Mass-ratio and Magnetic Flux-Dependence of Modulated Accretion from Circumbinary Disks

Abstract

Accreting supermassive binary black holes (SMBBHs) are potential multi-messenger sources because they emit both gravitational wave and electromagnetic (EM) radiation. Past work has shown that their EM output may be periodically modulated by an asymmetric density distribution in the circumbinary disk, often called an "overdensity" or "lump;" this modulation could possibly be used to identify a source as a binary. We explore the sensitivity of the overdensity to SMBBH mass ratio and magnetic flux through the accretion disk. We find that the relative amplitude of the overdensity and its associated EM periodic signal both degrade with diminishing mass ratio, vanishing altogether somewhere between 1:2 and 1:5. Greater magnetization also weakens the lump and any modulation of the light output. We develop a model to describe how lump formation results from internal stress degrading faster in the lump region than it can be rejuvenated through accretion inflow, and predicts a threshold value in specific internal stress below which lump formation should occur and which all our lump-forming simulations satisfy. Thus, detection of such a modulation would provide a constraint on both mass-ratio and magnetic flux piercing the accretion flow.

arXiv comment32 pages, 30 color figures. Submitted to the Astrophysical Journal. Movies may be found at https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNaEA0qwDBaeApzLr2oarVKiO3AFnklTV

References in corpus (76)

