Second post-Minkowskian order harmonic metric for a moving Kerr-Newman black hole

We apply the Lorentz boosting method to the Kerr-Newman metric in harmonic coordinates, and obtain the second post-Minkowskian order harmonic metric for a moving Kerr-Newman black hole with an arbitrary constant speed. This metric may be useful for investigating observable relativistic effects due to the motion of the moving source. As an application, the post-Newtonian equations of motion for a particle and a photon in the far field of this black hole are calculated.

The debeamed luminosity, sychrotron peak frequency and black hole mass of BL Lac objects

We estimate the intrinsic luminosities and synchrotron peak frequencies using the derived Doppler factor for a sample of 170 BL Lac objects, of which the synchrotron peak frequency is derived by fitting the SED constructed with the collected multi-band data from the literature. We find that the debeamed radio and optical core luminosities follow the same correlation found for FR I radio galaxies, which is in support of the unification of the BL Lac objects and the FR I galaxies based on orientation. For the debeamed luminosity at the synchrotron peak frequency, we find a significant positive correlation between the luminosity and intrinsic synchrotron peak frequency. This implies that the more powerful sources may have the majority of jet emission at higher frequency. At the synchrotron peak frequency, the intrinsic luminosity and black hole mass show strong positive correlation, while mild correlation is found in the case of jet power, indicating that the more powerful sources may have more massive black holes.

Constraints on individual supermassive binary black holes using observations of PSR J1909-3744

We perform a search for gravitational waves(GWs) from several supermassive binary black hole(SMBBH) candidates(NGC 5548, Mrk 231, OJ 287, PG 1302–102, NGC 4151, Ark 120 and 3C 66B) in long-term timing observations of the pulsar PSR J1909-3744 obtained using the Parkes radio telescope.No statistically significant signals were found. We constrain the chirp masses of those SMBBH candidates and find the chirp mass of NGC 5548 and 3C 66B to be less than 2.4 × 10^9 M⊙ and 2.5 × 10^9 M⊙(with 95% confidence), respectively. Our upper limits remain a factor of 3 to 370 above the likely chirp masses for these candidates as estimated from other approaches. The observations processed here provide upper limits on the GW strain amplitude that improve upon the results from the first Parkes Pulsar Timing Array data release by a factor of 2 to 7. We investigate how information about the orbital parameters can help to improve the search sensitivity for individual SMBBH systems. Finally, we show that these limits are insensitive to uncertainties in the Solar System ephemeris model.

Does black hole spin play a key role in the FSRQ/BL Lac dichotomy?

Blazars are characterized by large intensity and spectral variations across the electromagnetic spectrum It is believed that jets emerging from them are almost aligned with the line-of-sight. The major- ity of identified extragalactic sources in γ-ray catalogs of EGRET and Fermi are blazars. Observationally, blazars can be divided into two classes： fiat spectrum radio quasars （FSRQs） and BL Lacs. BL Lacs usually exhibit lower γ-ray luminosity and harder power law spectra at γ-ray energies than FSRQs. We attempt to explain the high energy properties of FSRQs and BL Lacs from Fermi γ-ray space telescope observations. It was argued previously that the difference in accretion rates is mainly responsible for the large mismatch in observed luminosity in ＂7-ray. However, when intrinsic luminosities are derived by correcting for beaming effects, this difference in 7-ray luminosity between the two classes is significantly reduced. In order to ex- plain this difference in intrinsic luminosities, we propose that spin plays an important role in the luminosity distribution dichotomy of BL Lacs and FSRQs. As the outflow power of a blazar increases with increasing spin of a central black hole, we suggest that the spin plays a crucial role in making BL Lac sources low luminous and slow rotators compared to FSRQ sources.

Gravitational waves from compact objects

Large ground-based laser beam interferometers are presently in operation both in the USA （LIGO） and in Europe （VIRGO） and potential sources that might be detected by these instruments are revisited. The present generation of detectors does not have a sensitivity high enough to probe a significant volume of the universe and, consequently, predicted event rates are very low. The planned advanced generation of interferometers will probably be able to detect, for the first time, a gravitational sig- nal. Advanced LIGO and EGO instruments are expected to detect few （some）： binary coalescences consisting of either two neutron stars, two black holes or a neutron star and a black hole. In space, the sensitivity of the planned LISA spacecraft constellation will allow the detection of the gravitational signals, even within a ＂pessimistic＂ range of possible signals, produced during the capture of compact objects by supermassive black holes, at a rate of a few tens per year.

