Astrophysics of super-massive black hole mergers

Schnittman, Jeremy D.

doi:10.1088/0264-9381/30/24/244007

Cited by 46 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 282 publications

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“…Interestingly, one possible way to spin-up the BH is via a BH-BH merger with specific spin configurations (e.g. Schnittman 2013;Hemberger et al 2013). Therefore, it is not surprising that we are able to observe a GW recoiling SMBH associated with a radioloud AGN.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

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The puzzling case of the radio-loud QSO 3C 186: a gravitational wave recoiling black hole in a young radio source?

Chiaberge

Ely

Meyer

et al. 2017

A&A

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Context. Radio-loud active galactic nuclei with powerful relativistic jets are thought to be associated with rapidly spinning black holes (BHs). BH spin-up may result from a number of processes, including accretion of matter onto the BH itself, and catastrophic events such as BH-BH mergers. Aims. We study the intriguing properties of the powerful (L bol ∼ 10 47 erg s −1 ) radio-loud quasar 3C 186. This object shows peculiar features both in the images and in the spectra. Methods. We utilize near-IR Hubble Space Telescope (HST) images to study the properties of the host galaxy, and HST UV and Sloan Digital Sky Survey optical spectra to study the kinematics of the source. Chandra X-ray data are also used to better constrain the physical interpretation. Results. HST imaging shows that the active nucleus is offset by 1.3 ± 0.1 arcsec (i.e. ∼11 kpc) with respect to the center of the host galaxy. Spectroscopic data show that the broad emission lines are offset by −2140 ± 390 km s −1 with respect to the narrow lines. Velocity shifts are often seen in QSO spectra, in particular in high-ionization broad emission lines. The host galaxy of the quasar displays a distorted morphology with possible tidal features that are typical of the late stages of a galaxy merger. Conclusions. A number of scenarios can be envisaged to account for the observed features. While the presence of a peculiar outflow cannot be completely ruled out, all of the observed features are consistent with those expected if the QSO is associated with a gravitational wave (GW) recoiling BH. Future detailed studies of this object will allow us to confirm this type of scenario and will enable a better understanding of both the physics of BH-BH mergers and the phenomena associated with the emission of GW from astrophysical sources.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

“…This strongly depends on the BH mass ratio and on the relative orientation of the spins (e.g. Schnittman 2013, for a recent review). Recoiling BHs may also result from BH-BH mergers and the associated anisotropic emission of gravitational waves (GW, Peres 1962;Beckenstein et al 1973).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The puzzling case of the radio-loud QSO 3C 186: a gravitational wave recoiling black hole in a young radio source?

Chiaberge

Ely

Meyer

et al. 2017

A&A

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“…in nuclei of galaxies of different types and masses); hence, we can quasi exploit them in a statistical way by observing samples of SMBHs and SgrA* at the center of the Milky Way is one of them. Examples for such studies are the scaling relations for SMBHs (Graham et al, 2015;Ferré-Mateu et al, 2015), merger scenarii for gravitational waves detection (Schnittman, 2013), reverberation analyses of black hole masses Matsuoka et al, 2015), recoil scenarii in galactic nuclei (Markakis et al, 2015;Guedes et al, 2011).…”

Section: Manipulative Successmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Milky Way’s Supermassive Black Hole: How Good a Case Is It?

Eckart

Hüttemann²,

Kiefer³

et al. 2017

Found Phys

122

105

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The compact and, with 4.3±0.3×106 M ⊙ , very massive object located at the center of the Milky Way is currently the very best candidate for a supermassive black hole (SMBH) in our immediate vicinity. The strongest evidence for this is provided by measurements of stellar orbits, variable X-ray emission, and strongly variable polarized near-infrared emission from the location of the radio source Sagittarius A* (SgrA*) in the middle of the central stellar cluster. Simultaneous near-infrared and X-ray observations of SgrA* have revealed insights into the emission mechanisms responsible for the powerful near-infrared and X-ray flares from within a few tens to one hundred Schwarzschild radii of such a putative SMBH at the center of the Milky Way. If SgrA* is indeed a SMBH it will, in projection onto the sky, have the largest event horizon and will certainly be the first and most important target of the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) observations currently being prepared. These observations in combination with the infrared interferometry experiment GRAVITY at the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) and other experiments across the electromagnetic spectrum might yield proof for the presence of a black hole at the center of the Milky Way. The large body of evidence continues to discriminate the identification of SgrA* as a SMBH from alternative possibilities. It is, however, unclear when the ever mounting evidence for SgrA* being associated with a SMBH will suffice as a convincing proof. Additional compelling evidence may come from future gravitational wave observatories. This manuscript reviews the observational facts, theoretical grounds and conceptual aspects for the case of SgrA* being a black hole. We treat theory and observations in the framework of the philosophical discussions about "(Anti)Realism and Underdetermination", as this line of arguments allows us to describe the situation in observational astrophysics with respect to supermassive black holes. Questions concerning the existence of supermassive black holes and in particular SgrA* are discussed using causation as an indispensable element. We show that the results of our investigation are convincingly mapped out by this combination of concepts.

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“…Fortunately, in the case of supermassive BHBs, highlyrelativistic magnetized gas could flow around the pair, as well as around each BH companion. Therefore, powerful EM signals should accompany the inspiral and merger of BHBs [13,14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inspiralling, nonprecessing, spinning black hole binary spacetime via asymptotic matching

et al. 2016

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We construct a new global, fully analytic, approximate spacetime which accurately describes the dynamics of non-precessing, spinning black hole binaries during the inspiral phase of the relativistic merger process. This approximate solution of the vacuum Einstein's equations can be obtained by asymptotically matching perturbed Kerr solutions near the two black holes to a post-Newtonian metric valid far from the two black holes. This metric is then matched to a post-Minkowskian metric even farther out in the wave zone. The procedure of asymptotic matching is generalized to be valid on all spatial hypersurfaces, instead of a small group of initial hypersurfaces discussed in previous works. This metric is well suited for long term dynamical simulations of spinning black hole binary spacetimes prior to merger, such as studies of circumbinary gas accretion which requires hundreds of binary orbits.

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Astrophysics of super-massive black hole mergers

Cited by 46 publications

References 282 publications

The puzzling case of the radio-loud QSO 3C 186: a gravitational wave recoiling black hole in a young radio source?

The puzzling case of the radio-loud QSO 3C 186: a gravitational wave recoiling black hole in a young radio source?

The Milky Way’s Supermassive Black Hole: How Good a Case Is It?

Inspiralling, nonprecessing, spinning black hole binary spacetime via asymptotic matching

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