On minor black holes in galactic nuclei

Abstract

Small and intermediate mass black holes should be expected in galactic nuclei as a result of stellar evolution, minor mergers and gravitational dynamical friction. If these minor black holes accrete as X-ray binaries or ultra-luminous X-ray sources, and are associated with star formation, they could account for observations of many low luminosity AGN or LINERs. Accreting and inspiralling intermediate mass black holes could provide a crucial electromagnetic counterpart to strong gravitational wave signatures, allowing tests of strong gravity. Here we discuss observational signatures of minor black holes in galactic nuclei and we demonstrate that optical line ratios observed in LINERs or transition-type objects can be produced by an ionizing radiation field from ULXs. We conclude by discussing constraints from existing observations as well as candidates for future study.

6 pages. MNRAS Letters (accepted)

References in corpus (7)

• X-ray Properties of Black-Hole Binaries
• The Host Galaxies and Classification of Active Galactic Nuclei
• Stellar remnants in galactic nuclei: mass segregation
• Models for Low-Mass X-Ray Binaries in the Elliptical Galaxies NGC3379 and NGC4278: Comparison with Observations
• Optical Counterparts of Ultra-Luminous X-ray Sources identified from Archival Hubble Space Telescope/WFPC2
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Cited by in corpus (9)

• Intermediate mass black holes in AGN disks: I. Production & Growth
• Observational evidence for intermediate-mass black holes
• The Nature of LINER-like Emission in Red Galaxies
• Intermediate mass black holes in AGN disks II. Model predictions & observational constraints
• Improved Dynamical Constraints on the Mass of the central Black Hole in NGC 404
• Star Formation in Accretion Disks and SMBH Growth
• Ripple effects & oscillations in the broad FeKa line as a probe of massive black hole mergers
• Spitzer Observations of MF 16 Nebula and the associated Ultraluminous X-ray Source
• Electromagnetic signatures of black hole clusters in the center of super-Eddington galaxies