Broad-band spectral study of LMXB black hole candidate 4U 1957+11 with NuSTAR

TL;DR

This study analyzes broadband X-ray spectra of the black hole candidate 4U 1957+11 using NuSTAR data, revealing spectral evolution, a broad Fe line, and estimating the black hole's spin with relativistic models.

Contribution

First broadband spectral analysis of 4U 1957+11 with NuSTAR, including relativistic spin estimation considering distance and mass effects.

Findings

Disc temperature varies between 1.35-1.86 keV.

A broad Fe emission line at 5-8 keV detected.

Estimated black hole spin around 0.85 for certain parameters.

Abstract

We present here the results of broadband spectral analysis of low-mass X-ray binary and a black hole candidate 4U 1957+11. The source was observed nine times with the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) between 2018 September and 2019 November. During these observations, the spectral state of 4U 1957+11 evolved marginally. The disc dominant spectra are well described with a hot, multicolour disc blackbody with disc temperature varying in the range $kT_{\rm in} \sim$ 1.35-1.86 keV and a non-thermal component having a steep slope ($\Gamma =$ 2-3). A broad Fe emission line feature (5-8 keV) was observed in the spectra of all the observations. The relativistic disc model was used to study the effect of distance, inclination, and the black hole mass on its spin. Simulations indicate a higher spin for smaller distances and lower black hole mass. At smaller distances and higher mass, spin is maximum and almost independent of the distance. An inverse correlation exists between the spin and the spectral hardening factor for all the cases. The system prefers a moderate spin of about 0.85 for black hole masses between 4-6 M_sun for a 7 kpc distance.