What Is the Black Hole Spin in Cyg X-1?

Abstract

We perform a detailed study of the black hole spin of Cyg X-1, using accurate broadband X-ray data obtained in the soft spectral state by simultaneous NICER and NuSTAR observations, supplemented at high energies by INTEGRAL data. We use the relativistic disk model kerrbb together with different models of the Comptonization high-energy tail and the relativistically broadened reflection features. Unlike most previous studies, we tie the spin parameters of the disk and relativistic broadening models, thus combining the continuum and reflection methods of spin determination. We also consider a likely increase of the disk color correction due to a partial support of the disk by large-scale magnetic fields. We find that such models yield a spin parameter of ${a}_{* }={0.87}_{-0.03}^{+0.04}$ if the disk inclination is allowed to be free, with $i=39{^\circ }_{-1}^{+1}$ . Assuming i = 27.°5, as determined by optical studies of the binary, worsens the fit but leads to similar values of the spin, ${a}_{* }={0.90}_{-0.01}^{+0.01}$ . In addition, we consider the presence of a warm Comptonization layer on top of the disk, motivated by successful modeling of soft X-ray excesses in other sources with such a model. This dramatically lowers the spin, to a _* ≲ 0.1, consistent with the spin measurements from black hole mergers. On the other hand, if the natal spin of Cyg X-1 was low but now a _* ≈ 0.9, a period of effective supercritical accretion had to take place in the past. Such accretion could be facilitated by photon advection, as proposed for ultraluminous X-ray sources.

Keywords

• X-ray binary stars
• X-ray sources
• Accretion
• Astrophysical black holes
• Rotating black holes