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Published July 10, 2013 | Submitted + Published
Journal Article Open

What is on Tap? The Role of Spin in Compact Objects and Relativistic Jets

Abstract

We examine the role of spin in launching jets from compact objects across the mass scale. Our work includes 3 different Seyfert samples with a total of 37 unique Seyferts, as well as 11 stellar-mass black holes, and 13 neutron stars. We find that when the Seyfert reflection lines are modeled with simple Gaussian line features (a crude proxy for inner disk radius and therefore spin), only a slight inverse correlation is found between the Doppler-corrected radio luminosity at 5 GHz (a proxy for jet power) and line width. When the Seyfert reflection features are fit with more relativistically blurred disk reflection models that measure spin, there is a tentative positive correlation between the Doppler-corrected radio luminosity and the spin measurement. Further, when we include stellar-mass black holes in the sample, to examine the effects across the mass scale, we find a slightly stronger correlation with radio luminosity per unit mass and spin, at a marginal significance (2.3σ confidence level). Finally, when we include neutron stars, in order to probe lower spin values, we find a positive correlation (3.3σ confidence level) between radio luminosity per unit mass and spin. Although tentative, these results suggest that spin may have a role in determining the jet luminosity. In addition, we find a slightly more significant correlation (4.4σ and 4.1σ confidence level, respectively) between radio luminosity per bolometric luminosity and spin, as well as radio luminosity corrected for the fundamental plane (i.e., log (νL_R/L^(0.67)_Bol/M^(0.78)_BH) and spin, using our entire sample of black holes and neutrons stars. Again, although tentative, these relations point to the possibility that the mass accretion rate, i.e., bolometric luminosity, is also important in determining the jet luminosity, in addition to spin. Our analysis suggests that mass accretion rate and disk or coronal magnetic field strength may be the "throttle" in these compact systems, to which the Eddington limit and spin may set the maximum jet luminosity that can be achieved.

Additional Information

© 2013 American Astronomical Society. Received 2013 January 31; accepted 2013 May 13; published 2013 June 19. We thank the anonymous referee for an invaluable report. A.L.K. acknowledges support from NASA through the NESSF program. J.M.M. thanks NASA for support through its guest observer programs.

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Published - 0004-637X_771_2_84.pdf

Submitted - 1305.3230v1.pdf

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August 22, 2023
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