A Parallax Distance to the Microquasar GRS 1915+105 and a Revised Estimate of its Black Hole Mass

Abstract

Using the Very Long Baseline Array, we have measured a trigonometric parallax for the micro quasar GRS 1915+105, which contains a black hole and a K-giant companion. This yields a direct distance estimate of 8.6 (+2.0,-1.6) kpc and a revised estimate for the mass of the black hole of 12.4 (+2.0,-1.8) Msun. GRS 1915+105 is at about the same distance as some HII regions and water masers associated with high-mass star formation in the Sagittarius spiral arm of the Galaxy. The absolute proper motion of GRS 1915+105 is -3.19 +/- 0.03 mas/y and -6.24 +/- 0.05 mas/y toward the east and north, respectively, which corresponds to a modest peculiar speed of 22 +/-24 km/s at the parallax distance, suggesting that the binary did not receive a large velocity kick when the black hole formed. On one observational epoch, GRS 1915+105 displayed superluminal motion along the direction of its approaching jet. Considering previous observations of jet motions, the jet in GRS 1915+105 can be modeled with a jet inclination to the line of sight of 60 +/- 5 deg and a variable flow speed between 0.65c and 0.81c, which possibly indicates deceleration of the jet at distances from the black hole >2000 AU. Finally, using our measurements of distance and estimates of black hole mass and inclination, we provisionally confirm our earlier result that the black hole is spinning very rapidly.

arXiv comment20 pages; 2 tables; 6 figures

References in corpus (30)

• Trigonometric Parallaxes of High Mass Star Forming Regions: the Structure and Kinematics of the Milky Way
• Towards a unified model for black hole X-ray binary jets
• The Spin of the Near-Extreme Kerr Black Hole GRS 1915+105
• MERLIN observations of relativistic ejections from GRS 1915+105
• Multi-Temperature Blackbody Spectrum of a Thin Accretion Disk around a Kerr Black Hole: Model Computations and Comparison with Observations
• AU-Scale Synchrotron Jets and Superluminal Ejecta in GRS 1915+105
• A Simple Comptonization Model
• The Trigonometric Parallax of Cygnus X-1
• The Spin of the Black Hole Microquasar XTE J1550-564 via the Continuum-Fitting and Fe-Line Methods
• The first accurate parallax distance to a black hole
• Trigonometric Parallaxes of Massive Star Forming Regions: I. S 252 & G232.6+1.0
• Micro-Arcsecond Radio Astrometry
• The Distance, Inclination, and Spin of the Black Hole Microquasar H1743-322
• A Grid of Relativistic, non-LTE Accretion Disk Models for Spectral Fitting of Black Hole Binaries
• GRS 1915+105: The brightest Galactic black hole
• Trigonometric parallaxes of star forming regions in the Sagittarius spiral arm
• Identification of the donor in the X-ray binary GRS 1915+105
• Opening angles, Lorentz factors and confinement of X-ray binary jets
• The not-so-massive black hole in the microquasar GRS1915+105
• Measuring Black Hole Spin via the X-ray Continuum Fitting Method: Beyond the Thermal Dominant State
• Modeling the Jet Kinematics of the Black Hole Microquasar XTE J1550-564: A Constraint on Spin-Orbit Alignment
• Repeated Relativistic Ejections in GRS 1915+105
• Uses and limitations of relativistic jet proper motions: lessons from galactic microquasars
• Revision of the properties of the GRS 1915+105 jets: Clues from the large-scale structure
• On the optical extinction and distance of GRS 1915+105
• Kinematics of Black Hole X-ray Binary GRS 1915+105
• An Empirical Method for Improving the Quality of RXTE PCA Spectra
• A search for possible interactions between ejections from GRS 1915+105 and the surrounding interstellar medium
• Evidence for deceleration in the radio jets of GRS1915+105?
