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Observational Signatures of Supermassive Black Hole Binaries

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arxiv 2310.16896 v2 pith:K7LRWANO submitted 2023-10-25 astro-ph.HE astro-ph.CO

classification astro-ph.HEastro-ph.CO
keywords evidenceobservationalsmbhbstheoreticalbinariesblackdefinitivegaps
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Despite solid theoretical and observational grounds for the pairing of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) after galaxy mergers, definitive evidence for the existence of close (sub-parsec) separation SMBH binaries (SMBHBs) approaching merger is yet to be found. This chapter reviews techniques aimed at discovering such SMBHBs in galactic nuclei. We motivate the search with a brief overview of SMBHB formation and evolution, and the gaps in our present-day theoretical understanding. We then present existing observational evidence for SMBHBs and discuss ongoing efforts to provide definitive evidence for a population at sub-parsec orbital separations, where many of the aforementioned theoretical gaps lie. We conclude with future prospects for discovery with electromagnetic (primarily time-domain) surveys, high-resolution imaging experiments, and low-frequency gravitational-wave detectors.

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Cited by 9 Pith papers

Reviewed papers in the Pith corpus that reference this work. Sorted by Pith novelty score. OpenAlex reports about 18 citations worldwide. Full citation record

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    QuickGWecc extends the fast QuickCW framework to relativistic eccentric binaries, with projection-parameter likelihood updates taking about 41 microseconds.

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    A disk cavity around a supermassive black hole binary is predicted to break the lag-wavelength relation into a flat short-wavelength part and a steeper long-wavelength part.

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