Dual Jets from Binary Black Holes
20 Aug 2010-Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science)-Vol. 329, Iss: 5994, pp 927-930
TL;DR: Solving the Einstein equations to describe black holes interacting with surrounding plasma, and presenting numerical evidence for possible jets driven by these systems, suggests that the electromagnetic field extracts energy from the orbiting black holes, which ultimately merge and settle into the standard Blandford-Znajek scenario.
Abstract: The coalescence of supermassive black holes--a natural outcome when galaxies merge--should produce gravitational waves and would likely be associated with energetic electromagnetic events. We have studied the coalescence of such binary black holes within an external magnetic field produced by the expected circumbinary disk surrounding them. Solving the Einstein equations to describe black holes interacting with surrounding plasma, we present numerical evidence for possible jets driven by these systems. Extending the process described by Blandford and Znajek for a single, spinning black hole, the picture that emerges suggests that the electromagnetic field extracts energy from the orbiting black holes, which ultimately merge and settle into the standard Blandford-Znajek scenario. Emissions along these jets could potentially be observable at large distances.
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Arizona State University1, University of Sydney2, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee3, National Centre for Radio Astrophysics4, Curtin University5, Monash University6, Harvard University7, University of Iowa8, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation9, University of California, San Diego10, Massachusetts Institute of Technology11, Cornell University12, Raman Research Institute13, University of Washington14, Victoria University of Wellington15, National Radio Astronomy Observatory16, University of Melbourne17, University of Western Australia18
TL;DR: The Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) as discussed by the authors is the first telescope in the southern hemisphere designed specifically to explore the low-frequency astronomical sky between 80 and 300 MHz with arcminute angular resolution and high survey efficiency.
Abstract: Significant new opportunities for astrophysics and cosmology have been identified at low radio frequencies. The Murchison Widefield Array is the first telescope in the southern hemisphere designed specifically to explore the low-frequency astronomical sky between 80 and 300 MHz with arcminute angular resolution and high survey efficiency. The telescope will enable new advances along four key science themes, including searching for redshifted 21-cm emission from the EoR in the early Universe; Galactic and extragalactic all-sky southern hemisphere surveys; time-domain astrophysics; and solar, heliospheric, and ionospheric science and space weather. The Murchison Widefield Array is located in Western Australia at the site of the planned Square Kilometre Array (SKA) low-band telescope and is the only low-frequency SKA precursor facility. In this paper, we review the performance properties of the Murchison Widefield Array and describe its primary scientific objectives.
350 citations
TL;DR: A comprehensive overview of the state of the art in the relevant fields of research, summarize important open problems, and lay out a roadmap for future progress can be found in this article, which is an initiative taken within the framework of the European Action on 'Black holes, Gravitational waves and Fundamental Physics'.
Abstract: The grand challenges of contemporary fundamental physics-dark matter, dark energy, vacuum energy, inflation and early universe cosmology, singularities and the hierarchy problem-all involve gravity as a key component. And of all gravitational phenomena, black holes stand out in their elegant simplicity, while harbouring some of the most remarkable predictions of General Relativity: event horizons, singularities and ergoregions. The hitherto invisible landscape of the gravitational Universe is being unveiled before our eyes: the historical direct detection of gravitational waves by the LIGO-Virgo collaboration marks the dawn of a new era of scientific exploration. Gravitational-wave astronomy will allow us to test models of black hole formation, growth and evolution, as well as models of gravitational-wave generation and propagation. It will provide evidence for event horizons and ergoregions, test the theory of General Relativity itself, and may reveal the existence of new fundamental fields. The synthesis of these results has the potential to radically reshape our understanding of the cosmos and of the laws of Nature. The purpose of this work is to present a concise, yet comprehensive overview of the state of the art in the relevant fields of research, summarize important open problems, and lay out a roadmap for future progress. This write-up is an initiative taken within the framework of the European Action on 'Black holes, Gravitational waves and Fundamental Physics'. © 2019 IOP Publishing Ltd.
314 citations
University of Geneva1, Spanish National Research Council2, Paris Diderot University3, Université Paris-Saclay4, University of Zurich5, Autonomous University of Madrid6, Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation, University of Portsmouth7, University of Padua8, Max Planck Society9, Swansea University10, University of California, Berkeley11, International School for Advanced Studies12, Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris13, INAF14, University of Birmingham15, King's College London16
TL;DR: In this article, a simple parametrization of the effect in terms of two parameters (Ξ 0,n) was proposed to test modified GW propagation with standard sirens with LISA.