• The jet kinetic power, distance and inclination of GRS 1915+105

Cited by in corpus (187)

• Discovering the QCD Axion with Black Holes and Gravitational Waves
• High-Mass Star and Massive Cluster Formation in the Milky Way
• BlackCAT: A catalogue of stellar-mass black holes in X-ray transients
• WATCHDOG: A Comprehensive All-Sky Database of Galactic Black Hole X-ray Binaries
• Black Hole Superradiance Signatures of Ultralight Vectors
• Compact Binary Merger Rates: Comparison with LIGO/Virgo Upper Limits
• Pre-supernova evolution, compact object masses and explosion properties of stripped binary stars
• The Origin of Black Hole Spin in Galactic Low-Mass X-ray Binaries
• Potential Kick Velocity distribution of black hole X-ray binaries and implications for natal kicks
• A radio parallax to the black hole X-ray binary MAXI J1820+070
• Instrumentation for the detection and characterization of exoplanets
• Gaia DR2 Distances and Peculiar Velocities for Galactic Black Hole Transients
• The Milky Way bar and bulge revealed by APOGEE DR16 and Gaia EDR3
• AstroSat/LAXPC reveals the high energy variability of GRS 1915+105 in the chi class
• Coupling between the accreting corona and the relativistic jet in the micro quasar GRS 1915+105
• Evidence for simultaneous jets and disk winds in luminous low-mass X-ray binaries
• Repetitive Patterns in Rapid Optical Variations in the Nearby Black-hole Binary V404 Cygni
• X-ray Binaries
• Determination of mass of IGR J17091-3624 from "Spectro-Temporal" variations during onset-phase of the 2011 outburst
• Spectral analysis of the XMM-Newton data of GX 339-4 in the low/hard state: disc truncation and reflection
• Quasiperiodic oscillations, weak field lensing and shadow cast around black holes in Symmergent gravity
• Dynamical Imaging with Interferometry
• The Accretion Disk Wind in the Black Hole GRS 1915+105
• The 2015 Decay of the Black Hole X-ray Binary V404 Cygni: Robust Disk-Jet Coupling and a Sharp Transition into Quiescence
• Formation of Black Hole Low-Mass X-ray Binaries in Hierarchical Triple Systems
• Constraining the dense matter equation-of-state with radio pulsars
• Galactic masers: kinematics, spiral structure and the disk dynamic state
• The NICER "Reverberation Machine": A Systematic Study of Time Lags in Black Hole X-Ray Binaries
• Testing the Kerr black hole hypothesis using X-ray reflection spectroscopy and a thin disk model with finite thickness
• The Formation of Stellar Black Holes
• Dark photon superradiance: Electrodynamics and multimessenger signals
• A Systematic Analysis of the Phase Lags Associated with the Type-C Quasi-periodic Oscillation in GRS 1915+105
• X-Ray Polarimetry with the Polarization Spectroscopic Telescope Array (PolSTAR)
• An Obscured, Seyfert-2-like State of the Stellar-mass Black Hole GRS 1915+105 Caused by Failed Disk Winds
• The obscured X-ray binaries V404 Cyg, Cyg X-3, V4641 Sgr, and GRS 1915+105
• Constraint on parameters of a rotating black hole in Einstein-bumblebee theory by quasi-periodic oscillations
• A variable corona for GRS 1915+105
• The Mass of the Black Hole in the X-ray Binary Nova Muscae 1991
• 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
• Phase-resolved spectroscopy of a quasi-periodic oscillation in the black hole X-ray binary GRS 1915+105 with NICER and NuSTAR
• Mass ratio determination from Halpha lines in Black-Hole X-ray transients
• Observations of a radio-bright, X-ray obscured GRS 1915+105
• Probing the origin of quasi-periodic oscillations: the short-timescale evolution of phase lags in GRS 1915+105
• The evolving properties of the corona of GRS 1915+105: A spectral-timing perspective through variable-Comptonisation modelling
• Mass loss from advective accretion disc around rotating black holes
• Accretion in Strong Field Gravity with eXTP
• Testing the Kerr Nature of Black Hole Candidates using Iron Line Spectra in the CPR Framework
• Resolved, expanding jets in the Galactic black hole candidate XTE J1908+094
• Radio-loudness in black hole transients: evidence for an inclination effect
