Related papers: Massive Black Hole Mergers
The mergers of galaxies and supermassive black holes (SMBHs) are key drivers of galaxy evolution, contributing to the growth of both galaxies and their central black holes. Current and upcoming gravitational wave (GW) detectors -- Pulsar…
Observational data show that the correlation between supermassive black holes (MBH) and galaxy bulge (Mbulge) masses follows a nearly linear trend, and that the correlation is strongest with the bulge rather than the total stellar mass…
The final merger of a pair of massive black holes in a galactic nucleus is compelled by gravitational radiation. Gravitational waves from the mergers of black holes of masses (10^5-10^7)(1+z)^{-1} Msun at redshifts of 1-20 will be readily…
We study the number and interaction rates of supermassive black holes in galactic bulges as predicted by hierarchical models of galaxy formation in which the spheroidal components of galaxies are formed by mergers. In bright ellipticals,…
We consider black hole - galaxy coevolution using simple analytic arguments. We focus on the fact that several supermassive black holes are known with masses significantly larger than suggested by the $M - {\sigma}$ relation, sometimes also…
The first stars forming in minihaloes at redshifts greater than 20 may have been very massive and could have left behind massive black hole (MBH) remnants. In previous papers we investigated the hierarchical merging of these `seed' MBHs and…
Binary supermassive black holes form naturally in galaxy mergers, but their long-term evolution is uncertain. In spherical galaxies, N-body simulations show that binary evolution stalls at separations much too large for significant emission…
We present direct N-body simulations, carried out with Nbody6++GPU, of young and compact low metallicity star clusters with $1.1\times 10^5$ stars, a velocity dispersion of $\sim$ 10 $\mathrm{km\,s^{-1}}$, a half mass radius $R_h=0.6$ pc,…
Dynamical friction (DF) against stars and gas is thought to be an important mechanism for orbital evolution of massive black holes (MBHs) in merger remnant galaxies. Recent theoretical investigations however show that DF does not always…
Observational evidence has been mounting for the existence of intermediate mass black holes (IMBHs, 10^2-10^5 Msun), but observing them at all, much less constraining their masses, is very challenging. In one theorized formation channel,…
In paper I of this series we showed that a large percentage of the binary black hole (BBH) mergers that form through dynamical interactions in globular clusters will have significant eccentricity in the ~10^{-3}-10^{-1} Hz LISA band. In…
The observability of gravitational waves from supermassive and intermediate-mass black holes by the forecoming Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), and the physics we can learn from the observations, will depend on two basic factors:…
Gravitational waves (GWs) from massive black hole (MBH) mergers will provide a novel way to probe the high-redshift universe and are key to understanding galactic dynamics and evolution. In this work, we analyze MBH mergers, their GW…
Massive black holes appear to be present in the nuclei of almost all galaxies, but their genesis and evolution are not well understood. As astrophysical black holes are completely characterized by their masses and spins, the observed joint…
We present a model for merger-driven evolution of the mass function for massive galaxies and their central supermassive black holes at late times. We discuss the current observational evidence in favor of merger-driven massive galaxy…
Supermassive black holes (SMBHs) are ubiquitous in galaxies with a sizable mass. It is expected that a pair of SMBHs originally in the nuclei of two merging galaxies would form a binary and eventually coalesce via a burst of gravitational…
Major galaxy mergers are thought to play an important part in fuelling the growth of supermassive black holes. However, observational support for this hypothesis is mixed, with some studies showing a correlation between merging galaxies and…
The launch of space based gravitational wave (GW) detectors (e.g. Laser Interferometry Space Antenna; LISA) and current and upcoming Pulsar Timing Arrays (PTAs) will extend the GW window to low frequencies, opening new investigations into…
We explore how the co-evolution of massive black holes (MBHs) and galaxies is affected by environmental effects, addressing in particular MBHs hosted in the central galaxies of clusters (we will refer to these galaxies in general as 'CGs').…
I review scenarios for the assembly of supermassive black holes (MBHs) at the center of galaxies that trace their hierarchical build-up far up in the dark matter halo "merger tree". Monte Carlo realizations of the merger hierarchy in a LCDM…