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NASA NTRS2002

Event Rate for LISA Gravitational Wave Signals from Black Hole-Massive Black Hole Coalescences

Bender, Peter L.↗

NASA NTRS2002

Event Rate for LISA Gravitational Wave Signals from Black Hole-Massive Black Hole Coalescences

Earlier work under a previous grant had been mainly on investigating the event rate for coalescences of white dwarfs or neutron stars with massive black holes (MBHs) in galactic nuclei. Under the new grant, two studies were undertaken. One was an approximate extension of the earlier study to stellar mass black holes as the lighter object, with masses in the range of roughly 3 to 20 solar mass rather than about 1 solar mass. The other was an improved estimate of the confusion noise due to galactic binaries against which the signals from BH-MBH coalescences would have to be detected. In the earlier work, the mass of the white dwarfs (WDs) and neutron stars (NSs) was assumed to be about the same as that of the evolved stars in the density cusp around the galactic center MBH. However, with the BH mass being substantially larger, the sinking down of pHs toward the center (mass segregation) became important, and was included in the model. A single representative mass of 7 solar mass was used. The other main difference involved what happened after the compact object got scattered in close enough to the MBH to start losing appreciable energy and angular momentum by gravitational radiation. For WDs or NSs, it had been found in most cases that the object would be perturbed considerably by other stars in the cusp before much energy had been lost. Thus the angular momentum would either increase enough so that gravitational radiation would be cut off, or would decrease enough so that the WD or NS would plunge into the MBH in just a few revolutions. The latter event would mean that the signal-to noise ratio would not have time to build up, and the event would not be detectable. The ratio of gradual energy loss events to plunges was found to be roughly one to a few percent, and thus substantially decreased the expected rate of detectable events.

Bender, Peter L.↗

NASA NTRS2006

Gravitational Rocket from the Merging Massive Black Hole Binaries

Coalescing massive black hole binaries are expected to be among the most fascinating gravitational wave sources, observable by the NASA/ESA LISA detector. Not only will the merger events reveal the rich phenomenology of extremely strong and dynamical gravity deep inside the potential wells at the centers of galaxies (thus providing an excellent testing ground for general relativity), it will also make important contributions to the astrophysics of massive black hole evolutions. Typical black hole mergers involve asymmetric radiation of gravitational waves and lose linear momentum as well as energy and angular momentum. As a result, the merger remnant receives a kick from the GW emission: a gravitational rocket effect. High kick velocities (higher than the escape velocities of the host structure) would have a strong impact on our understanding of how massive black holes have evolved over time and, in particular, on the estimates of the merger rate for LISA. The main difficulties in calculations of the kick velocities has been in the last moments of the merger where the full theory of general relativity must be employed to accurately model the black hole dynamics. I describe a recent calculation of the kick velocities from numerical relativity simulations of the merging black hole binaries.

Choi, Dale↗

NASA NTRS2005

Observing Massive Black Hole Binary Coalescences with LISA

Massive black hole binary coalescences are among the most important astrophysical sources of gravitational waves to be observed by LISA. The ability to observe and characterize such sources with masses approximately equal to 105 M/odot and larger at high redshifts is strongly dependent on the sensitivity of LISA in the low frequency (0.1 mHz and below) regime. We examine LISA's ability to observe these systems at redshifts up to z approximately equal to 10 for various proposed values of the low frequency sensitivity, under current assumptions about the merger rates. The discussion will focus on the astrophysical information that can be gained by these observations.

Centrella, Joan↗

NASA NTRS2009

Measuring Massive Black Hole Binaries with LISA

The coalescence of two massive black holes produces gravitational waves (GWs) which can be detected by the space-based detector LISA. By measuring these waves, LISA can determine the various parameters which characterize the source. Measurements of the black hole masses and spins will provide information about the growth of black holes and their host galaxies over time. Measurements of a source's sky position and distance may help astronomers identify an electromagnetic counterpart to the GW event. The counterpart's redshift, combined with the GW-measured luminosity distance, can then be used to measure the Hubble constant and the dark energy parameter $w$. Because the potential science output is so high, it is useful to know in advance how well LISA can measure source parameters for a wide range of binaries. We calculate expected parameter estimation errors using the well-known Fisher matrix method. Our waveform model includes the physics of spin precession, as well as subleading harmonics. When these higher-order effects are not included, strong degeneracies between some parameters cause them to be poorly determined by a GW measurement. When precession and subleading harmonics are properly included, the degeneracies are broken, reducing parameter errors by one to several orders of magnitude.

