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Cosimo Bambi

Publications and source records attributed to Cosimo Bambi.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Zero-point length as a topological protection of black hole regularity

We investigate the thermodynamic topology of regular black holes with zero-point length using an extended first law that includes the zero-point length stored in the geometry. By treating the regularization scale $l_0$ as a thermodynamic variable, we analyze the Hessian geometry of the thermodynamic manifold and demonstrate that the vector field $\vecϕ = (T, Ψ)$, where $T$ is the temperature and $Ψ$ is the conjugate to $l_0$, never vanishes in the physical parameter space for $l_0 > 0$. This implies the absence of Morse critical points and a vanishing winding number ($W = 0$), indicating topological protection against the formation of naked singularities. Crucially, we show that in the singular limit $l_0 \to 0$, a non-zero winding number ($W = 1$) emerges, characterizing the Schwarzschild singularity as a topological defect. The conservation of this topological invariant under smooth evolution provides a rigorous topological formulation of the weak cosmic censorship conjecture: the presence of zero-point length not only regularizes the spacetime background but also enforces topological protection against the formation of singularities, preventing black hole-to-naked singularity transitions.

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DAO: A New and Public Non-Relativistic Reflection Model

We present a new non-relativistic reflection model, DAO, designed to calculate reflection spectra in the rest frame of accretion disks in X-ray binaries and active galactic nuclei. The model couples the XSTAR code, which treats atomic processes, with the Feautrier method for solving the radiative transfer equation. A key feature of DAO is the incorporation of a high-temperature corrected cross section and an exact redistribution function to accurately treat Compton scattering. Furthermore, the model accommodates arbitrary illuminating spectra, enabling applications across diverse physical conditions. We investigate the spectral dependence on key physical parameters and benchmark the results against the widely used reflionx and xillver codes.

astro-ph.HE↗

Testing General Relativity with Black Holes

The theory of General Relativity has successfully passed a large number of observational tests. The theory has been extensively tested in the weak-field regime with experiments in the Solar System and observations of binary pulsars. The past 10 years have seen significant advancements in the study of the strong-field regime, which can now be tested with gravitational waves, X-ray data, and black hole imaging. Here I summarize the state-of-the-art of the tests of General Relativity with black hole X-ray data and I briefly discuss the long-term vision of the possibility of an interstellar mission to the closest black hole for more precise and accurate tests.

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Modeling X-ray reflection spectra from returning radiation: application to 4U 1630$-$47

Returning radiation is thought to play a key role in disk illumination of black hole X-ray binaries in the high-soft state, yet it has not been fully incorporated into XSPEC reflection models. We present a new table model for reflection spectroscopy that, for the first time, self-consistently accounts for the returning radiation. To isolate this effect, we adopt the standard disk-corona configuration but disable the corona, allowing the reflection spectrum to be produced solely by self-irradiation of the disk. Applying our model to the black hole X-ray binary 4U 1630$-$47, we report a rapidly spinning black hole ($a_* \sim 0.99$), a disk inclination of $i \sim 53^\circ$, a mass accretion rate of $\dot{M}_{\rm BH} \sim 15\% \, {\rm \dot{M}_{Edd}}$, and an electron density of $n_{\rm e} \sim 10^{21} \,\mathrm{cm^{-3}}$ to reproduce the observed reflection features. The model also yields a source distance of $D\sim 8.2 \, {\rm kpc}$, slightly below the commonly adopted value of $10 \, {\rm kpc}$ in the literature. Compared to the widely used relxillNS, our model naturally produces a harder high-energy reflection spectrum, fitting the data without invoking a Comptonized component.

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Evidence of mutually exclusive outflow forms from a black hole X-ray binary

Accretion onto black holes often leads to the launch of outflows that significantly influence their surrounding environments. The two primary forms of these outflows are X-ray disk winds-hot, ionized gases ejected from the accretion disk-and relativistic jets, which are collimated streams of particles often expelled along the rotational axis of the black hole. While previous studies have revealed a general association between spectral states and different types of outflows, the physical mechanisms governing wind and jet formation remain debated. Here, using coordinated NICER and MeerKAT observations of the recurrent black hole X-ray binary 4U 1630-472, we identify a clear anti-correlation between X-ray disk winds and jets: during three recent outbursts, only one type of outflow is detected at a time. Notably, this apparent exclusivity occurs even as the overall accretion luminosity remains within the range expected for a standard thin disk, characteristic of the canonical soft state. These results suggest a competition between outflow channels that may depend on how the accretion energy is partitioned between the disk and the corona. Our findings provide new observational constraints on jet and wind formation in X-ray binaries and offer a fresh perspective on the interplay between different modes of accretion-driven feedback.

astro-ph.HE↗

Taming singularities and chaos in conformal gravity

We hereby address the cosmological singularity problem in a general gravitational theory invariant under Weyl conformal transformations. In particular, we focus on the Bianchi IX spacetime and we show that both the initial (big bang) and final (big crunch) singularities disappear in an infinite class of conformal frames naturally selected according to analyticity. It turns out that the past and future singularities are both unattainable within a finite affine parameter (for massless particles) or within a finite proper time (for massive and conformally coupled particles). In order to prove such a statement, we show the geodesic completion of the spacetime when probed by massless, massive, and conformally coupled particles. Finally, the chaotic behavior of the spacetime near the singularity is tamed by a conformal rescaling that turns the Bianchi IX metric into a quasi-FLRW spacetime.

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Decoding Cygnus X-2: The Critical Role of Reflection in IXPE Data

We present a spectro-polarimetric re-analysis of the first IXPE observation of Cygnus X-2 which we determine to be mainly in the normal branch, from quasi-simultaneous observations with NuSTAR, NICER, and INTEGRAL. We measure the hard X-ray polarization angle and find it to be consistent with the previously measured position angle of the radio jet. Leveraging NuSTAR's detection of both the relativistic Fe K emission line and the Compton hump, we constrain the flux contribution of the reflected emission from the inner accretion disk to be 10% of the total X-ray flux in the IXPE energy band. Unlike previous studies that modeled only the Fe K emission line, we fit the full-band reflection spectrum using a fully relativistic disk model. There is strong degeneracy between the Comptonized and reflection components. Given that the Comptonized component is not expected to be highly polarized, a polarization degree of approximately 20% for the reflection component could explain the X-ray polarization data from IXPE. We also discuss the disk inclination angle inferred from our spectro-polarimetric modeling, as well as other possible explanations for the data.

astro-ph.HE↗

Measuring black hole spins with x-ray reflection spectroscopy: A GRMHD outlook

X-ray reflection spectroscopy has evolved as one of the leading methods to measure black hole spins. However, the question is whether its measurements are subjected to systematic biases, especially considering the possible discrepancy between the spin measurements inferred with this technique and those from gravitational wave observations. In this work, we use general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) simulations of thin accretion disks around spinning black holes for modeling the accretion process, and then we simulate NuSTAR observations to test the capability of modern reflection models in recovering the input spins. For the first time, we model the electron density and ionization profiles from GRMHD-simulated disks. Our study reveals that current reflection models work well only for fast-rotating black holes. We model the corona as the base of the jet and we find that reflection models with lamppost emissivity profiles fail to recover the correct black hole spins. Reflection models with broken power-law emissivity profiles perform better. As we increase the complexity of the simulated models, it is more difficult to recover the correct input spins, pointing toward the need to update our current reflection models with more advanced accretion disks and coronal geometries.

astro-ph.HE↗

Modeling reflection spectra of super-Eddington X-ray sources

Relativistic reflection is a common feature in the X-ray observations of accreting compact objects. We present reflux, a new X-ray reflection model for spectral analysis of super-Eddington sources. We develop two relativistic reflection frameworks for super-Eddington accretion: a slim-disk model that self-consistently accounts for disk thickening and self-shadowing, and an optically thick wind model that treats reflection off a funnel-shaped outflow. The slim-disk model offers a geometry where the inner disk thickness is proportional to radius, becoming thicker as the mass accretion rate increases. The wind model measures the opening angle of the funnel, the wind speed, and wind acceleration radius. The slim-disk profile reduces the brightness of the blue horn in the Fe K emission line for a fixed emissivity and significantly changes the intensity profile for a lamppost geometry. The wind model shows a blue-shifted iron line due to high velocity outflows. Both models assume a spherically symmetric spacetime. We apply the wind model to the XMM-Newton spectrum of the tidal disruption event Swift J1644+57, where the Fe K profile is expected to be shaped by scattering in an outflowing funnel. We constrain the opening angle of the funnel and find a high velocity of the wind.

astro-ph.HE↗

Possible Coronal Geometry in the Hard and Soft State of Black Hole X-ray Binaries from MONK Simulations

Understanding the coronal geometry in different states of black hole X-ray binaries is important for more accurate modeling of the system. However, it is difficult to distinguish different geometries by fitting the observed Comptonization spectra. In this work, we use the Monte Carlo ray-tracing code MONK to simulate the spectra for three simple corona toy models widely proposed in observational studies: sandwich, spherical, and lamppost, varying their optical depth and size (height). By fitting the simulated NuSTAR observations with the simplcut*kerrbb model, we infer the possible parameter space for the hard state and soft state of different coronal geometries. The influence of the disk inclination angle, black hole spin and coronal temperature is discussed. We find that in the lamppost model, if we exclude the case of a very extended corona, the disk emission is always dominant, making the lamppost geometry incompatible with the hard state. While the sandwich and spherical models can produce similar spectra in both the hard and soft states, the simulated IXPE polarimetric spectra show the potential to break this degeneracy. Geometrical effects arising from the limited size of the corona become evident in lower-spin black holes and affect the spectral fitting, where the larger ISCO reduces the corona coverage of the inner disk.

astro-ph.HE↗

Exploring black hole shadows in axisymmetric spacetimes with coordinate-independent methods and neural networks

The study of black hole shadows provides a powerful tool for testing the predictions of general relativity and exploring deviations from the standard Kerr metric in the strong gravitational field regime. Here, we investigate the shadow properties of axisymmetric gravitational compact objects using a coordinate-independent formalism. We analyze black hole shadows in various spacetime geometries, including the Kerr, Taub-NUT, $γ$, and Kaluza-Klein metrics, to identify distinctive features that can be used to constrain black hole parameters. To achieve a more robust characterization, we employ both Legendre and Fourier expansions, demonstrating that the Fourier approach may offer better coordinate independence and facilitate cross-model comparisons. Finally, we develop a machine learning framework based on neural networks trained on synthetic shadow data, enabling precise parameter estimation from observational results. Using data from observational astronomical facilities such as the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), Keck, and the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI), we provide constraints on black hole parameters derived from shadow observations. Our findings highlight the potential of coordinate-independent techniques and machine learning for advancing black hole astrophysics and testing fundamental physics beyond general relativity.

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An interstellar mission to the closest black hole?

In this manuscript, I discuss the possibility of sending a small probe to the closest black hole with the goal of addressing some fundamental questions of modern physics. Are astrophysical black holes the Kerr black holes predicted by General Relativity? Do astrophysical black holes have an event horizon? Is the physics around a black hole the same physics as in our laboratories on Earth? While we do not have the technology for a similar mission today, it may be available in the next 20-30 years. The whole mission may last up to a century (depending on the actual distance of the black hole and the speed of the probe), but it may represent a unique opportunity to perform precise and accurate tests of General Relativity in the strong field regime.

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Probing the Strong Gravity Region of Black Holes with eXTP

We present the novel capabilities of the enhanced X-ray Timing and Polarimetry (eXTP) mission to study the strong gravity region around stellar-mass black holes in X-ray binary systems and supermassive black holes in active galactic nuclei. eXTP can combine X-ray spectral, timing, and polarimetric techniques to study the accretion process near black holes, measure black hole masses and spins, and test Einstein's theory of General Relativity in the strong field regime. We show how eXTP can improve the current measurements of black holes of existing X-ray missions and we discuss the scientific questions that can be addressed.

astro-ph.HE↗

Stellar-Mass Black Holes

Stellar-mass black holes ($3$ $M_\odot \lesssim M_{\rm BH} \lesssim 150$ $M_\odot$) are the natural product of the evolution of heavy stars ($M_{\rm star} \gtrsim 20$ $M_\odot$). In our Galaxy, we expect $10^8$-$10^9$ stellar-mass black holes formed from the gravitational collapse of heavy stars, but currently we know fewer than 100 objects. We also know $\sim 100$ stellar-mass black holes in other galaxies, most of them discovered by gravitational wave observatories in the past 10 years. The detection of black holes is indeed extremely challenging and possible only in very special cases. This article is a short review on the physics and astrophysics of stellar-mass black holes, including Galactic and extragalactic black holes in X-ray binaries, black holes in astrometric binaries, isolated black holes, and black holes in compact binaries. The article also addresses some important open issues and introduces the idea of a possible interstellar mission to the closest black hole.

astro-ph.HE↗

An interstellar mission to test astrophysical black holes

Black holes are the sources of the strongest gravitational fields that can be found today in the Universe and are ideal laboratories for testing Einstein's theory of General Relativity in the strong field regime. In this letter, I show that the possibility of an interstellar mission to send a small spacecraft to the nearest black hole, although very speculative and extremely challenging, is not completely unrealistic. Certainly we do not have the necessary technology today, but it may be available in the next 20-30 years. The mission may last 80-100 years, but we would be able to obtain very valuable information about black holes and General Relativity that might be difficult to obtain in other ways.

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X-ray reflection spectroscopy with improved calculations of the emission angle

The reflection spectrum produced by a cold medium illuminated by X-ray photons is not isotropic and its shape depends on the emission angle. In the reflection spectrum of an accretion disk of a black hole, the value of the emission angle changes over the disk and, in general, is different from the value of the inclination angle of the disk because of the light bending in the strong gravitational field of the black hole. Current reflection models make some approximations, as calculating a reflection spectrum taking the correct emission angle at every point of the disk into account would be too time-consuming and make the model too slow to analyze observations. In a recent paper, we showed that these approximations are unsuitable to fit high-quality black hole spectra expected from the next generation of X-ray missions. Here, we present a reflection model with improved calculations of the emission angle that solves this problem.

astro-ph.HE↗

Conformalons: a new class of black hole mimickers

In any conformally invariant gravitational theory, the space of exact solutions is greatly enlarged. Therefore, we cannot exclude the Weyl's conformal invariance to be spontaneously broken to spherically symmetric vacuum solutions that exclude the spacetime region inside the black hole's event horizon from our Universe. We baptize these solutions {\it conformalons}. It turns out that for all such spacetimes nothing can reach the Schwarzschild event horizon in a finite amount of proper time for conformally coupled ``massive'' particles, or finite values of the affine parameter for massless particles. Therefore, for such vacuum solutions the surface $r = 2 M$ becomes an asymptotic region of the Universe. As a general feature, all conformalons show a gravitational blueshift instead of a gravitational redshift at the unattainable Schwarzschild event horizon, hence avoiding the Trans-Planckian problem in the Hawking evaporation process. Unexpectedly, the Hawking's temperature of the conformalons turns out to be negative and the thermodynamic interpretation leads us to speculate about a possible maximum energy state of the Hawking radiation. Contrary to the Schwarzschild spacetime, for the conformalons the gravitational collapse consists of matter that falls down forever towards the Schwarzschild horizon without ever reaching it. Hence, the annihilation process between the matter and Hawking's negative energy particles takes place outside the surface at $r = 2 M$. Finally, the information is not lost in the whole process of singularity-free collapse and evaporation.

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Black hole mimickers: from theory to observation

The black hole paradigm, while remarkably successful, raises fundamental questions-both classical and quantum-about the nature of spacetime, horizons, and singularities. Black hole mimickers, horizonless ultra-compact objects, have emerged as potential alternatives that seek to resolve some of these puzzles while remaining consistent with current observational constraints. Recent breakthroughs in gravitational-wave astronomy and horizon-scale electromagnetic imaging have opened new avenues to test this paradigm-making this an opportune moment to systematically investigate such alternatives. This vision document presents a snapshot of the field as discussed at the Black Hole Mimickers: From Theory to Observation workshop, where experts from gravitational wave astronomy, very long baseline interferometry, numerical and mathematical relativity, and high-energy physics converged to assess the current frontiers. By highlighting key open questions and proposing concrete pathways forward, this document aims to guide future efforts to probe the nature of compact objects. As the field stands at the crossroads of theoretical innovation and observational breakthroughs, we outline strategies to harness upcoming observational capabilities to fundamentally test the black hole paradigm.

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