Estimating the black hole spin for the X-ray binary MAXI J1820+070

TL;DR

This study estimates the spin of the black hole in MAXI J1820+070 using the continuum-fitting method on X-ray spectra, finding a generally slowly-spinning black hole with some uncertainty depending on parameters.

Contribution

First application of the continuum-fitting method to estimate the spin of MAXI J1820+070 using extit{Insight}-HXMT data with a relativistic thin disk model.

Findings

Estimated black hole spin $a_*=0.14 \,\pm\, 0.09$ with preferred parameters.

Black hole likely has prograde spin, but retrograde possible with different parameters.

Provided constraints on the black hole's dynamical parameters and spin.

Abstract

MAXI J1820+070 is a newly-discovered black hole X-ray binary, whose dynamical parameters, namely the black hole mass, the inclination angle and the source distance, have been estimated recently. \emph{Insight}-HXMT have observed its entire outburst from March 14th, 2018. In this work, we attempted to estimate the spin parameter~$a_*$, using the continuum-fitting method and applying a fully-relativistic thin disk model to the soft-state spectra obtained by \emph{Insight}-HXMT. It is well know that $a_*$ is strongly dependent on three dynamical parameters in this method, and we have examined two sets of parameters. Adopting our preferred parameters: $M$ = $8.48^{+0.79}_{-0.72}~M_\odot$, $i=63^\circ\pm3^\circ$ and $D=2.96\pm0.33$ kpc, we found a slowly-spinning black hole of $a_*=0.14 \pm 0.09$ ($1\sigma$), which give a prograde spin parameter as majority of other systems show. While it is also possible for the black hole to have a retrograde spin (less than 0) if different dynamical parameters are taken.