Multimessenger Probes of Supermassive Black Hole Spin Evolution
Using the semianalytic model Serotina , we investigate the cosmic spin evolution of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) incorporating recent results from general-relativistic magnetohydrodynamics simulations of spin-down from relativistic jets. We compare several variations of our model with compiled b...
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IOP Publishing
2025-01-01
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| Series: | The Astrophysical Journal |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad9ea9 |
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| author | Angelo Ricarte Priyamvada Natarajan Ramesh Narayan Daniel C. M. Palumbo |
| author_facet | Angelo Ricarte Priyamvada Natarajan Ramesh Narayan Daniel C. M. Palumbo |
| author_sort | Angelo Ricarte |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Using the semianalytic model Serotina , we investigate the cosmic spin evolution of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) incorporating recent results from general-relativistic magnetohydrodynamics simulations of spin-down from relativistic jets. We compare several variations of our model with compiled black hole (BH) spin measurements derived from X-ray reflection spectroscopy, correcting for a bias arising from the spin-dependent radiative efficiency of accretion flows. We show that the observed spin distribution is in agreement with a model that includes jet-driven spin-down, a key mechanism that acts to modulate spins across cosmic time at both high and very low specific accretion rates. The data also clearly prefer models with coherent accretion over models in which accretion disks rapidly switch from prograde to retrograde. We further predict spin distributions accessible via spatially resolved event horizons by the next-generation Event Horizon Telescope and Black Hole Explorer, as well as gravitational waves by the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), each of which offers unique and distinct windows into the population of spinning BHs. Jet-driven spin-down is most strongly imprinted on the abundance of very highly spinning objects in our model. In addition, we show that the spin distribution sampled by LISA events may contain a signature of the natal spin distribution of heavy seeds, but not of light seeds, offering additional discrimination between these seeding pathways. Spin distributions from these future observed samples can be used to constrain the detailed physical properties of the accretion flow on horizon scales around SMBHs. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1538-4357 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-711a8d20f2ed4afa9447ef48e1e2920a2025-02-07T09:32:56ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal1538-43572025-01-01980113610.3847/1538-4357/ad9ea9Multimessenger Probes of Supermassive Black Hole Spin EvolutionAngelo Ricarte0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5287-0452Priyamvada Natarajan1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5554-8896Ramesh Narayan2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1919-2730Daniel C. M. Palumbo3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7179-3816Black Hole Initiative at Harvard University , 20 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA ; angelo.ricarte@cfa.harvard.edu; Center for Astrophysics ∣ Harvard & Smithsonian , 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USABlack Hole Initiative at Harvard University , 20 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA ; angelo.ricarte@cfa.harvard.edu; Department of Astronomy, Yale University , 219 Prospect Street, New Haven, CT 06511, USABlack Hole Initiative at Harvard University , 20 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA ; angelo.ricarte@cfa.harvard.edu; Center for Astrophysics ∣ Harvard & Smithsonian , 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USABlack Hole Initiative at Harvard University , 20 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA ; angelo.ricarte@cfa.harvard.edu; Center for Astrophysics ∣ Harvard & Smithsonian , 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USAUsing the semianalytic model Serotina , we investigate the cosmic spin evolution of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) incorporating recent results from general-relativistic magnetohydrodynamics simulations of spin-down from relativistic jets. We compare several variations of our model with compiled black hole (BH) spin measurements derived from X-ray reflection spectroscopy, correcting for a bias arising from the spin-dependent radiative efficiency of accretion flows. We show that the observed spin distribution is in agreement with a model that includes jet-driven spin-down, a key mechanism that acts to modulate spins across cosmic time at both high and very low specific accretion rates. The data also clearly prefer models with coherent accretion over models in which accretion disks rapidly switch from prograde to retrograde. We further predict spin distributions accessible via spatially resolved event horizons by the next-generation Event Horizon Telescope and Black Hole Explorer, as well as gravitational waves by the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), each of which offers unique and distinct windows into the population of spinning BHs. Jet-driven spin-down is most strongly imprinted on the abundance of very highly spinning objects in our model. In addition, we show that the spin distribution sampled by LISA events may contain a signature of the natal spin distribution of heavy seeds, but not of light seeds, offering additional discrimination between these seeding pathways. Spin distributions from these future observed samples can be used to constrain the detailed physical properties of the accretion flow on horizon scales around SMBHs.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad9ea9Supermassive black holesActive galactic nucleiKerr black holesRelativistic jets |
| spellingShingle | Angelo Ricarte Priyamvada Natarajan Ramesh Narayan Daniel C. M. Palumbo Multimessenger Probes of Supermassive Black Hole Spin Evolution The Astrophysical Journal Supermassive black holes Active galactic nuclei Kerr black holes Relativistic jets |
| title | Multimessenger Probes of Supermassive Black Hole Spin Evolution |
| title_full | Multimessenger Probes of Supermassive Black Hole Spin Evolution |
| title_fullStr | Multimessenger Probes of Supermassive Black Hole Spin Evolution |
| title_full_unstemmed | Multimessenger Probes of Supermassive Black Hole Spin Evolution |
| title_short | Multimessenger Probes of Supermassive Black Hole Spin Evolution |
| title_sort | multimessenger probes of supermassive black hole spin evolution |
| topic | Supermassive black holes Active galactic nuclei Kerr black holes Relativistic jets |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad9ea9 |
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