Events

Abstract: Single-frequency emission from an accretion disk around a black hole is broadened into a line profile due to gravity and the motion of the disk relative to the observer. In this talk, I present unified analytical explanation for the line profile morphological features (i.e., its extent, kinks, and fall-off), and show how these features can be used to constrain black hole spin, observer inclination, and locations of the disk’s inner and outer edges, working in the Standard disk model wherein particles in the disk travel on stable circular orbits. The line profile morphological features are model-dependent. Thus we also explore select models wherein disk particles deviate from stable circular orbits, demonstrating that our understanding of black hole and disk properties can be highly sensitive to the model assumptions made when interpreting measurements.