Constraining the Binarity of Massive Black Holes in the Galactic Center and Some Nearby Galaxies via Pulsar Timing Array Observations of Gravitational Waves

2024/11/21 by Xiao Guo, Guo, Xiao, Qingjuan Yu +3 · 4 citations
Computer Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Astrophysics of Galaxies (astro-ph.GA) #Computational Physics and Python Applications #FOS: Physical sciences #High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena (astro-ph.HE) #Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research #Radio Astronomy Observations and Technology

paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2411.14150

openalex publication_date 2024/11/21 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28

Abstract

Massive black holes (MBHs) exist in the Galactic center (GC) and other nearby galactic nuclei. As natural outcome of galaxy mergers, some MBHs may have a black hole (BH) companion. In this paper, assuming that the MBHs in the GC and some nearby galaxies are in binaries with orbital periods ranging from months to years (gravitational-wave frequency ∼1-100 nHz), we investigate the detectability of gravitational-waves from these binary MBHs (BBHs) and constraints on the parameter space for the existence of BBHs in the GC, LMC, M31, M32, and M87, that may be obtained by current/future pulsar timing array (PTA) observations. We find that a BBH in the GC, if any, can be revealed by the Square Kilometer Array PTA (SKA-PTA) if its mass ratio q\gtrsim10^-4-10^-3 and semimajor axis a∼20-10³ AU. The existence of a BH companion of the MBH can be revealed by SKA-PTA with ∼20-year observations in M31 if q\gtrsim10^-4 and a∼10²-10⁴ AU or in M87 if q\gtrsim10^-5 and a∼10³-2×10⁴ AU, but not in LMC and M32 if q≪1. If a number of milli-second stable pulsars with distances \lesssim0.1-1 pc away from the central MBH in the GC, LMC, M32, or M31, can be detected in future and applied to PTAs, the BH companion with mass even down to ∼100M_\odot, close to stellar masses, can be revealed by such PTAs. Future PTAs are expected to provide an independent way to reveal BBHs and low-mass MBH companions in the GC and nearby galaxies, improving our understandings of the formation and evolution of MBHs and galaxies.

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• The Environmental Effects on Inspiraling Binary Black Hole Systems in the Centers of the LMC and M31

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