Hawking radiation and thermodynamics of a Vaidya-Bonner black hole

Using Parikh＇s tunneling method, the Hawking radiation on the apparent horizon of a Vaidya-Bonner black hole is calculated. When the back-reaction of particles is neglected, the thermal spectrum can be precisely obtained. Then, the black hole thermodynamics can be calculated successfully on the apparent horizon. When a relativistic perturbation is applied to the apparent horizon, a similar calculation can also lead to a purely thermal spectrum. The first law of thermodynamics can also be derived successfully at the new supersurface near the apparent horizon. When the event horizon is thought of as a deviation from the apparent horizon, the expressions of the characteristic position and temperature are consistent with the previous viewpoint which asserts that the thermodynamics should be based on the event horizon. It is concluded that the thermodynamics should be constructed exactly on the apparent horizon while the event horizon thermodynamics is just one of the perturbations near the apparent horizon.

Has LIGO detected primordial black hole dark matter?——tidal disruption in binary black hole formation

The frequent detection of binary mergers of^30 M⊙black holes(BHs)by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory(LIGO)rekindled researchers’interest in primordial BHs(PBHs)being dark matter(DM).In this work,we investigated PBHs distributed as DM with a monochromatic mass of 30 M⊙and examined the encounter-capture scenario of binary formation,where the densest central region of DM halo dominates.Thus,we paid special attention to the tidal effect by the supermassive black hole(SMBH)present.In doing so,we discovered a necessary tool called loss zone that complements the usage of loss cone.We found that the tidal effect is not prominent in affecting binary formation,which also turned out to be insufficient in explaining the totality of LIGO’s event rate estimation,especially due to a microlensing event constraining the DM fraction in PBH at the mass of interest from near unity to an order smaller.Meanwhile,an early-universe binary formation scenario proves so prevailing that the LIGO signal in turn constrains the PBH fraction below one percent.Thus,people should put more faith in alternative PBH windows and other DM candidates.

On Be/X-ray binaries with an intermediate-mass black hole

We adopt the tidal truncation model proposed by Negueruela and Okazaki for Be/X-ray binaries to investigate the influence of intermediate-mass black holes （IMBHs） on Be-star disks. We show that the viscous decretion disks around Be stars are generally truncated ineffectively under the tidal force of IMBHs. Combining this with observations of Be/X-ray binaries, we suggest that Be/IMBH X-ray binaries may appear as recurrent luminous X-ray transients with quasi-periodic X-ray outbursts.

Probing the Large-scale Structure of the Universe Through Gravitational Wave Observations

The improvements in the sensitivity of the gravitational wave(GW) network enable the detection of several large redshift GW sources by third-generation GW detectors. These advancements provide an independent method to probe the large-scale structure of the universe by using the clustering of the binary black holes(BBHs). The black hole catalogs are complementary to the galaxy catalogs because of large redshifts of GW events, which may imply that BBHs are a better choice than galaxies to probe the large-scale structure of the universe and cosmic evolution over a large redshift range. To probe the large-scale structure, we used the sky position of the BBHs observed by third-generation GW detectors to calculate the angular correlation function and the bias factor of the population of BBHs. This method is also statistically significant as 5000 BBHs are simulated. Moreover, for the third-generation GW detectors, we found that the bias factor can be recovered to within 33% with an observational time of ten years. This method only depends on the GW source-location posteriors;hence, it can be an independent method to reveal the formation mechanisms and origin of the BBH mergers compared to the electromagnetic method.

Possibility of measuring spin precession of the nearest supermassive black hole by using S stars

The supermassive black hole （SMBH） with a mass of 4 million M⊙ inside the radio source Sgr A＊ in our Galactic center is the nearest SMBH. Once S stars with a shorter period are observed, relativistic precessions especially the Lense-Thirring effect can be measured by astronomical observations at the 10 ~tas level in the future. An interesting but so far unaddressed problem is that the SMBH not only has spin but also spin precession like similar objects. We study the effect of such spin precession on the orbital precessions of orbiting stars. Our results show that the spin precession can produce a periodic oscillation in the precession of the star＇s orbital plane, but has no obvious effect on the periapse shift. For stars with an orbital period of O（0.1） yr or less, such visible oscillations occur when the SMBH＇s spin-precession period ranges from about a few tens of years to hundreds of years. The period of oscillation is the same as the one of the spin precession. In principle, the precession of this oscillating orbital plane can be observed and then the spin and spin precession of the nearest SMBH can be determined.

