Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 7, 2026

08:53
Angle-resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy At Ultra-low Temperatures
Published on: October 9, 2012
Detecting energy emissions from a rotating black hole.
Maurice H P M van Putten1, Amir Levinson
1Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Room 2-378, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. mvp@schauder.mit.edu
Summary
Black hole-torus systems release rotational energy via outflows and gravitational radiation. Gravitational waves from these systems can help identify Kerr black holes.
Area of Science:
- Astrophysics
- Black Hole Physics
- Gravitational Wave Astronomy
Background:
- Black holes surrounded by accretion tori are sites of significant energy release.
- Understanding these energy release mechanisms is crucial for astrophysical phenomena.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the channels of rotational energy release from black hole-torus systems.
- To investigate the potential for detecting these phenomena with gravitational wave experiments.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of energy release through different channels including outflows and gravitational radiation.
- Modeling the torus's angular velocity relative to the black hole.
Main Results:
- A minor fraction of energy is released in baryon-poor outflows, potentially linked to gamma-ray bursts.
- A major fraction (eta/2) is released as gravitational radiation by the torus.
- Remaining energy is released via torus winds, thermal emissions, and neutrino emissions.
Conclusions:
- Gravitational radiation from black hole-torus systems is detectable by gravitational wave experiments.
- This radiation offers a method for identifying Kerr black holes in the universe.
Related Concept Videos
Schwarzschild Radius and Event Horizon
No object with a finite mass can travel faster than the speed of light in a vacuum. This fact has an interesting consequence in the domain of extremely high gravitational fields.
The minimum speed required to launch a projectile from the surface of an object to which it is gravitationally bound so that it eventually escapes the object’s gravitational field is called the escape velocity. The escape velocity is independent of the mass of the object. Merging the idea of escape velocity with the...
The minimum speed required to launch a projectile from the surface of an object to which it is gravitationally bound so that it eventually escapes the object’s gravitational field is called the escape velocity. The escape velocity is independent of the mass of the object. Merging the idea of escape velocity with the...
Detection of Black Holes
Although black holes were theoretically postulated in the 1920s, they remained outside the domain of observational astronomy until the 1970s.
Their closest cousins are neutron stars, which are composed almost entirely of neutrons packed against each other, making them extremely dense. A neutron star has the same mass as the Sun but its diameter is only a few kilometers. Therefore, the escape velocity from their surface is close to the speed of light.
Not until the 1960s, when the first neutron...
Their closest cousins are neutron stars, which are composed almost entirely of neutrons packed against each other, making them extremely dense. A neutron star has the same mass as the Sun but its diameter is only a few kilometers. Therefore, the escape velocity from their surface is close to the speed of light.
Not until the 1960s, when the first neutron...
Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Relaxation Processes
In the absence of an external magnetic field, nuclear spin states are degenerate and randomly oriented. When a magnetic field is applied, the spins begin to precess and orient themselves along (lower energy) or against (higher energy) the direction of the field. At equilibrium, a slight excess population of spins exists in the lower energy state. Because the direction of the magnetic field is fixed as the z-axis, the precessing magnetic moments are randomly oriented around the z-axis. This...
Energy In A Magnetic Field
If a magnetic field is sustained, there must be a current in a closed circuit or loop, implying some energy has been spent in creating the field. If this energy is not dissipated via the circuit's resistance, it is stored in the field.
Take an ideal inductor with zero resistance. Although it's practically impossible, assume that the coil's resistance is so small that it is practically negligible. The loss of the field's energy to dissipate thermal energy (or heat) is thus negligible.
The energy...
Take an ideal inductor with zero resistance. Although it's practically impossible, assume that the coil's resistance is so small that it is practically negligible. The loss of the field's energy to dissipate thermal energy (or heat) is thus negligible.
The energy...
Energy Associated With a Charge Distribution
The work done to bring a charge through a distance r is given by the potential difference between the initial and the final position. To assemble a collection of point charges, the total work done can be expressed in terms of the product of each pair of charges divided by their separation distance, defined with respect to a suitable origin. Solving this expression gives the energy stored in a point charge distribution.
Mass Analyzers: Common Types
The quadrupole mass analyzer consists of four cylindrical metal rods arranged in a diamond carrying a DC voltage and a radio-frequency AC voltage. The motion of ions through the quadrupole depends on the field strength, causing only ions of a certain m/z to resonate successfully and strike the detector at a given field strength. Though the transmission rate for these analyzers is high, the exact elemental composition of the sample is not determined because of low resolution; however, they are...

