# Detecting Black Hole accretion disc

1. Nov 28, 2007

### zankaon

How might one detect the plane of an accretion disc of a Black Hole? Might it just be assumed, by the orbital plane of a BH binary system? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accretion_disc

Last edited: Nov 28, 2007
2. Nov 28, 2007

### jimgraber

The outer disk might well be aligned with the orbital plane, but the inner disk should be aligned with the equatorial plane of the spinning (Kerr) black hole. It's called the Bardeen-Petterson effect and it's due to frame dragging.
Best,
Jim Graber

3. Nov 30, 2007

### zankaon

BH binary etc.

One has Iron K alpha line fluorescence http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-ray_fluorescence reverberation from a surface, with an initial x-ray source. The iron line emission is supposed to be from inner aspect of accretion disk. So if one knows the orbital plane of a binary, then roughly (via Bardeen Peterson effect i.e. gravitomagnetic i.e. frame dragging from rotation) one would know approximately BH accretion disk plane, and hence approximate orthogonal pole of BH, which would supposedly correspond to any jet detection region. So interrelatedness; but are observations consistent enough with such description?