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Rapid Formation of Supermassive Black Hole Binaries in Galaxy Mergers with Gas
Supermassive black holes (SMBHs) are a ubiquitous component of the nuclei of galaxies. It is normally assumed that, following the merger of two massive galaxies, a SMBH binary will form, shrink due to stellar or gas dynamical processes and ultimately coalesce by emitting a burst of gravitational waves. However, so far it has not been possible to show how two SMBHs bind during a galaxy merger with gas due to the difficulty of modeling a wide range of spatial scales. Here we report hydrodynamical simulations that track the formation of a SMBH binary down to scales of a few light years following the collision between two spiral galaxies. A massive, turbulent nuclear gaseous disk arises as a result of the galaxy merger. The black holes form an eccentric binary in the disk in less than a million years as a result of the gravitational drag from the gas rather than from the stars.
Date:
March 24, 2008
Creator:
Mayer, L.; Kazantzidis, S.; Madau, P.; Colpi, M.; Quinn, T. & Wadsley, J.
Object Type:
Article
System:
The UNT Digital Library
The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 88, No. 84, Ed. 1 Monday, March 24, 2008
Daily newspaper from Baytown, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.
Date:
March 24, 2008
Creator:
Clements, Clifford E.
Object Type:
Newspaper
System:
The Portal to Texas History