Massive black hole binaries as sources of low-frequency gravitational waves and X-shape radio galaxies

TL;DR

This paper investigates the gravitational wave background from massive black hole binaries and explores hypotheses for the origins of X-shape radio galaxies, linking multi-messenger signals with galaxy evolution.

Contribution

It provides improved estimates of the gravitational wave background considering environmental effects and evaluates scenarios explaining X-shape radio galaxies through black hole merger dynamics.

Findings

Estimated GWB amplitude is about 50% lower than PTA detections.

Spin-flip scenario reproduces X-shape radio galaxy properties.

Environmental effects significantly influence gravitational wave predictions.

Abstract

We present the study of multi-messenger signatures of massive black hole (MBH) binaries residing in the centres of galaxy merger remnants. In particular, we first focus on the gravitational wave background (GWB) produced by an ensemble of MBH binary inspirals in the frequency range probed by the Pulsar Timing Array (PTA) experiments. The improved estimates of the characteristic strain were obtained with the inclusion of environmental effects on the MBH binary orbital decay within the galaxy merger remnants, added in post-processing to the semi-analytic model of galaxy formation and evolution SHARK. Secondly, we explore two, intriguing in terms of the MBH binary evolution studies, hypotheses aiming to explain the origins of X-shape radio galaxies - a peculiar type of objects with double lobe structures, constituting approximately 6 - 10% of known radio loud galaxies. The two considered scenarios involve either an abrupt change in the jet direction after a MBH merger (a spin-flip) or an unresolved close binary, where each of the two components produces a jet. We find that the estimated GWB amplitude at the reference frequency $f_0=1 \,{\rm yr}^{-1}$ is in the range of $A_{\rm{ yr^{-1}}} = 1.20\cdot10^{-15} - 1.46\cdot10^{-15}$, which is 50% lower than the strain of the signal detected by the PTA experiments. We also show that the spin-flip scenario considered in gas-poor mergers reproduces the observed properties of X-shape radio galaxies well in terms of flip angle, redshift and luminosity distributions.