• Astropy: A Community Python Package for Astronomy
• HARM: A Numerical Scheme for General Relativistic Magnetohydrodynamics
• Science with the space-based interferometer eLISA. I: Supermassive black hole binaries
• An Eccentric Circumbinary Accretion Disk and the Detection of Binary Massive Black Holes
• Binary Black Hole Accretion From a Circumbinary Disk: Gas Dynamics Inside the Central Cavity
• A possible close supermassive black-hole binary in a quasar with optical periodicity
• Primitive Variable Solvers for Conservative General Relativistic Magnetohydrodynamics
• Angular Momentum Transport by MHD Turbulence in Accretion Disks: Gas Pressure Dependence of the Saturation Level of the Magnetorotational Instability
• Three Dimensional MHD Simulation of Circumbinary Accretion Disks: Disk Structures and Angular Momentum Transport
• Accretion into the Central Cavity of a Circumbinary Disk
• The Influence of Magnetic Field Geometry on the Evolution of Black Hole Accretion Flows: Similar Disks, Drastically Different Jets
• A Population of Short-Period Variable Quasars from PTF as Supermassive Black Hole Binary Candidates
• Hydrodynamics of circumbinary accretion: Angular momentum transfer and binary orbital evolution
• Direct calculation of the radiative efficiency of an accretion disk around a black hole
• Assessing Quantitative Results in Accretion Simulations: From Local to Global
• Dependence of inner accretion disk stress on parameters: the Schwarzschild case
• Circumbinary MHD Accretion into Inspiraling Binary Black Holes
• Viscous Hydrodynamics Simulations of Circumbinary Accretion Discs: Variability, Quasi-Steady State, and Angular Momentum Transfer
• Gravitational field and equations of motion of compact binaries to 5/2 post-Newtonian order
• Hydrodynamic Torques in Circumbinary Accretion Disks
• Binary Black-Hole Mergers in Magnetized Disks: Simulations in Full General Relativity
• Global Simulations of Accretion Disks I: Convergence and Comparisons with Local Models
• Multimessenger astronomy with pulsar timing and X-ray observations of massive black hole binaries
• Circumbinary Accretion from Finite and Infinite Disks
• Gas-driven inspiral of binaries in thin accretion disks
• Observational Signatures of Binary Supermassive Black Holes
• Accretion disks around binary black holes of unequal mass: GRMHD simulations near decoupling
• On the origin of horseshoes in transitional discs
• The NINJA-2 catalog of hybrid post-Newtonian/numerical-relativity waveforms for non-precessing black-hole binaries
• A transition in circumbinary accretion discs at a binary mass ratio of 1:25
• Characteristic Signatures in the Thermal Emission from Accreting Binary Black Holes
• Three Dimensional MHD Simulation of Circumbinary Accretion Disks -2. Net Accretion Rate
• Equilibrium eccentricity of accreting binaries
• Electromagnetic Emission from Supermassive Binary Black Holes Approaching Merger
• Pulsed Accretion onto Eccentric and Circular Binaries
• Evolution of gas disc-embedded intermediate mass ratio inspirals in the LISA band
• A Periodically Varying Luminous Quasar at z=2 from the Pan-STARRS1 Medium Deep Survey: A Candidate Supermassive Black Hole Binary in the Gravitational Wave-Driven Regime
• Supermassive Black Hole Binary Candidates from the Pan-STARRS1 Medium Deep Survey
• Accretion disks around binary black holes of unequal mass: GRMHD simulations of postdecoupling and merger
• Binary black hole mergers in gaseous disks: Simulations in general relativity
• Numerical relativity reaching into post-Newtonian territory: a compact-object binary simulation spanning 350 gravitational-wave cycles
• High Resolution Simulations of the Plunging Region in a Pseudo-Newtonian Potential: Dependence on Numerical Resolution and Field Topology
• Quasi-Periodic Behavior of Mini-Disks in Binary Black Holes Approaching Merger
• Probing Massive Black Hole Binary Populations with LISA
• The evolution of large cavities and disc eccentricity in circumbinary discs
• Suppression of the accretion rate in thin discs around binary black holes
• Probing gas disc physics with LISA: simulations of an intermediate mass ratio inspiral in an accretion disc
• On the time variability of geometrically-thin black hole accretion disks I : the search for modes in simulated disks
• The Keck Baryonic Structure Survey: Using foreground/background galaxy pairs to trace the structure and kinematics of circumgalactic neutral hydrogen at $z\sim 2$
• Accuracy of the Post-Newtonian Approximation: Optimal Asymptotic Expansion for Quasi-Circular, Extreme-Mass Ratio Inspirals
• Quasi-Periodicity of Supermassive Binary Black Hole Accretion Approaching Merger
• Observing the inspiral of coalescing massive black hole binaries with LISA in the era of Multi-Messenger Astrophysics
• Gap, shadows, spirals, streamers: SPHERE observations of binary-disk interactions in GG Tau A
• Testing the Propagating Fluctuations Model with a Long, Global Accretion Disk Simulation
• Did ASAS-SN Kill the Supermassive Black Hole Binary Candidate PG1302-102?
• Conformally curved binary black hole initial data including tidal deformations and outgoing radiation
• Binary black hole initial data from matched asymptotic expansions
• Preventing Anomalous Torques in Circumbinary Accretion Simulations
• Minidisk dynamics in accreting, spinning black hole binaries: Simulations in full general relativity
• Long-Lived Eccentric Modes in Circumbinary Disks
• GRMHD prediction of coronal variability in accreting black holes
• Improved initial data for black hole binaries by asymptotic matching of post-Newtonian and perturbed black hole solutions
• Circumbinary Disk Accretion into Spinning Black Hole Binaries
• Discovery of a Candidate Binary Supermassive Black Hole in a Periodic Quasar from Circumbinary Accretion Variability
• Toward the unambiguous identification of supermassive binary black holes through Bayesian inference
• Approximate black hole binary spacetime via asymptotic matching
• Gas Flows Within Cavities of Circumbinary Discs in Eccentric Binary Protostellar Systems
• Accuracy of the post-Newtonian approximation. II. Optimal asymptotic expansion of the energy flux for quasicircular, extreme mass-ratio inspirals into a Kerr black hole
• Resolving the relative influence of strong field spacetime dynamics and MHD on circumbinary disk physics
• How bright are the gaps in circumbinary disk systems?
• Looking for the underlying cause of black hole X-ray variability in GRMHD simulations
• Accuracy of the Post-Newtonian Approximation for Extreme-Mass Ratio Inspirals from Black-hole Perturbation Approach
• Turbulence, Transport and Waves in Ohmic Dead Zones
• Time Domain Filtering of Resolved Images of Sgr A*
• Note on Accuracy of the Post-Newtonian Approximation for Extreme-Mass Ratio Inspirals: Retrograde Orbits
• The effect of cooling on the accretion of circumprimary discs inmerging supermassive black hole binaries

Cited by in corpus (9)

• Electromagnetic Counterparts to Massive Black Hole Mergers
• A Survey of Disc Thickness and Viscosity in Circumbinary Accretion: Binary Evolution, Variability, and Disc Morphology
• Mini-disk accretion onto spinning black hole binaries: quasi-periodicities and outflows
• Multi-messenger Time-domain Signatures Of Supermassive Black Hole Binaries
• Gravitational Self-Lensing in Populations of Massive Black Hole Binaries
• Superposed metric for spinning black hole binaries approaching merger
• On the Role of Gas Cooling in the Dynamics of Circumbinary Disks
• Minidisk Influence on Flow Variability in Accreting Spinning Black Hole Binaries: Simulations in Full General Relativity
• Impact of a binary black hole on its outer circumbinary disc