Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics – Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2009-01-06
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
Accepted for publication by ApJ Letts
Scientific paper
10.1088/0004-637X/692/1/L50
If binary intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs; with masses between 100 and $10^4 \Msun$) form in dense stellar clusters, their inspiral will be detectable with the planned Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) out to several Gpc. Here we present a study of the dynamical evolution of such binaries using a combination of direct $N$-body techniques (when the binaries are well separated) and three-body relativistic scattering experiments (when the binaries are tight enough that interactions with stars occur one at a time). We find that for reasonable IMBH masses there is only a mild effect on the structure of the surrounding cluster even though the binary binding energy can exceed the binding energy of the cluster. We demonstrate that, contrary to standard assumptions, the eccentricity in the LISA band can be in {\em some} cases as large as $\sim 0.2 - 0.3$ and that it induces a measurable phase difference from circular binaries in the last year before merger. We also show that, even though energy input from the binary decreases the density of the core and slows down interactions, the total time to coalescence is short enough (typically less than a hundred million years) that such mergers will be unique snapshots of clustered star formation.
Amaro-Seoane Pau
Freitag Marc
Miller Cole
No associations
LandOfFree
Gravitational waves from eccentric intermediate-mass black hole binaries does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with Gravitational waves from eccentric intermediate-mass black hole binaries, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Gravitational waves from eccentric intermediate-mass black hole binaries will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-632020