Multiwavelength detectability of isolated black holes in the Milky Way

Authors
Publication date 08-2021
Journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Volume | Issue number 505 | 3
Pages (from-to) 4036-4047
Number of pages 12
Organisations
  • Faculty of Science (FNWI) - Institute of Physics (IoP) - Institute for Theoretical Physics Amsterdam (ITFA)
Abstract

Isolated black holes in our Galaxy have eluded detection so far. We present here a comprehensive study on the detectability of isolated stellar-mass astrophysical black holes that accrete interstellar gas from molecular clouds in both the local region and the Central Molecular Zone. We adopt a state-of-the-art model for the accretion physics backed up by numerical simulations, and study the number of observable sources in both the radio and X-ray band, as a function of a variety of parameters. We discuss in particular the impact of the astrophysical uncertainties on our prediction for the number of bright X-ray sources in the central region of the Galaxy. We finally consider future developments in the radio domain and assess the potential of SKA to detect a population of astrophysical black holes accreting gas in our Galaxy.

Document type Article
Language English
Published at https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stab1533
Other links https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85113730914
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