Speaker
Dr
Elisa Bortolas
(University of Zurich)
Description
Massive black hole (MBH) binaries will be among the brightest sources of gravitational waves in the LISA band. LISA will capture signals from coalescing binaries up and above z~20, probing the clustering of MBHs at the onset of galaxy formation. In this talk, I will present the results from a zoom-in cosmological simulation exploring the large-scale pairing of MBHs in a main-sequence, turbulent galaxy at z>6. I will show that the dynamical-friction induced pairing has to compete with stochastic gravitational torques arising from the non-symmetric and warped host system; in particular, my simulation shows that the development of a galactic bar either accelerates or ultimately hinders the MBH inspiral. I will highlight the importance of accounting for such stochasticity when inferring the rates of MBH mergers, especially those occurring in high-redshift galaxies embedded in a realistic cosmological environment.
Primary author
Dr
Elisa Bortolas
(University of Zurich)
