Revealing the Formation of Stellar-mass Black Hole Binaries: The Need for Deci-Hertz Gravitational-wave Observatories

ABSTRACT The gravitational-wave candidate GW151216 is a proposed binary black hole event from the first observing run of the Advanced LIGO detectors. Not identified as a bona fide signal by the LIGO–Virgo collaboration, there is disagreement as to its authenticity, which is quantified by pastro, the probability that the event is astrophysical in origin. Previous estimates of pastro from different groups range from 0.18 to 0.71, making it unclear whether this event should be included in population analyses, which typically require pastro > 0.5. Whether GW151216 is an astrophysical signal or not has implications for the population properties of stellar-mass black holes and hence the evolution of massive stars. Using the astrophysical odds, a Bayesian method that uses the signal coherence between detectors and a parametrized model of non-astrophysical detector noise, we find that pastro = 0.03, suggesting that GW151216 is unlikely to be a genuine signal. We also analyse GW150914 (the first gravitational-wave detection) and GW151012 (initially considered to be an ambiguous detection) and find pastro values of 1 and 0.997, respectively. We argue that the astrophysical odds presented here improve upon traditional methods for distinguishing signals from noise.

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Warm and thick corona for a magnetically supported disk in galactic black hole binaries

Astronomy and Astrophysics ◽

10.1051/0004-6361/201935033 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 633 ◽

pp. A35 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

D. Gronkiewicz ◽

A. Różańska

Keyword(s):

Magnetic Field ◽

Black Hole ◽

Accretion Disk ◽

Thermal Instability ◽

Stellar Mass ◽

Rotational Instability ◽

X Ray ◽

Black Hole Binaries ◽

Radiative Processes ◽

Gas Heating

Context. We self-consistently model a magnetically supported accretion disk around a stellar-mass black hole with a warm optically thick corona based on first principles. We consider the gas heating by magneto-rotational instability dynamo. Aims. Our goal is to show that the proper calculation of the gas heating by magnetic dynamo can build up the warm optically thick corona above the accretion disk around a black hole of stellar mass. Methods. Using the vertical model of the disk supported and heated by the magnetic field together with radiative transfer in hydrostatic and radiative equilibrium, we developed a relaxation numerical scheme that allowed us to compute the transition form the disk to corona in a self-consistent way. Results. We demonstrate here that the warm (up to 5 keV) optically thick (up to 10 τes) Compton-cooled corona can form as a result of magnetic heating. A warm corona like this is stronger in the case of the higher accretion rate and the greater magnetic field strength. The radial extent of the warm corona is limited by local thermal instability, which purely depends on radiative processes. The obtained coronal parameters are in agreement with those constrained from X-ray observations. Conclusions. A warm magnetically supported corona tends to appear in the inner disk regions. It may be responsible for soft X-ray excess seen in accreting sources. For lower accretion rates and weaker magnetic field parameters, thermal instability prevents a warm corona, giving rise to eventual clumpiness or ionized outflow.

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