Active galactic nuclei and quasars are thought to be scaled-up versions of Galactic black hole binaries, powered by accretion onto supermassive black holes with masses of 10(6)-10(9) M[symbol: see text], as opposed to the approximately 10 M [symbol: see text] in binaries (here M [symbol: see text] is the solar mass). One example of the similarities between these two types of systems is the characteristic rapid X-ray variability seen from the accretion flow. The power spectrum of this variability in black hole binaries consists of a broad noise with multiple quasi-periodic oscillations superimposed on it. Although the broad noise component has been observed in many active galactic nuclei, there have hitherto been no significant detections of quasi-periodic oscillations. Here we report the discovery of an approximately 1-hour X-ray periodicity in a bright active galaxy, RE J1034+396. The signal is highly statistically significant (at the 5.6 sigma level) and very coherent, with quality factor Q > 16. The X-ray modulation arises from the direct vicinity of the black hole.
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Living Rev Relativ
January 2025
Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation, University of Portsmouth, Dennis Sciama Building, Burnaby Road, Portsmouth, PO1 3FX UK.
In the recent years, primordial black holes (PBHs) have emerged as one of the most interesting and hotly debated topics in cosmology. Among other possibilities, PBHs could explain both some of the signals from binary black hole mergers observed in gravitational-wave detectors and an important component of the dark matter in the Universe. Significant progress has been achieved both on the theory side and from the point of view of observations, including new models and more accurate calculations of PBH formation, evolution, clustering, merger rates, as well as new astrophysical and cosmological probes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStud Hist Philos Sci
January 2025
Philosophy Department, Tufts University, United States of America; Black Hole Initiative, Harvard University, United States of America; Lichtenberg Group for History and Philosophy of Physics, University of Bonn, Germany. Electronic address:
In this paper, I provide an account of direct (vs. indirect) detection in gravitational-wave astrophysics. In doing so, I highlight the epistemic considerations that lurk behind existing debates over the application of the term "direct".
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMaterials (Basel)
January 2025
Hainan Engineering Research Center of Tropical Ocean Advanced Optoelectronic Functional Materials, Hainan International Joint Research Center of Marine Advanced Photoelectric Functional Materials, Key Laboratory of Laser Technology and Optoelectronic Functional Materials of Hainan Province, Key Laboratory of Functional Materials and Photoelectrochemistry of Haikou, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hainan Normal University, Haikou 571158, China.
The CsPbBr perovskite exhibits strong environmental stability under light, humidity, temperature, and oxygen conditions. However, in all-inorganic perovskite solar cells (PSCs), interface defects between the carbon electrode and CsPbBr limit the carrier separation and transfer rates. We used black phosphorus (BP) nanosheets as the hole transport layer (HTL) to construct an all-inorganic carbon-based CsPbBr perovskite (FTO/c-TiO/m-TiO/CsPbBr/BP/C) solar cell.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOpen Res Eur
January 2025
Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, 91125, USA.
The study of transient and variable events, including novae, active galactic nuclei, and black hole binaries, has historically been a fruitful path for elucidating the evolutionary mechanisms of our universe. The study of such events in the millimeter and submillimeter is, however, still in its infancy. Submillimeter observations probe a variety of materials, such as optically thick dust, which are hard to study in other wavelengths.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAngew Chem Int Ed Engl
January 2025
EPFL: Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, Department of Chemistry, Rue de Industries 17, 1050, Sion, SWITZERLAND.
Carbon perovskite solar cells (C-PSCs) represent a promising photovoltaic technology that addresses the long-term operating stability needed to compete with commercial Si solar cells. However, the poor interface contacts between the carbon electrode and the perovskite result in a gap between C-PSC's performances and state-of-the-art PSCs based on metallic back electrodes. In this work, Cu (II) phthalocyanine (CuPc) was rediscovered as an effective hole-transporting material (HTM) to be coupled with carbon electrodes.
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