Supermassive Binaries Research Articles

Host Galaxy Demographics Of Individually Detectable Supermassive Black-hole Binaries with Pulsar Timing Arrays

Abstract Massive black hole binaries (MBHBs) produce gravitational waves (GWs) that are detectable with pulsar timing arrays. We determine the properties of the host galaxies of simulated MBHBs at the time they are producing detectable GW signals. The population of MBHB systems we evaluate is from the \textit{Illustris} cosmological simulations taken in tandem with post processing semi-analytic models of environmental factors in the evolution of binaries. Upon evolving to the GW frequency regime accessible by pulsar timing arrays, we calculate the detection probability of each system using a variety of different values for pulsar noise characteristics in a plausible near-future International Pulsar Timing Array dataset. We find that detectable systems have host galaxies that are clearly distinct from the overall binary population and from most galaxies in general. With conservative noise factors, we find that host stellar metallicity, for example, peaks at $\sim2Z_\odot$ as opposed to the total population of galaxies which peaks at $\sim0.6Z_\odot$. Additionally, the most detectable systems are much brighter in magnitude and more red in color than the overall population, indicating their likely identity as large ellipticals with diminished star formation. These results can be used to develop effective search strategies for identifying host galaxies and electromagnetic counterparts following GW detection by pulsar timing arrays.

Imprints of massive black-hole binaries on neighbouring decihertz gravitational-wave sources

The most massive black holes in our Universe form binaries at the centre of merging galaxies. The recent evidence for a gravitational-wave (GW) background from pulsar timing may constitute the first observation that these supermassive black-hole binaries (SMBHBs) merge. Yet, the most massive SMBHBs are out of reach of interferometric GW detectors and are exceedingly difficult to resolve individually with pulsar timing. These limitations call for unexplored strategies to detect individual SMBHBs in the uncharted frequency band ≲10−5 Hz to establish their abundance and decipher the coevolution with their host galaxies. Here we show that SMBHBs imprint detectable long-term modulations on GWs from stellar-mass binaries residing in the same galaxy at a distance d ≲ 1 kpc. We determine that proposed decihertz GW interferometers sensitive to numerous stellar-mass binaries could uncover modulations from ~O(10−1–104) SMBHBs with masses ~O(107–108) M⊙out to redshift z ≈ 3.5. This offers a unique opportunity to map the population of SMBHBs through cosmic time, which might remain inaccessible otherwise.

The comparison of an optical and X-ray counterpart of subparsec supermassive binary black holes

In this paper, we study and compare the optical and X-ray counterparts of subparsec supermassive black hole binaries (SMBHBs). With that aim, we simulated the profiles of optical spectral lines emitted from the broad line region (BLR) as well as X-ray spectral lines emitted from the relativistic accretion disks around both black holes and compared them with each other. The obtained results showed that SMBHBs could cause a specific, but different variability of the lines from the optical part and Fe Kα line, leaving potentially detectable imprints in their profiles. Since these imprints depend on the orbital phase of the system, they could be used for reconstructing the Keplerian orbits of the components in the observed SMBHBs. Moreover, such signatures in the optical and X-ray line profiles of the observed SMBHBs could be used as a tool for the detection of these objects as well as for studying their properties.

Novel tests of gravity using nano-Hertz stochastic gravitational-wave background signals

Gravity theories that modify General Relativity in the slow-motion regime can introduce nonperturbative corrections to the stochastic gravitational-wave background (SGWB) from supermassive black-hole binaries in the nano-Hertz band, while not affecting the quadrupolar nature of the gravitational-wave radiation and remaining perturbative in the highly-relativistic regime, as to satisfy current post-Newtonian (PN) constraints. We present a model-agnostic formalism to map such theories into a modified tilt for the SGWB spectrum, showing that negative PN corrections (in particular -2PN) can alleviate the tension in the recent pulsar-timing-array data if the detected SGWB is interpreted as arising from supermassive binaries. Despite being preliminary, current data have already strong constraining power, for example they set a novel (conservative) upper bound on theories with time-varying Newton's constant (a -4PN correction) at least at the level of Ġ/G ≲ 10^-5 yr^-1 for redshift z=[0.1÷1]. We also show that NANOGrav data are best fitted by a broken power-law interpolating between a dominant -2PN or -3PN modification at low frequency, and the standard general-relativity scaling at high frequency. Nonetheless, a modified gravity explanation should be confronted with binary eccentricity, environmental effects, nonastrophysical origins of the signal, and scrutinized against statistical uncertainties. These novel tests of gravity will soon become more stringent when combining all pulsar-timing-array facilities and when collecting more data.

