Rapid orbital decay of a black hole binary in merging galaxies

Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy

Scientific paper

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Binary Stars, Black Holes (Astronomy), Interacting Galaxies, Orbit Decay, Astronomical Models, Friction, Stellar Orbits

Scientific paper

Most elliptical galaxies are believed to have massive central black holes. When they merge, their central black holes sink toward the core of the merger and form a binary system. The evolution of such a black hole binary under a uniform distribution of field stars is investigated. It is found that a black hole binary merges in about 10 to the 7th yr. The orbital energy and angular momentum of a black hole binary are transferred to the field stars through dynamic friction. The orbit of the binary becomes highly eccentric, since dynamic friction is most effective at the apocenter with the minimum orbital velocity. The periastron distance decreases exponentially, and eventually the black holes merge when the emission of the gravitational radiation becomes significant. The energy transferred from the binary to the field stars is comparable to the binding energy of the core of the parent galaxy.

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