11/30/17: SO/NOAO Joint Colloquium Series: Jillian Bellovary, AMNH & Queens
Title: Multimessenger Signatures of Massive Black Holes in Dwarf Galaxies
Abstract:
Inspired by the recent discovery of several nearby dwarf galaxies hosting active galactic nuclei, I will present results from a series of cosmological hydrodynamic simulations focusing on dwarf galaxies which host supermassive black holes (SMBHs). Cosmological simulations are a vital tool for predicting SMBH populations and merger events which will eventually be observed by LISA. Dwarf galaxies are the most numerous in the universe, so even though the occupation fraction of SMBHs in dwarfs is less than unity, their contribution to the gravitational wave background could be non-negligible. I find that electromagnetic signatures from SMBH accretion are not common among most SMBH-hosting dwarfs, but the gravitational wave signatures can be substantial. The most common mass ratio for SMBH mergers in low-mass galaxy environments is ~1:20, which is an unexplored region of gravitational waveform parameter space. I will discuss the occupation fraction of SMBHs in low-mass galaxies as well as differences in field and satellite populations, providing clues to search for and characterize these elusive giants lurking in the dwarfs.
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