Collaborative Research: Wou-MMA: Multi-Messenger Signatures of Massive Black Hole Binaries

合作研究：Wou-MMA：大型黑洞双星的多信使签名

• 批准号: 1908140
• 负责人: Shane Davis
• 金额: $ 1.23万
• 依托单位: University of Virginia Main Campus
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2019-09-01 至 2022-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1908140&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Wou; MMA; Multi

It has been known for many years that a black hole (BH), millions to billions of times more massive than the Sun, resides in the heart of nearly every galaxy. Over cosmic time, some of these massive BHs will come together, forming a massive black hole binary (MBHB), and eventually merge. MBHBs also accrete nearby matter, and this accretion flow has an important impact on the merger itself. A research collaboration between Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Virginia will help to answer the question, what are the properties of accretion flows in the vicinity of coalescing massive black hole binaries? The answer to this question has direct implications for the feasibility of coincident detections of electromagnetic (EM) and gravitational wave (GW) signals from coalescences. Such detections are considered the next observational grand challenge that will provide a more complete understanding of evolution and growth of these massive objects. In anticipation of future detections by the Pulsar Timing Arrays (PTAs) and Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), this team of collaborators will investigate the coincident EM and GW signatures of MBHBs immersed in accretion flows. There are three goals of this program that are complementary to the proposed research and enabled by the investigators' roles as scientists and educators. The first is to promote diversity in STEM through direct participation of women and members of underrepresented groups. The second is to introduce innovations in teaching and learning based on ideas drawn from this project. The third will be reached through a continued commitment to public engagement and outreach. This program will also result in mentoring of one postdoctoral researcher and research training and mentoring of one graduate student. The proposed program of research centers on a suite of high-resolution simulations with the radiation-magnetohydrodynamic (RMHD) code Athena++, which will follow MBHBs as they evolve through the PTA and LISA frequency bands. The goal of this study is to set the stage for the first simulations of accreting MBHBs with radiative transfer and to predict the resulting EM counterparts (spectra and light curves) to GW signatures. Its merits include the advancement in understanding of fundamental physical processes that shape accretion onto binaries and improved multi-messenger searches for inspiraling MBHBs bound for coalescence. Findings enabled by this research program are relevant for an array of ground- and space-based observatories and several research areas within astrophysics, including the physics of compact objects, active galactic nuclei, galaxy evolution and cosmology. This project advances the goals of the NSF Windows on the Universe Big Idea.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

多年来，人们已经知道，几乎每个星系的中心都存在着一个比太阳大数百万到数十亿倍的黑洞（BH）。随着宇宙时间的推移，这些大质量黑洞中的一些将聚集在一起，形成一个大质量黑洞双星（MBHB），并最终合并。MBHBs还吸积附近的物质，这种吸积流对合并本身有重要影响。格鲁吉亚理工学院和弗吉尼亚大学之间的研究合作将有助于回答这个问题，在合并的大质量黑洞双星附近的吸积流的性质是什么？这个问题的答案有直接的影响的可行性，同时检测电磁（EM）和引力波（GW）信号的合并。这样的探测被认为是下一个观测上的重大挑战，将为这些大质量天体的演化和生长提供更完整的理解。在未来的探测脉冲星定时阵列（PTA）和激光干涉仪空间天线（丽莎）的预期，这个团队的合作者将调查一致的EM和GW签名的MBHB沉浸在吸积流。该计划有三个目标，这些目标是对拟议研究的补充，并由研究人员作为科学家和教育工作者的角色实现。第一，通过妇女和代表性不足群体成员的直接参与，促进STEM的多样性。第二是根据本项目的想法，在教学和学习方面进行创新。第三个目标将通过继续致力于公众参与和外联来实现。该计划还将导致一名博士后研究员的指导和一名研究生的研究培训和指导。拟议的研究计划集中在一套高分辨率的模拟与辐射磁流体动力学（RMHD）代码雅典娜++，这将遵循MBHB，因为他们通过PTA和丽莎频带的演变。本研究的目标是为第一次模拟吸积MBHBs与辐射传输，并预测由此产生的EM对应物（光谱和光变曲线）GW签名。它的优点包括在理解基本物理过程的进步，形成吸积到双星和改进的多信使搜索的鼓舞MBHB绑定合并。这项研究计划的发现与一系列地面和空间观测站以及天体物理学的几个研究领域有关，包括紧凑物体的物理学，活动星系核，星系演化和宇宙学。该项目推进了NSF宇宙大创意窗口的目标。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。