Related papers: Relativistic scalar dark matter drag forces on a b…
A Keplerian binary immersed in a bath of lighter particles hardens by ejecting them through gravitational slingshots. This process drives, for example, the evolution of supermassive black hole binaries following galaxy mergers, and has long…
In this paper, we study how gaseous dynamical friction (DF) affects the motion of fly-by stellar-mass black holes (sBHs) embedded in active galactic nucleus (AGN) discs. We perform 3-body integrations of the interaction of two co-planar…
Over the past 15 years, the evidence has clearly demonstrated that massive black hole (MBH) binary merger timescales depend strongly on the structural and kinematic properties of their host galaxy. Stellar density, gas content, shape and…
Many astrophysical environments, from star clusters and globular clusters to the disks of Active Galactic Nuclei, are characterized by frequent interactions between stars and the compact objects that they leave behind. Here, using a suite…
We address the role of large scale magnetic stress in the angular momentum transport, as well as the formation of different kinds of magnetic barrier in geometrically thick, optically thin, vertically averaged 1.5-dimensional advective…
Recent data from elliptical galaxies indicate that the growth in the masses of black holes exceeds what is expected from the accretion of surrounding matter, and this growth appears to be dependent on the expansion of the universe. This…
The predicted rate of binary black hole mergers from galactic fields can vary over several orders of magnitude and is extremely sensitive to the assumptions of stellar evolution. But in dense stellar environments such as globular clusters,…
It is widely believed that the spin of black holes in X-ray binaries is mainly natal. A significant spin-up from accretion is not possible. If the secondary has a low mass, the black hole spin cannot change too much even if the black hole…
Astrophysical environments are ubiquitous in the Universe; from accretion disks around black holes to galactic dark matter halos, distributions of astrophysical material veil the vast majority of Cosmos. Including environmental effects in…
We investigate evolution of an accretion disc in binary black hole (BBH) systems and possible electromagnetic counterparts of the gravitational waves from mergers of BBHs. Perna et al. (2016) proposed a novel evolutionary scenario of an…
The detection of gravitational waves from the merger of binary black holes by the LIGO Collaboration has opened a new window to astrophysics. With the sensitivities of ground based detectors in the coming years we can only detect the local…
Binary systems of black holes emit gravitational waves as they move through their orbits. While most of the emitted radiation escapes to future null infinity, a small fraction is absorbed by the black holes themselves. This is known as…
A numerical study of the evolution of a massless scalar field in the background of rotating black holes is presented. First, solutions to the wave equation are obtained for slowly rotating black holes. In this approximation, the background…
Supermassive black hole binaries source gravitational waves measured by Pulsar Timing Arrays. The frequency spectrum of this stochastic background is predicted more precisely than its amplitude. We argue that Dark Matter friction can…
I outline the theory of accretion onto black holes, and its application to observed phenomena such as X-ray binaries, active galactic nuclei, tidal disruption events, and gamma-ray bursts. The dynamics as well as radiative signatures of…
The inspiral and merger of binary black holes will likely involve black holes with both unequal masses and arbitrary spins. The gravitational radiation emitted by these binaries will carry angular as well as linear momentum. A net flux of…
We discuss a new N-body simulation method for studying black hole binary dynamics. This method avoids previous numerical problems due to large mass ratios and trapped orbits with short periods. A treatment of relativistic effects is…
We present an interdisciplinary comparison between binary black hole systems and Radio Frequency (RF) Paul Traps, modeling the gravitational binary system as a rotating saddle near its center. This analogy connects these seemingly unrelated…
Accreting binaries containing a black hole are stellar systems composed of a normal star and a black hole. Because of the strong gravitational pull of the black hole, matter is removed from the companion star and falls into the compact ob…
We study extreme mass-ratio binary systems in which a stellar mass compact object spirals into a supermassive black hole surrounded by a scalar cloud. Scalar clouds can form through superradiant instabilities of massive scalar fields around…