Redshifted Annihilation Line Research Articles

Detection of a High-Temperature Blackbody Hump in Black Hole Spectra. The strongly redshifted annihilation line

Abstract We detected a so called high-temperature blackbody (HBB) component, found in the 15 – 40 keV range, in the broad-band X-ray energy spectra of black hole (BH) candidate sources. A detailed study of this spectral feature is presented using data from five of the Galactic BH binaries, Cyg X–1, GX 339–4, GRS 1915+105, SS 433 and V4641 Sgr in the low/hard, intermediate, high/soft and very soft spectral states (LHS, IS, HSS and VSS, respectively) and spectral transitions between them using RXTE, INTEGRAL and BeppoSAX data. In order to fit the broad-band energy spectra of these sources we used an additive XSPEC model, composed of the Comptonization component and the Gaussian line component. In particular, we reveal that the IS spectra have the HBB component which color temperature, kTHBB is in the range of 4.5 – 5.9 keV. This HBB feature has been detected in some spectra of these five sources only in the IS (for the photon index Γ > 1.9) using different X-ray telescopes. We also demonstrate that a timescale of the HBB-feature is of orders of magnitude shorter than the timescale of the iron line and its edge. That leads us to conclude that these spectral features are formed in geometrically different parts of the source and which are not connected to each other. Laurent & Titarchuk (2018) demonstrated a presence of a gravitational redshifted annihilation line emission in a BH using the Monte-Carlo simulations and therefore the observed HBB hump leads us to suggest this feature is a gravitational redshifted annihilation line observed in these black holes.

Electron–Positron Pair Creation Close to a Black Hole Horizon: Redshifted Annihilation Line in the Emergent X-Ray Spectra of a Black Hole. I.

Abstract We consider a Compton cloud (CC) surrounding a black hole (BH) in an accreting BH system, where electrons propagate with thermal and bulk velocities. In that cloud, soft (disk) photons may be upscattered off these energetic electrons and attain energies of several MeV. They could then create pairs due to photon–photon interactions. In this paper, we study the formation of the 511 keV annihilation line due to this photon–photon interaction, which results in the creation of electron–positron pairs, followed by the annihilation of the created positrons with the CC electrons. The appropriate conditions for annihilation-line generation take place very close to a BH horizon within (103–104)m cm from it, where m is the BH hole mass in solar units. As a result, the created annihilation line should be seen by the Earth observer as a blackbody bump, or the so-called reflection bump at energies around (511/20) (20/z) keV, where z ∼ 20 is a typical gravitational redshift experienced by the created annihilation-line photons when they emerge. This transient feature should occur in any accreting BH system, either galactic or extragalactic. Observational evidences for this feature in several galactic BH systems is detailed in an accompanying paper. An extended hard tail of the spectrum up to 1 MeV may also be formed due to X-ray photons upscattering off created pairs.

ON THE NATURE OF THE COMPACT OBJECT IN SS 433: OBSERVATIONAL EVIDENCE OF X-RAY PHOTON INDEX SATURATION

We present an analysis of the X-ray spectral properties observed from black hole candidate (BHC) binary SS~433. We have analyzed RXTE data from this source, coordinated with Green Bank Interferometer/RATAN-600. We show that SS~433 undergoes a X-ray spectral transition from the low hard state (LHS) to the intermediate state (IS). We show that the X-ray broad-band energy spectra during all spectral states are well fit by a sum of so called ``Bulk Motion Comptonization (BMC) component'' and by two (broad and narrow) Gaussians for the continuum and line emissions respectively. In addition to these spectral model components we also find a strong feature that we identify as a "blackbody-like (BB)" component which color temperature is in the range of 4-5 keV in 24 IS spectra during the radio outburst decay in SS~433. Our observational results on the "high temperature BB" bump leads us to suggest the presence of gravitationally redshifted annihilation line emission in this source. I\ We have also established the photon index saturation at about 2.3 in index vs mass accretion correlation. This index-mass accretion correlation allows us to evaluate the low limit of black hole (BH) mass of compact object in SS~433, M_{bh}> 2 solar masses, using the scaling method using BHC GX 339-4 as a reference source. Our estimate of the BH mass in SS 433 is consistent with recent BH mass measurement using the radial-velocity measurements of the binary system by Hillwig & Gies who find that M_{x}=(4.3+/-0.8 solar masses. This is the smallest BH mass found up to now among all BH sources. Moreover, the index saturation effect versus mass accretion rate revealed in SS~433, like in a number of other BH candidates, is the strong observational evidence for the presence of a BH in SS~433.