Lang, Ryan N.↗

NASA NTRS2009

Massive Black Hole Mergers: Can we see what LISA will hear?

Coalescing massive black hole binaries are formed when galaxies merge. The final stages of this coalescence produce strong gravitational wave signals that can be detected by the space-borne LISA. When the black holes merge in the presence of gas and magnetic fields, various types of electromagnetic signals may also be produced. Modeling such electromagnetic counterparts requires evolving the behavior of both gas and fields in the strong-field regions around the black holes. We have taken a first step towards this problem by mapping the flow of pressureless matter in the dynamic, 3-D general relativistic spacetime around the merging black holes. We report on the results of these initial simulations and discuss their likely importance for future hydrodynamical simulations.

Centrella, Joan↗

NASA NTRS1992

Tidal capture of stars by a massive black hole

The processes leading to tidal capture of stars by a massive black hole and the consequences of these processes in a dense stellar cluster are discussed in detail. When the amplitude of a tide and the subsequent oscillations are sufficiently large, the energy deposited in a star after periastron passage and formation of a bound orbit cannot be estimated directly using the linear theory of oscillations of a spherical star, but rather numerical estimates must be used. The evolution of a star after tidal capture is discussed. The maximum ratio R of the cross-section for tidal capture to that for tidal disruption is about 3 for real systems. For the case of a stellar system with an empty capture loss cone, even in the case when the impact parameter for tidal capture only slightly exceeds the impact parameter for direct tidal disruption, tidal capture would be much more important than tidal disruption.

Novikov, I. D.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Gravitational lensing by a massive black hole at the Galactic center

The manifestations of gravitational lensing by a massive black hole at the Galactic center, with particular attention given to lensing of stars in the stellar cluster that lie behind Sgr A*, and of Sgr A east, a nonthermal extended radio source which is known with certainty to lie behind the Galactic center. Lensing of the stellar cluster produces a deficit of stellar images within 10 mas of the center, and a surplus between 30 and 300 mas. The results suggest that the proper motion of the stars will produce brightness variations of stellar images on a time scale of a few years or less. Both images of such a source should be visible, and will rise and fall in luminosity together.

Wardle, Mark↗

NASA NTRS1994

Relativistic tidal interaction of a white dwarf with a massive black hole

We compute encounters of a realistic white dwarf model with a massive black hole in the regime where relativistic effects are important, using a three-dimensional, finite-difference, Eulerian, piecewise parabolic method (PPM) hydrodynamical code. Both disruptive and nondisruptive encounters are considered. We identify and discuss relativistic effects important for the problem: relativistic shift of the pericenter distance, time delay, relativistic precession, and the tensorial structure of the tidal forces. In the nondisruptive case, stripping of matter takes place. In the surface layers of the surviving core, complicated hydrodynamical phenomena are revealed. In both disruptive and nondispruptive encounters, material flows out in the form of two thin, S-shaped, supersonic jets. Our results provide realistic initial conditions for the subsequent investigation of the dynamics of the debris in the field of the black hole. We evaluate the critical conditions for complete disruption of the white dwarf, and compare our results with the corresponding results for nonrelativistic encounters.

Frolov, V. P.↗

NASA NTRS2005

Impact of LISA's Low Frequency Sensitivity on Observations of Massive Black Hole Mergers

LISA will be able to detect gravitational waves from inspiralling massive black hole (MBH) binaries out to redshifts z > 10. If the binary masses and luminosity distances can be extracted from the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) data stream, this information can be used to reveal the merger history of MBH binaries and their host galaxies in the evolving universe. Since this parameter extraction generally requires that LISA observe the inspiral for a significant fraction of its yearly orbit, carrying out this program requires adequate sensitivity at low frequencies, f < 10(exp -4) Hz. Using several candidate low frequency sensitivities, we examine LISA's potential for characterizing MBH binary coalescences at redshifts z > 1.