Efficient Large-Scale, Targeted Gravitational-Wave Probes of Supermassive Black-Hole Binaries.

Binary systems of supermassive black holes are promising sources of low-frequency gravitational waves (GWs) and bright electromagnetic emission. Pulsar timing array GW searches for individual binaries have been limited to only a few candidate systems due to computational demands, which get worse as more pulsars are added. By modeling the GW signal using only components from when the GW passes Earth (rather than also each pulsar), we find constraints on the binary's total mass and GW frequency that are similar to a full signal analysis, yet ∼70 times more efficient.

Probing the Dark Matter density with gravitational waves from super-massive binary black holes

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 suppress the spectrum around nHz frequencies, where it is measured, allowing to derive robust and significant bounds on the Dark Matter density, which, in turn, controls indirect detection signals from galactic centers. A precise spectrum of gravitational waves would translate in a tomography of the DM density profile, potentially probing DM particle-physics effects that induce a characteristic DM density profile, such as DM annihilations or de Broglie wavelength.

Limits on scalar-induced gravitational waves from the stochastic background by pulsar timing array observations

Recently, the NANOGrav, PPTA, EPTA, and CPTA Collaborations independently reported their evidence of the Stochastic Gravitational Waves Background (SGWB). While the inferred gravitational-wave background amplitude and spectrum are consistent with astrophysical expectations for a signal from the population of supermassive black-hole binaries (SMBHBs), the search for new physics remains plausible in this observational window. In this work, we explore the possibility of explaining such a signal by the scalar-induced gravitational waves (IGWs) in the very early universe. We use a parameterized broken power-law function as a general description of the energy spectrum of the SGWB and fit it to the new results of NANOGrav, PPTA and EPTA. We find that this approach can put constraints on the parameters of IGW energy spectrum and further yield restrictions on various inflation models that may produce primordial black holes (PBHs) in the early universe, which is also expected to be examined by the forthcoming space-based GW experiments.

Dirty waveforms: multiband harmonic content of gas-embedded gravitational wave sources

ABSTRACTWe analyse the effect of stochastic torque fluctuations on the orbital evolution and the gravitational wave (GW) emission of gas-embedded sources with intermediate and extreme mass ratios. We show that gas-driven fluctuations imprint additional harmonic content in the GWs of the binary system, which we dub dirty waveforms (DWs). We find three interesting observational prospects for DWs, provided that torque fluctuations do indeed persist beyond the resolution limit of current hydrodynamical simulations. First, DWs can produce a significant stochastic GW background, comparable to other GW noise sources. Secondly, the energy flux implied by the additional harmonics can cause a detectable secular phase shift in Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) sources, even if the net torque fluctuations vanish when averaged over orbital time-scales. Lastly, the DWs of moderate-redshift nHz supermassive binaries detectable by pulsar timing arrays (PTAs) could be detectable in the mHz range, producing a new type of PTA–LISA multiband gravitational source. Our results suggest that searching for DWs and their effects can potentially be a novel way to probe the heaviest of black holes and the physics of the accretion discs surrounding them. We find these results to be a further confirmation of the many exciting prospects of actively searching for environmental effects within the data stream of future GW detectors.

Principles of Gravitational-Wave Detection with Pulsar Timing Arrays

Pulsar timing uses the highly stable pulsar spin period to investigate many astrophysical topics. In particular, pulsar timing arrays make use of a set of extremely well-timed pulsars and their time correlations as a challenging detector of gravitational waves. It turns out that pulsar timing arrays are particularly sensitive to ultra-low-frequency gravitational waves, which makes them complementary to other gravitational-wave detectors. Here, we summarize the basics, focusing especially on supermassive black-hole binaries and cosmic strings, which have the potential to form a stochastic gravitational-wave background in the pulsar timing array detection band, and the scientific goals on this challenging topic. We also briefly outline the recent interesting results of the main pulsar timing array collaborations, which have found strong evidence of a common-spectrum process compatible with a stochastic gravitational-wave background and mention some new perspectives that are particularly interesting in view of the forthcoming radio observatories such as the Five hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope, the MeerKAT telescope, and the Square Kilometer Array.

