen in other black holes, especially in that compact, steady jets are launched in this phase. The 3-79 keV bandpass of NuSTAR, and its ability to obtain moderate-resolution spectra free from distortions such as photon pile-up, are extremely well suited to studies of disk reflection in X-ray binaries. In only 15 ks of net exposure, an extraordinarily sensitive spectrum of GRS 1915+105 was measured across the full bandpass. Ionized reflection from a disk around a rapidly-spinning black hole is clearly required to fit the spectra; even hybrid Comptonization models including ionized reflection from a disk around a Schwarzschild black hole proved inadequate. A spin parameter of a = 0.98 +/- 0.01 (1-sigma statistical error) is measured via the best-fit model; low spins are ruled out at a high level of confidence. This result suggests that jets can be launched from a disk extending to the innermost stable circular orbit. A very steep inner disk emissivity profile is also measured, consistent with models of compact coronae above Kerr black holes. These results support an emerging association between the hard X-ray corona and the base of the relativistic jet.

Accepted for publication in ApJ Letters

References in corpus (7)

• Constraining Black Hole Spin Via X-ray Spectroscopy
• Relativistic X-ray Lines from the Inner Accretion Disks Around Black Holes
• Alignment of Magnetized Accretion Disks and Relativistic Jets with Spinning Black Holes
• Broad iron K-alpha emission lines as a diagnostic of black hole spin
• Three-Dimensional Simulations of Magnetized Thin Accretion Disks around Black Holes: Stress in the Plunging Region
• On the size and location of the X-ray emitting coronae around black holes
• What is on Tap? The Role of Spin in Compact Objects and Relativistic Jets

Cited by in corpus (109)

