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其结构，并且是其进化的关键阶段。 这些合并事件还可以强烈影响星系中心生活的超级质量黑洞。 超级质量黑洞通过在周围的环境中消耗气体而生长，而星系合并事件可以向黑洞汇集新鲜的气体供应，从而触发快速增长的阶段。 最终，每个合并银河系的黑洞也形成了一个近距离黑洞二进制，该二进制会产生强大的引力波 - 在时空的结构中 - 可以在不久的将来检测到。 但是，黑洞二进制文件的地层时间尺度仍然高度不确定，阻碍了预测其重力波信号的努力。 此外，银河合并与黑洞加油之间的联系仍在积极辩论中，这一事实是，黑洞加油的签名通常被干预的气体和灰尘所隐藏。 使用星系和黑洞演化的模拟，PI将确定合并与黑洞加油之间的联系，并为将来的观察做出预测，包括与即将到来的James Webb太空望远镜（JWST）进行观察。 PI还将在时间尺度上提供新的限制，以使黑洞二进制文件成为可检测的重力波源。 此外，PI将在佛罗里达州启动一项物理与天文学计划，包括多层次指导计划和专业发展与公平与包容性主题的研讨会系列。 该计划将鼓励保持初级女科学家的保留，在物理和天文学部门之间建立更牢固的联系，并促进包容性的气候，该气候积极欢迎代表性不足的群体的成员。Galaxy合并是星系及其中央超级黑洞（BHS）的关键阶段。 合并可以极大地改变星系的结构，并触发新的恒星形成以及快速的BH加油。 这些事件还导致了近距离BH二进制文件的形成，它们是重力波（GWS）的强大来源，应在不久的将来被检测到。 然而，BH二进制Inspiral TimeScales仍然高度不确定，阻碍了GW的预测，并且Galaxy合并与BH燃料之间的联系仍在积极争论。 通过干预气体和灰尘掩盖了主动BH生长的特征，这一事实使经验研究变得复杂。 PI的工作将解决这些关键局限性，以解释合并中BH燃料和灵感的观察结果。 JWST很快将改变BH和Galaxy Evolution的看法，GW时代的出现已经扩大了对低频GW源人群的更好限制的需求。 现在是对BH加油和灵感进行研究的理想时机，以合并星系，从而对近未实现的观察进行可测试的预测。 PI将使用流体动力模拟和辐射转移计算来量化合并与BH加油之间的内在联系，确定选择偏见在合并驱动的BH加油调查中的作用，并对BH对的半经验约束。

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

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

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

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

Buried Black Hole Growth in IR-selected Mergers: New Results from Chandra

• DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/ab07bc
• 发表时间: 2019-04
• 期刊: The Astrophysical Journal
• 作者: R. Pfeifle;S. Satyapal;N. Secrest;M. Gliozzi;C. Ricci;S. Ellison;Barry Rothberg;J. Cann;L. Blecha;James K Williams;A. Constantin