Hard-state Optical Wind during the Discovery Outburst of the Black Hole X-Ray Dipper MAXI J1803–298

X-ray-emitting binary system likely to have a black hole

30 July 2022

A binary system emitting X-rays is probably harbouring a black hole, spectral measurements indicate.

Astronomical systems known as low-mass X-ray binaries consist of a neutron star or black hole that is stripping material from a companion star. About 60 of those discovered to date are suspected to have black holes. But of these, only one third have actually been confirmed to harbour a black hole.

Now, a team of researchers from the University of La Laguna found that a low-mass X-ray binaries discovered in May 2021 has a compact object with a mass of three to ten times that of the Sun, which points to it being a black hole.

The team arrived at this conclusion by analysing the optical and infrared spectroscopic observations during the outburst of X-ray that first alerted astronomers to the object’s existence.

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References

1. The Astrophysical Journal Letters 926, L10 (2022). doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/ac502f