• Universal scaling of the 3:2 twin-peak quasi-periodic oscillation frequencies with black hole mass and spin revisited
• Blandford-Znajek mechanism in black holes in alternative theories of gravity
• Near-horizon structure of escape zones of electrically charged particles around weakly magnetized rotating black hole
• A NICER View of a Highly-Absorbed Flare in GRS 1915+105
• Systematically Revisiting All NuSTAR Spins of Black Holes in X-Ray Binaries
• A shared accretion instability for black holes and neutron stars
• Re-observing the NLS1 Galaxy RE J1034+396. II. New Insights on the Soft X-ray Excess, QPO and the Analogy with GRS 1915+105
• The observed mass distribution of Galactic black hole LMXBs is biased against massive black holes
• The Spin of The Black Hole in the X-ray Binary Nova Muscae 1991
• Re-observing the NLS1 Galaxy RE J1034+396. I. the Long-term, Recurrent X-ray QPO with a High Significance
• X-ray Detectability of Accreting Isolated Black Holes in Our Galaxy
• Magnesium and silicon in interstellar dust: an X-ray overview
• Evidence for mass-dependent peculiar velocities in compact object binaries: Towards better constraints on natal kicks
• Identification of QPO frequency of GRS 1915+105 as the relativistic dynamic frequency of a truncated accretion disk
• Disk-Wind Connection During the Heartbeats of GRS 1915+105
• Wide-band view of High Frequency QPOs of GRS 1915+105 in 'softer' variability classes observed with AstroSat
• Difficulties of Quantitative Tests of the Kerr-Hypothesis with X-Ray Observations of Mass Accreting Black Holes
• Timescale of twin-peak quasi-periodic oscillations and mass of accreting neutron stars
• Quasinormal modes of a scalar perturbation around a rotating BTZ-like black hole in Einstein-bumblebee gravity
• The radio/X-ray correlation in Cyg X-3 and the nature of its hard spectral state
• A Temporal Analysis Indicates a Mildly Relativistic Compact Jet in GRS~1915+105
• Mapping Jet-ISM Interactions in X-ray Binaries with ALMA: A GRS 1915$+$105 Case Study
• The INTEGRAL view on Black Hole X-ray Binaries
• An Atlas of Exotic Variability in IGR J17091-3624: A Comparison with GRS 1915+105
• Testing black holes in non-linear electrodynamics from the observed quasi-periodic oscillations
• Kiloparsec-scale Variations in the Star Formation Efficiency of Dense Gas: the Antennae Galaxies (NGC 4038/39)
• Astrometric excess noise in Gaia DR2 and the search for X-ray emitting binaries
• Expected intermediate mass black holes in the Virgo cluster. II. Late-type galaxies
• Exploring the Long-Term Evolution of GRS 1915+105
• Stronger Reflection from Black Hole Accretion Disks in Soft X-ray States
• The universal "heartbeat" oscillations in black hole systems accross the mass-scale
• Estimating the Neutrino Flux from Choked Gamma-Ray Bursts
• Astrometric excess noise in Gaia EDR3 and the search for X-ray binaries
• Up and Down the Black Hole Radio/X-ray Correlation: the 2017 mini-outbursts from Swift J1753.5-0127
• Spontaneous Lorentz symmetry breaking effects on GRBs jets arising from neutrino pair annihilation process near a black hole
• Looking for extra dimensions in the observed quasi-periodic oscillations of black holes
• The Novel Obscured State of Stellar-mass Black Hole GRS 1915+105
• Testing wind as an explanation for the spin problem in the continuum-fitting method
• Magnetic flux stabilizing thin accretion disks
• A variable-frequency HFQPO in GRS 1915+105 as observed with Astrosat
• Coronal properties of black hole X-ray binaries in the hard state as seen by NuSTAR and Swift
• Self-similar accretion in thin disks around near-extremal black holes
• Testing evolution of LFQPOs with mass accretion rate in GRS 1915+105 with Insight-HXMT
• Testing the Kerr black hole hypothesis with the continuum-fitting and the iron line methods: the case of GRS 1915+105
• Discovery of GRS 1915+105 variability patterns in the Rapid Burster
• Exploring the radial disc ionization profile of the black hole X-ray binary GRS 1915+105
