Abstract: Supermassive black hole (SMBH) binaries are extremely powerful sources of gravitational waves (GWs) at ~ nanoHertz to milliHertz frequencies. They are likely candidates to explain the evidence for a nanoHertz GW background recently presented by pulsar timing arrays (PTAs). In the coming years, PTAs will strongly constrain the SMBH binary population, and the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) will be able to detect SMBH merger events. I will summarize recent work using cosmological hydrodynamics simulations to constrain the formation of SMBH "seeds" in the early Universe, which will be key for understanding the LISA source population. I will also describe recent progress in modeling the dynamics and fueling of SMBHs, particularly in merging galaxies. These models enable new predictions of GW and multi-messenger source populations in this new low-frequency era of GW astrophysics.
Details
Speaker Name/Affiliation
Laura Blecha / Department of Physics at the University of Florida; JILA Visiting Fellow
When
-
Seminar Type
Location (Room)
JILA Auditorium
Event Details & Abstracts