Measuring the Spins of Stellar-Mass Black Holes

Abstract

In astronomy, the problem of black holes is arguably second in importance only to the problem of cosmology. A current frontier in black hole research is the measurement of spin. During the past three years, the spins of several stellar-mass black holes in X-ray binaries have been measured via two techniques: fitting the X-ray continuum spectrum and modeling the profile of the Fe K line. This fledgling enterprise motivates the following decadal goals: (1) Firmly establish the continuum-fitting and Fe K methods; obtain precise values of spin for 10-20 black holes, several using both methods; (2) use the derived masses and spins to test models of jets, GRBs, supernovae, black hole formation, black hole binary evolution, etc.; (3) serve the IXO mission by securing the Fe K methodology, which is currently the only means to measure the spins of supermassive black holes in AGN; (4) identify the correct model of high-frequency QPOs, thereby opening a third channel for measuring spin; (5) pursue X-ray polarimetry as a means of securing the continuum-fitting and Fe K methods, and also as a possible fourth avenue to spin; and (6) develop and test MHD models of thin disks in strong gravity. Achieving these goals requires the establishment of an RXTE follow-on mission dedicated to the study of bright and transient compact objects, as well as strong support for theoretical work on 3D MHD simulations of accretion flows in the Kerr metric of a spinning black hole.