Baker, J.↗

NASA NTRS2010

The Final Merger of Massive Black Holes: Recoils, Gravitational Waves, and Electromagnetic Signatures

The final merger of two massive black holes produces a powerful burst of gravitational radiation, emitting more energy than all the stars in the observable universe combined. The resulting gravitational waveforms will be easily detectable by the space-based LISA out to redshifts z > 10, revealing the masses and spins ofthe black holes to high precision. If the merging black holes have unequal masses, or asymmetric spins, the final black hole that forms can recoil with a velocity exceeding 1000 km/s. And, when the black holes merge in the presence of gas and magnetic fields, various types of electromagnetic signals may also be produced. For more than 30 years, scientists have tried to compute black hole mergers using the methods of numerical relativity. The resulting computer codes have been plagued by instabilities, causing them to crash well before the black holes in the binary could complete even a single orbit. Within the past few years, however, this situation has changed dramatically, with a series of remarkable breakthroughs. This talk will focus on new results that are revealing the dynamics and waveforms of binary black hole mergers, recoil velocities, and the possibility of accompanying electromagnetic outbursts.

Centrella, Joan↗

NASA NTRS2010

The Final Merger of Massive Black Holes: Recoils, Gravitational Waves, and Electromagnetic Signatures

The final merger of two massive black holes produces a powerful burst of gravitational radiation, emitting more energy than all the stars in the observable universe combined. The resulting gravitational waveforms will be easily detectable by the space-based LISA out to redshifts z greater than 10, revealing the masses and spins of the black holes to high precision. If the merging black holes have unequal masses, or asymmetric spins, the final black hole that forms can recoil with a velocity exceeding 1000 km/s. And, when the black holes merge in the presence of gas and magnetic fields, various types of electromagnetic signals may also be produced. For more than 30 years, scientists have tried to compute black hole mergers using the methods of numerical relativity. The resulting computer codes have been plagued by instabilities, causing them to crash well before the black holes in the binary could complete even a single orbit. Within the past few years, however, this situation has changed dramatically, with a series of remarkable breakthroughs. This talk will focus on new results that are revealing the dynamics and waveforms of binary black hole mergers, recoil velocities, and the possibility of accompanying electromagnetic outbursts.

Centrella, Joan M.↗

NASA NTRS2010

Massive Black Hole Mergers: Can We "See" what LISA will "Hear"?

The final merger of massive black holes produces strong gravitational radiation that can be detected by the space-borne LISA. If the black hole merger takes place in the presence of gas and magnetic fields, various types of electromagnetic signals may also be produced. Modeling such electromagnetic counterparts of the final merger requires evolving the behavior of both gas and fields in the strong-field regions around the black holes. We will review current efforts to simulate these systems, and discuss possibilities for observing the electromagnetic signals they produce.

Centrella, Joan↗

NASA NTRS1994

Dynamics of massive black holes as a possible candidate of Galactic dark matter

If the dark halo of the Galaxy is comprised of massive black holes (MBHs), then those within approximately 1 kpc will spiral to the center, where they will interact with one another, forming binaries which contract, owing to further dynamical friction, and then possibly merge to become more massive objects by emission of gravitational radiation. If successive mergers would invariably lead, as has been proposed by various authors, to the formation of a very massive nucleus of 10(exp 8) solar mass, then the idea of MBHs as a dark matter candidate could be excluded on observational grounds, since the observed limit (or value) for a Galactic central black hole is approximately 10(exp 6.5) solar mass. But, if successive mergers are delayed or prevented by other processes, such as the gravitational slingshot or rocket effect of gravitational radiation, then a large mass accumulation will not occur. In order to resolve this issue, we perform detailed N-body simulations using a modfied Aarseth code to explore the dynamical behavior of the MBHs, and we find that for a 'best estimate' model of the Galaxy a runaway does not occur. The code treates the MBHs as subject to the primary gravitational forces of one another and to the smooth stellar distribution, as well as the secondary perturbations in their orbits due to another and to the smooth stellar distribution, as well as the secondary perturbations in their orbits due to dynamical friction and gravitational radiation. Instead of a runaway, three-body interactions between hard binaries and single MBHs eject massive objects before accumulation of more than a few units, so that typically the center will contain zero, one, or two MBHs. We study how the situation depends in detail on the mass per MBH, the rotation of the halo, the mass distribution within the Galaxy, and other parameters. A runaway will most sensitively depend on the ratio of initial (spheroid/halo) central mass densities and secondarily on the typical values for the mass per MBH, with the rough dividing line, using Galactic parameters, being M(sub BH) less than or = 10(exp 6.5) solar mass. Using parameters from Lacey & Ostriker (1985) and our most accurate model for Galaxy, no runaway occurs.

