The Eccentric Accretion Disc of the Black Hole A0620-00
J. Neilsen (Harvard University), D. Steeghs (CfA/Warwick), S.D., Vrtilek (CfA)

TL;DR
This study provides detailed spectroscopic analysis of the black hole binary A0620-00, revealing an eccentric accretion disc with significant flickering, bright emission regions, and evidence of disc precession, refining key system parameters.
Contribution
The paper presents the first detailed spectroscopic and Doppler mapping analysis of A0620-00's eccentric accretion disc, including precise measurements of system parameters and disc structure.
Findings
Refined mass ratio q = 0.060 +/- 0.004
Disc contributes 56% of light in B and V bands
Detection of eccentric, precessing accretion disc
Abstract
We present spectroscopic observations of the quiescent black hole binary A0620-00 with the the 6.5-m Magellan Clay telescope at Las Campanas Observatory. We measure absorption-line radial velocities of the secondary and make the most precise determination to date (K2 = 435.4 +/- 0.5 km/s). By fitting the rotational broadening of the secondary, we refine the mass ratio to q = 0.060 +/- 0.004; these results, combined with the orbital period, imply a minimum mass for the compact object of 3.10 +/- 0.04 Msun. Although quiescence implies little accretion activity, we find that the disc contributes 56 +/- 7 per cent of the light in B and V, and is subject to significant flickering. Doppler maps of the Balmer lines reveal bright emission from the gas stream-disc impact point and unusual crescent-shaped features. We also find that the disc centre of symmetry does not coincide with the predicted…
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