Dilbert


Black Hole

Research Interests:

My main interests are in High Energy Astrophysics, Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics, and more recently, interpretation of observations of galactic black hole candidates. I'm especially interested in models of the rapid time variability of these sources.

Along those lines, I have been using NASA's satellite, the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) to observe both galactic black hole candidates, such as Cygnus X-1 and GX 339-4, as well as extragalactic and supermassive black hole candidates such as LMC X-1, LMC-X3, NGC 5548, and NGC 4258.

God and ESA (if there is any difference between the two) were willing, and in Sept. 2000 and Feb. 2001, I participated in a big collaboration to observe the galactic black hole candidate, GX 339-4, simultaneously with the X-ray Multiple Mirror Satellite (XMM), BeppoSAX, and RXTE.

December, 2000, I used NASA's latest and greatest X-ray satellite, Chandra, to look at the quiescent, eclipsing neutron star X-ray binary, 4U 2129+47. The goal is to see if this source has a spatially extended X-ray structure, possibly indicating the presence of an advection dominated outflow. If not, it may instead turn out to be an interesting test of models for neutron star cooling after an active accretion phase.

Below I list my refereed papers and give a partial list of some of the grants that I have won.


Papers in Refereed Journals
(links to NASA's Astrophysics Data System, astro-ph, or postscript):

  1. "The Flared Disc Project: RXTE and ASCA Observations of X1822-371,"

    2. S. Heinz & M.A. Nowak 2001, MNRAS, 320, pp. 249-260.

  2. "A Good Long Look at the Black Hole Candidates LMC X-1 and LMC X-3,"

    3. M.A. Nowak, J. Wilms, W.A. Heindl, K. Pottschmidt, J.B. Dove, & M.C. Begelman 2001, MNRAS, 320, pp. 316-326.

  3. "Discovery of Recurring Soft to Hard State Transitions in LMC X-3,"

    4. J. Wilms, M.A. Nowak, K. Pottschmidt, W.A. Heindl, J.B. Dove, & M.C. Begelman 2001, MNRAS, 320, pp. 327-340.

  4. "Are There Three Peaks in the Power Spectra of GX 339-4 and Cyg X-1?,"

    5. M.A. Nowak 2000, MNRAS, 318, pp. 361-367.

  5. "A Deep X-ray Observation of NGC 4258 and its Surrounding Field,"

    6. C.S. Reynolds, M.A. Nowak, & P.R. Maloney 2000, ApJ, 540, pp. 143-153.

  6. "Coupling of the X-ray and Radio Emission in the Black Hole Candidate and Compact Jet Source GX 339-4,"

    7. S. Corbel, R.P. Fender, A.K. Tzioumis, V. McIntyre, M.A. Nowak, P. Durouchoux, & R. Sood 2000, A&A, 359, pp. 251-268.

  7. "Temporal Evolution of X-ray Lags in Cygnus X-1,"

    8. K. Pottschmidt, J. Wilms, M.A. Nowak, W.A. Heindl, D.M. Smith, & R. Staubert 2000, A&A, 357, L17-L20.

  8. "Implications of the X-ray Variability for the Mass of MCG-6-30-15,"

    9. M.A. Nowak & J. Chiang 2000, ApJ, 531, L13-L16.

  9. "Simultaneous EUVE/ASCA/RXTE Observations of NGC 5548,"

    10. J. Chiang, C. Reynolds, O. Blaes, M.A. Nowak, N. Murray, G. Madejski, H. Marshall, & P. Magdziarz 2000, ApJ, 528, pp. 292-305.

  10. "On the Enigmatic Source V1408 Aql (=4U 1957+11),"

    11. M.A. Nowak & J. Wilms 1999, ApJ, 522, pp. 476-486.

  11. "Low Luminosity States of the Black Hole Candidate GX 339-4. I. ASCA and Simultaneous Radio/RXTE Observations,"

    12. J. Wilms, M.A. Nowak, J.B. Dove, R.P. Fender, & T. DiMatteo 1999, ApJ, 522, pp. 460-475.

  12. "Quenching of the Radio Jet during the X-ray High State of GX 339-4,"

    13. R. Fender, S. Corbel, T. Tzioumis, V. McIntyre, D. Campbell-Wilson, M. Nowak, R. Sood, R. Hunstead, A. Harmon, P. Duruchoux, & W. Heindl 1999, ApJ, 519, L165-L168.

