MODELING FLOWS AROUND MERGING BLACK HOLE BINARIES

Journal Article · Wed Mar 10 04:00:00 EST 2010 · Astrophysical Journal Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/711/2/L89; COUNTRY OF INPUT: INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY (IAEA)· OSTI ID:21305107

Van Meter, James R; Centrella, Joan; Baker, John G; Boggs, William D; Kelly, Bernard J; McWilliams, Sean T ^[1]; Wise, John H ^[2]; Miller, M Coleman

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1. Gravitational Astrophysics Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 21114 (United States)
2. Laboratory for Observational Cosmology, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 21114 (United States)

Coalescing massive black hole binaries are produced by the mergers of galaxies. The final stages of the black hole coalescence produce strong gravitational radiation that can be detected by the space-borne Laser Interferometer Space Antenna. In cases where the black hole merger takes place in the presence of gas and magnetic fields, various types of electromagnetic signals may also be produced. Modeling such electromagnetic counterparts of the final merger requires evolving the behavior of both gas and fields in the strong-field regions around the black holes. We have taken a step toward solving this problem by mapping the flow of pressureless matter in the dynamic, three-dimensional general relativistic spacetime around the merging black holes. We find qualitative differences in collision and outflow speeds, including a signature of the merger when the net angular momentum of the matter is low, between the results from single and binary black holes, and between nonrotating and rotating holes in binaries. If future magnetohydrodynamic results confirm these differences, it may allow assessment of the properties of the binaries as well as yielding an identifiable electromagnetic counterpart to the attendant gravitational wave signal.

• OSTI ID: 21305107
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal Letters, Journal Name: Astrophysical Journal Letters Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 711; ISSN 2041-8205
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS
ANGULAR MOMENTUM
ANTENNAS
BLACK HOLES
COALESCENCE
GALAXIES
GALAXY NUCLEI
GRAVITATIONAL RADIATION
GRAVITATIONAL WAVES
INTERFEROMETERS
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MATTER
RELATIVISTIC RANGE
SIMULATION
SPACE-TIME
THREE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS