Charles D. Bailyn
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691148823
- eISBN:
- 9781400850563
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691148823.003.0008
- Subject:
- Physics, Particle Physics / Astrophysics / Cosmology
This chapter examines the spin of a black hole. The spin is usually described as a nondimensional parameter, which can range from zero (a nonspinning black hole) to one (a situation described as ...
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This chapter examines the spin of a black hole. The spin is usually described as a nondimensional parameter, which can range from zero (a nonspinning black hole) to one (a situation described as “maximally spinning”). The differences in space-time between a nonspinning Schwarzschild black hole and a Kerr black hole of the same mass have potentially observable effects. The most obvious of these differences is the position of the innermost stable circular orbit (ISCO), which has a significant effect on the inner edge of an accretion disk. It is through determination of the physical size of the ISCO that the spins of black holes are determined.Less
This chapter examines the spin of a black hole. The spin is usually described as a nondimensional parameter, which can range from zero (a nonspinning black hole) to one (a situation described as “maximally spinning”). The differences in space-time between a nonspinning Schwarzschild black hole and a Kerr black hole of the same mass have potentially observable effects. The most obvious of these differences is the position of the innermost stable circular orbit (ISCO), which has a significant effect on the inner edge of an accretion disk. It is through determination of the physical size of the ISCO that the spins of black holes are determined.
