scholarly journals Monte Carlo Simulations of the 2+1 Dimensional Fokker-Planck Equation: Spherical Star Clusters Containing Massive, Central Black Holes

1985 ◽  
Vol 113 ◽  
pp. 373-413 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuart L. Shapiro

The dynamical behavior of a relaxed star cluster containing a massive, central black hole poses a challenging problem for the theorist and intriguing possibilities for the observer. The historical development of the subject is sketched and the salient features of the physical solution and its observational consequences are summarized.The full dynamical problem of a relaxed, self-gravitating, large N-body system containing a massive central black hole has all the necessary ingredients to excite the most dispassionate many-body, computational physicist: it is a time-dependent, multidimensional, nonlinear problem which must be solved over widely disparate length and time scales simultaneously. The problem has been tackled at various levels of approximation over the years. A new 2+1 dimensional Monte Carlo simulation code has been developed in appreciable generality to solve the time-dependent Fokker-Planck equation in E-J space for this problem. The code incorporates such features as (1) a particle “cloning and renormalization” scheme to provide a statistically reliable population of test particles in low density regions of phase space and (2) a time-step “adjustment” algorithm to ensure integration on local relaxation timescales without having to follow typical particles on orbital trajectories. However, critical regions in phase space (e.g. disruption “loss-cone” trajectories) can still be followed on orbital timescales. Numerical results obtained with this Monte Carlo scheme for the dynamical structure and evolution of globular star clusters and dense galactic nuclei containing massive black holes are reviewed.Recent dynamical integrations of the Einstein field equations for spherical, collisionless (Vlasov) systems in General Relativity suggest a possible origin for the supermassive black holes believed to power quasars and active galactic nuclei. This scenario is discussed briefly.

Physics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 372-378
Author(s):  
Viktor D. Stasenko ◽  
Alexander A. Kirillov

In this paper, the merger rate of black holes in a cluster of primordial black holes (PBHs) is investigated. The clusters have characteristics close to those of typical globular star clusters. A cluster that has a wide mass spectrum ranging from 10−2 to 10M⊙ (Solar mass) and contains a massive central black hole of the mass M•=103M⊙ is considered. It is shown that in the process of the evolution of cluster, the merger rate changed significantly, and by now, the PBH clusters have passed the stage of active merging of the black holes inside them.


2019 ◽  
Vol 488 (2) ◽  
pp. 2825-2835 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giacomo Fragione ◽  
Nathan W C Leigh ◽  
Rosalba Perna

ABSTRACT Nuclear star clusters that surround supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in galactic nuclei are thought to contain large numbers of black holes (BHs) and neutron stars (NSs), a fraction of which form binaries and could merge by Kozai–Lidov oscillations (KL). Triple compact objects are likely to be present, given what is known about the multiplicity of massive stars, whose life ends either as an NS or a BH. In this paper, we present a new possible scenario for merging BHs and NSs in galactic nuclei. We study the evolution of a triple black hole (BH) or neutron star (NS) system orbiting an SMBH in a galactic nucleus by means of direct high-precision N-body simulations, including post-Newtonian terms. We find that the four-body dynamical interactions can increase the KL angle window for mergers compared to the binary case and make BH and NS binaries merge on shorter time-scales. We show that the merger fraction can be up to ∼5–8 times higher for triples than for binaries. Therefore, even if the triple fraction is only ∼10–$20\rm{\,per\,cent}$ of the binary fraction, they could contribute to the merger events observed by LIGO/VIRGO in comparable numbers.


