Study examines how black-hole spin may shape X-ray flickering

Scientists at the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences and collaborators used computer simulations to study viscous accretion flows around spinning black holes, according to a PIB Delhi release. The research says the oscillations in such flows may produce quasi-periodic oscillations, or QPOs, in X-ray emission.

The study reports that faster black-hole spin draws the shock closer to the black hole and can produce QPOs across a broader range of frequencies, while slower spin is associated mainly with lower-frequency QPOs. The findings were published in the Journal of High Energy Astrophysics, the release said.