Inference on inner galaxy structure via gravitational waves from supermassive binaries

TL;DR

This paper models how the gravitational-wave spectrum from supermassive black hole binaries depends on galactic core profiles and binary eccentricities, using NANOGrav data to infer galactic environment properties.

Contribution

It introduces a model linking galactic core profiles and binary eccentricities to gravitational-wave spectra, analyzed with NANOGrav data to infer galactic center matter density.

Findings

Favours a galactic core density of about 10^6 M_sun/pc^3

Supports the role of environmental effects in black hole binary evolution

Indicates a low-frequency spectral turnover related to stellar and dark matter ejections.

Abstract

The detection of a stochastic gravitational wave background by pulsar-timing arrays indicates the presence of a population of supermassive black hole binaries. Although the observed spectrum generally matches predictions for orbital evolution driven by gravitational-wave emission in circular orbits, there is a preference for a spectral turnover at the lowest observed frequencies, which may point to substantial hardening during a transition from early environmental influences to later stages dominated by emission. In the vicinity of these binaries, the ejection of stars or dark matter particles through gravitational three-body slingshots efficiently extracts orbital energy, leading to a low-frequency turnover in the spectrum. Here we model how the gravitational-wave spectrum depends on the initial inner galactic profile before scouring by binary ejections while accounting for a range of initial binary eccentricities. By analysing the NANOGrav 15-year data, we find that a parsec-scale galactic-centre density of around $10^6 M_{\odot} \mathrm{pc}^{-3}$ is favoured across most of the parameter space, thus shedding light on the environmental effects that shape black hole evolution and the combined matter density near galaxy centres.