Related papers: Observational evidence for intermediate-mass black…
A consequence of a non-zero occupation fraction of massive black holes (MBHs) in dwarf galaxies is that these MBHs can become residents of larger galaxy halos via hierarchical merging and tidal stripping. Depending on the parameters of…
We study the Initial Mass Function (IMF) and host halo properties of Intermediate Mass Black Holes (IMBH, 10^{4-6} Msun) formed inside metal-free, UV illuminated atomic cooling haloes (virial temperature T_vir > 10^4 K) either via the…
Nantais et al. used the Hubble Space Telescope to localize probable globular clusters (GCs) in M81, a spiral galaxy at a distance of 3.63 Mpc. Theory predicts that GCs can host intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) with masses M_BH \sim 100…
We investigate whether or not a supermassive black hole (SMBH) with mass $\gtrsim 10^8 M_\odot$ can be made in the heart of ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIGs) during the course of mergers between/among gas rich galaxies. (a) If one…
(Abridged) We use high resolution cosmological N-body simulations to study the growth of intermediate to supermassive black holes from redshift 49 to zero. We track the growth of black holes from the seeds of population III stars to black…
The mathematical simplicity of black holes, combined with their links to some of the most energetic events in the universe, means that black holes are key objects for fundamental physics and astrophysics. Until recently, it was generally…
The existence of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) with masses greater than $\sim 10^{9}M_{\odot}$ at high redshift ($z\gtrsim 7$) is difficult to accommodate in standard astrophysical scenarios. We study the possibility that (nearly)…
As massive black holes (MBHs) grow from lower-mass seeds, it is natural to expect that a leftover population of progenitor MBHs should also exist in the present universe. Dwarf galaxies undergo a quiet merger history, and as a result, we…
The presence of massive black holes (BHs) with masses of order $10^9\rm\, M_\odot$, powering bright quasars when the Universe was less than 1 Gyr old, poses strong constraints on their formation mechanism. Several scenarios have been…
The origin of rare and elusive ultramassive black holes (UMBH, with MBH > 1e10 Msun) is an open question. Using the large volume cosmological hydrodynamic simulation ASTRID, we report on the formation of an extremely massive UMBH with MBH ~…
We employ cosmological hydrodynamical simulations to study the growth of massive black holes (BHs) at high redshifts subject to BH merger recoils from gravitational wave emission. We select the most massive dark matter halo at z=6 from the…
We very briefly discuss proposed in the literature possible scenarios for intermediate mass black holes (IMBH) formation in globular clusters. We also discuss the results of the MOCCA simulations of about 2000 models (BigSurvey) regarding…
The formation mechanism of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in general, and of $\sim 10^9\,{\rm M}_{\odot}$ SMBHs observed as luminous quasars at redshifts $z> 6$ in particular, remains an open fundamental question. The presence of such…
Super-massive black holes (SMBHs) with $M_{\bullet} \sim 10^9 $ M$_{\odot}$ at $z>6$ likely originate from massive seed black holes (BHs). We investigate the consequences of seeding SMBHs with direct collapse BHs (DCBHs)…
The detection of intermediate mass black holes (IMBHs) in Galactic globular clusters (GCs) has so far been controversial. In order to characterize the effectiveness of integrated-light spectroscopy through integral field units, we analyze…
Intermediate Mass Black Holes (IMBHs) with a mass range between $100 \, \text{M}_\odot$ and $10^6 \, \text{M}_\odot$ are expected to be surrounded by high dark matter densities, so-called dark matter spikes. The high density of…
Remnant black holes (BHs) of massive stars (``light seeds'') are a potential origin for supermassive black holes (SMBHs). We use magnetohydrodynamic simulations to study the formation and growth of light seeds in star-forming giant…
$Context:$ Intermediate-Mass Black Holes (IMBHs) are thought to be the seeds of early Supermassive Black Holes (SMBHs). While $\gtrsim$100 IMBH and small SMBH candidates have been identified in recent years, few have been robustly confirmed…
The nature of the first seeds of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) is currently unknown, with postulated initial masses ranging from $\sim10^5~M_{\odot}$ to as low as $\sim10^2~M_{\odot}$. However, most existing cosmological simulations…
Observations support the idea that supermassive black holes (SMBHs) power the emission at the center of active galaxies. However, contrary to stellar-mass BHs, there is a poor understanding of their origin and physical formation channel. In…