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Register a new userExploring black-hole scaling relations via the ensemble variability of Active Galactic Nuclei
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Added by
Antonis Georgakakis
Publication date
2021
fields
Physics
and research's language is
English
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An empirical model is presented that links, for the first time, the demographics of AGN to their ensemble X-ray variability properties. Observations on the incidence of AGN in galaxies are combined with (i) models of the Power Spectrum Density (PSD) of the flux variations of AGN and (ii) parameterisations of the black-hole mass vs stellar-mass scaling relation, to predict the mean excess variance of active black-hole populations in cosmological volumes. We show that the comparison of the model with observational measurements of the ensemble excess variance as a function of X-ray luminosity provides a handle on both the PSD models and the black-hole mass vs stellar mass relation. We find strong evidence against a PSD model that is described by a broken power-law and a constant overall normalisation. Instead our analysis indicates that the amplitude of the PSD depends on the physical properties of the accretion events, such as the Eddington ratio and/or the black hole mass. We also find that current observational measurements of the ensemble excess variance are consistent with the black-hole mass vs stellar mass relation of local spheroids based on dynamically determined black-hole masses. We also discuss future prospects of the proposed approach to jointly constrain the PSD of AGN and the black-hole mass vs stellar mass relation as a function of redshift.
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The astrophysical origin of gravitational wave (GW) transients is a timely open question in the wake of discoveries by LIGO/Virgo. In active galactic nuclei (AGNs), binaries form and evolve efficiently by interaction with a dense population of stars and the gaseous AGN disk. Previous studies have shown that stellar-mass black hole (BH) mergers in such environments can explain the merger rate and the number of suspected hierarchical mergers observed by LIGO/Virgo. The binary eccentricity distribution can provide further information to distinguish between astrophysical models. Here we derive the eccentricity distribution of BH mergers in AGN disks. We find that eccentricity is mainly due to binary-single (BS) interactions, which lead to most BH mergers in AGN disks having a significant eccentricity at $0.01,mathrm{Hz}$, detectable by LISA. If BS interactions occur in isotropic-3D directions, then $8$--$30%$ of the mergers in AGN disks will have eccentricities at $10,mathrm{Hz}$ above $e_{10,rm Hz}gtrsim 0.03$, detectable by LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA, while $5$--$17%$ of mergers have $e_{10,rm Hz}geq 0.3$. On the other hand, if BS interactions are confined to the AGN-disk plane due to torques from the disk, with 1-20 intermediate binary states during each interaction, or if BHs can migrate to $lesssim10^{-3},mathrm{pc}$ from the central supermassive black hole, then $10$--$70%$ of the mergers will be highly eccentric ($e_{10,rm Hz} geq 0.3$), consistent with the possible high eccentricity in GW190521.
Measuring the spins of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in active galactic nuclei (AGN) can inform us about the relative role of gas accretion vs. mergers in recent epochs of the life of the host galaxy and its AGN. Recent advances in theory and observation have enabled spin measurements for a handful of SMBHs thus far, but this science is still very much in its infancy. Herein, I discuss how and why we seek to measure black hole spin in AGN, using recent results from long X-ray observing campaigns on three radio-quiet AGN (MCG-6-30-15, NGC 3783 and Fairall 9) to illustrate this process and its caveats. I then present our current knowledge of the distribution of SMBH spins in the local universe. I also address prospects for improving the accuracy, precision and quantity of these spin constraints in the next decade and beyond with instruments such as NuSTAR, Astro-H and a future generation large-area X-ray telescope.
The masses of supermassive black holes at the centres of local galaxies appear to be tightly correlated with the mass and velocity dispersions of their galactic hosts. However, the local Mbh-Mstar relation inferred from dynamically measured inactive black holes is up to an order-of-magnitude higher than some estimates from active black holes, and recent work suggests that this discrepancy arises from selection bias on the sample of dynamical black hole mass measurements. In this work we combine X-ray measurements of the mean black hole accretion luminosity as a function of stellar mass and redshift with empirical models of galaxy stellar mass growth, integrating over time to predict the evolving Mbh-Mstar relation. The implied relation is nearly independent of redshift, indicating that stellar and black hole masses grow, on average, at similar rates. Matching the de-biased local Mbh-Mstar relation requires a mean radiative efficiency ~0.15, in line with theoretical expectations for accretion onto spinning black holes. However, matching the raw observed relation for inactive black holes requires a mean radiative efficiency around 0.02, far below theoretical expectations. This result provides independent evidence for selection bias in dynamically estimated black hole masses, a conclusion that is robust to uncertainties in bolometric corrections, obscured active black hole fractions, and kinetic accretion efficiency. For our fiducial assumptions, they favour moderate-to-rapid spins of typical supermassive black holes, to achieve a mean radiative efficiency ~0.12-0.20. Our approach has similarities to the classic Soltan analysis, but by using galaxy-based data instead of integrated quantities we are able to focus on regimes where observational uncertainties are minimized.
The broad iron spectral features are often seen in X-ray spectra of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) and black-hole binaries (BHB). These features may be explained either by the relativistic disc reflection scenario or the partial covering scenario: It is hardly possible to determine which model is valid from time-averaged spectral analysis. Thus, X-ray spectral variability has been investigated to constrain spectral models. To that end, it is crucial to study iron structure of BHBs in detail at short time-scales, which is, for the first time, made possible with the Parallel-sum clocking (P-sum) mode of XIS detectors on board Suzaku. This observational mode has a time-resolution of 7.8~ms as well as a CCD energy-resolution. We have carried out systematic calibration of the P-sum mode, and investigated spectral variability of the BHB GRS 1915+105. Consequently, we found that the spectral variability of GRS 1915+105 does not show iron features at sub-seconds. This is totally different from variability of AGN such as 1H0707--495, where the variation amplitude significantly drops at the iron K-energy band. This difference can be naturally explained in the framework of the partial covering scenario.
Black hole mergers detected by LIGO and Virgo continue delivering transformational discoveries. The most recent example is the merger GW190521, which is the first detected with component masses exceeding the limit predicted by stellar models, and the first with non-zero orbital eccentricity. The large masses can be explained by build up through successive mergers, which has been suggested to occur efficiently in the gas disks of active galactic nuclei (AGN). The eccentricity, however, is a major puzzle. Here we show that AGN-disk environments naturally lead to a very high fraction of highly eccentric mergers, if interactions between binaries and singles are frequent, and the interactions are constrained to a plane representing the AGN-disk. By deriving a statistical solution to the chaotic 3-body problem with the inclusion of General Relativistic corrections, we find in our fiducial AGN-disk model that up to $sim 70%$ of all black hole mergers could appear with an eccentricity $>0.1$ in LIGO/Virgo. Besides representing the most effective mechanism for producing eccentric mergers presented to date, our results have also profound implications for the origin of GW190521, and open up new lines of research on black hole scatterings in disk environments with far-reaching implications for gravitational wave astrophysics.
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