arXiv subjects

M. Dotti

Publications and source records attributed to M. Dotti.

47 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2009

A photometric study of the field around the candidate recoiling/binary black hole SDSS J092712.65+294344.0

We present a photometric FUV to Ks-band study of the field around quasar SDSS J092712.65+294344.0. The SDSS spectrum of this object shows various emission lines with two distinct redshifts, at z=0.699 and z=0.712. Because of this peculiar spectroscopic feature this source has been proposed as a candidate recoiling or binary black hole. A third alternative model involves two galaxies moving in the centre of a rich galaxy cluster. Here we present a study addressing the possible presence of such a rich cluster of galaxies in the SDSS J092712.65+294344.0 field. We observed the 3.6x2.6 square arcmin field in the Ks-band and matched the NIR data with the FUV and NUV images in the GALEX archive and the ugriz observations in the SDSS. From various colour-colour diagrams we were able to classify the nature of 32 sources, only 6-11 of which have colours consistent with galaxies at z~0.7. We compare these numbers with the surface density of galaxies, stars & quasars, and the expectations for typical galaxy clusters both at low and high redshift. Our study shows that the galaxy cluster scenario is in clear disagreement with the new observations.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2009

Dual black holes in merger remnants. I: linking accretion to dynamics

We study the orbital evolution and accretion history of massive black hole (MBH) pairs in rotationally supported circumnuclear discs up to the point where MBHs form binary systems. Our simulations have high resolution in mass and space which, for the first time, makes it feasible to follow the orbital decay of a MBH either counter- or co-rotating with respect to the circumnuclear disc. We show that a moving MBH on an initially counter-rotating orbit experiences an "orbital angular momentum flip" due to the gas-dynamical friction, i.e., it starts to corotate with the disc before a MBH binary forms. We stress that this effect can only be captured in very high resolution simulations. Given the extremely large number of gas particles used, the dynamical range is sufficiently large to resolve the Bondi-Hoyle-Lyttleton radii of individual MBHs. As a consequence, we are able to link the accretion processes to the orbital evolution of the MBH pairs. We predict that the accretion rate is significantly suppressed and extremely variable when the MBH is moving on a retrograde orbit. It is only after the orbital angular momentum flip has taken place that the secondary rapidly "lights up" at which point both MBHs can accrete near the Eddington rate for a few Myr. The separation of the double nucleus is expected to be around ~10 pc at this stage. We show that the accretion rate can be highly variable also when the MBH is co-rotating with the disc (albeit to a lesser extent) provided that its orbit is eccentric. Our results have significant consequences for the expected number of observable double AGNs at separations of <100 pc.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2009

Massive black hole binary evolution in gas-rich mergers

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 numerical simulations. In major mergers, the BHs sink rapidly under the action of gas-dynamical friction while orbiting inside the massive nuclear disc resulting from the merger. The BHs then bind and form a Keplerian binary on a scale of 5 pc. In minor mergers, BH pairing proceeds down to the minimum scale explored of 10-100 pc only when the gas fraction in the less massive galaxy is comparatively large to avoid its tidal and/or ram pressure disruption and the wandering of the light BH in the periphery of the main halo. Binary BHs enter the gravitational wave dominated inspiral only when their relative distance is typically of 0.001 pc. If the gas preserves the degree of dissipation expected in a star-burst environment, binary decay continues down to 0.1 pc, the smallest length-scale ever attained. Stalling versus hardening below 0.1 pc is still matter of deep investigations.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2008

Imprints of recoiling massive black-holes on the hot gas of early type galaxies

Anisotropic gravitational radiation from a coalescing black hole binary is known to impart recoil velocities of up to ~1000 km/s to the remnant black hole. In this context, we study the motion of a recoiling black hole inside a galaxy modelled as an Hernquist sphere, and the signature that the hole imprints on the hot gas, using N-body/SPH simulations. Ejection of the black hole results in a sudden expansion of the gas ending with the formation of a gaseous core, similarly to what is seen for the stars. A cometary tail of particles bound to the black hole is initially released along its trail. As the black hole moves on a return orbit, a nearly spherical swarm of hot gaseous particles forms at every apocentre: this feature can live up to ~ 100 Myr. If the recoil velocity exceeds the sound speed initially, the black hole shocks the gas in the form of a Mach cone in density near each super-sonic pericentric passage. We find that the X-ray fingerprint of a recoiling black hole can be detected in Chandra X-ray maps out to a distance of Virgo. For exceptionally massive black holes the Mach cone and the wakes could be observed out to a few hundred of Mpc. Detection of the Mach cone is found to become of twofold importance: i) as a probe of high-velocity recoils and ii) as an assessment of the scatter of the mass-sigma relation at large black hole masses.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2008

