The imminent detection of gravitational waves from massive black-hole binaries with pulsar timing arrays

TL;DR

This paper predicts that gravitational waves from supermassive black hole mergers are stronger and more detectable with current pulsar timing arrays than previously thought, due to higher merger rates inferred from galaxy evolution data.

Contribution

It introduces a new calculation of black hole merger rates based on galaxy evolution, showing significantly increased gravitational-wave signals.

Findings

Merger rates are 10 to 30 times higher than previous estimates.

Gravitational-wave signals are 3 to 5 times stronger.

Detection may already be possible with existing pulsar timing data.

Abstract

Recent observations of massive galaxies indicate that they double in mass and quintuple in size between redshift z = 1 and the present, despite undergoing very little star formation, suggesting that galaxy mergers drive the evolution. Since these galaxies will contain supermassive black holes, this suggests a larger black hole merger rate, and therefore a larger gravitational-wave signal, than previously expected. We calculate the merger-driven evolution of the mass function, and find that merger rates are 10 to 30 times higher and gravitational waves are 3 to 5 times stronger than previously estimated, so that the gravitational-wave signal may already be detectable with existing data from pulsar timing arrays. We also provide an explanation for the disagreement with past estimates that were based on dark matter halo simulations.