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Resonant motions of supermassive black hole triples

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 March 2016

Wei Hao ,
Rainer Spurzem ,
Thorsten Naab ,
Long Wang ,
M. B. N. Kouwenhoven ,
Pau Amaro-Seoane  and
Rosemary A. Mardling
Wei Hao
Affiliation:
Max-Planck-Institut für Astrophysik, Karl-Schwarzschild-Str. 1 85741 Garching, Germany email: elvis@mpa-garching.mpg.de
Rainer Spurzem
Affiliation:
Max-Planck-Institut für Astrophysik, Karl-Schwarzschild-Str. 1 85741 Garching, Germany email: elvis@mpa-garching.mpg.de National Astronomical Observatories of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 20A Datun Rd., Chaoyang District, 100012, Beijing, P.R. China Astronomisches Rechen-Institut, Zentrum für Astronomie, Univ. of Heidelberg, Mönchhof-Strasse 12-14, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Peking University, Yi He Yuan Lu 5, Haidian District, Beijing 100871, P.R. China
Thorsten Naab
Affiliation:
Max-Planck-Institut für Astrophysik, Karl-Schwarzschild-Str. 1 85741 Garching, Germany email: elvis@mpa-garching.mpg.de
Long Wang
Affiliation:
Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Peking University, Yi He Yuan Lu 5, Haidian District, Beijing 100871, P.R. China Department of Astronomy, School of Physics, Peking University, Yi He Yuan Lu 5, Haidian District, Beijing 100871, P.R. China
M. B. N. Kouwenhoven
Affiliation:
Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Peking University, Yi He Yuan Lu 5, Haidian District, Beijing 100871, P.R. China
Pau Amaro-Seoane
Affiliation:
Max Planck Institut für Gravitationsphysik (Albert-Einstein-Institut), D-14476 Potsdam, Germany
Rosemary A. Mardling
Affiliation:
School of Mathematical Sciences, Monash University, Victoria 3800, Australia Astronomy Department of the University of Geneva, Geneva Observatory, 51 Ch. des Maillettes, CH1290 Versoix, Switzerland
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Abstract

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Triple supermassive black holes (SMBH) can form during the hierarchical mergers of massive galaxies with an existing binary. Perturbations by a third black hole may accelerate the merging process of an inner binary, for example through the Kozai mechanism. We analyze the evolution of simulated hierarchical triple SMBHs in galactic centers, and find resonances in the evolution of the semi-major axis, the eccentricity and the inclination, for both the inner and the outer orbits of the triple system, which are not only Kozai like. Through resonant oscillations, SMBH can trigger a significant increase of the inner SMBH binary eccentricity shortening the merger timescale expected from gravitational wave (GW) emission. As hierarchical triple SMBHs may be frequent in massive galaxies, the influence of orbital resonances is of great importance to our understanding of black hole coalescence and gravitational wave detection. Although Kozai mechanism is believed to play an important role in this process, detailed studies on the pattern of these resonances is necessary.

Keywords

black hole physicskinematics and dynamicsoscillationsetc
Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 10 , Issue S312: Star Clusters and Black Holes in Galaxies across Cosmic Time , August 2014 , pp. 101 - 104
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2016 

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