A model of low-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations in black hole X-ray binaries

A model of low-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations （LFQPOs） of black hole X-ray binaries （BHXBs） is proposed based on the perturbed magnetohydrody- namic equations of an accretion disk. It turns out that the LFQPO frequencies of some BHXBs can be fitted by the frequencies of the toroidal Alfv6n wave oscillation cor- responding to the maximal radiation flux. In addition, the positive correlation of the LFQPO frequencies with the radiation flux from an accretion disk is well interpreted.

Transition from radiatively inefficient to cooling dominated phase in two temperature accretion disks around black holes

We investigate the transition of a radiatively inefficient phase of a viscous two temperature accreting flow to a cooling dominated phase and vice versa around black holes. Based on a global sub-Keplerian accretion disk model in steady state, including explicit cooling processes self-consistently, we show that general advective accretion flow passes through various phases during its infall towards a black hole. Bremsstrahlung, syn- chrotron and inverse Comptonization of soft photons are considered as possible cooling mechanisms. Hence the flow governs a much lower electron temperature ～10^8 - 10^9.5 K compared to the hot protons of temperature ～10^10.2 - 10^11.8 K in the range of the accretion rate in Eddington units 0.01≤M≤ 100. Therefore, the solutions may potentially explain the hard X-rays and the γ-rays emitted from AGNs and X-ray binaries. We finally compare the solutions for two different regimes of viscosity and conclude that a weakly viscous flow is expected to be cooling dominated compared to its highly viscous counterpart which is radiatively inefficient. The flow is successfully able to reproduce the observed luminosities of the under-fed AGNs and quasars （e.g. Sgr A＊）, ultra-luminous X-ray sources （e.g. SS433）, as well as the highly luminous AGNs and ultra-luminous quasars （e.g. PKS 0743-67） at different combinations of the mass accretion rate and ratio of specific heats.

Neutron star mass-radius relation with gravitational field shielding by a scalar field

The currently well-developed models for equations of state （EoSs） have been severely impacted by recent measurements of neutron stars with a small radius and/or large mass. To explain these measurements, the theory of gravitational field shielding by a scalar field is applied. This theory was recently developed in accor- dance with the five-dimensional （5D） fully covariant Kaluza-Klein （KK） theory that has successfully unified Einstein＇s general relativity and Maxwell＇s electromagnetic theory. It is shown that a massive, compact neutron star can generate a strong scalar field, which can significantly shield or reduce its gravitational field, thus making it more massive and more compact. The mass-radius relation developed under this type of modified gravity can be consistent with these recent measurements of neutron stars. In addition, the effect of gravitational field shielding helps explain why the supernova explosions of some very massive stars （e.g.9 40 MQ as measured recently） actually formed neutron stars rather than black holes as expected. The EoS models, ruled out by measurements of small radius and/or large mass neutron stars according to the the- ory of general relativity, can still work well in terms of the 5D fully covariant KK theory with a scalar field.

Jet-dominated quiescent state in black hole X-ray binaries: the cases of A0620–00 and XTE J1118+480

The radiative mechanism of black hole X-ray transients （BHXTs） in their quiescent states （defined as the 2-10 keV X-ray luminosity ≤ 10^34 erg s-1） remains unclear. In this work, we investigate the quasi-simultaneous quiescent state spectrum （including radio, infrared, optical, ultraviolet and X-ray） of two BHXTs, A0620-00 and XTE J1118＋480. We find that these two sources can be well described by a coupled accretion - jet model. More specifically, most of the emission （radio up to infrared, and the X-ray waveband） comes from the collimated relativistic jet. Emission from hot accretion flow is totally insignificant, and it can only be observed in mid-infrared （the synchrotron peak）. Emission from the outer cold disk is only evident in the UV band. These results are consistent with our previous investigation on the quiescent state of V404 Cyg and confirm that the quiescent state is jet-dominated.

A 2.5-dimensional viscous, resistive, advective magnetized accretion-outflow coupling in black hole systems: a higher order polynomial approximation

The correlated and coupled dynamics of accretion and outflow around black holes （BHs） are essentially governed by the fundamental laws of conservation as outflow extracts matter, momentum and energy from the accretion region. Here we analyze a robust form of 2.5-dimensional viscous, resistive, advective magnetized accretion-outflow coupling in BH systems. We solve the complete set of coupled MHD conservation equations self-consistently, through invoking a generalized polynomial expansion in two dimensions. We perform a critical analysis of the accretion-outflow region and provide a complete quasi-analytical family of solutions for advective flows. We obtain the physically plausible outflow solu- tions at high turbulent viscosity parameter a（〉0.3）, and at a reduced scale-height, as magnetic stresses compress or squeeze the flow region. We found that the value of the large-scale poloidal magnetic field Bp is enhanced with the increase of the geometrical thickness of the accretion flow. On the other hand, differential magnetic torque （-r2BBz） increases with the increase in M. Bp, -r2BBz as well as the plasma beta/3p get strongly augmented with the increase in the value of a, enhancing the transport of vertical flux outwards. Our solutions indicate that magnetocentrifugal acceleration plausibly plays a dominant role in effusing out plasma from the radial accretion flow in a moderately advective paradigm which is more centrifugally dominated. However in a strongly advective paradigm it is likely that the thermal pressure gradient would play a more contributory role in the vertical transport of plasma.

