Properties of Black Hole Mergers in Disks of Active Galactic Nuclei
活动星系核盘内黑洞并合的性质
Ground-based gravitational-wave (GW) observatories have detected approximately 200 binary black hole (BH) mergers. The astrophysical origin of these events is debated, with evidence suggesting that at least a subset originated from dynamic environments characterized by frequent close encounters. Accretion disks in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are of particular interest, as certain observed features could be more readily produced within such environments. In this paper, we investigate the expected properties of mergers in these environments, and their dependence on various parameters, using 1D N-body simulations combined with a comprehensive semianalytical model. In our fiducial model, the distributions of masses (m<SUB>1</SUB> and m<SUB>2</SUB>) and mass ratios (q ≡ m<SUB>2</SUB>/m<SUB>1</SUB> ≤ 1) are similar to those observed. However, they depend strongly on the lifetime and density of the AGN disk and on the number and accretion efficiency of BHs, with higher masses predicted as these quantities increase. The most massive mergers, such as GW231123, can be produced either by efficient gas accretion or by hierarchical mergers among ≥3 generations of BHs. The observed negative correlation between q and the average effective spin (χ<SUB>eff</SUB>), along with the positive correlation between χ<SUB>eff</SUB> and the chirp mass (M<SUB>chirp</SUB>), can be explained by a combination of efficient gas accretion, which promotes spin alignment, and hierarchical mergers, which produce high-∣χ<SUB>eff</SUB>∣ and low-q binaries. Hierarchical mergers can also explain the negative correlation between q and the dispersion of χ<SUB>eff</SUB>, as well as the positive correlation between ∣χ<SUB>eff</SUB>∣and M<SUB>chirp</SUB>. We present a comprehensive study on how the expected distribution of each of these quantities depends on model parameters and assumptions, which will aid the interpretation of observed GW population properties.
展开 ▾用“高效气体吸积+层级并合”统一解释质量比-有效自旋负相关、有效自旋-啁啾质量正相关等观测趋势;最重并合可由高效吸积或≥3代层级并合产生。
近年地面引力波观测已累积约200例双黑洞并合,起源仍存争议,其中活动星系核吸积盘因频繁密近作用被视为重要动态形成通道。此前对AGN盘通道虽有关注,但多局限于单一机制或单一观测量,系统性参数依赖尚不清晰。本文通过一维N体模拟结合半解析模型,给出质量、质量比、有效自旋和啁啾质量等分布随盘寿命、盘密度、黑洞数目和吸积效率的变化。未来随着观测样本扩大并联合电磁对应体与高分辨率盘模拟,这类参数化预测可用于辨析AGN盘通道与其他形成途径的相对贡献。
接收 2026-07-03 · 刊出 2026-08-06 · 收录 2026-08-20