Massive black hole binaries in gaseous nuclear discs

We study the evolution of a massive black hole pair in a rotationally supported nuclear disc. The distributions of stars and gas mimic the nuclear region of a gas-rich galaxy merger remnant. Using high-resolution SPH simulations, we follow the black hole dynamics and trace the evolution of the underlying background, until the black holes form a binary. We find that the gravitational perturbation of the pair creates a core in the disc density profile, hence decreasing the gas-dynamical drag. This leads the newly formed binary to stall at a separation of ~5 pc. In the early phases of the sinking, black holes lose memory of their initial orbital eccentricity if they co-rotate with the disc, as rotation of the gaseous background promotes circularization of the black hole orbits. Circularization is efficient until the black holes bind in a binary, though in the latest stages of the simulations a residual eccentricity > 0.1 is still present. Black holes are treated as sink particles, allowing for gas accretion. We find that accretion strongly depends on the dynamical properties of the black holes, and occurs preferentially after circularization.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2008

Are the black hole masses in Narrow Line Seyfert 1 galaxies actually small?

Narrow Line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLS1s) are generally considered peculiar objects among the broad class of Type 1 active galactic nuclei, due to the relatively small width of the broad lines, strong X-ray variability, soft X-ray continua, weak [OIII], and strong FeII line intensities. The mass M_BH of the central massive black hole (MBH) is claimed to be lighter than expected from known MBH-host galaxy scaling relations, while the accretion rate onto the MBH larger than the average value appropriate to Seyfert 1 galaxies. In this Letter, we show that NLS1 peculiar M_BH and L/L_Edd turn out to be fairly standard, provided that the broad line region is allowed to have a disc-like, rather than isotropic, geometry. Assuming that NLS1s are rather ``normal'' Seyfert 1 objects seen along the disc axis, we could estimate the typical inclination angles from the fraction of Seyfert 1 classified as NLS1s, and compute the geometrical factor relating the observed FWHM of broad lines to the virial mass of the MBH. We show that the geometrical factor can fully account for the "black hole mass deficit" observed in NLS1s, and that L/L_Edd is (on average) comparable to the value of the more common broad line Seyfert 1 galaxies.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2007

Birth of massive black hole binaries

If massive black holes (BHs) are ubiquitous in galaxies and galaxies experience multiple mergers during their cosmic assembly, then BH binaries should be common albeit temporary features of most galactic bulges. Observationally, the paucity of active BH pairs points toward binary lifetimes far shorter than the Hubble time, indicating rapid inspiral of the BHs down to the domain where gravitational waves lead to their coalescence. Here, we review a series of studies on the dynamics of massive BHs in gas-rich galaxy mergers that underscore the vital role played by a cool, gaseous component in promoting the rapid formation of the BH binary. The BH binary is found to reside at the center of a massive self-gravitating nuclear disc resulting from the collision of the two gaseous discs present in the mother galaxies. Hardening by gravitational torques against gas in this grand disc is found to continue down to sub-parsec scales. The eccentricity decreases with time to zero and when the binary is circular, accretion sets in around the two BHs. When this occurs, each BH is endowed with it own small-size (< 0.01 pc) accretion disc comprising a few percent of the BH mass. Double AGN activity is expected to occur on an estimated timescale of < 1 Myr. The double nuclear point-like sources that may appear have typical separation of < 10 pc, and are likely to be embedded in the still ongoing starburst. We note that a potential threat of binary stalling, in a gaseous environment, may come from radiation and/or mechanical energy injections by the BHs. Only short-lived or sub-Eddington accretion episodes can guarantee the persistence of a dense cool gas structure around the binary necessary for continuing BH inspiral.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2007

On the inspiral of Massive Black Holes in gas-rich galaxy mergers

We present a study on the dynamics of massive BHs in galaxy mergers, obtained from a series of high-resolution N-Body/SPH simulations. The presence of a gaseous component is essential for the rapid formation of an eccentric (Keplerian) BH binary, that resides at the center of a massive (~10^9 Msun) turbulent nuclear disc. Using physically and/or numerically motivated recipes, we follow the accretion history of the BHs during the merger. The mass of the BHs increases as large central inflows of gas occur inside each galaxy, and their mass ratio varies with time. Given the encountered strong degeneracy between numerical resolution and physical assumptions, we suggest here three possible paths followed by the galaxies and the BHs during a merger in order to fulfill the M-sigma relation : Adjustment, Symbiosis, and BH Dominance. In an extremely high resolution run, we resolved the turbulent gas pattern down to parsec scales, and found that BH feedback is expected to be effective near the end of the merger. We then trace the BH binary orbit down to a scale of 0.1 pc modeling the nuclear disc as an equilibrium Mestel disc composed either of gas, gas and stars, or just stars. Under the action of dynamical friction against the rotating gaseous and/or stellar background the orbit circularizes. When this occurs, each BH is endowed with its own small-size (~0.01 pc) accretion disc comprising a few percent of the BH mass. Double AGN activity is expected to occur on an estimated timescale of ~10 Myrs, comparable to the inspiral time. The double nuclear point--like sources that may appear have typical separations of ~10 pc, and are likely to be embedded in the still ongoing starburst.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2007

