The bizarre “heart rate” of a black hole forces astronomers to reconsider how these cosmic heavyweights behave.
The observations of the IGR J17091-3624 – A black hole in a binary system at around 28,000 light years from the earth – were taken using the explorer of X -rays of NASA imaging (IXPE). Nicknamed the “heart rhythm” black hole for its dramatic rhythmic pulses in the brightness, the object feeds on the stolen material with a complementary star. The impulses of the black hole are the result of fluctuations in the overheated plasma swirling around it (also known as the accretion disk) and the interior region called Corona, which can reach extreme temperatures and radiate incredibly bright X rays.
IXPE has measured the polarization – the direction of the X -ray of the black hole – to determine the alignment of its vibrations. The space probe has recorded a surprisingly 9.1%polarization degree, which is much higher than the theoretical models planned, according to a NASA press release.
The study of the polarization diploma offers an overview of the geometry of the black hole and the movement of the material nearby. As a rule, such high readings suggest that the crown is seen almost towards the edge, where its structure seems strongly ordered. However, other observations of the IGR J17091-3624 do not seem to correspond to this image, leaving scientists a confusing contradiction.
Astronomers have tested two different models to help explain the recent observations of the IGR J17091-3624. We postulate that powerful winds are launched from the accretion disc, diffusing X -rays in a more polarized state even without edge prospect. The other suggests that the crown itself moves outside at extraordinary speeds, causing relativistic effects that amplify polarization. The simulations of the two scenarios reproduce the IXPE results, but each model calls into question the long -standing hypotheses on black hole environments.
“These winds are one of the most critical missing pieces to understand the growth of all types of black holes,” said Maxime Parra, co-author of the University of Ehimeyama, in Japan, in the press release. “Astronomers could expect future observations to give even more surprising polarization measures.”
Their results were published on May 27 in the review Monthly Opinion of the Royal Astronomical Society.
