The Black Hole Candidate Swift J1728.9-3613 and the Supernova Remnant G351.9-0.9

A number of neutron stars have been observed within the remnants of the core-collapse supernova explosions that created them. In contrast, black holes are not yet clearly associated with supernova remnants (SNRs). Indeed, some observations suggest that black holes are born in the dark, i.e., without a supernova explosion. Herein, we present a multiwavelength analysis of the X-ray transient Swift J1728.9-3613, based on observations made with Chandra, ESO-VISTA, MeerKAT, NICER, NuSTAR, Swift, and XMM-Newton. Three independent diagnostics indicate that the system likely harbors a black hole primary. Infrared imaging signals a massive companion star that is broadly consistent with an A or B spectral type. Most importantly, the X-ray binary lies within the central region of the cataloged SNR G351.9-0.9. Our deep MeerKAT image at 1.28 GHz signals that the remnant is in the Sedov phase; this fact and the nondetection of the soft X-ray emission expected from such a remnant argue that it lies at a distance that could coincide with the black hole. Utilizing a formal measurement of the distance to Swift J1728.9-3613 (d = 8.4 +/- 0.8 kpc), a lower limit on the distance to G351.9-0.9 (d >= 7.5 kpc), and the number and distribution of black holes and SNRs within the Milky Way, extensive simulations suggest that the probability of a chance superposition is <1.7% (99.7% credible interval). The discovery of a black hole within an SNR would support numerical simulations that produce black holes and remnants, and thus provide clear observational evidence of distinct black hole formation channels. We discuss the robustness of our analysis and some challenges to this interpretation.

Automated summary

A multiwavelength analysis suggests that the X-ray transient Swift J1728.9-3613 likely contains a black hole primary and is associated with the SNR G351.9-0.9. The discovery supports numerical simulations of black hole formation and provides observational evidence of distinct black hole formation channels.