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arXiv · 0706.1562

Rapid Formation of Supermassive Black Hole Binaries in Galaxy Mergers with Gas

Lucio Mayer·Stelios Kazantzidis·Piero Madau·Monica Colpi·Thomas Quinn·James Wadsley
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Abstract

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.

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Lucio Mayer, Stelios Kazantzidis, Piero Madau, Monica Colpi, Thomas Quinn, James Wadsley. 2007-06-11. Rapid Formation of Supermassive Black Hole Binaries in Galaxy Mergers with Gas. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1141858

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