On the Evolution of Supermassive Primordial Stars in Cosmological Flows

Abstract Primordial supermassive stars (SMSs) formed in atomic-cooling halos at z ∼ 15–20 are leading candidates for the seeds of the first quasars. Past numerical studies of the evolution of SMSs have typically assumed constant accretion rates rather than the highly variable flows in which they form. We model the evolution of SMSs in the cosmological flows that create them using the Kepler stellar evolution and implicit hydrodynamics code. We find that they reach masses of 1 − 2 × 105 M⊙ before undergoing direct collapse to black holes (DCBHs) during or at the end of their main-sequence hydrogen burning, at 1–1.5 Myr, regardless of halo mass, spin, or merger history. We also find that realistic, highly variable accretion histories allow for a much greater diversity of supermassive stellar structures, including in some cases largely thermally relaxed objects, which may provide a significant source of radiative feedback. Our models indicate that the accretion histories predicted for purely atomic-cooling halos may impose a narrow spectrum of masses on the seeds of the first massive quasars; however, further studies incorporating realistic feedback will be essential in order to confirm whether or not this holds true in all cases. Our results also indicate that multiple SMSs at disparate stages of evolution can form in these halos, raising the possibility of SMS binaries and supermassive X-ray binaries, as well as DCBH mergers that could be detected by LISA.

Tidal-heating and viscous dissipation correspondence in black holes and viscous compact objects

The effect of energy absorption during the binary evolution of Exotic-compact-objects (ECOs) is extensively studied. We review the underlying mechanism that provides the energy dissipation in material objects - tidal friction. We show that unlike typical astrophysical objects, where absorption due to viscosity is negligible, in ECOs, absorption could potentially mimic the analogous effect of black-holes (BHs) - tidal heating. We stand for their differences and similarities in the context of energy dissipation during the inspiral. Inspired by the membrane paradigm and recent studies, we demonstrate how viscosity is a defining feature that quantifies how close is the ECO absorption to that of a classical BH absorption. We show that for ECOs, viscosity can induce significant modifications to the GW waveform, which in some favorable scenarios of super-massive binaries of equal mass and spin, enables the measurement of the ECO absorption in the future precision gravitational-wave (GW) observations. Finally, we discuss the implications on the ECO reflection coefficient and the relation to the universal viscosity to volume entropy bound.

Testing the Kerr nature of supermassive and intermediate-mass black hole binaries using spin-induced multipole moment measurements

The gravitational wave measurements of spin-induced multipole moment coefficients of a binary black hole system can be used to distinguish black holes from other compact objects []. Here, we apply the idea proposed in reference [] to binary systems composed of supermassive and intermediate-mass black holes and derive the expected bounds on their Kerr nature using future space-based gravitational wave detectors. Using astrophysical models of binary black hole population, we study the measurability of the spin-induced quadrupole and octupole moment coefficients using LISA and DECIGO. The errors on spin-induced quadrupole moment parameter of the binary system are found to be ⩽0.1 for almost 3% of the total supermassive binary black hole population which is detectable by LISA whereas it is ∼46% for the intermediate-mass black hole binaries observable by DECIGO at its design sensitivity. We find that errors on both the quadrupole and octupole moment parameters can be estimated to be ⩽1 for ∼2% and ∼50% of the population respectively for LISA and DECIGO detectors. Our findings suggest that a subpopulation of binary black hole events, with the signal to noise ratio thresholds greater than 200 and 100 respectively for LISA and DECIGO detectors, would permit tests of black hole nature to 10% precision.

