Diskoseismology and QPOs Confront Black Hole Spin

We compare the determinations of the angular momentum of stellar mass black holes via the continuum and line methods with those from diskoseismology. The assumption being tested is that one of the QPOs (quasi-periodic oscillations) in each binary X-ray source is produced by the fundamental g-mode. This should be the most robust and visible normal mode of oscillation of the accretion disk, and therefore its absence should rule out diskoseismology as the origin of QPOs. The comparisons are consistent with the second highest frequency QPO being produced by this g-mode, but are not consistent with models in which one QPO frequency is that of the innermost stable circular orbit.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal Letters; 9 pages, references added and typos correcte

A Timing Signature of Gravitational Radiation from LMXB Neutron Stars

The coupled evolution of the spin frequency, core temperature, and r-mode amplitude of an accreting neutron star is calculated. We focus on those conditions that can produce persistent gravitational radiation from the r-mode. During X-ray quiescent phases of transient LMXBs, one may be able to identify the constant contribution of the gravitational wave emission to the spindown rate. Another signature is the r-mode contribution to the heating.Comment: To appear in the proceedings of X-ray Timing 2003: Rossi and Beyond, ed. P. Kaaret, F.K. Lamb, & J.H. Swank (Melville, NY: American Institute of Physics

Global Disk Oscillation Modes in Cataclysmic Variables and Other Newtonian Accretors

Diskoseismology, the theoretical study of small adiabatic hydrodynamical global perturbations of geometrically thin, optically thick accretion disks around black holes (and other compact objects), is a potentially powerful probe of the gravitational field. For instance, the frequencies of the normal mode oscillations can be used to determine the elusive angular momentum parameter of the black hole. The general formalism developed by diskoseismologists for relativistic systems can be readily applied to the Newtonian case of cataclysmic variables (CVs). Some of these systems (e.g., the dwarf nova SS Cygni) show rapid oscillations in the UV with periods of tens of seconds and high coherence. In this paper, we assess the possibility that these dwarf nova oscillations (DNOs) are diskoseismic modes. Besides its importance in investigating the physical origin of DNOs, the present work could help us to answer the following question. To what extent are the similarities in the oscillation phenomenology of CVs and X-ray binaries (XRBs) indicative of a common physical mechanism?Comment: 1 figur

On the Perturbations of Viscous Rotating Newtonian Fluids

The perturbations of weakly-viscous, barotropic, non-self-gravitating, Newtonian rotating fluids are analyzed via a single partial differential equation. The results are then used to find an expression for the viscosity-induced normal-mode complex eigenfrequency shift, with respect to the case of adiabatic perturbations. However, the effects of viscosity are assumed to have been incorporated in the unperturbed (equilibrium) model. This paper is an extension of the normal-mode formalism developed by Ipser & Lindblom for adiabatic pulsations of purely-rotating perfect fluids. The formulas derived are readily applicable to the perturbations of thin and thick accretion disks. We provide explicit expressions for thin disks, employing results from previous relativistic analyses of adiabatic normal modes of oscillation. In this case, we find that viscosity causes the fundamental p- and g- modes to grow while the fundamental c-mode could have either sign of the damping rate.Comment: Accepted for publication by The Astrophysical Journal. 11 pages, no figure

The 67 Hz Feature in the Black Hole Candidate GRS 1915+105 as a Possible ``Diskoseismic'' Mode

The Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) has made feasible for the first time the search for high-frequency (~ 100 Hz) periodic features in black hole candidate (BHC) systems. Such a feature, with a 67 Hz frequency, recently has been discovered in the BHC GRS 1915+105 (Morgan, Remillard, & Greiner). This feature is weak (rms variability ~0.3%-1.6%), stable in frequency (to within ~2 Hz) despite appreciable luminosity fluctuations, and narrow (quality factor Q ~ 20). Several of these properties are what one expects for a ``diskoseismic'' g-mode in an accretion disk about a 10.6 M_sun (nonrotating) - 36.3 M_sun (maximally rotating) black hole (if we are observing the fundamental mode frequency). We explore this possibility by considering the expected luminosity modulation, as well as possible excitation and growth mechanisms---including turbulent excitation, damping, and ``negative'' radiation damping. We conclude that a diskoseismic interpretation of the observations is viable.Comment: 4 Pages, Latex (emulateapj.sty included), to Appear in ApJ Letters, Vol. 477, Final Version with Updated Reference

'Stable' QPOs and Black Hole Properties from Diskoseismology

We compare our calculations of the frequencies of the fundamental g, c, and p--modes of relativistic thin accretion disks with recent observations of high frequency QPOs in X-ray binaries with black hole candidates. These classes of modes encompass all adiabatic perturbations of such disks. The frequencies of these modes depend mainly on only the mass and angular momentum of the black hole; their weak dependence on disk luminosity is also explicitly indicated. Identifying the recently discovered relatively stable QPO pairs with the fundamental g and c modes provides a determination of the mass and angular momentum of the black hole. For GRO J1655-40, M=5.9\pm 1.0 M_\sun, $J=(0.917\pm 0.024)GM^2/c$, in agreement with spectroscopic mass determinations. For GRS 1915+105, M=42.4\pm 7.0 M_\sun, $J=(0.926\pm 0.020)GM^2/c$ or (less favored) M=18.2\pm 3.1 M_\sun, $J=(0.701\pm 0.043)GM^2/c$. We briefly address the issues of the amplitude, frequency width, and energy dependence of these QPOs.Comment: 10 pages, 1 figure. Accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal Letter