Abstract: Modifications of General Relativity leave their imprint both on the cosmic expansion history through a non-trivial dark energy equation of state, and on the evolution of cosmological perturbations in the scalar and in the tensor sectors. In particular, the modification in the tensor sector gives rise to a notion of gravitational-wave (GW) luminosity distance, different from the standard electromagnetic luminosity distance, that can be studied with standard sirens at GW detectors such as LISA or third-generation ground based experiments. We discuss the predictions for modified GW propagation from some of the best studied theories of modified gravity, such as Horndeski or the more general degenerate higher order scalar-tensor (DHOST) theories, non-local infrared modifications of gravity, bigravity theories and the corresponding phenomenon of GW oscillation, as well as theories with extra or varying dimensions. We show that modified GW propagation is a completely generic phenomenon in modified gravity. We then use a simple parametrization of the effect in terms of two parameters (Ξ0,n), that is shown to fit well the results from a large class of models, to study the prospects of observing modified GW propagation using supermassive black hole binaries as standard sirens with LISA . We construct mock source catalogs and perform detailed Markov Chain Monte Carlo studies of the likelihood obtained from LISA standard sirens alone, as well as by combining them with CMB, BAO and SNe data to reduce the degeneracies between cosmological parameters. We find that the combination of LISA with the other cosmological datasets allows one to measure the parameter Ξ0 that characterizes modified GW propagation to the percent level accuracy, sufficient to test several modified gravity theories. LISA standard sirens can also improve constraints on GW oscillations induced by extra field content by about three orders of magnitude relative to the current capability of ground detectors. We also update the forecasts on the accuracy on H0 and on the dark-energy equation of state using more recent estimates for the LISA sensitivity.
190 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the magnetohydrodynamic evolution of a circumbinary disk surrounding an equal-mass binary comprising two non-spinning black holes during the period in which the disk inflow time is comparable to the binary evolution time due to gravitational radiation is described by using high-order post-Newtonian approximations.
Abstract: We have simulated the magnetohydrodynamic evolution of a circumbinary disk surrounding an equal-mass binary comprising two non-spinning black holes during the period in which the disk inflow time is comparable to the binary evolution time due to gravitational radiation. Both the changing spacetime and the binary orbital evolution are described by an innovative technique utilizing high-order post-Newtonian approximations. Prior to the beginning of the inspiral, the structure of the circumbinary disk is predicted well by extrapolation from Newtonian results: a gap of roughly two binary separation radii is cleared, and matter piles up at the outer edge of this gap as inflow is retarded by torques exerted by the binary; the accretion rate is roughly half its value at large radius. During inspiral, the inner edge of the disk initially moves inward in coordination with the shrinking binary, but—as the orbital evolution accelerates—the inward motion of the disk edge falls behind the rate of binary compression. In this stage, the binary torque falls substantially, but the accretion rate decreases by only 10%-20%. When the binary separation is tens of gravitational radii, the rest-mass efficiency of disk radiation is a few percent, suggesting that supermassive binary black holes could be very luminous at this stage of their evolution. Inner disk heating is modulated at a beat frequency comparable to the binary orbital frequency. However, a disk with sufficient surface density to be luminous may be optically thick, suppressing periodic modulation of the luminosity.
164 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigate the capability of various configurations of the space interferometer eLISA to probe the late-time background expansion of the universe using gravitational wave standard sirens.
Abstract: We investigate the capability of various configurations of the space interferometer eLISA to probe the late-time background expansion of the universe using gravitational wave standard sirens. We simulate catalogues of standard sirens composed by massive black hole binaries whose gravitational radiation is detectable by eLISA, and which are likely to produce an electromagnetic counterpart observable by future surveys. The main issue for the identification of a counterpart resides in the capability of obtaining an accurate enough sky localisation with eLISA. This seriously challenges the capability of four-link (2 arm) configurations to successfully constrain the cosmological parameters. Conversely, six-link (3 arm) configurations have the potential to provide a test of the expansion of the universe up to z ~ 8 which is complementary to other cosmological probes based on electromagnetic observations only. In particular, in the most favourable scenarios, they can provide a significant constraint on H0 at the level of 0.5%. Furthermore, (ΩM, ΩΛ) can be constrained to a level competitive with present SNIa results. On the other hand, the lack of massive black hole binary standard sirens at low redshift allows to constrain dark energy only at the level of few percent.