Response of ultralight dark matter to supermassive black holes and binaries

Scalar fields can give rise to confined structures, such as boson stars or Q-balls. These objects are interesting hypothetical new "dark matter stars," but also good descriptions of dark matter haloes when the fields are ultralight. Here, we study the dynamical response of such confined bosonic structures when excited by external matter (stars, planets or black holes) in their vicinities. Such perturbers can either be plunging through the bosonic configuration or simply act as periodic sources. Our setup can also efficiently describe the interaction between a massive black hole and the surrounding environment, shortly after the massive body has undergone a "kick", due to the collapse of baryonic matter at the galactic center. It also depicts dark matter depletion as a reaction to an inspiralling binary within the halo. We calculate total energy loss, and linear and angular momenta radiated during these processes, and perform the first self-consistent calculation of dynamical friction acting on moving bodies in these backgrounds. We show that the gravitational collapse to a supermassive black hole at the center of a Newtonian boson star (NBS) is accompanied by a small change in the surrounding core. The NBS eventually gets accreted, but only on times larger than a Hubble scale for astrophysical parameters. Stellar or supermassive binaries are able to "stir" and expel scalar from the NBS. For binaries in the LIGO or LISA band, close to coalescence, scalar emission affects the waveform at leading $-6$ PN order with respect to the dominant quadrupolar term; the coefficient is too small to allow detection by next-generation interferometers. Our results provide a complete picture of the interaction between black holes or stars and the ultralight dark matter environment they live in.

Toward the Unambiguous Identification of Supermassive Binary Black Holes through Bayesian Inference

Abstract Supermassive binary black holes at subparsec orbital separations have yet to be discovered, with the possible exception of blazar OJ 287. In parallel to the global hunt for nanohertz gravitational waves from supermassive binaries using pulsar timing arrays, there has been a growing sample of candidates reported from electromagnetic surveys, particularly searches for periodic variations in the optical light curves of quasars. However, the periodicity search is prone to false positives from quasar red noise and quasiperiodic oscillations from the accretion disk of a single supermassive black hole, especially when the data span fewer than a few signal cycles. We present a Bayesian method for the detection of quasar (quasi)periodicity in the presence of red noise. We apply this method to the binary candidate PG 1302−102 and show that (a) there is very strong support (Bayes factor >106) for quasiperiodicity and (b) the data slightly favor a quasiperiodic oscillation over a sinusoidal signal, which we interpret as modest evidence against the binary black hole hypothesis. We also find that the prevalent damped random walk red-noise model is disfavored with more than 99.9% credibility. Finally, we outline future work that may enable the unambiguous identification of supermassive binary black holes.

On Using Inspiraling Supermassive Binary Black Holes in the PTA Frequency Band as Standard Sirens to Constrain Dark Energy

Abstract Supermassive binary black holes (SMBBHs) in galactic centers may radiate gravitational waves (GW) in the nano-Hertz frequency band, which are expected to be detected by pulsar timing arrays (PTAs) in the near future. GW signals from individual SMBBHs at cosmic distances, if detected by PTAs, are potentially powerful standard sirens that can be used to independently measure distances and thus put constraints on cosmological parameters. In this paper, we investigate the constraint that may be obtained on the equation of state (w) of dark energy by using those SMBBHs, expected to be detected by the PTAs in the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) era. By considering both the currently available SMBBH candidates and mock SMBBHs in the universe resulting from a simple galaxy major merger model, we find that ∼200–3000 SMBBHs with chirp mass >109 M ⊙ are expected to be detected with a signal-to-noise ratio >10 by SKA–PTA with conservative and optimistic settings and they can be used to put a constraint on w to an uncertainty of Δw ∼ 0.02–0.1. If further information on the mass and mass ratio of those SMBBHs can be provided by electromagnetic observations (e.g., chirp mass uncertainty ≲50%), the constraint may be further improved to a ≲0.01 level, as many more SMBBHs will be detected by SKA–PTA with relatively better distance measurements and can be used as the standard sirens.

From micro to macro and back: probing near-horizon quantum structures with gravitational waves

Supermassive binaries detectable by the planned space gravitational-wave interferometer LISA might allow us to distinguish black holes from ultracompact horizonless objects, even for certain models motivated by quantum-gravity considerations. We show that a measurement of a very small tidal Love number with accuracy (as achievable by detecting ‘golden binaries’) may also allow us to distinguish between different models of these exotic compact objects, even when taking into account an intrinsic uncertainty in the object radius putatively due to quantum mechanics. We argue that there is no conceptual obstacle in performing these measurements, the main challenge remains the detectability of small tidal effects and an accurate waveform modelling.

