Multi-scale Modeling of Supermassive Black Hole Evolution: toward the Dawn of Low-Frequency Gravitational Wave Astrophysics

Zoom: https://bit.ly/2VpH1FP

Supermassive black holes (SMBHs) reside in the centers of most galaxies, are millions to billions of times more massive than the Sun, and play a crucial role in galaxy evolution. In turn, mergers between galaxies can trigger powerful electromagnetic and gravitational-wave (GW) emission from inspiraling SMBH pairs. The study of such multi-messenger sources is currently undergoing explosive growth. Following the success of the LIGO and Virgo experiments in detecting GWs, we are on the cusp of the next major frontier: low-frequency GW astrophysics. I will summarize my group’s recent and ongoing studies of SMBH formation, growth, feedback, and dynamics, primarily using multi-scale simulations of galaxies and cosmological volumes. This work addresses crucial questions about the origins of SMBHs, their coordinated evolution with galaxies, and the characteristics and multi-messenger signatures of GW sources.
Host David Tanner