• The current state of disk wind observations in BHLMXBs through X-ray absorption lines in the iron band
• X-ray reflection spectroscopy with Kaluza-Klein black holes
• Unraveling the foretime of GRS 1915+105 using AstroSat observations: Wide-band spectral and temporal characteristics
• Signatures of Einstein-Maxwell dilaton-axion gravity from the observed jet power and the radiative efficiency
• Orbital period dependent spatial scatter of Galactic Black Hole Transients
• ALMA/NICER observations of GRS 1915+105 indicate a return to a hard state
• Demonstrating the likely neutron star nature of five M31 globular cluster sources with Swift-NuSTAR spectroscopy
• General Relativistic Considerations of the Field Shedding Model of Fast Radio Bursts
• The slow heartbeats of an ultra-luminous X-ray source in NGC 3621
• Sub-second periodic radio oscillations in a microquasar
• A correlation between Ha trough depth and inclination in quiescent X-ray transients: evidence for a low-mass black hole in GRO J0422+32
• The black hole X-ray transient Swift J1357.2-0933 as seen with Swift and NuSTAR during its 2017 outburst
• On the Accuracy of Three-dimensional Kinematic Distances
• Black hole spin inferred from 3:2 epicyclic resonance model of high-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations
• A Persistent Disk Wind in GRS 1915+105 with NICER
• X-ray Polarimetry as a Tool to Measure the Black Hole Spin in Microquasars: Simulations of IXPE Capabilities
• AstroSat view of IGR J17091-3624 and GRS 1915+105: decoding the 'pulse' in the 'Heartbeat State'
• Impact of the reflection model on the estimate of the properties of accreting black holes
• Insight-HXMT observations of a possible fast transition from jet to wind dominated state during a huge flare of GRS~1915+105
• A search for very high-energy flares from the microquasars GRS 1915+105, Circinus X-1, and V4641 Sgr using contemporaneous H.E.S.S. and RXTE observations
• Average bolometric corrections and optical to X-ray flux measurements as a function of accretion rate for X-ray binaries
• Paving the way to simultaneous multi-wavelength astronomy
• Revisiting LS I +61 303 with VLBI astrometry
• MeerKAT discovers a jet-driven bow shock near GRS 1915+105. How an invisible large-scale jet sculpts a microquasar's environment
• Using variability and VLBI to measure cosmological distances
• Unraveling the Formation History of the Black Hole X-ray Binary LMC X-3 from ZAMS to Present
• Toward a Larger Sample of Radio Jets from Quiescent Black Hole X-ray Binaries
• Correlations between QPO frequencies and spectral parameters of GRS 1915+105 using AstroSat observations
• Deciphering signatures of Bardeen black holes from the observed quasi-periodic oscillations
• Evidence of Outflow Induced Soft Lags of Galactic Black Holes
• Accreting Black Holes
• Mapping the X-ray variability of GRS1915+105 with machine learning
• X-ray spectral correlations in a sample of Low-mass black hole X-ray binaries in the hard state
• Time-resolved spectroscopy on the heartbeat state of GRS 1915+105 using AstroSat
• No Need for an Extreme Jet Energy in the Black-Hole X-Ray Binary MAXI J1348--630
• Quiescent NIR and optical counterparts to candidate black hole X-ray binaries
• A timing view of the heartbeat state of GRS 1915+105
• Disc-corona interaction in the heartbeat state of GRS 1915+105
• Using the bispectrum to probe radio X-ray correlations in GRS 1915+105
• Scale invariant jets: from blazars to microquasars
• 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
• X-ray Spectral Analysis of the Steady States of GRS 1915+105
• A statistical analysis of the "heartbeat" behaviour of GRS 1915+105
• Exploring the broadband spectral and timing characteristics of GRS 1915+105 with AstroSat and NICER observations
• The mass, luminosity and mass-loss rate of the donor of the V1487 Aql/GRS 1915+105 binary system
• A non-linear mathematical model for the X-ray variability classes of the microquasar GRS 1915+105 -- I: quiescent, spiking states and QPOs
• Spectral Analysis of $\chi$ Class Data of GRS 1915+105 Using TCAF Solution
