X-ray Polarization from Black Holes in the Thermal State (2009)
Schnittman, Jeremy D., Krolik, Julian H.
We present new calculations of X-ray polarization from black hole accretion disks in the thermally-dominated state, using a Monte-Carlo ray-tracing code in full general relativity. In contrast to...
X-ray Polarization from Accreting Black Holes: II. The Thermal State (2009)
Schnittman, Jeremy D., Krolik, Julian H.
We present new calculations of X-ray polarization from black hole (BH) accretion disks in the thermally-dominated state, using a Monte-Carlo ray-tracing code in full general relativity. In contrast...
Hypercompact Stellar Systems Around Recoiling Supermassive Black Holes (2008)
Merritt, David, Schnittman, Jeremy D., Komossa, Stefanie
A supermassive black hole ejected from the center of a galaxy by gravitational wave recoil carries a retinue of bound stars - a "hypercompact stellar system" (HCSS). The numbers and properties of...
The Infrared Afterglow of Supermassive Black Hole Mergers (2008)
Schnittman, Jeremy D., Krolik, Julian H.
We model the spectra and light curves of circumbinary accretion disks during the time after the central black holes merge. The most immediate effect of this merger is the dissipation of energy in the...
Quasi-periodic Oscillations in the X-Ray Light Curves from Relativistic Tori (2007)
Schnittman, Jeremy D., Rezzolla, Luciano
We use a relativistic ray-tracing code to analyze the X-ray emission from a pressure-supported oscillating relativistic torus around a black hole. We show that a strong correlation exists between the...
Anatomy of the binary black hole recoil: A multipolar analysis (2007)
Schnittman, Jeremy D., Buonanno, Alessandra, Van Meter, James R., Baker, John G., Boggs, William D., Centrella, Joan, ...
We present a multipolar analysis of the gravitational recoil computed in recent numerical simulations of binary black hole (BH) coalescence, for both unequal masses and non-zero, non-precessing...
Retaining Black Holes with Very Large Recoil Velocities (2007)
Recent numerical simulations of binary black hole mergers show the possibility of producing very large recoil velocities (> 3000 km/s). Kicks of this magnitude should be sufficient to eject the final...
The Distribution of Recoil Velocities from Merging Black Holes (2007)
Schnittman, Jeremy D., Buonanno, Alessandra
We calculate the linear momentum flux from merging black holes (BHs) with arbitrary masses and spin orientations, using the effective-one-body (EOB) model. This model includes an analytic description...
Gravitational Waves from Compact Objects Accreting onto Active Galactic Nuclei (2006)
Schnittman, Jeremy D., Sigl, Guenter, Buonanno, Alessandra
We consider a model in which massive stars form in a self-gravitating accretion disk around an active galactic nucleus. These stars may evolve and collapse to form compact objects on a time scale...
Light Curves from an MHD Simulation of a Black Hole Accretion Disk (2006)
Schnittman, Jeremy D., Krolik, Julian H., Hawley, John F.
We use a relativistic ray-tracing code to calculate the light curves observed from a global general relativistic magneto-hydrodynamic simulation of an accretion flow onto a Schwarzschild black hole....
Radiation Transport Around Kerr Black Holes (2006)
This Thesis describes the basic framework and applications of a relativistic ray-tracing code for analyzing accretion processes around Kerr black holes. We begin in Chapter 1 with a brief historical...
Quasi-periodic oscillations in the X-ray light curves from relativistic tori (2006)
Schnittman, Jeremy D., Rezzolla, Luciano
We use a relativistic ray-tracing code coupled to a relativistic hydrodynamics code to analyze the X-ray emission from a pressure-supported oscillating torus around a black hole. Solving the...
A Precessing Ring Model for Low-Frequency Quasi-periodic Oscillations (2005)
Schnittman, Jeremy D., Homan, Jeroen, Miller, Jon M.
We develop a simple physical model to describe the most common type of low-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) seen in a number of accreting black hole systems, as well as the shape of the...
Coronal Electron Scattering of Hot Spot Emission Around Black Holes (2005)
Using a Monte Carlo ray-tracing code in full general relativity, we calculate the transport of photons from a geodesic hot spot emitter through a corona of hot electrons surrounding a black hole....
The Bicoherence as a Diagnostic for Models of High Frequency QPOs (2004)
Maccarone, Thomas J., Schnittman, Jeremy D.
We discuss the use of the bicoherence - a measure of the phase coupling of oscillations at different frequencies - as a diagnostic between different models for high frequency quasi-periodic...
Spin-Orbit Resonance and the Evolution of Compact Binary Systems (2004)
Starting with a post-Newtonian description of compact binary systems, we derive a set of equations that describes the evolution of the orbital angular momentum and both spin vectors during inspiral....
Interpreting the High Frequency QPO Power Spectra of Accreting Black Holes (2004)
In the context of a relativistic hot spot model, we investigate different physical mechanisms to explain the behavior of quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) from accreting black holes. The locations...
A Hot Spot Model for Black Hole QPOs (2003)
Schnittman, Jeremy D., Bertschinger, Edmund
In at least two black hole binary systems, the Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer has detected high frequency quasi-periodic oscillations (HFQPOs) with a 2:3 frequency commensurability. We propose a simple...
A Model for High Frequency Quasi-periodic Oscillations from Accreting Black Holes (2003)
Schnittman, Jeremy D., Bertschinger, Edmund
Observations from the Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer have shown the existence of high frequency quasi-periodic oscillations (HFQPOs) in the X-ray flux from accreting black hole binary systems. In at...
Ruling Out Chaos in Compact Binary Systems (2001)
Schnittman, Jeremy D., Rasio, Frederic A.
We investigate the orbits of compact binary systems during the final inspiral period before coalescence by integrating numerically the second-order post-Newtonian equations of motion. We include...