Collaborative Research: Accretion Dynamics of Black Hole Mergers

合作研究：黑洞合并的吸积动力学

• 批准号: 1516150
• 负责人: Manuela Campanelli
• 金额: $ 33.73万
• 依托单位: Rochester Institute of Tech
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2015-09-01 至 2019-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1516150&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Accretion; Dynamics; Black

It is estimated that somewhere in the universe a few pairs of supermassive black holes merge every single year, leaving behind a still more massive single black hole at the centers of the galaxies where this occurs. The energy released is enormous, and the effect on galactic evolution profound, but no such event has ever been identified because the overwhelming majority of the energy is released in gravitational waves, which are as yet undetectable. This project will characterize the visible light signals that should be given off by nearby gas under the influence of the event, using complex numerical simulations. Training in these techniques will be of great value for the future activities of the junior researchers on the team.Although there should be sufficient gas close enough to the merger events to give off visible radiation, the character of any emitted signals is unknown. Particular questions include in which band most of the light will emerge, what is its spectrum, and how does the radiated power vary in time? This work will start to answer these questions. The extremely complex interaction between the surrounding gas and a pair of black holes bound to one another involves strongly nonlinear physics, including magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence, shocks, and dynamical spacetimes, which can only be tackled numerically. This requires carefully structured simulations using radiation transfer post-processing to predict key observable features, using the team's new infrastructure that supports consistent MHD calculations on separate grids and across qualitatively different spacetimes. Calculations with astrophysically plausible parameters should identify unique photon signals for observers to locate black holes on their way to merger.This computational system should also be useful to many other astrophysical simulations. The work will train a number of graduate students and post-doctoral fellows in the techniques of large-scale numerical simulation, skills that are valuable far beyond the confines of astrophysical research. The team is active in outreach both to non-science students and to the general public, including work to engage deaf and hard-of-hearing students in the sciences.

据估计，在宇宙的某个地方，每年都会有几对超大质量黑洞合并，在发生这种情况的星系中心留下一个质量更大的单一黑洞。 释放的能量巨大，对星系演化的影响深远，但从未发现过此类事件，因为绝大多数能量是以引力波形式释放的，而引力波目前还无法检测到。 该项目将使用复杂的数值模拟来表征在事件影响下附近气体应发出的可见光信号。 这些技术的培训对于团队中初级研究人员的未来活动具有很大的价值。尽管应该有足够的气体距离合并事件足够近以发出可见辐射，但任何发射信号的特征都是未知的。 具体问题包括大部分光将出现在哪个波段、其光谱是什么以及辐射功率如何随时间变化？这项工作将开始回答这些问题。 周围气体与一对相互结合的黑洞之间极其复杂的相互作用涉及强非线性物理，包括磁流体动力学 (MHD) 湍流、冲击和动态时空，这些只能通过数值来解决。 这需要使用辐射传输后处理来预测关键的可观测特征，并使用团队的新基础设施进行仔细结构化的模拟，该基础设施支持在不同的网格和不同质量的时空上进行一致的 MHD 计算。 使用天体物理学上合理的参数进行计算应该能够识别独特的光子信号，以便观察者在黑洞合并过程中定位黑洞。这个计算系统也应该对许多其他天体物理学模拟有用。 这项工作将培训一些研究生和博士后研究员大规模数值模拟技术，这些技能的价值远远超出了天体物理学研究的范围。 该团队积极向非理科学生和公众进行宣传，包括让失聪和听障学生参与科学活动。

项目成果

Circumbinary Disk Accretion into Spinning Black Hole Binaries

环形盘吸积成旋转黑洞双星

• DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/abf0af
• 发表时间: 2021-05
• 期刊: The Astrophysical Journal
• 作者: Lopez Armengol, Federico G.;Combi, Luciano;Campanelli, Manuela;Noble, Scott C.;Krolik, Julian H.;Bowen, Dennis B.;Avara, Mark J.;Mewes, Vassilios;Nakano, Hiroyuki
• 通讯作者: Nakano, Hiroyuki