McFACTS II: Mass Ratio--Effective Spin Relationship of Black Hole Mergers in the AGN Channel

Abstract

We use the Monte Carlo For AGN (active galactic nucleus) Channel Testing and Simulation (McFACTS, https://www.github.com/mcfacts/mcfacts) code to study the effect of AGN disk and nuclear star cluster parameters on predicted mass distributions for LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA (LVK) compact binaries forming in AGN disks. The assumptions we vary include the black hole (BH) initial mass function, disk model, disk size, disk lifetime, and the prograde-to-retrograde fraction of newly formed black hole binaries. Broadly we find that dense, moderately short-lived AGN disks are preferred for producing a $(q,{\chi }_{\mathrm{eff}})$ anti-correlation like those identified from existing gravitational wave (GW) observations. Additionally, a BH initial mass function (MF $\propto M^{-2}$) is preferred over a more top-heavy MF ($M^{-1}$). The preferred fraction of prograde-to-retrograde is $>90\%$, to produce results consistent with observations.

arXiv commentSubmitted to ApJ, 18 pages, 9 figures, 2 tables

References in corpus (57)

• SciPy 1.0--Fundamental Algorithms for Scientific Computing in Python
• Array Programming with NumPy
• Astropy: A Community Python Package for Astronomy
• The Astropy Project: Building an inclusive, open-science project and status of the v2.0 core package
• The Astropy Project: Sustaining and Growing a Community-oriented Open-source Project and the Latest Major Release (v5.0) of the Core Package
• GWTC-3: Compact Binary Coalescences Observed by LIGO and Virgo During the Second Part of the Third Observing Run
• GW190521: A Binary Black Hole Merger with a Total Mass of $150M_{\odot }$
• Radiation Pressure Supported Starburst Disks and AGN Fueling
• Properties and astrophysical implications of the 150 Msun binary black hole merger GW190521
• Rapid and Bright Stellar-mass Binary Black Hole Mergers in Active Galactic Nuclei
• Assisted Inspirals of Stellar Mass Black Holes Embedded in AGN Disks: Solving the "Final AU Problem"
• A torque formula for non-isothermal Type I planetary migration - I. Unsaturated horseshoe drag
• Merging black hole binaries in galactic nuclei: implications for advanced-LIGO detections
• Formation and Evolution of Compact Object Binaries in AGN Disks
• The Effect of Pair-Instability Mass Loss on Black Hole Mergers
• The distribution and cosmic evolution of massive black hole spins
• Intermediate mass black holes in AGN disks: I. Production & Growth
• On the orbital evolution and growth of protoplanets embedded in a gaseous disc
• Stellar Populations in the Central 0.5 pc of the Galaxy II: The Initial Mass Function
• Hierarchical Black Hole Mergers in Active Galactic Nuclei
• Black Hole Mergers in Galactic Nuclei Induced by the Eccentric Kozai-Lidov Effect
• Migration Traps in Disks Around Supermassive Black Holes
• Spectral energy distributions of selfgravitating QSO discs
• AGN as Potential Factories for Eccentric Black Hole Mergers
• Black hole and neutron star mergers in galactic nuclei
• Orbital Migration of Interacting Stellar Mass Black Holes in Disks around Supermassive Black Holes
• Intermediate mass black holes in AGN disks II. Model predictions & observational constraints
• The final mass and spin of black hole mergers
• Orbital migration of low-mass planets in evolutionary radiative models: Avoiding catastrophic infall
• Orbital evolution of eccentric planets in radiative discs
• Monte-Carlo simulations of black hole mergers in AGN disks: Low ${\chi }_{\mathrm{eff}}$ mergers and predictions for LIGO
• Black hole, neutron star and white dwarf merger rates in AGN disks
• Spin Evolution of Stellar-mass Black Hole Binaries in Active Galactic Nuclei
• An Overabundance of Black Hole X-Ray Binaries in the Galactic Center from Tidal Captures
• Aligning Nuclear Cluster Orbits with an Active Galactic Nucleus Accretion Disk
• Improved torque formula for low and intermediate mass planetary migration
• Black Hole Binary Formation in AGN Discs: From Isolation to Merger
• Orbital migration of interacting low-mass planets in evolutionary radiative turbulent models
• Hydrodynamical Evolution of Black-Hole Binaries Embedded in AGN Discs
• Binary Black Hole Merger Rates in AGN Disks versus Nuclear Star Clusters: Loud beats Quiet
• Gas dynamical friction as a binary formation mechanism in AGN discs
• LIGO--Virgo correlations between mass ratio and effective inspiral spin: testing the active galactic nuclei channel
• Impact of gas hardening on the population properties of hierarchical black hole mergers in AGN disks
• The Effect of Thermal Torques on AGN Disc Migration Traps and Gravitational Wave Populations
• Quiescent and active galactic nuclei as factories of merging compact objects in the era of gravitational-wave astronomy
• Gas Assisted Binary Black Hole Formation in AGN Discs
• pAGN: the one-stop solution for AGN disc modeling
• Measuring the properties of active galactic nuclei disks with gravitational waves
• Evolution of Retrograde Orbiters in an AGN Disk
• Symmetry Breaking in Dynamical Encounters in the Disks of Active Galactic Nuclei
• Black-hole mergers in disklike environments could explain the observed $q$-${\chi }_{\mathrm{eff}}$ correlation
• Starfall: A heavy rain of stars in 'turning on' AGN
• Aligning Retrograde Nuclear Cluster Orbits with an Active Galactic Nucleus Accretion Disc
• Unequal-mass, highly-spinning binary black hole mergers in the stable mass transfer formation channel
• Local Simulations of Heating Torques on a Luminous Body in an Accretion Disk
• McFacts III: Compact binary mergers from AGN disks over an entire synthetic universe
• Evolution of the eccentricity and inclination of low-mass planets subjected to thermal forces: a numerical study

Cited by in corpus (4)

• On the Astrophysical Origin of Binary Black Hole Subpopulations: A Tale of Three Channels?
• Reassessing the Spin of Second-born Black Holes in Coalescing Binary Black Holes and Its Connection to the chi_eff-q Correlation
• The role of migration traps in the formation of binary black holes in AGN disks
• Population Properties of Binary Black Holes with Eccentricity