Search for traversable wormholes in active galactic nuclei using X-ray data

Abstract

In a previous paper, one of us calculated iron K$\alpha$ line profiles emitted from possible accretion disks around traversable wormholes as a first step to use X-ray reflection spectroscopy to search for astrophysical wormholes in active galactic nuclei. In the present paper, we extend that work and construct an XSPEC model for the whole relativistic reflection spectrum. We apply our model to XMM-Newton and NuSTAR observations of the supermassive object in MCG-6-30-15 and we check whether these observations prefer the hypothesis that the central body is a Kerr black hole or a traversable wormhole. We find that the two models provide equally good fits, so with the available data we cannot distinguish the black hole and wormhole scenarios.

10 pages, 7 figures. v2: refereed version

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• Testing the Kerr black hole hypothesis using X-ray reflection spectroscopy and a thin disk model with finite thickness
• Spinning test particle motion around a traversable wormhole
• How to form a wormhole
• Constraining Wormhole Geometries using the Orbit of S2 Star and the Event Horizon Telescope
• Constraints on Einstein-Maxwell dilaton-axion gravity from X-ray reflection spectroscopy
• Particle motion around a static axially symmetric wormhole
• Transmission of low-energy scalar waves through a traversable wormhole
• Search for Wormhole Candidates: Accreting Wormholes with Monopole Magnetic Fields