2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (S312) ◽  
pp. 213-222
Author(s):  
Mirek Giersz ◽  
Nathan Leigh ◽  
Michael Marks ◽  
Arkadiusz Hypki ◽  
Abbas Askar

AbstractWe will discuss the evolution of star clusters with a large initial binary fraction, up to 95%. The initial binary population is chosen to follow the invariant orbital-parameter distributions suggested by Kroupa (1995). The Monte Carlo MOCCA simulations of star cluster evolution are compared to the observations of Milone et al. (2012) for photometric binaries. It is demonstrated that the observed dependence on cluster mass of both the binary fraction and the ratio of the binary fractions inside and outside of the half mass radius are well recovered by the MOCCA simulations. This is due to a rapid decrease in the initial binary fraction due to the strong density-dependent destruction of wide binaries described by Marks, Kroupa & Oh (2011). We also discuss a new scenario for the formation of intermediate mass black holes in dense star clusters. In this scenario, intermediate mass black holes are formed as a result of dynamical interactions of hard binaries containing a stellar mass black hole, with other stars and binaries. We will discuss the necessary conditions to initiate the process of intermediate mass black hole formation and the dependence of its mass accretion rate on the global cluster properties.


2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (S324) ◽  
pp. 253-254
Author(s):  
Audrey Trova ◽  
Vladimír Karas ◽  
Petr Slaný ◽  
Jiří Kovář

AbstractWe present some results obtained with a toy model developed in Trova et al. 2016 used to study the influence of the self-gravity on the equilibrium configurations of magnetized rotating self-gravitating gaseous tori, in the context of gaseous/dusty tori surrounding supermassive black holes in galactic nuclei. While the central black hole dominates the gravitational field and it remains electrically neutral, the surrounding material has a non-negligible self-gravitational effect on the torus structure. The vertical and radial structures of the torus are influenced by the balance between the gravitational and the magnetic force. By comparison with a previous work without self-gravity (Slany et al. 2016), we show that the conditions of existence of these configurations can change.


2006 ◽  
Vol 2 (S238) ◽  
pp. 321-322
Author(s):  
Maarten Baes ◽  
Sławomir Piasecki

AbstractUsing detailed Monte Carlo radiative transfer simulations in realistic models for galactic nuclei, we critically investigate the influence of interstellar dust in ionised gas discs on the rotation curves and the resulting black hole mass measurements. We find that absorption and scattering by interstellar dust leaves the shape of the rotation curves basically unaltered, but slightly decreases the central slope of the rotation curves. As a result, the “observed” black hole masses are systematically underestimated by some 10 to 20% for realistic optical depths.


Universe ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (8) ◽  
pp. 279
Author(s):  
Zdeněk Stuchlík ◽  
Jaroslav Vrba

We study epicyclic oscillatory motion along circular geodesics of the Simpson–Visser meta-geometry describing in a unique way regular black-bounce black holes and reflection-symmetric wormholes by using a length parameter l. We give the frequencies of the orbital and epicyclic motion in a Keplerian disc with inner edge at the innermost circular geodesic located above the black hole outer horizon or on the our side of the wormhole. We use these frequencies in the epicyclic resonance version of the so-called geodesic models of high-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations (HF QPOs) observed in microquasars and around supermassive black holes in active galactic nuclei to test the ability of this meta-geometry to improve the fitting of HF QPOs observational data from the surrounding of supermassive black holes. We demonstrate that this is really possible for wormholes with sufficiently high length parameter l.


2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (S351) ◽  
pp. 80-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melvyn B. Davies ◽  
Abbas Askar ◽  
Ross P. Church

AbstractSupermassive black holes are found in most galactic nuclei. A large fraction of these nuclei also contain a nuclear stellar cluster surrounding the black hole. Here we consider the idea that the nuclear stellar cluster formed first and that the supermassive black hole grew later. In particular we consider the merger of three stellar clusters to form a nuclear stellar cluster, where some of these clusters contain a single intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH). In the cases where multiple clusters contain IMBHs, we discuss whether the black holes are likely to merge and whether such mergers are likely to result in the ejection of the merged black hole from the nuclear stellar cluster. In some cases, no supermassive black hole will form as any merger product is not retained. This is a natural pathway to explain those galactic nuclei that contain a nuclear stellar cluster but apparently lack a supermassive black hole; M33 being a nearby example. Alternatively, if an IMBH merger product is retained within the nuclear stellar cluster, it may subsequently grow, e.g. via the tidal disruption of stars, to form a supermassive black hole.


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