3D adiabatic simulations of binary black hole formation in AGN discs

Journal article

We investigate close encounters between initially unbound black holes (BHs) in the gaseous discs of active galactic nuclei (AGNs), performing the first 3D non-isothermal hydrodynamical simulations of gas-assisted binary BH formation. We discuss a suite of 135 simulations, considering nine AGN disc environments and 15 BH impact parameters. We find that the gas distribution within the Hill sphere about an isolated embedded BH is akin to a spherically symmetric star with a low-mass convective envelope and a BH core, with large convective currents driving strong outflows away from the mid-plane. We find that Coriolis force acting on the outflow results in winds, analogous to cyclones, that counter-rotate with respect to the mid-plane flow within the Hill sphere. We confirm the existence of strong thermal blasts due to minidisc collisions during BH close encounters, as predicted in our previous 2D studies. We document binary formation across a wide range of environments, finding formation likelihood is increased when the gas mass in the Hill sphere is large, allowing for easier binary formation in the outer AGN disc. We provide a comprehensive overview of the supermassive black hole’s role in binary formation, investigating how binary formation in intermediate density environments is biased towards certain binary orientations. We offer two models for predicting dissipation by gas during close encounters, as a function of the ambient Hill mass alone, or with the periapsis depth. We use these models to motivate a prescription for binary formation likelihood that can be readily applied to Monte Carlo simulations of AGN evolution.

Authors: Whitehead, H; Rowan, C; Kocsis, B

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Journal: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
• Volume: 542
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 1033-1055
• Publication date: 2025-08-04
• Acceptance date: 2025-07-29
• DOI: 10.1093/mnras/staf1271
• EISSN: 1365-2966
• ISSN: 0035-8711
• Language: English
• Keywords: black hole mergers; binaries: general; gravitational waves; hydrodynamics; galaxies: nuclei