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Chilled disks in ultraluminous X-ray sources

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2006

Roberto Soria ,
Zdenka Kuncic  and
Anabela C. Gonçalves
Roberto Soria
Affiliation:
Harvard-Smithsonian CfA, 60 Garden st, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA email: [email protected]
Zdenka Kuncic
Affiliation:
School of Physics, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia email:[email protected]
Anabela C. Gonçalves
Affiliation:
LUTH, Observatoire de Paris-Meudon, 5 Place Jules Janssen, 92195 Meudon, France email: [email protected] CAAUL, Observatorio Astronomico de Lisboa, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-018 Lisboa, Portugal
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Abstract

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If the standard disk-blackbody approximation is used to estimate black hole (BH) masses in ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs), the inferred masses are ∼ 1000 M⊙. However, we argue that such an approximation cannot be applied to ULXs, because their disks are only radiating a small fraction of the accretion power, and are therefore cooler than they would be in a thermal-dominant state, for a given BH mass. Instead, we suggest that a different phenomenological approximation should be used, based on three observable parameters: disk luminosity, peak temperature, and ratio between thermal and non-thermal emission. This method naturally predicts masses ∼ 50 M⊙, more consistent with other theoretical and observational constraints.

Keywords

X-rays: binariesblack hole physicsaccretionaccretion disks
Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 2 , Symposium S238: Black Holes from Stars to Galaxies – Across the Range of Masses , August 2006 , pp. 453 - 454
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2007

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