A magnetic model for low/hard state of black hole binaries

A magnetic model for the low/hard state （LHS） of two black hole X-ray binaries （BHXBs）, H1743-322 and GX 339-4, is proposed based on transport of the magnetic field from a companion into an accretion disk around a black hole （BH）. This model consists of a truncated thin disk with an inner advection-dominated accretion flow （ADAF）. The spectral profiles of the sources are fitted in agreement with the data observed at four different dates corresponding to the rising phase of the LHS. In addition, the association of the LHS with a quasi-steady jet is modeled based on transport of magnetic field, where the Blandford-Znajek （BZ） and Blandford-Payne （BP） processes are invoked to drive the jets from BH and inner ADAE It turns out that the steep radio/X-ray correlations observed in H 1743-322 and GX 339-4 can be interpreted based on our model.

Horizon area spectrum and entropy spectrum of a noncommutative geometry inspired regular black hole in three dimensions

By employing an adiabatic invariant and implementing the Bohr- Sommerfield quantization rule, I study the quantization of a regular black hole in- spired by noncommutative geometry in AdS3 spacetime. The entropy spectrum as well as the horizon area spectrum of the black hole is obtained. It is shown that the spectra are discrete, and the spacing of the entropy spectrum is equidistant; in the limit rh2/4θ ≥1, the area spectrum depends on the noncommutative parameter and the cos- mological constant, but the spacing of the area spectrum is equidistant up to leading order √θe- 2Ml2/θ in θ, and is independent of the noncommutative parameter and the cosmological constant.

Law of Physics 20^th-Century Scientists Overlooked (Part 4): Mass Extinction by Aether Deprivation

Extreme gravitational collapse is explored by utilizing two fundamental properties and one reasonable assumption, which together lead logically to an end-state gravitating structure. This structure, called a Terminal state neutron star, manifests nature’s ultimate density of mass and possesses the ultimate electromagnetic barrier. It is then shown how this structure is central to the remarkable mechanism whereby the density is prevented from going higher. A simple process assures that such density is not exceeded—regardless of the quantity of additional mass. As an example, the discourse focuses on the expected progression and outcome when a compact star of —far more mass than can be accommodated by the basic Terminal state structure—undergoes total gravitational collapse. An examination of what happens to the considerable excess mass leads the discussion to the principle of mass extinction by the process of aether deprivation and its profound implications for black-hole physics and the current revolution in cosmology.

A magnetic reconnection model for quasi-periodic oscillations in black hole systems

The quasi-periodic oscillations （QPOs） in black hole （BH） systems with different scales are interpreted based on the magnetic reconnection of large-scale mag- netic fields generated by toroidal electric currents flowing in the inner region of the accretion disk, where the current density is assumed to be proportional to the mass density of the accreting plasma. The magnetic connection （MC） is taken into account in resolving dynamic equations describing the accretion disk, in which the MC be- tween the inner and outer disk regions, between the plunging region and the disk, and between the BH horizon and the disk are involved. It turns out that a single QPO frequency associated with several BH systems with different scales can be fitted by in- voking the magnetic reconnection due to the MC between the inner and outer regions of the disk, including the BH binaries XTE J1859＋226, XTE J1650-500 and GRS 1915＋105 and the massive BHs in NGC 5408 X-1 and RE J1034＋396. In addition, the X-ray spectra corresponding to the QPOs for these sources are fitted based on the typical disk-corona model.

Primordial black holes

Primordial black holes （PBHs） are a profound signature of primordial cosmological structures and provide a theoretical tool to study nontrivial physics of the early Universe. The mechanisms of PBH formation are discussed and observational constraints on the PBH spectrum, or effects of PBH evaporation, are shown to restrict a wide range of particle physics models, predicting an enhancement of the ultraviolet part of the spectrum of density perturbations, early dust-like stages, first order phase transitions and stages of superheavy metastable particle dominance in the early Universe. The mechanism of closed wall contraction can lead, in the inflationary Universe, to a new approach to galaxy formation, involving primordial clouds of massive BHs created around the intermediate mass or supermassive BH and playing the role of galactic seeds.