Evolution of massive binary black holes

Abstract

Since many or most galaxies have central massive black holes (BHs), mergers of galaxies can form massive binary black holes (BBHs). In this paper, we study the evolution of massive BBHs in realistic galaxy models, using a generalization of techniques used to study tidal disruption rates around massive BHs. The evolution of BBHs depends on BH mass ratio and host galaxy type. BBHs with very low mass ratios (say, \la 0.001) are hardly ever formed by mergers of galaxies because the dynamical friction timescale is too long for the smaller BH to sink into the galactic center within a Hubble time. BBHs with moderate mass ratios are most likely to form and survive in spherical or nearly spherical galaxies and in high-luminosity or high-dispersion galaxies; they are most likely to have merged in low-dispersion galaxies (line-of-sight velocity dispersion \la 90 km/s) or in highly flattened or triaxial galaxies. The semimajor axes and orbital periods of surviving BBHs are generally in the range 10^{-3}-10 pc and 10-10^5 yr; and they are larger in high-dispersion galaxies than in low-dispersion galaxies, larger in nearly spherical galaxies than in highly flattened or triaxial galaxies, and larger for BBHs with equal masses than for BBHs with unequal masses. The orbital velocities of surviving BBHs are generally in the range 10^2-10^4 km/s. The methods of detecting surviving BBHs are also discussed. If no evidence of BBHs is found in AGNs, this may be either because gas plays a major role in BBH orbital decay or because nuclear activity switches on soon after a galaxy merger, and ends before the smaller BH has had time to spiral to the center of the galaxy.Comment: 32 pages, including 14 figures, submitted to MNRA