Coincident Multimessenger Bursts from Eccentric Supermassive Binary Black Holes
Supermassive binary black holes are a key target for the future Laser Interferometer Space Antenna and excellent multimessenger sources across the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum. However, unique features of their EM emission that are needed to distinguish them from single supermassive black holes are...
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| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2025-01-01
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| Series: | The Astrophysical Journal Letters |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/adccb8 |
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| author | Vikram Manikantan Vasileios Paschalidis Gabriele Bozzola |
| author_facet | Vikram Manikantan Vasileios Paschalidis Gabriele Bozzola |
| author_sort | Vikram Manikantan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Supermassive binary black holes are a key target for the future Laser Interferometer Space Antenna and excellent multimessenger sources across the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum. However, unique features of their EM emission that are needed to distinguish them from single supermassive black holes are still being established. Here, we conduct the first magnetohydrodynamic simulation of disk accretion onto equal-mass, nonspinning, eccentric binary black holes in full general relativity, incorporating synchrotron radiation transport through the dual jet in postprocessing. Focusing on a binary in the strong-field dynamical spacetime regime with eccentricity e = 0.3 as a point of principle, we show that the total accretion rate exhibits periodicity on the binary orbital period. We also show, for the first time, that this periodicity is reflected in the jet Poynting luminosity and the optically thin synchrotron emission from the jet base. Furthermore, we find a distinct EM signature for eccentric binaries: they spend more time in a low emission state (at apocenter) and less in a high state (at pericenter). Additionally, we find that the eccentric binary quasiperiodic gravitational-wave (GW) bursts are coincident with the bursts in Poynting luminosity and synchrotron emission. Finally, we discuss how multimessenger EM and GW observations of these systems can help probe plasma physics in their jet. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e87cd375b3924add9802b4de10f8782a |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2041-8205 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Astrophysical Journal Letters |
| spelling | doaj-art-e87cd375b3924add9802b4de10f8782a2025-08-20T03:52:10ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal Letters2041-82052025-01-019842L4710.3847/2041-8213/adccb8Coincident Multimessenger Bursts from Eccentric Supermassive Binary Black HolesVikram Manikantan0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0547-6158Vasileios Paschalidis1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8099-9023Gabriele Bozzola2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3696-6408Steward Observatory & Department of Astronomy, University of Arizona , Tucson, AZ 85721, USA ; vik@arizona.eduSteward Observatory & Department of Astronomy, University of Arizona , Tucson, AZ 85721, USA ; vik@arizona.edu; Department of Physics, University of Arizona , Tucson, AZ 85721, USASteward Observatory & Department of Astronomy, University of Arizona , Tucson, AZ 85721, USA ; vik@arizona.edu; Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, 91125 California, USASupermassive binary black holes are a key target for the future Laser Interferometer Space Antenna and excellent multimessenger sources across the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum. However, unique features of their EM emission that are needed to distinguish them from single supermassive black holes are still being established. Here, we conduct the first magnetohydrodynamic simulation of disk accretion onto equal-mass, nonspinning, eccentric binary black holes in full general relativity, incorporating synchrotron radiation transport through the dual jet in postprocessing. Focusing on a binary in the strong-field dynamical spacetime regime with eccentricity e = 0.3 as a point of principle, we show that the total accretion rate exhibits periodicity on the binary orbital period. We also show, for the first time, that this periodicity is reflected in the jet Poynting luminosity and the optically thin synchrotron emission from the jet base. Furthermore, we find a distinct EM signature for eccentric binaries: they spend more time in a low emission state (at apocenter) and less in a high state (at pericenter). Additionally, we find that the eccentric binary quasiperiodic gravitational-wave (GW) bursts are coincident with the bursts in Poynting luminosity and synchrotron emission. Finally, we discuss how multimessenger EM and GW observations of these systems can help probe plasma physics in their jet.https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/adccb8Black holesGravitational wavesHigh energy astrophysicsMagnetohydrodynamical simulationsGeneral relativityJets |
| spellingShingle | Vikram Manikantan Vasileios Paschalidis Gabriele Bozzola Coincident Multimessenger Bursts from Eccentric Supermassive Binary Black Holes The Astrophysical Journal Letters Black holes Gravitational waves High energy astrophysics Magnetohydrodynamical simulations General relativity Jets |
| title | Coincident Multimessenger Bursts from Eccentric Supermassive Binary Black Holes |
| title_full | Coincident Multimessenger Bursts from Eccentric Supermassive Binary Black Holes |
| title_fullStr | Coincident Multimessenger Bursts from Eccentric Supermassive Binary Black Holes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Coincident Multimessenger Bursts from Eccentric Supermassive Binary Black Holes |
| title_short | Coincident Multimessenger Bursts from Eccentric Supermassive Binary Black Holes |
| title_sort | coincident multimessenger bursts from eccentric supermassive binary black holes |
| topic | Black holes Gravitational waves High energy astrophysics Magnetohydrodynamical simulations General relativity Jets |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/adccb8 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT vikrammanikantan coincidentmultimessengerburstsfromeccentricsupermassivebinaryblackholes AT vasileiospaschalidis coincidentmultimessengerburstsfromeccentricsupermassivebinaryblackholes AT gabrielebozzola coincidentmultimessengerburstsfromeccentricsupermassivebinaryblackholes |