• The role of the reflection fraction in constraining black hole spin
• Testing black hole candidates with electromagnetic radiation
• 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 Reflection Component from Cygnus X-1 in the Soft State Measured by NuSTAR and Suzaku
• The NuSTAR spectrum of Mrk 335: Extreme relativistic effects within 2 gravitational radii of the event horizon?
• NuSTAR and Suzaku observations of the hard state in Cygnus X-1: locating the inner accretion disk
• NuSTAR and Swift observations of the very high state in GX 339-4: Weighing the black hole with X-rays
• The Soft State of Cygnus X-1 Observed with NuSTAR: A Variable Corona and a Stable Inner Disk
• No Time for Dead Time: Timing analysis of bright black hole binaries with NuSTAR
• Astrophysical Black Holes: A Compact Pedagogical Review
• On the determination of the spin and disc truncation of accreting black holes using X-ray reflection
• A public relativistic transfer function model for X-ray reverberation mapping of accreting black holes
• Broadband X-ray Spectra of the Ultraluminous X-ray Source Holmberg IX X-1 observed with NuSTAR, XMM-Newton and Suzaku
• NuSTAR and XMM-Newton Observations of NGC 1365: Extreme Absorption Variability and a Constant Inner Accretion Disk
• Testing the no-hair theorem with the continuum-fitting and the iron line methods: a short review
• Testing the No-Hair Theorem with Observations of Black Holes in the Electromagnetic Spectrum
• Coupling between the accreting corona and the relativistic jet in the micro quasar GRS 1915+105
• The high-Eddington NLS1 Ark 564 has the coolest corona
• Constraints on the Neutron Star and Inner Accretion Flow in Serpens X-1 Using NuSTAR
• Living on a Flare: Relativistic Reflection in V404 Cyg Observed by NuSTAR During its Summer 2015 Outburst
• Jackiw-Teitelboim Gravity and Rotating Black Holes
• Reflection Spectra of the Black Hole Binary Candidate MAXI J1535-571 in the Hard State Observed by NuSTAR
• A NICER Spectrum of MAXI J1535-571: Near-Maximal Black Hole Spin and Potential Disk Warping
• The Accretion Disk Wind in the Black Hole GRS 1915+105
• New Constraints on the Black Hole Low/Hard State Inner Accretion Flow with NuSTAR
• A Systematic View of Ten New Black Hole Spins
• A Systematic Analysis of the Phase Lags Associated with the Type-C Quasi-periodic Oscillation in GRS 1915+105
• Revealing the X-ray Variability of AGN with Principal Component Analysis
• An Obscured, Seyfert-2-like State of the Stellar-mass Black Hole GRS 1915+105 Caused by Failed Disk Winds
• Testing General Relativity with NuSTAR data of Galactic Black Holes
• A Hard X-Ray Study of Ultraluminous X-ray Source NGC 5204 X-1 with NuSTAR and XMM-Newton
• AstroSat view of GRS 1915+105 during the Soft State: Detection of HFQPOs and estimation of Mass and Spin
• Confrontation of Observation and Theory: High Frequency QPOs in X-ray Binaries, Tidal Disruption Events, and Active Galactic Nuclei
• A NuSTAR observation of disk reflection from close to the neutron star in 4U 1608-52
• Phase-resolved spectroscopy of a quasi-periodic oscillation in the black hole X-ray binary GRS 1915+105 with NICER and NuSTAR
• A New Spin on an Old Black Hole: NuSTAR Spectroscopy of EXO 1846-031
• Accretion in Strong Field Gravity with eXTP
• Tests of the Kerr hypothesis with GRS 1915+105 using different RELXILL flavors
• Systematically Revisiting All NuSTAR Spins of Black Holes in X-Ray Binaries
• NuSTAR Observations of the Black Hole GS 1354-645: Evidence of Rapid Black Hole Spin
• Large superconformal near-horizons from M-theory
• Disk-Wind Connection During the Heartbeats of GRS 1915+105
• Difficulties of Quantitative Tests of the Kerr-Hypothesis with X-Ray Observations of Mass Accreting Black Holes
• Impact of the returning radiation on the analysis of the reflection spectra of black holes
• Shocks in relativistic viscous accretion flows around Kerr black holes
• Relativistic Reflection: Review and Recent Developments in Modeling
• Low angular momentum relativistic hot accretion flow around Kerr black holes with variable adiabatic index
• The Interplay between accelerated Protons, X-rays and Neutrinos in the Corona of NGC 1068: Constraints from Kinetic Plasma Simulations
• Testing General Relativity with X-ray reflection spectroscopy: The Konoplya-Rezzolla-Zhidenko parametrization
• The Novel Obscured State of Stellar-mass Black Hole GRS 1915+105
• The Innermost Extremes of Black Hole Accretion
• Steep X-ray reflection emissivity profiles in AGN as the result of radially-structured disc ionisation
• Testing wind as an explanation for the spin problem in the continuum-fitting method
• The Hard State of the Highly Absorbed High Inclination Black Hole Binary Candidate Swift J1658.2-4242 Observed by NuSTAR and Swift
• Modeling uncertainties in X-ray reflection spectroscopy measurements II: Impact of the radiation from the plunging region
• Self-similar accretion in thin disks around near-extremal black holes
• Coronal properties of black hole X-ray binaries in the hard state as seen by NuSTAR and Swift
• Reflection spectra of accretion disks illuminated by disk-like coronae
• The hard to soft transition of GX 339-4 as seen by Insight-HXMT
• About the Kerr nature of the stellar-mass black hole in GRS 1915+105
• Testing the Kerr black hole hypothesis with the continuum-fitting and the iron line methods: the case of GRS 1915+105
• Testing evolution of LFQPOs with mass accretion rate in GRS 1915+105 with Insight-HXMT
• Exploring the radial disc ionization profile of the black hole X-ray binary GRS 1915+105
• Formation of Black Hole Low-Mass X-ray Binaries
• The spins of the Galactic black holes in MAXI J1535-571 and 4U 1630-472 from Insight-HXMT
• Spectral and Timing Properties of IGR J17091-3624 in the Rising Hard State During its 2016 Outburst
• PCA of PCA: Principal Component Analysis of Partial Covering Absorption in NGC 1365
• Near-horizon Extreme Kerr Magnetospheres
• The reflection spectrum of the low-mass X-ray binary 4U 1636-53
• Wideband Study of the Brightest Black Hole X-ray Binary 4U 1543-47 in the 2021 Outburst: Signature of Disk-Wind Regulated Accretion
• Predictions for reverberating spectral line from a newly formed black hole accretion disk: case of tidal disruption flares
• The Spin of New Black Hole Candidate: MAXI J1803-298 Observed by NuSTAR and NICER
• The Accreting Black Hole Swift J1753.5-0127 from Radio to Hard X-Ray
• Impact of the reflection model on the estimate of the properties of accreting black holes
• The Inner Accretion Flow in the Resurgent Seyfert-1.2 AGN Mrk 817
• Constraining possible variations of the fine structure constant in strong gravitational fields with the K$\alpha$ iron line
• A detailed study on the reflection component for the Black Hole Candidate MAXI J1836-194
• Black Hole Spin Measurements Based on a Thin Disc Model with Finite Thickness I. An example study of MCG-06-30-15
• Accreting Black Holes
• Investigating the X-ray polarization of lamp-post coronae in BHXRB
• Constraining distance and inclination angle of V4641 Sgr using $SWIFT$ and $NuSTAR$ observations during low soft spectral state
• X-ray spectral correlations in a sample of Low-mass black hole X-ray binaries in the hard state
• The Meissner effect for weakly isolated horizons
• A geometric origin for quasi-periodic oscillations in black hole X-ray binaries
• Mapping the X-ray variability of GRS1915+105 with machine learning
• Disc-corona interaction in the heartbeat state of GRS 1915+105
• Testing the Keplerian disk hypothesis using X-ray reflection spectroscopy
• A timing view of the heartbeat state of GRS 1915+105
• XRB continuum fitting with sensitive high energy X-ray detectors
• Measuring Black Hole Spins through X-ray Reflection Spectroscopy and the Relativistic Precession Model: the case of XTE J1859+226
• Thermal spectra of thin accretion disks of finite thickness around Kerr black holes
• The disk wind in GRS 1915+105 as seen by Insight-HXMT
• A statistical analysis of the "heartbeat" behaviour of GRS 1915+105
• The NuSTAR View of a QPO Evolution of GRS 1915+105
• The black hole spin in GRS 1915+105, revisited
• Impact of ionization and electron density gradients in X-ray reflection spectroscopy measurements
• The spin measurement of MAXI J1348-630 using the Insight-HXMT data
• Using X-ray continuum-fitting to estimate the spin of MAXI J1305-704
• Searching for quantum-gravity footprint around stellar-mass black holes
• The spin measurement of MAXI J0637-430: a black hole candidate with high disk density
• Discovery of a new flaring class in GRS 1915+105 using AstroSat
• Reflection Spectra of Accretion Disks Illuminated by an Off-Axis Corona
• Dimming GRS 1915+105 observed with NICER and Insight--HXMT
• Probing Black Hole Magnetic Fields with QED
• Effect of magnetic flux advection on the dynamics of shock in accretion flow around a rotating black hole
• Investigating the connection between Quasi Periodic Oscillations and spectral components with NuSTAR data of GRS 1915+105
• Spectral Analysis of New Black Hole Candidate AT2019wey Observed by NuSTAR
• Probing heartbeat oscillations from the black hole X-ray binary GRS 1915+105 using spectral-timing analysis