Related papers: Massive Black Hole Mergers
Intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) are believed to be the missing link between the supermassive black holes (BHs) found at the centers of massive galaxies and BHs formed through stellar core collapse. One of the proposed mechanisms for…
Understanding the fate of merging supermassive black holes in galactic mergers, and the gravitational wave emission from this process, are important LISA science goals. To this end, we present results from numerical relativity simulations…
There is overwhelming evidence for the presence of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in the centers of most nearby galaxies. The mass estimates for these remnant black holes from the stellar kinematics of local galaxies and the quasar…
Current theoretical models predict a mass gap with a dearth of stellar black holes (BHs) between roughly $50\,M_\odot$ and $100\,M_\odot$, while, above the range accessible through massive star evolution, intermediate-mass BHs (IMBHs) still…
The population of black holes observed via gravitational waves currently covers the local universe up to a redshift $z\lesssim 1$, for the most massive merging binaries, or $z\lesssim 0.25$ for low-mass BH binaries (BBH). Evolution of the…
We report on key studies on the dynamics of black holes (BHs) in gas-rich galaxy mergers that underscore the vital role played by gas dissipation in promoting BH inspiral down to the smallest scales ever probed with use of high-resolution…
Gravitational waves (GWs) have provided a new lens through which to view the universe beyond traditional electromagnetic methods. The upcoming space-based gravitational wave mission, Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), will give us…
Current stellar evolution models predict a dearth of black holes (BHs) with masses $\gtrsim 50$ M$_\odot$ and $\lesssim 5$ M$_\odot$, and intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs; $\sim10^2- 10^5$ M$_\odot$) have not yet been detected beyond…
Primordial black holes (PBHs) from the early Universe that can contribute to dark matter (DM) abundance have been linked to gravitational wave observations. Super-massive black holes (SMBHs) at the centers of galaxies are expected to modify…
Although supermassive black holes (SMBHs) correlate well with their host galaxies, there is an emerging view that outliers exist. Henize 2-10, NGC 4889, and NGC1277 are examples of SMBHs at least an order of magnitude more massive than…
LISA will extend the search for gravitational waves (GWs) at $0.1\,{-}\,100$ mHz where loud signals from coalescing binary black holes of $ 10^4 \,{-}\,10^7\,\rm M_{\odot}$ are expected. Depending on their mass and luminosity distance, the…
Massive gas-rich galaxy discs at $z \sim 1-3$ host massive star-forming clumps with typical baryonic masses in the range $10^7-10^8$~M$_{\odot}$ which can affect the orbital decay and concurrent growth of supermassive black hole (BH) pairs.…
Using highly-accurate $N$-body simulations, we explore the evolution of multiple massive black holes (hereafter, MBHs) in a primordial galaxy that is composed of stars and MBHs. The evolution is pursed with a fourth-order Hermite scheme,…
Supermassive black holes (SMBHs) are commonly found at the centers of their host galaxies, but their formation still remains an open question. In light of the tight correlation between the BH mass and the velocity dispersions of the bulge…
Motivated by the recent detection of gravitational waves from the black hole binary merger GW150914, we study the dynamical evolution of black holes in galactic nuclei where massive star clusters reside. With masses of ~10^7M_Sun and sizes…
One of the key open questions in cosmology today pertains to understanding when, where and how super massive black holes form, while it is clear that mergers likely play a significant role in the growth cycles of black holes, how…
We present black hole mass measurements from kinematic modeling of high-spatial resolution integral field spectroscopy of the inner regions of 9 nearby (ultra-)luminous infrared galaxies in a variety of merger stages. These observations…
Massive stellar clumps in high redshift galaxies interact and migrate to the center to form a bulge and exponential disk in <1 Gyr. Here we consider the fate of intermediate mass black holes (BHs) that might form by massive-star coalescence…
I begin by summarizing the evidence that there is a close relationship between the evolution of galaxies and supermassive black holes. They evidently share a common fuel source, and feedback from the black hole may be needed to suppress…
The existence of supermassive black holes is supported by a growing body of observations. Supermassive black holes and their formation events are likely candidates for detection by proposed long-wavelength, space-based gravitational wave…