162 citations
References
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4,406 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a two-dimensional grid-based hydrodynamic simulation of a thin, viscous, locally isothermal corotating disk orbiting an equal-mass Newtonian binary point mass on a fixed circular orbit is presented.
Abstract: We present a two-dimensional grid-based hydrodynamic simulation of a thin, viscous, locally isothermal corotating disk orbiting an equal-mass Newtonian binary point mass on a fixed circular orbit. We study the structure of the disk after multiple viscous times. The binary maintains a central hole in the viscously relaxed disk with radius equal to about twice the binary semimajor axis. Disk surface density within the hole is reduced by orders of magnitude relative to the density in the disk bulk. The inner truncation of the disk resembles the clearing of a gap in a protoplanetary disk. An initially circular disk becomes elliptical and then eccentric. Disturbances in the disk contain a component that is stationary in the rotating frame in which the binary is at rest; this component is a two-armed spiral density wave. We measure the distribution of the binary torque in the disk and find that the strongest positive torque is exerted inside the central low-density hole. We make connection with the linear theory of disk forcing at outer Lindblad resonances (OLRs) and find that the measured torque density distribution is consistent with forcing at the 3:2 (m = 2) OLR, well within the central hole. We also measure the time dependence of the rate at which gas accretes across the hole and find quasi-periodic structure. We discuss implications for variability and detection of active galactic nuclei containing a binary massive black hole.
386 citations
01 Jan 2002
TL;DR: In this paper, the first bright objects and their role in the end of the Dark Ages were discussed, as well as the formation and growth of supermassive BH and the supermassive Black Holes.
Abstract: From the Contents: Clusters of Galaxies.- Brightest Galaxies.- Gamma-ray Bursts as the Lighthouses.- Gravitational Lensing and Gravitational Waves.- QSO, AGN, Blazars - Observational Data.- First Bright Objects and Their Role in the End of Dark Ages.- Formation and Growth of Supermassive BH.- Activity Connected with the Presence of Supermassive Black Holes.- Ultra-luminous X-ray Sources and Stellar Mass Black Holes.- QSO, AGN, Blazars as Probes of the Universe.- Lighthouses and the Cosmic Background Radiation.
291 citations
TL;DR: In this article, it was shown that the subsequent viscous evolution of the hollow, radiation pressure-dominated disk will create an ~1043.5(M/106 M☉) ergs s-1 X-ray source on a timescale ~7(1 + z)1.32 yr.
Abstract: The final merger of a pair of massive black holes in a galactic nucleus is compelled by gravitational radiation. Gravitational waves from the mergers of black holes of masses 105-107(1 + z)-1 M☉ at redshifts of 1-20 will be readily detectable by the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna, but an electromagnetic afterglow would be helpful in pinpointing the source and its redshift. Long before the merger, the binary "hollows out" any surrounding gas and shrinks slowly compared to the viscous timescale of a circumbinary disk. The inner gas disk is truncated at the radius where gravitational torque from the binary balances the viscous torque, and accretion onto the black holes is diminished. Initially, the inner truncation radius is able to follow the shrinking binary inward. But eventually the gravitational radiation timescale becomes shorter than the viscous timescale in the disk, leading to a merged black hole surrounded by a hollow disk of gas. We show that the subsequent viscous evolution of the hollow, radiation pressure-dominated disk will create an ~1043.5(M/106 M☉) ergs s-1 X-ray source on a timescale ~7(1 + z)(M/106 M☉)1.32 yr. This justifies follow-up monitoring of gravitational wave events with next-generation X-ray observatories. Analysis of the detailed light curve of these afterglows will yield new insights into the subtle physics of accretion onto massive black holes.
287 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a synthetic model for thermally pulsing asymptotic giant branch (TPAGB) evolution constructed by fitting expressions to full evolutionary models in the metallicity range 0.0001 Z 0.02 was presented.
Abstract: We present a synthetic model for thermally pulsing asymptotic giant branch (TPAGB) evolution constructed by fitting expressions to full evolutionary models in the metallicity range 0.0001 Z 0.02. Our model includes parametrizations of third dredge-up and hot-bottom burning with mass and metallicity. The Large Magellanic Cloud and Small Magellanic Cloud carbon star luminosity functions are used to calibrate third dredge-up. We calculate yields appropriate for galactic chemical evolution models for 1 H, 4 He, 12 C, 13 C, 14 N, 15 N, 16 O and 17 O. The
272 citations