# Separating Accretion and Mergers in the Cosmic Growth of Black Holes with X-Ray and Gravitational-wave Observations

@article{Pacucci2020SeparatingAA,
title={Separating Accretion and Mergers in the Cosmic Growth of Black Holes with X-Ray and Gravitational-wave Observations},
author={Fabio Pacucci and Abraham Loeb},
journal={The Astrophysical Journal},
year={2020}
}
• Published 15 April 2020
• Physics
• The Astrophysical Journal
Black holes across a broad range of masses play a key role in the evolution of galaxies. The initial seeds of black holes formed at $z \sim 30$ and grew over cosmic time by gas accretion and mergers. Using observational data for quasars and theoretical models for the hierarchical assembly of dark matter halos, we study the relative importance of gas accretion and mergers for black hole growth, as a function of redshift ($0 10^8 \, \mathrm{M_{\odot}}$ and $z>6$; and (ii) growth by mergers is…
11 Citations

## Figures and Tables from this paper

Effects of the Hubble parameter on the cosmic growth of the first quasars
• Physics
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
• 2020
Supermassive black holes (SMBHs) play a crucial role in the evolution of galaxies and are currently detected up to $z$ ∼ 7.5. Theories describing black hole (BH) growth are challenged by how
The Active Fraction of Massive Black Holes in Dwarf Galaxies
• Physics
The Astrophysical Journal
• 2021
The population of massive black holes (MBHs) in dwarf galaxies is elusive, but fundamentally important to understand the coevolution of black holes with their hosts and the formation of the first
J C A P 0 6 ( 2 0 2 1 ) 0 4 4 ournal of C osmology and A stroparticle P hysics
• 2021
Effect of mass-loss due to stellar winds on the formation of supermassive black hole seeds in dense nuclear star clusters
• Physics
• 2021
The observations of high redshifts quasars at z & 6 have revealed that supermassive black holes (SMBHs) of mass∼ 109M were already in place within the first ∼ Gyr after the Big Bang. Supermassive
Origins and demographics of wandering black holes
• Physics
• 2021
We characterise the population of wandering black holes, defined as those physically offset from their halo centres, in the Romulus cosmological simulations. Unlike most other currently available
Properties of ultralight bosons from heavy quasar spins via superradiance
• Physics
• 2021
The mass and the spin of accreting and jetted black holes, at the center of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs), can be probed by analyzing their electromagnetic spectra. For this purpose, we use the
Gravitational-wave Lunar Observatory for Cosmology
• Physics
Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
• 2021
Several large-scale experimental facilities and space-missions are being suggested to probe the universe across the spectrum. Here we propose - the first concept design in the NASA Artemis era for a
Snowmass2021-Letter of Interest A deci-Hz Gravitational-Wave Lunar Observatory for Cosmology
• Physics
• 2020
We are proposing Gravitational-wave Lunar Observatory for Cosmology (GLOC) [1] – a first of its kind fundamental physics experiment on the surface of the Moon. The experiment would access
Formation of supermassive black hole seeds in nuclear star clusters via gas accretion and runaway collisions
• Physics
• 2020
More than two hundred supermassive black holes (SMBHs) of masses $\gtrsim 10^9\mathrm{M_{\odot}}$ have been discovered at $z \gtrsim 6$. One promising pathway for the formation of SMBHs is through

## References

SHOWING 1-10 OF 85 REFERENCES
Observing black holes spin
The spin of a black hole retains the memory of how the black hole grew, and can be a potent source of energy for powering relativistic jets. To understand the diagnostic power and astrophysical
• Physics
• 2019
Much of the baryonic matter in the Universe, including the most active and luminous sources, are best studied in the X-ray band. Key advances in X-ray optics and detectors have paved the way for the
The evolution of massive black holes and their spins in their galactic hosts
Future space-based gravitational-wave detectors, such as the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA/SGO) or a similar European mission (eLISA/NGO), will measure the masses and spins of massive
Cosmological Black Hole Spin Evolution by Mergers and Accretion: Implications for Gravitational Wave Astronomy
• Physics
• 2008
Using recent results from numerical relativity simulations of black hole mergers, we revisit previous studies of
Evolution of binary black-hole spacetimes.
Early success is described in the evolution of binary black-hole spacetimes with a numerical code based on a generalization of harmonic coordinates capable of evolving binary systems for enough time to extract information about the orbit, merger, and gravitational waves emitted during the event.
Black Hole Mass and Spin Coevolution by Mergers
• Physics
• 2003
Massive black holes appear to be present in the nuclei of almost all galaxies, but their genesis and evolution are not well understood. As astrophysical black holes are completely characterized by
Black Hole Spin Evolution
• Physics
• 2003
We consider a subset of the physical processes that determine the spin j ≡ a/M of astrophysical black holes. These include (1) Initial conditions. Recent models suggest that the collapse of a
Spin, accretion, and the cosmological growth of supermassive black holes
If supermassive black holes (SMBHs) are the energy sources that power quasars and active galactic nuclei (AGNs), then QSO SDSS 1148+5251, the quasar with the highest redshift (zQSO = 6.43), hosts an
Special relativistic effects on the strength of the fluorescent Kα iron line from black hole accretion discs
• Physics
• 1997
The broad iron Kemission line, commonly seen in the X-ray spectrum of Seyfert nuclei, is thought to originate when the inner accretion disk is illuminated by an active disk-corona. We show that
Initial mass function of intermediate-mass black hole seeds
• Physics
• 2014
We study the initial mass function (IMF) and hosting halo properties of intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs, 104-6 M⊙) formed inside metal-free, UV-illuminated atomic-cooling haloes (virial