Are Supermassive Black Holes Roaming Galaxy Centers After Merger Events?

In summary, according to the research, the supermassive black hole at the center of the most massive local galaxy is not where it was expected. The most likely cause for this SMBH to be off center is a previous merger between two older, less massive, SMBHs. The study of M87 is part of a wider HST project directed by Andrew Robinson, professor of physics at RIT. This finding could also be linked to how active galaxies—including quasars, the most luminous objects in the universe—are born and how their jets are formed.
  • #1
MathematicalPhysicist
Gold Member
4,699
371
Is it possible? How far should the less massive black hole be from the massive black hole in order to be sucked wholely in the massive black hole?

any articles addressing black holes interaction between themselves?
 
Space news on Phys.org
  • #2
The original question can be treated as a question of a large mass interacting with a small mass. It is possible that the small mass will simply orbit the large mass, just like a planet around the sun.
 
  • #3
mathman said:
The original question can be treated as a question of a large mass interacting with a small mass. It is possible that the small mass will simply orbit the large mass, just like a planet around the sun.

However, all orbits will eventually decay due to the emission of gravitational radiation.
 
  • #4
Isn't there a place in the event horizon where everything inside it will collapse gravitationally?
I am wondering what if another less massive black hole were inside the event horizon of another massive black hole, what the interaction would then be like.
 
  • #6
Thanks, Steve.
So I see it's still an open problem...
 
  • #7
The simulations that come out of research in Numerical GR would seem to indicate a merger of the event horizons, with gravitational radiation being emitted as gravitational waves. In no simulation or model does one "slip inside" the other or break apart.
 
  • #8
Patrus89 said:
The simulations that come out of research in Numerical GR would seem to indicate a merger of the event horizons, with gravitational radiation being emitted as gravitational waves. In no simulation or model does one "slip inside" the other or break apart.

When the horizons begin to merge, I believe we consider it to be one deformed black hole as opposed to two descrete objects.
 
  • #9
Nabeshin said:
When the horizons begin to merge, I believe we consider it to be one deformed black hole as opposed to two descrete objects.

Well yes. If we define a black hole as the interior of an event horizon, then this is necessarily true (if you define "begin to merge" as when a common horizon is formed).
 
  • #10
black hole can destroy them self when they interact whit each other, there are other possibility too like merge,,one gets kicked out of orbit
 
  • #11
MathematicalPhysicist said:
any articles addressing black holes interaction between themselves?


May 25, 2010

Supermassive Black Holes May Frequently Roam Galaxy Centers

MELBOURNE, FLA.—A team of astronomy researchers at Florida Institute of Technology and Rochester Institute of Technology in the United States and University of Sussex in the United Kingdom, find that the supermassive black hole (SMBH) at the center of the most massive local galaxy (M87) is not where it was expected. Their research, conducted using the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), concludes that the SMBH in M87 is displaced from the galaxy center.

The most likely cause for this SMBH to be off center is a previous merger between two older, less massive, SMBHs. “We also find, however, that the iconic M87 jet may have pushed the SMBH away from the galaxy center,” said Daniel Batcheldor, Florida Tech assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Space Sciences, who led the investigation.

The study of M87 is part of a wider HST project directed by Andrew Robinson, professor of physics at RIT. “What may well be the most interesting thing about this work is the possibility that what we found is a signpost of a black hole merger, which is of interest to people looking for gravitational waves and for people modeling these systems as a demonstration that black holes really do merge,” says Robinson. “The theoretical prediction is that when two black holes merge, the newly combined black hole receives a ‘kick’ due to the emission of gravitational waves, which can displace it from the center of the galaxy.”

David Merritt, professor of physics at RIT, adds: “Once kicked, a supermassive black hole can take millions or billions of years to return to rest, especially at the center of a large, diffuse galaxy like M87. So searching for displacements is an effective way to constrain the merger history of galaxies.”

Jets, such as the one in M87, are commonly found in a class of objects called Active Galactic Nuclei. It is commonly believed that supermassive black holes can become active as a result of the merger between two galaxies, the infall of material into the center of the galaxy, and the subsequent merger between their black holes. Therefore, it is very possible that this finding could also be linked to how active galaxies—including quasars, the most luminous objects in the universe—are born and how their jets are formed.
[Please read on . . .]
http://quasar.astro.fit.edu/~perlman/blackhole/BlackHolesRoamPressReleaseFINAL.pdf

:smile: Wow! Be sure to read the entire document. I found a big surprise in there!

Especially thought-provoking, added Eric Perlman, associate professor of physics and space sciences at Florida Tech, is that our own galaxy is expected to merge with the Andromeda galaxy in about three billion years.[:eek: ] ”The result of that merger will likely be an active elliptical galaxy, similar to M87. Both our galaxy and Andromeda have SMBHs in their centers, so our result suggests that after the merger, the SMBH may wander in the galaxy’s nucleus for billions of years.”
:bugeye:
 

1. How does a black hole suck another black hole?

Black holes have a strong gravitational pull due to their incredibly dense mass. When two black holes come close enough to each other, the larger one's gravitational pull overpowers the smaller one, causing it to be pulled towards the larger one and eventually merge with it.

2. What happens when two black holes merge?

When two black holes merge, they create a new, larger black hole. The merger releases a tremendous amount of energy in the form of gravitational waves, which can be detected by specialized instruments on Earth.

3. Can black holes merge with any other celestial bodies?

No, black holes can only merge with other black holes or neutron stars. This is because these objects have a dense enough mass to create a strong enough gravitational pull to overcome the repulsive forces between them.

4. How often do black hole mergers occur?

Black hole mergers are relatively rare events, occurring about once every 10,000 years in a galaxy like our Milky Way. However, in the vastness of the universe, it is estimated that there are millions of black hole mergers happening at any given time.

5. What can we learn from observing black hole mergers?

Studying black hole mergers can help us better understand the nature of gravity and the properties of black holes. It can also provide valuable insights into the formation and evolution of galaxies. Additionally, observing the gravitational waves produced by these mergers can help us confirm and refine our understanding of Einstein's theory of general relativity.

Similar threads

Replies
17
Views
1K
Replies
1
Views
910
Replies
15
Views
2K
Replies
9
Views
1K
Replies
5
Views
1K
  • Special and General Relativity
2
Replies
67
Views
3K
  • Astronomy and Astrophysics
Replies
2
Views
1K
Back
Top