4 ms·
Reading the article, it seems that non-interacting is referring to the fact that the black hole is hard to detect as there is no other star or gas source to cau
by NikolaeVarius 7y ago
Reading the article, it seems that non-interacting is referring to the fact that the black hole is hard to detect as there is no other star or gas source to cause it to generate X-Rays as matter falls into it.
I find the name interesting since, mini black holes are one hypothesis concerning Dark Matter, and also Weakly Interacting Massive Particles. Google also doesn't seem like Non-interacting black holes are common nomenclature. How do these names get created?
- pas 7y agoSomeone writes a paper using the terminology, others refer to it, and it sticks.
- willis936 7y agoConsidering "weakly interacting" is already a very stuck name. By most accounts these are typical black holes, which do not interact weakly, let alone not at all. I don't think this name will stick.
- greglindahl 7y ago"quiescent" is already in wide use referring to black holes, and "quiescent" appears in the 2nd paragraph of this paper. Some stellar binary systems are called "interacting".
- fhars 7y agoAnd according to the full title of the paper, it is not the black hole that is noninteracting, it is the binary system.
- greglindahl 7y agoIn the case of WIMPs, the authors thought the name was funny, and published several conference posters before trying to publish in ApJ. The editor of ApJ normally rejects cute names, but let this one through because it was already in the literature. He regretted that decision when the MACHO paper arrived...