Modeling Dual Active Galactic Nuclei in Mergers: Unique Probes of Black Hole Inspiral and Growth

合并中的双活动星系核建模：黑洞吸气和生长的独特探测器

• 批准号: 1715413
• 负责人: Laura Blecha
• 金额: $ 28.56万
• 依托单位: University of Florida
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2017-09-01 至 2020-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1715413&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Modeling; Dual; Active; Galactic; Nuclei

Collisions between galaxies can dramatically change their structure and are key phases in their evolution. These merger events can also strongly influence the supermassive black holes that live in the centers of galaxies. Supermassive black holes grow by consuming gas in their surroundings, and galaxy merger events can funnel a fresh gas supply to the black holes, triggering a phase of rapid growth. Eventually, the black holes from each merging galaxy also form a close black hole binary, which produces powerful gravitational waves---ripples in the fabric of spacetime---that could be detected in the near future. However, the formation timescale for black hole binaries remains highly uncertain, hampering efforts to predict their gravitational wave signals. Moreover, the connection between galaxy mergers and black hole fueling is still actively debated, an issue complicated by the fact that signatures of black hole fueling are often hidden by intervening gas and dust.The Principal Investigator's (PI's) work will address these critical limitations in the understanding of black hole fueling. Using simulations of galaxy and black hole evolution, the PI will determine the connection between mergers and black hole fueling and make predictions for future observations, including observations with the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). The PI will also provide new constraints on the timescale for black hole binaries to become detectable gravitational-wave sources. In addition, the PI will initiate a Women in Physics & Astronomy program at Florida, including a multi-level mentoring program and a seminar series on professional development and equity & inclusion topics. This program will encourage retention of junior female scientists, create stronger ties between the physics and astronomy departments, and promote an inclusive climate that is actively welcoming to members of underrepresented groups.Galaxy mergers are key phases in the evolution of galaxies and their central supermassive black holes (BHs). Mergers can dramatically change galaxies' structure and trigger new star formation as well as rapid BH fueling. These events also lead to the formation of close BH binaries, which are powerful sources of gravitational waves (GWs) that should be detectable in the near future. However, BH binary inspiral timescales remain highly uncertain, hampering GW predictions, and the connection between galaxy mergers and BH fueling is still actively debated. Empirical studies are complicated by the fact that signatures of active BH growth are often obscured by intervening gas and dust. The PI's work will address these critical limitations in the ability to interpret observations of BH fueling and inspiral in mergers. JWST will soon transform the view of BH and galaxy evolution, and the advent of the GW era has amplified the need for better constraints on the low-frequency GW source population. Now is the ideal time to undertake a study of BH fueling and inspiral in merging galaxies that makes testable predictions for near-future observations. The PI will use hydrodynamic simulations and radiative transfer calculations to quantify the intrinsic connection between mergers and BH fueling, determine the role of selection biases in surveys of merger-driven BH fueling, and place semi-empirical constraints on BH pair inspiral.