Compton backscattered 511 keV annihilation line emission and the 170 keV line from the Galactic center direction

view Abstract Citations (34) References (32) Co-Reads Similar Papers Volume Content Graphics Metrics Export Citation NASA/ADS Compton Backscattered 511 keV Annihilation Line Emission and the 170 keV Line from the Galactic Center Direction Lingenfelter, Richard E. ; Hua, Xin-Min Abstract It is shown that Compton scattering of 511 keV electron-positron annihilation radiation produces a linelike reflection feature at 170 keV from backscattered photons. Assuming simple models of clouds and accretion disks around a compact source, the paper explores the spectrum of Compton-scattered annihilation line emission for a range of geometries, opacities, and observing angles, and finds that the linelike feature is produced under a wide variety of conditions. It is further shown that such Compton backscattering of slightly redshifted annihilation line emission from the inner edge of an accretion disk could account for the 170 keV line emission and higher energy continuum observed together with the 511 keV annihilation radiation from the direction of the Galactic center. Identification of the observed 170 keV line as a slightly redshifted annihilation line reflection feature provides strong new evidence that the source of this emission is a compact object surrounded by a disk of presumably accreting matter. Publication: The Astrophysical Journal Pub Date: November 1991 DOI: 10.1086/170665 Bibcode: 1991ApJ...381..426L Keywords: Compton Effect; Galactic Nuclei; Gamma Ray Astronomy; Backscattering; Black Holes (Astronomy); Line Spectra; Milky Way Galaxy; Plasma Clouds; Astrophysics; BLACK HOLES; ELEMENTARY PARTICLES; GALAXIES: NUCLEI; GALAXIES: THE GALAXY; GAMMA RAYS: GENERAL; LINE FORMATION full text sources ADS | data products SIMBAD (1)

Red-shifted annihilation lines in thermal synchrotron model of gamma-ray bursts

The origins of the gravitationally-red-shifted annihilation lines of gamma-ray bursts in thermal synchrotron-radiation model are discussed in this paper. It is shown that the positrons produced by high-energy photons which are obtained by extrapolation from the continua through strong magnetic field could not be the main source of the annihilation lines, while that escaping from the hot thin region might account the emission features.

Cosmic gamma-ray burst spectroscopy

A review is given of the gamma-ray burst energy spectrum measurements on Venera 11 and Venera 12 space probes. The gamma burst continuum approximates in shape thermal brems-strahlung emission of a hot plasma. The radiation temperature varies over a broad range, 50–1000 keV, for different events. Spectra of many bursts contain cyclotron absorption and/or redshifted annihilation lines. Strong variability is typically observed in both continuum and line spectra. These spectral data provide convincing evidence for the gamma-ray bursts being generated by neutron stars with superstrong magnetic fields ∼1012–1013 G.

GAMMA RAY BURSTS

Recent measurements and discoveries in gamma ray bursts and transients are reviewed including observations of the red shifted annihilation line in two kinds of slow transients (in 'classical' gamma ray bursts and in the unique 1979 March 5th event); of red shifted nuclear lines in a slow transient and in one gamma ray burst; and of the positions of precise source locations of gamma ray bursts and of the March 5th event, within the supernova remnant N49 in the Large Magellanic Cloud.