Supermassive black hole binaries in gaseous and stellar circumnuclear discs: orbital dynamics and gas accretion

The dynamics of two massive black holes in a rotationally supported nuclear disc of 10^8 solar masses is explored using N-Body/SPH simulations. Gas and star particles are co-present in the disc. Described by a Mestel profile, the disc has a vertical support provided by turbulence of the gas, and by stellar velocity dispersion. A primary black hole of 4 million solar masses is placed at the centre of the disc, while a secondary black hole is set initially on an eccentric co-rotating orbit in the disc plane. Its mass is in a 1 to 1, 1 to 4, and 1 to 10 ratio, relative to the primary. With this choice, we mimic the dynamics of black hole pairs released in the nuclear region at the end of a gas-rich galaxy merger. It is found that, under the action of dynamical friction, the two black holes form a close binary in ~10 Myrs. The inspiral process is insensitive to the mass fraction in stars and gas present in the disc and is accompanied by the circularization of the orbit. We detail the gaseous mass profile bound to each black hole that can lead to the formation of two small Keplerian discs, weighing ~2 % of the black hole mass, and of size ~0.01 pc. The mass of the tightly (loosely) bound particles increases (decreases) with time as the black holes spiral into closer and closer orbits. Double AGN activity is expected to occur on an estimated timescale of ~10 Myrs, comparable to the inspiral timescale. The double nuclear point-like sources that may appear during dynamical evolution have typical separations of ~10 pc.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

On the search of electromagnetic cosmological counterparts to coalescences of massive black hole binaries

We explore the nature of possible electromagnetic counterparts of coalescences of massive black hole binaries at cosmological distances detectable by the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). An electromagnetic precursor, during the last year of gravitational wave (GW)-driven inspiral, or an afterglow within few years after coalescence, may highlight the position in the sky of galaxies hosting LISA sources. We show that observations of precursors and afterglows are mutually exclusive, depending on the mass of the primary black hole. Precursors are expected to occur in binaries where the primary (more massive) black hole is heavier than ~10^7 \Msun. They may correspond to on-off states of accretion, i.e., to a bright X-ray source decaying into quiescence before black hole coalescence, and are likely associated to disturbed galaxies showing signs of ongoing starbursts. Coalescences of lighter binaries, with masses <5x10^6 \Msun, lack of any precursor, as gas is expected to be consumed long before the GW-driven orbital decay. Such events would not be hosted by (massive) galaxies with an associated starburst, given the slow binary inspiral time compared to the typical time scale of starbursts. By contrast, coalescence, for such light binaries, is followed by an electromagnetic afterglow, i.e., an off-on accretion state rising in <20 yrs. Using a cosmological merger tree algorithm, we show that future X-ray missions such as XEUS will be able to identify, in 20 yrs operation, almost all the massive BH binary detectable by LISA, and, in only 5 yrs, all the LISA sources at z>6.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2005

LISA double black holes: Dynamics in gaseous nuclear discs

We study the inspiral of double black holes, with masses in the LISA window of detectability, orbiting inside a massive circum-nuclear disc. Using high-resolution SPH simulations, we follow the black hole dynamics in the early phase when gas-dynamical friction acts on the black holes individually, and continue our simulation until they form a close binary. We find that in the early sinking the black holes lose memory of their initial orbital eccentricity if they co-rotate with the gaseous disc, forming a binary with a low eccentricity, consistent with zero within our numerical resolution limit. The cause of circularization resides in the rotation present in the gaseous background where dynamical friction operates. Circularization may hinder gravitational waves from taking over and leading the binary to coalescence. In the case of counter-rotating orbits the initial eccentricity does not decrease, and the black holes may bind forming an eccentric binary. When dynamical friction has subsided, for equal mass black holes and regardless their initial eccentricity, angular momentum loss, driven by the gravitational torque exerted on the binary by surrounding gas, is nevertheless observable down to the smallest scale probed. In the case of unequal masses, dynamical friction remains efficient down to our resolution limit, and there is no sign of formation of any ellipsoidal gas distribution that may further harden the binary. During inspiral, gravitational capture of gas by the black holes occurs mainly along circular orbits: eccentric orbits imply high relative velocities and weak gravitational focusing. Thus, AGN activity may be excited during the black hole pairing process and double active nuclei may form when circularization is completed, on distance-scales of tens of pcs.

astro-ph↗