Observational Constraints on Black Hole Spin

Abstract

The spin of a black hole is an important quantity to study, providing a window into the processes by which a black hole was born and grew. Furthermore, spin can be a potent energy source for powering relativistic jets and energetic particle acceleration. In this review, I describe the techniques currently used to detect and measure the spins of black holes. It is shown that: ▪  Two well-understood techniques, X-ray reflection spectroscopy and thermal continuum fitting, can be used to measure the spins of black holes that are accreting at moderate rates. There is a rich set of other electromagnetic techniques allowing us to extend spin measurements to lower accretion rates. ▪  Many accreting supermassive black holes are found to be rapidly spinning, although a population of more slowly spinning black holes emerges at masses above [Formula: see text] as expected from recent structure formation models. ▪  Many accreting stellar-mass black holes in X-ray binary systems are rapidly spinning and must have been born in this state. ▪  The advent of gravitational wave astronomy has enabled the detection of spin effects in merging binary black holes. Most of the premerger black holes are found to be slowly spinning, a notable exception being an object that may itself be a merger product. ▪  The stark difference in spins between the black hole X-ray binary and the binary black hole populations shows that there is a diversity of formation mechanisms. Given the array of new electromagnetic and gravitational wave capabilities currently being planned, the future of black hole spin studies is bright.