• The black hole spin in GRS 1915+105, revisited
• A new variability pattern in GRS 1915+105 with NICER and Insight-HXMT observations
• Optical IFU spectroscopy of a bipolar microquasar jet in NGC 300
• Discrete and Continuous Ejection Models of the Radio Source Associated with GW170817
• Signatures of Einstein-Maxwell dilaton-axion gravity from the observed quasi-periodic oscillations in black holes
• Extending the "Energetic Scaling of Relativistic Jets From Black Hole Systems" to Include $\gamma$-ray-loud X-ray Binaries
• Jet-induced star formation by a microquasar
• The Relative Importance of Faraday Rotation and QED Birefringence for the Linear Polarization of X-rays from Mass Accreting Black Holes
• The spin measurement of MAXI J0637-430: a black hole candidate with high disk density
• Black Hole High Mass X-ray Binary Microquasars at Cosmic Dawn
• The population of NuSTAR Black Hole X-ray Binaries
• Constraining the rotating Simpson-Visser spacetime from the observed quasi-periodic oscillations in black holes
• Discovery of a new flaring class in GRS 1915+105 using AstroSat
• Time resolved spectroscopy of a GRS 1915+105 flare during its unusual low state using AstroSat
• MeerKAT caught a Mini Mouse: serendipitous detection of a young radio pulsar escaping its birth sit
• A search for signatures of interactions of X-ray binary outflows with their environments with ALMA
• Black holes formed by direct collapse: observational evidences
• Likely detection of magnetic field related LFQPO in the soft X-ray re-brightening of GRS~1915+105
• Dimming GRS 1915+105 observed with NICER and Insight--HXMT
• Origin of the X-ray Broad Iron Spectral Feature in GRS 1915+105
• Comparison of Low-Mass and High-Mass Star Formation
• Observational constraints on the Kerr and its several single-parameter modified spacetimes using quasi-periodic oscillation data
• A large misalignment between continuous jet and discrete ejecta in microquasar GRS 1915+105 during its obscured phase
• The Accretion Flow - Discrete Ejection Connection in GRS 1915+105
• Probing Black Hole Phase Transitions through Quasi-Periodic Oscillations
• Radiative feedbacks as drivers for quasi-periodic-oscillation activity in black-hole X-ray binaries
• Black Hole Quasi-Periodic Oscillations in the Presence of Gauss-Bonnet Trace Anomaly
• An excess of low-mass X-ray binaries in the outer halo of NGC 4472
• Exploring the accretion-ejection geometry of GRS 1915+105 in the obscured state with future X-ray spectro-polarimetry
• A comprehensive search for high-velocity X-ray sources: New compact object binary candidates in the Gaia era
• An apparent positive relation between spin and orbital angular momentum in X-ray binaries
• Novel very-high-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations of compact, non-singular objects
• QPOML: A Machine Learning Approach to Detect and Characterize Quasi-Periodic Oscillations in X-ray Binaries
• High energy power-law tail in X-ray binaries spectrum and bulk Comptonization due to a conical outflow from a disk
• GRMHD Simulations of Magnetized Accretion Disk/Jet: Variabilities of Black Holes and Spectral Energy Distributions in Magnetic States
• Galactic Electron-Positron Annihilation Emission from X-Ray Binaries with Transient and Persistent Jets
• Proper Motion and Natal Kick in the Galactic Black Hole X-ray Binary AT2019wey
• Fermi-LAT detection of extended gamma-ray emission in the vicinity of SNR G045.7$-$00.4: evidence for escaping cosmic rays interacting with the surrounding molecular clouds
• On the Theoretical Framework of Magnetized Outflows from Stellar-Mass Black Holes and Related Observations
• On the origin of core radio emissions from black hole sources in the realm of relativistic shocked accretion flow
• Recurrent Instability in LMXB Accretion Disks: How Strange is GRS 1915+105?
• X-ray Quasi-Periodic Oscillations in Active Galactic Nuclei and Their Implications for the Changing Look Phenomenon
• Probing heartbeat oscillations from the black hole X-ray binary GRS 1915+105 using spectral-timing analysis