星系之间的碰撞可以极大地改变它们的结构，是它们演化的关键阶段。这些合并事件也会强烈影响星系中心的超大质量黑洞。超大质量黑洞通过消耗周围的气体而增长，星系合并事件可以为黑洞提供新鲜的气体供应，从而引发快速增长的阶段。最终，来自每个合并星系的黑洞也会形成一个紧密的黑洞双星，产生强大的引力波——时空结构中的涟漪——在不久的将来可以被探测到。然而，黑洞双星的形成时间尺度仍然高度不确定，这阻碍了预测它们的引力波信号的努力。此外，星系合并和黑洞燃料之间的联系仍在激烈争论中，黑洞燃料的特征往往被中间的气体和尘埃所掩盖，这一事实使问题变得复杂。首席研究员（PI）的工作将解决黑洞燃料理解中的这些关键限制。通过对星系和黑洞演化的模拟，PI将确定合并和黑洞燃料之间的联系，并为未来的观测做出预测，包括即将到来的詹姆斯韦伯太空望远镜（JWST）的观测。PI还将为黑洞双星成为可探测的引力波源提供新的时间尺度限制。此外，PI将在佛罗里达启动一个物理学和天文学女性项目，包括一个多层次的指导项目和一个关于专业发展和公平包容主题的系列研讨会。该项目将鼓励保留年轻的女科学家，在物理系和天文系之间建立更紧密的联系，并促进积极欢迎代表性不足群体成员的包容性氛围。星系合并是星系及其中心超大质量黑洞（BHs）演化的关键阶段。合并可以极大地改变星系的结构，引发新恒星的形成以及快速的黑洞燃料。这些事件还导致了近黑洞双星的形成，它们是引力波（GWs）的强大来源，在不久的将来应该可以探测到。然而，黑洞双星的激励时间尺度仍然高度不确定，阻碍了GW的预测，星系合并和黑洞燃料之间的联系仍在积极讨论中。由于活跃黑洞生长的特征经常被中间的气体和尘埃所掩盖，经验研究变得复杂。PI的工作将解决这些关键的限制，解释黑洞在合并中的燃料和激励的观测能力。JWST将很快改变对黑洞和星系演化的看法，GW时代的到来扩大了对低频GW源群更好约束的需求。现在是对合并星系中的黑洞燃料和激励进行研究的理想时机，这将为近期的观测做出可测试的预测。PI将使用流体动力学模拟和辐射传递计算来量化合并和黑洞加注之间的内在联系，确定在合并驱动的黑洞加注调查中选择偏差的作用，并对黑洞对激励施加半经验约束。

项目成果

A Triple AGN in a Mid-infrared Selected Late-stage Galaxy Merger

• DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/ab3a9b
• 发表时间: 2019-08
• 期刊: The Astrophysical Journal
• 作者: R. Pfeifle;S. Satyapal;Christina M. Manzano-King;J. Cann;R. O. Sexton;Barry Rothberg;G. Canalizo;C. Ricci;L. Blecha;S. Ellison;M. Gliozzi;N. Secrest;A. Constantin;J. B. Harvey

Probing Massive Black Hole Binary Populations with LISA

• DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stz3102
• 发表时间: 2019-08
• 期刊: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
• 影响因子: 4.8
• 作者: Michael L. Katz;L. Kelley;F. Dosopoulou;Samantha J. H. Berry;L. Blecha;S. Larson

Relics of Supermassive Black Hole Seeds: The Discovery of an Accreting Black Hole in an Optically Normal, Low Metallicity Dwarf Galaxy

超大质量黑洞种子的遗迹：在光学正常的低金属度矮星系中发现吸积黑洞

• DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/abf56d
• 发表时间: 2021
• 期刊: The Astrophysical Journal Letters
• 作者: Cann, Jenna M.;Satyapal, Shobita;Rothberg, Barry;Canalizo, Gabriela;Bohn, Thomas;LaMassa, Stephanie;Matzko, William;Blecha, Laura;Secrest, Nathan J.;Seth, Anil
• 通讯作者: Seth, Anil

A population of luminous accreting black holes with hidden mergers

• DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0652-7
• 发表时间: 2018-11
• 期刊: Nature
• 影响因子: 64.8
• 作者: M. Koss;L. Blecha;P. Bernhard;C. Hung;Jessica R. Lu;B. Trakhtenbrot;E. Treister;Anna K. Weigel;L. Sartori;R. Mushotzky;K. Schawinski;C. Ricci;S. Veilleux;D. Sanders

Accurate Identification of Galaxy Mergers with Imaging

通过成像准确识别星系合并

• DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/aafd34
• 发表时间: 2019
• 期刊: The Astrophysical Journal
• 作者: Nevin, R.;Blecha, L.;Comerford, J.;Greene, J.
• 通讯作者: Greene, J.