  13. "Low Luminosity States of the Black Hole Candidate GX 339-4. II. Timing Analysis,"

    14. M.A. Nowak, J. Wilms, & J.B. Dove 1999, ApJ, 517, pp. 355-366.

  14. "Mg2+ Inhibition of the Malignant Hyperthermia-Susceptible Ca2+ Release Channel,"

    15. N.H. Shomer, M.A. Nowak, B. Fruen, J.R. Mickelsen, and C.F. Louis 1999, submitted to Biophysical Journal.

  15. "RXTE observation of Cygnus X-1 - III. Implications for Compton Corona and ADAF models,"

    16. M.A. Nowak, J. Wilms, B.A. Vaughan, J.B. Dove, & M.C. Begelman 1999, ApJ, 515, pp. 726-737.

  16. "RXTE observation of Cygnus X-1 - II. Timing analysis,"

    17. M.A. Nowak, B.A. Vaughan, J.B. Dove, J. Wilms, & M.C. Begelman 1999, ApJ, pp. 874-891.

  17. "RXTE observation of Cygnus X-1 - I. Spectral analysis,"

    18. J.B. Dove, J. Wilms, M.A. Nowak, B.A. Vaughan, & M.C. Begelman 1998, MNRAS, 298, pp. 729-736.

  18. "Radiation-driven Warping. II. Nonisothermal Disks,"

    19. P.R. Maloney, M.C. Begelman, M.A. Nowak 1998, ApJ, 504, pp. 77-92.

  19. "The 67 Hz Feature in the Black Hole Candidate GRS 1915+105 as a Possible `Diskoseismic' Mode,"

    20. M.A. Nowak, R.V. Wagoner, M.C. Begelman, D.E. Lehr 1997, ApJ, 477, L91-L94.

  20. "X-Ray Variability Coherence: How to Compute It, What It Means, and How It Constrains Models of GX 339-4 and Cygnus X-1,"

    21. B.A. Vaughan, M.A. Nowak 1997, ApJ, 474, L43-L46.

  21. "Phase Lags and Coherence of X-ray Variability in Black Hole Candidates,"

    22. M.A. Nowak and B.A. Vaughan 1996, MNRAS, 280, pp. 227-234.

  22. "Toward a Unified View of Black Hole High Energy States,"

    23. M.A. Nowak 1995, PASP, 718, pp. 1207-1216.

  23. "Accretion Disc Turbulence and the X-ray Power Spectra of Black Hole High States,"

    24. M.A. Nowak and R.V. Wagoner 1995, MNRAS, 274, pp. 37-47.

  24. "Statistics of Gamma Ray Burst Lensing,"

    25. S.A. Grossman and M.A. Nowak 1994, ApJ, 435, pp. 548-556.

  25. "Can We Identify Lensed Gamma Ray Bursts?,"

    26. M.A. Nowak and S.A. Grossman 1994, ApJ, 435, pp. 557-572.

  26. "A Cautionary Note on Gamma Ray Burst Nearest Neighbor Statistics,"

    27. M.A. Nowak 1994, MNRAS, 266, 45P-49P

  27. "A Kinematic Model for Black Hole X-ray Power Spectra,"

    28. M.A. Nowak 1994, ApJ, 422, pp. 688-699.

  28. "Turbulent Generation of Trapped Oscillations in Black Hole Accretion Discs,"

    29. M.A. Nowak and R.V. Wagoner 1993, ApJ, 418, pp. 187-201.

  29. "Diskoseismology: Probing accretion disks. II - G-modes, gravitational radiation reaction, and viscosity,"

    30. M.A. Nowak and R.V. Wagoner 1992, ApJ, 393, pp. 697-707.

  30. "Diskoseismology: Probing accretion disks. I - Trapped adiabatic oscillations,"

    31. M.A. Nowak and R.V. Wagoner 1991, ApJ, 378, pp. 656-664.

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Selected Recent Grants:

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