Xu, Guohong↗

NASA NTRS1977

X-rays from massive black holes

Tidal disruption of nondegenerate stars is shown to provide an important heat source for gas accreting onto massive black holes (about 10 to 100 million solar masses) in galactic nuclei. Turbulent dissipation by accreting gas streams can also be significant, and the heat input suffices to give rise to temperatures above about 1 billion K, resulting in an appreciable hard X-ray luminosity.

Meszaros, P.↗

NASA NTRS2013

Astrophysics of Super-Massive Black Hole Mergers

We present here an overview of recent work in the subject of astrophysical manifestations of super-massive black hole (SMBH) mergers. This is a field that has been traditionally driven by theoretical work, but in recent years has also generated a great deal of interest and excitement in the observational astronomy community. In particular, the electromagnetic (EM) counterparts to SMBH mergers provide the means to detect and characterize these highly energetic events at cosmological distances, even in the absence of a space-based gravitational-wave observatory. In addition to providing a mechanism for observing SMBH mergers, EM counterparts also give important information about the environments in which these remarkable events take place, thus teaching us about the mechanisms through which galaxies form and evolve symbiotically with their central black holes.

BLACK HOLE↗

NASA NTRS2009

Observing Merging Massive Black Hole Binaries with LISA

The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) is expected to detect gravitational radiation from the inspiral and merger of massive black hole binaries at high redshifts with large signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs). These high-SNR observations will make it possible to extract physical parameters such as hole masses and spins, luminosity distance, and sky position from the observed waveforms. LISA'S effectiveness as a tool for astrophysics will be influenced by the precision with which these parameters can be measured. In addition, the practicality of coordinated observations with other instruments will be affected by the temporal evolution of parameter errors such as sky position. We present estimates of parameter errors for the special case of non-spinning black holes. Our focus is on the contribution of the late inspiral and merger portions of the waveform, a regime which typically dominates the SNR but has not been extensively studied due to the historic lack of a precise description of the waveform. Advances in numerical relativity have recently made such studies possible. Initial results suggest that the portion of the waveform beyond the Schwarzchild inner-most stable circular orbit can reduce parameter uncertainties by up to a factor of two.

Thorpe, J.↗

NASA NTRS2011

Measuring Parameters of Massive Black Hole Binaries with Partially Aligned Spins

The future space-based gravitational wave detector LISA will be able to measure parameters of coalescing massive black hole binaries, often to extremely high accuracy. Previous work has demonstrated that the black hole spins can have a strong impact on the accuracy of parameter measurement. Relativistic spin-induced precession modulates the waveform in a manner which can break degeneracies between parameters, in principle significantly improving how well they are measured. Recent studies have indicated, however, that spin precession may be weak for an important subset of astrophysical binary black holes: those in which the spins are aligned due to interactions with gas. In this paper, we examine how well a binary's parameters can be measured when its spins are partially aligned and compare results using waveforms that include higher post-Newtonian harmonics to those that are truncated at leading quadrupole order. We find that the weakened precession can substantially degrade parameter estimation, particularly for the "extrinsic" parameters sky position and distance. Absent higher harmonics, LISA typically localizes the sky position of a nearly aligned binary about an order of magnitude less accurately than one for which the spin orientations are random. Our knowledge of a source's sky position will thus be worst for the gas-rich systems which are most likely to produce electromagnetic counterparts. Fortunately, higher harmonics of the waveform can make up for this degradation. By including harmonics beyond the quadrupole in our waveform model, we find that the accuracy with which most of the binary's parameters are measured can be substantially improved. In some cases, the improvement is such that they are measured almost as well as when the binary spins are randomly aligned.

Lang, Ryan N.↗