Supermassive Binaries in Quasars and BL Lac Objects: Electromagnetic and Gravitational Wave Emissions

Abstract The search in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) for supermassive binary systems with total mass M ∼ 108–109 M ⊙ is intertwined with the observational efforts aimed at their contributions to the stochastic background of gravitational waves (GWs). Here we discuss and compare two classes of AGNs that are outstanding in electromagnetic bands: bright, relatively distant and massive quasars, and closer jetted and less massive BL Lac objects (BL Lacs). Among the latter, we focus on the source PG 1553+113 at redshift z ≃ 0.5, one of the best periodic candidates so far, that features a five-fold repetitive pattern of period P = 2.2 yr recurring in its gamma-ray light curve, as continuously monitored by Fermi-LAT for over 9 yr and updated here to 2018 March 15. We discuss this object as an interesting candidate for hosting a supermassive binary source of GWs, and explore the possible contributions to the GW stochastic background from it and similar sources in the BL Lac class. We find the possible contributions of such sources to lie below the limits set by the current Pulsar Timing Arrays, but well within the reach of the upcoming Square Kilometer Array.

Comparison between the Influence of Outflows and Supermassive Binary Black Holes in Active Galactic Nuclei on the Polarization Angle Profiles

Optical polarization signal coming from the innermost part of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) is highly sensitive on the geometry and kinematics of the central engine. Due to the compact size of the AGN central region, which is spatially unresolved with current observing facilities, we rely on spectropolarimetry which can provide us insight in their hidden physics. We model equatorial scattering for various broad line region (BLR) configurations using radiative transfer code STOKES. We analyze the polarization position angle () profiles for four supermassive binary black holes (SMBBHs) models and compare them with the profiles found for a unified model in AGNs with a single supermassive black hole (SMBH) and with notable outflowing velocity component of the BLR.. We find that the profiles for SMBBHs are axis-symmetric, while the profiles for a single SMBHs are point-symmetric and that there is a clear distinction between the two cases. Our conclussion is that spectropolarimetry might play a key role in the search for the SMBBHs by inspecting the polarization angle profiles.

A Cosmic Microscope to Probe the Universe from Present to Cosmic Dawn:Dual-element Low-frequency Space VLBI Observatory

A space-based very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) programme, named as the Cosmic Microscope, is proposed to involve dual VLBI telescopes in the space working together with giant ground-based telescopes (e.g., Square Kilometre Array, FAST, Arecibo) to image the low radio frequency Universe with the purpose of unraveling the compact structure of cosmic constituents including supermassive black holes and binaries, pulsars, astronomical masers and the underlying source, and exoplanets amongst others. The operational frequency bands are 30, 74, 330 and 1670 MHz, supporting broad science areas. The mission plans to launch two 30-m-diameter radio telescopes into 2,000 km x 90,000 km elliptical orbits. The two telescopes can work in flexibly diverse modes: (i) space-ground VLBI. The maximum space-ground baseline length is about 100,000 km; it provides a high-dynamic-range imaging capacity with unprecedented high resolutions at low frequencies (0.4 mas at 1.67 GHz and 20 mas at 30 MHz) enabling studies of exoplanets and supermassive black hole binaries (which emit nanoHz gravitational waves); (ii) space-space single-baseline VLBI. This unique baseline enables the detection of flaring hydroxyl masers, and more precise position measurement of pulsars and radio transients at milli-arcsecond level; (iii) single dish mode, where each telescope can be used to monitor transient bursts and rapidly trigger follow-up VLBI observations. The large space telescope will also contribute in measuring and constraining the total angular power spectrum from the Epoch of Reionization. In short, the Cosmic Microscope offers astronomers the opportunity to conduct novel, frontier science.

Electromagnetic Emission from Supermassive Binary Black Holes Approaching Merger

Abstract We present the first relativistic prediction of the electromagnetic emission from the surrounding gas of a supermassive binary black hole system approaching merger. Using a ray-tracing code to post-process data from a general relativistic 3D magnetohydrodynamic simulation, we generate images and spectra, and analyze the viewing angle dependence of the light emitted. When the accretion rate is relatively high, the circumbinary disk, accretion streams, and mini-disks combine to emit light in the UV/extreme-UV bands. We posit a thermal Compton hard X-ray spectrum for coronal emission; at high accretion rates, it is almost entirely produced in the mini-disks, but at lower accretion rates it is the primary radiation mechanism in the mini-disks and accretion streams as well. Due to relativistic beaming and gravitational lensing, the angular distribution of the power radiated is strongly anisotropic, especially near the equatorial plane.