Related papers: Binary pulsars as probes of a Galactic dark matter…
We estimate the timescales for orbital decay of wide binaries embedded within dark matter halos, due to dynamical friction against the dark matter particles. We derive analytical scalings for this decay and calibrate and test them through…
Future ground-based gravitational wave observatories will be ideal probes of the environments surrounding black holes with masses $1 - 10\,\mathrm{M_\odot}$. Binary black hole mergers with mass ratios of order $q=m_2/m_1\lesssim10^{-3}$ can…
We present an analytical and numerical study of a system composed of a stellar binary pair and a massless, locally isothermal viscous accretion disk that is coplanar to the binary orbital plane. Analytically, we study the effect of the…
Unlike traditional electromagnetic measurements, gravitational-wave observations are not affected by crowding and extinction. For this reason, compact object binaries orbiting around a massive black hole can be used as probes of the inner…
Compact objects in general relativity approximately move along geodesics of spacetime. It is shown that the corrections to geodesic motion due to spin (dipole), quadrupole, and higher multipoles can be modeled by an extension of the point…
The observed values of the time-derivatives of the spin or orbital frequency of pulsars are affected by their dynamical properties. We derive thorough analytical expressions for such dynamical contributions in terms of the Galactic…
We present the results of several detailed numerical N-body simulations of the dynamical interactions of two equal mass disc galaxies. Both galaxies are embedded in spherical halos of dark matter and contain central bulges. Our analysis of…
Context. Merging compact objects such as binary black holes provide a promising probe for the physics of dark matter (DM). The gravitational waves emitted during inspiral potentially allow one to detect DM spikes around black holes. This is…
Some binary stars experience common envelope evolution, which is accompanied by drastic loss of angular momentum, mass, and orbital energy and which leaves behind close binaries often involving at least one white dwarf, neutron star, or…
For rotation powered pulsars, the rate of change of the spin period is expected to be positive. On the other hand, for a clean binary system (where gravity is the only force acting on the pulsar) the rate of change of the orbital period is…
We extend our previous studies of head-on collisions of boson stars by considering orbiting binary boson stars. We concentrate on equal mass binaries and study the dynamical behavior of boson/boson and boson/antiboson pairs. We examine the…
Neutron stars (NSs) can be used to constrain dark matter (DM) since a NS can transform into a black hole (BH) if it captures sufficient DM particles and exceeds the Chandrasekhar limit. We extend earlier work and for the first time take…
Black hole-neutron star (BHNS) binaries are important sources of gravitational waves for second-generation interferometers, and BHNS mergers are also a proposed engine for short, hard gamma-ray bursts. The behavior of both the spacetime…
Making robust predictions for the phase space distribution of dark matter at the solar neighbourhood is vital for dark matter direct detection experiments. To date, almost all such predictions have been based on simulations that model the…
Context. Binary systems can be born surrounded by circumbinary discs. The gaseous discs surrounding either of the two stellar companions can have their life extended by the supply of mass arriving from the circumbinary disc. Aims. The…
The accretion of dark matter (DM) into astrophysical black holes slowly increases their mass. The rate of this mass accretion depends on the DM model and the model parameters. If this mass accretion effect can be measured accurately enough,…
Scalar fields of masses between $10^{-21}\rm{eV}/c^2$ and $10^{-11} \rm{eV}/c^2$ can exhibit enhanced gravitational interactions with black holes, and form scalar clouds around them. Such a cloud modifies the dynamics of a coalescing…
The presence of dark matter overdensities surrounding a black hole can influence the evolution of a binary system. The gravitational wave signals emitted by a black hole binary offer a promising means to probe the dark matter environments…
We present an in-depth exploration of the phenomenon of dynamical friction in a universe where the dark matter is composed entirely of so-called Fuzzy Dark Matter (FDM), ultralight bosons of mass $m\sim\mathcal{O}(10^{-22})\,$eV. We review…
The fundamental nature of dark matter (DM) remains unknown, with significant uncertainties in its density profile. DM environments surrounding massive binary black holes (BBHs) modify their orbital dynamics, thereby altering gravitational…